Before you begin your Bible study, as a believer
in the Lord Jesus Christ, be sure you have named your sins privately to God the
Father.
If we
confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to
cleanse us from all unrighteousness. [Known, Unknown and Forgotten sins] (1Jn 1:9)
You will then be in fellowship with God, Filled with God the
Holy Spirit and ready to learn Truth from the Word of God.
God
is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in Spirit and Truth. (Joh 4:24)
Freedom Through Military
Victory
TO THE NATION, WHAT IS THE PRICE OF FREEDOM
BELLIGERENT NATIONS WIELD MILITARY force not
to defend their sovereignty but to vanquish and enslave other nations. Is resistance to such aggression worth the price of young men
marching to war? Each generation must decide. If a nation wishes to perpetuate and inviolate the priceless
privileges and blessings of independence, warfare is inevitable. Every generation must face the refinement of war. Freedom is bought and paid for by the blood of
individuals who set a higher value on their liberty than on life itself. If one generation is not prepared mentally and Spiritually to defend
such values, if enough individuals in a national entity reject the Principle of
freedom through military victory, liberty languishes.
Despite man’s zealous efforts to achieve freedom through peaceful means,
wars will continue until the end of human history when Jesus Christ, the Prince
of Peace, reigns on earth for one thousand years. (Isa 9:6; cf., Ecc 3:8; Mic 4:1-4;
Mar 13:7; Rev 20:4) For man to presume that he can accomplish what
only Jesus Christ can accomplish in the Millennium is a total disregard for the
Scriptures and the height of arrogance. Jesus Himself declared
the certainty of war.
And you will be hearing of wars [Armed
conflict] and rumors of wars; [Cold war’s] see that you are not frightened, for
those things must take place, [A part of history] but that is not yet the end.
[Of the Tribulation] For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against
kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. (Mat 24:6-7)
Only
when Jesus Christ inaugurates His kingdom at the Second Advent will warfare be
abolished.
Until then, conflict; a manifestation of the sin
nature resident in every person, and Satan’s rulership of this world, will plague mankind.
(Joh 12:31) The fate of nations will continue to be
decided on the battlefields of the world. A nation must prepare for war to
insure an endowment of freedom and an interim of peace.
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time
to tear down, and a time to build up. . . . A time for war, and a time for
peace. (Ecc 3:3-8)
In
A.D. 425 Augustine, Bishop of Hippo and antiquity’s foremost Theologian,
affirmed the Biblical Principle of freedom through military victory in his
letters to Boniface, chief warlord of the western Roman Empire. Augustine
exhorted Boniface to defend Mauretania, a Roman colony in North Africa, against
the invading Vandals. Augustine reassured his Christian friend that he could
serve in the military, slay the enemy, and still glorify God.
“Think,
then, of this first of all, when you are arming for the battle; that even our
bodily strength is a gift of God. . . . War is waged in order that peace may be obtained.”
Peace is the ideal environment for freedom.
Freedom is exemption from arbitrary, external control; the function of free
will uncoerced by threat or violence. For a client nation to God like the
United States of America, Truth
in the soul of believers is the foundation for freedom from Satan's world
system, and the old sin nature; as well as the sin nature of Godless nations on
the outside of our nation, and from the sin nature of crime and corruption on
the inside of our nation!
A strong military with no Spiritually adult
believers will be destroyed. Human effort alone is no solution. In our
national, or in our personal lives. (Isa 37:36)
The Divine solution is the only solution; the
human solution is no solution! A supernatural life demands a supernatural means
to execute it! (Zec 4:6)
Unless
the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it;
Unless the LORD guards the city, The watchman keeps awake
in vain. (Psa 127:1)
So
Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him,
If you continue in My
Word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and
you will know the Truth, and the Truth will make you free. (Joh 8:31-32)
And I will walk at liberty, [In freedom] For
I seek Your Precepts. [Divine Thoughts] (Psa 119:45)
The pursuit of Biblical Thinking always promotes
personal and national freedom. Yet
maintaining that freedom demands a strong national defense — a military
establishment trained, motivated, and supported to defend national freedom and
interests.
The
Constitution and Bill of Rights of the United States of America define our
liberty. Yet these cherished fundamentals of American government would have
been worthless parchment without the six-and-a-half year war in which the
Continental army defeated the tyranny enforced by the British army. Today, the
U.S. military still defends and preserves our precious freedom from eradication
by foreign enemies. Only armies can protect
freedom from armies that seek to destroy freedom. The United States, or any nation that desires
autonomy, must maintain a military force trained and equipped for war.
The
United States faces an impasse! During the twentieth century our foreign policy
has been one of intermittent isolationism and drastic military reduction,
especially between the world wars and after the Fiasco of Vietnam. Such a
policy assumes that insulating this country from foreign conflicts will secure
freedom and peace. But when combative nations pursue confrontation, a policy of
isolationism is divorced from reality.
As
the United States emerged from a period of isolationism; preceding 1939, the
handwriting on the wall spelled war. The United States sought peace but Germany
and Japan would not be deterred from their course of conflict. Our lack of
military preparedness and policy of appeasement inevitably drew us into World
War II. A generation of soldiers paid a terrible price for our weakness. Yet
those who fought and won that war understood and abided by the Principles of
Divine establishment. They crushed the enemy and insured freedom for their
generation.
The
freedom the United States possesses has been purchased through the sacrifice
and suffering of courageous men. We as a people have the right of self-determination
because of military victory. We as Christians have the privilege to assemble in
public worship services and to evangelize unbelievers without persecution
courtesy of the military. Since 1776, we owe an immeasurable debt to all our
gallant fighting forces, especially to those who gave their lives that we might
remain a free people. To sustain our liberty the people of the United States of
America must observe the laws of Divine establishment.
LAWS OF DIVINE ESTABLISHMENT
In
His omniscience God knew in eternity past that man would choose to sin. He knew
that once man acquired a sin nature he would have unlimited potential to
destroy himself. To preserve and perpetuate human existence during the course
of the angelic conflict, God instituted the Laws of Divine establishment
for believer and unbeliever
— Principles designed for the protection, stability, orderly
function, survival, and blessing of the human race. These Laws declare freedom to be man’s most
valuable possession. When mankind observes these Laws, and a maximum amount of
believers are living in the Spiritual life; freedom is maintained — this exhibits the highest expression of individual freedom!
If only you listen obediently to the voice
of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all this Commandment which I am
Commanding you today. For the LORD your God will bless you as He has Promised
you, and you will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow; and you will
rule over many nations, but they will not rule over you. (Deut 15:5-6)
The human race cannot long
endure without a system of control. Legitimate authority, the umbrella of Divine establishment,
protects human freedom. Authority is the power delegated by God through the
laws of Divine establishment whereby certain members of the human race have
responsibility for and jurisdiction over other members of the human race. Authority protects self-determination, privacy,
property, human life — the basic components of
freedom. While authority exists
in both the Spiritual and temporal realms, Divine establishment involves only temporal authority: self,
husband, parents, and government. An example of Divine establishment is the Ten
Commandments ordained exclusively to govern the Theocratic client nation of
Israel. This “Magna Carta” of human freedom defined liberty, obedience, and
Divine authority for believers and unbelievers within Israel. The first five
Commandments embodied the sovereign rule of God over the national entity and
served as an evangelistic witness to the unbeliever. For believers in Israel these Commandments
defined individual Spiritual freedom and provided the environment for
developing a Spiritual life,
(Exod 20:1-12; cf. Joh 8:32) but did not constitute
the Spiritual life.
For we
know that the Law is Spiritual, (Joh 4:23) but I am of flesh, sold into
bondage to sin. (Rom 7:14)
For what the Law could not do, weak as it
was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of
sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be
fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the
Spirit. (Rom 8:3-4)
The
last five formed the Biblical example of obedience and summarized the hallowed Precepts of civil
independence; authority, free will, protection,
privacy, and the property of believers and unbelievers alike. (Exod 20:13-17) Although this code was designed by God specifically for
Israel, these same Truths guarantee personal
freedom and national liberty to any nation operating under these Divine
establishment axioms.
THE DIVINE ESTABLISHMENT INSTITUTIONS
God ordained four Divine institutions through
which the laws of Divine establishment function: the individual, marriage,
family, and the national entity. These four founding Principles for mankind are clearly delineated
and consistently verified by Scripture. God delegated a primary authority
within each institution: volition for the individual, the husband for marriage,
parents for the family, and government for the national entity. While the
Divine institutions were in God’s plan from eternity past, they came into
existence at various points of time. The individual was ordained with the creation
of Adam in; (Gen 1:26) marriage with the creation of the woman in; (Gen 2:22) family with the birth of the first child in; (Gen 4:1) the national entity with the formation of nations in. (Gen 10:5) These four institutions
apply to every human being regardless of race, nationality, gender, social or
Spiritual status, or any other factor.
Divine Institution Authority From Divine
Establishment
The Individual
Adam
was originally created perfect by God as a trichotomous individual — body,
soul, and spirit. When he disobeyed God and sinned, Adam became dichotomous —
body and soul. At the Fall he lost the human spirit and acquired a sin nature,
the source of Spiritual death. As his progeny, every human being is born dichotomous
and Spiritually dead, unable to have fellowship with God. (Rom 5:12) Regeneration by faith alone in Jesus Christ alone creates anew
the human spirit, rendering the believer in Christ trichotomous and Spiritually
alive. (1Pe 1:23)
The
basic authority for the first Divine institution is volition. God created man
to operate rationally under the volition in his soul rather than according to
his emotions. While there is variation in human aptitude and capacity to learn,
all individuals possess this decision-making ability. God could have
computerized the human race so that individuals would be programmed to carry
out His plan. Instead, He desires that
every person respond to His grace and reprogram himself and serve Him willingly. (By staying in fellowship and Thinking with His
Thoughts) Commands from God are
directed toward volition. Therefore, volition is a major issue in the angelic
conflict; everyone must be a free agent to accept or reject eternal Salvation
and then to serve Him. (Jos
24:15)
He who believes in the Son [Jesus Christ]
has eternal life; but he who does not obey [The Command to believe in] the Son
shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him. (Joh 3:36)
Who [God] desires all men to be saved and to
come to the [Full] knowledge of the Truth. (1Ti 2:4)
Proper regulation of volition in the soul of both believers and
unbelievers demands self-discipline. Self-discipline is the consistent Decision to do
what owes to be done, and the determination to avoid any distractions that
hinder the accomplishment of the objective! (Spiritual Maturity) This fundamental character trait is the foundation for integrity,
honor, and nobility, as well as all other Virtuous attributes that enable each
person to fulfill his destiny. Without
self-discipline; man abuses freedom by making bad decisions. Truly great people in life are self-disciplined.
One
of Robert E. Lee’s lieutenant generals, John Brown Gordon, described the
importance of self-discipline to personal character and national freedom. He
tells the story of Confederate troops in June of 1862 facing an almost
invincible Union position on the summit of Malvern Hill during the Seven Days’
Battles around Richmond, Virginia. Northern artillery was mercilessly pounding
the Southern lines, tearing huge gaps through the ranks. As shells struck, the
victims were literally blown apart. Noise, dust, and death enveloped the embattled
troops. In the midst of this carnage a panic-stricken rabbit suddenly darted
from its hiding place and sprinted furiously toward the rear, away from the
gunfire. A mountaineer in the Confederate ranks, noting the rabbit’s speed and
direction of flight, raised his voice above the din of battle and shouted, “Go
to it, Molly Cottontail! I’d be going with you if it wasn’t for my character!”
General Gordon continued:
In
this connection, I am reminded of the commonplace but important Truth that the
aggregate character of a people of any country depends upon the personal
character of its individual citizens; and that the stability of the popular
government depends far more upon the character, the individual, personal
character of its people, than it does upon any Constitution that could be
adopted or statutes that could be enacted. What would safeguards be worth if
the character of the people did not sustain and enforce them? The Constitution would be broken, the laws
defied; riot and anarchy would destroy both, and with them the government
itself. I am not assuming or
suggesting that this country is in any present danger of such an experience;
but of all the countries on earth this one, with its universal vote, its
divergent and conflicting interests, its immense expanse of territory, and its
large population, made up from every class and race, and still to be increased
in the coming years, is far more dependent than any other upon the (Spiritual life) of its people.
Today, General Gordon’s words ring prophetic. The Divine decisions you make manifest your
character, integrity, wisdom and determine the course of your life and the
stability of your nation. When the majority of citizens in a nation decide
to shun the Spiritual life, the balance between authority and freedom ceases to
exist. Remember: Freedom without authority is anarchy and authority without
freedom is tyranny. Achieving the proper
balance between freedom and authority demands a personal sense of destiny. (Spiritual Maturity) With the freedom to
make decisions comes the responsibility for the repercussions of those
decisions. (Gal 6:7)
One
dimension of Divine establishment is the law of volitional responsibility which
stipulates that you are accountable for your own decisions and actions. Hence
you can never blame others for the mishaps and suffering that result from your
bad decisions. You must take full
responsibility for your associations, activities, motives, and way of
operating!
People have the ability to exercise freedom of choice to determine the
course of their lives, unless severely limited by some form of tyranny or
slavery. Yet not even the
crudest tyranny can remove what we choose to Think. If we are free and decide to operate under
Divine Thoughts, we sustain and preserve our personal and national freedom. If we decide to reject these Divine Precepts,
we progressively limit our future options. The Thoughts that we Think, either man's or God's; dictate the
life we lead!
For they all seek after their own
interests, [Thoughts] not
those of Christ Jesus.
(Php 2:21)
But
turning around and seeing His disciples, He rebuked Peter and
said, Get behind Me, Satan; for you are not setting your mind on God's
Interests, [Thoughts] but
man's. (Mar 8:33)
Marriage
Marriage and volition originated in the Garden of Eden before the Fall.
(Gen 2:22-24) Since the man and the woman must make a
decision to enter this mutual relationship, marriage is an application of the
authority of the first Divine institution. Marriage provides the structure for
stability in society, the foundation of civilization. God’s plan for husband and wife prohibits
fornication, adultery, promiscuity, homosexuality, communal living, polygamy,
frivolous divorce. When the Divine design is spurned by sufficient
people, degeneracy permeates society and a nation declines.
God
designed one specific man for one specific woman. He assigns authority to the husband (Eph 5:22-23; Col 3:18; 1Pe 3:1) who is mandated to
love his wife (Eph 5:25) and to assume the responsibility to guard and
maintain her freedom. To fulfill his obligation, the husband must possess and
express from his soul (Spiritual) Virtue, honor, and integrity. The woman must also possess (Spiritual) Virtue in her soul. She is mandated to “respect” the authority of her husband (Eph 5:33) to whom she willingly surrenders her freedom. This respect is
the highest form of a woman’s love in marriage. The marriage of the right man
to the right woman: forms the most basic unit in society; and provides the
framework for conjugal love and the only legitimate environment for sex; this
becomes the foundation for the third Divine institution — the family.
Family
This
fundamental organization of society combines with marriage to form a second
Biblical safeguard for the perpetuation of the human race. Two parents, mother
and father, create the environment for raising children. An infant enters the
world helpless, needing protection and training until able to sustain himself. The family offers material provision, security,
discipline, and guidance enveloped in parental love.
In
addition to these staples of nurturing, parents are mandated to instill in
their children Spiritual norms and standards. Authority in the family is vested
in the parents. Parents must teach children obedience, the difference between
right and wrong, and inculcate them with the Principles of self-discipline,
manners, and respect for others. Training and correction within the family convey
stability to the individual, as well as to the national entity.
And, fathers, do not provoke your children
to anger; but bring them up in the discipline and Instruction of the Lord.
(Eph 6:4)
While
parents have numerous responsibilities, children have only one responsibility
within the family — to respect and obey their parents. (Eph 6:1-3)
Honor your father and your mother, that your
days may be prolonged in the land [Nation] which the Lord your God gives you.
(Exod 20:12)
He who curses his father or his mother, His
lamp will go out [Death] in time of darkness. (Pro 20:20)
Once
a child learns to obey his parents and understands the Principle of authority,
he is prepared to respect all other authorities in life, including those
appointed over him in a military organization.
When
basic Principles of authority and self-discipline are not taught early in a
child’s life, they often reject all forms of authority as teenagers and young
adults. Without authority orientation taught in the home that includes personal
humility and respect for adult supervision, juveniles become insolent and
defiant. Devoid of boundaries and self-absorbed, they reject society’s norms
and standards. Peer pressure replaces adult authority. Self-gratification
replaces the authority of law. These
young people turn to alcohol abuse, illegal drugs, illicit sex, or gang
activity. Violence becomes rampant, criminality is commonplace. If a
significant number of young people defy authority, mindless rebellion
overwhelms an entire generation.
When
parents do not fulfill their responsibility and children do not “honor” their parents, the nation
suffers from insecurity, instability, and eventual loss of liberty. National
disintegration begins in the family.
1. Insecure husbands result in insecure wives.
2. Insecure parents result in insecure children.
3. Insecure children produce an insecure
generation.
4. An insecure generation demands security.
5. In demanding security from government an
insecure generation becomes an entitlement generation.
6. Entitlements are offered to an insecure
generation by insecure politicians.
7. Insecure politicians offer some form of
socialism that is always divorced from establishment Principles found in the
infallible Word of God.
8. An insecure government gains power and entitlements for itself and
finances the pseudo security of socialism through confiscation of wealth by
unjust taxation and redistribution of wealth in the name of the greater good
for the greater number.
9. Utopian socialism combines with Marxism to establish economic and
political doctrines based on false theories of dialectical materialism and the
promotion of class warfare. The result is a demagog in government office that
offers pseudo security to an insecure generation through public lies and false
promises, destroying individual and national freedom.
10. Instead of government being the servant of the people, the
entitled, insecure people become slaves to a dictatorial bureaucracy. Absolute
power in the hands of insecure and incompetent rulers whose power lust feeds on
an insecure generation demanding something for nothing results in a nation
selling its heritage of freedom for a mess of pottage.
The cycle of insecurity starts with the
dissolution of the family and ends with the internal self-destruction of a
nation. Therefore, maintaining stability and freedom depend on the integrity
and Standards of marital and parental authority. When parents have no Spiritual
Virtue, the next generation lacks any virtue, and becomes insecure, and the nation
declines.
The National Entity
Evil
was rampant throughout the world during the age the Gentiles. (Gen 6:1-7) So God took severe measures to insure the survival of the human
race by precipitating the worldwide Flood. After the Flood only Noah’s family
survived; they alone expressed faith in the Savior and remained true to His
plan. From Noah’s sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, sprang three groups of gentile
descendants. As the population
increased they eventually gathered at Babel in a satanically inspired rebellion
against God. They presumed to “reach into
heaven” through their own ability and concerted effort.
Human
achievements; although sometimes admirable often has evil consequences.
When
human accomplishments obscure the Reality of man’s total separation from God or
supplant the grace of God as the one true solution to human problems, God
intervenes! Divine judgment at
Babel divided the people of earth into various countries. The division was
originally based on racial, geographic, and linguistic boundaries.
From these the coastlands of the nations
were separated into their lands [Geography], every one according to his
language, according to their families, [Race] into their nations. (Gen 10:5)
Genesis 11 further reveals the events
surrounding God’s separation of these people into nations.
And
they said, Come, let us build for ourselves a city,
[Babel] and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and
let us make for ourselves a name; lest we be scattered abroad over the face of
the whole earth. (Gen 11:4)
The city of Babel was to provide a world center
for the human race, and the monumental tower was to serve as a physical and
spectacular symbol of world unification. God’s judgment upon this
one-world government was a clear warning against all efforts to establish any
form of international rule and a ringing endorsement for the concept of the
national entity. In a world dominated by the sin nature absolute
power vested in a unified international body would always degenerate into
ironclad totalitarianism. (One-man rule)
Therefore its name was called Babel, because
there the Lord confused the language of the whole earth; and from there the
Lord scattered them abroad over the face of the whole earth. (Gen 11:9)
The
nature of the Divine judgment upon this first try at a World State is deeply
interesting. It is generally conceded that the cement which holds men together
in groups and nations is what we call a common culture, and the very core of
such a culture is found in language, man’s marvelous ability to communicate
ideas. It was exactly at this point that the judgment of God struck: the common
bond of, “one language” was supernaturally destroyed, (Gen 11:6-7) and the multiplication of tongues led to the formation of
different groups and, ultimately, nations. For the chief obstacle to the achievement of the one world state of
“Internationalism,” . . . is the barrier of language. (Now this has been removed by the computer)
To
protect the human race from the self-destructiveness of a one-world state God
established the national entity as the fourth Divine institution. He “scattered” mankind to limit the
expression of human arrogance and impede the spread of evil. (Gen 11:8) If everyone in the world spoke the same language, evil (Satan's thinking) would intensify.
Different languages and
the founding of the client nation to God constitute a Divine barrier against
the spread of false human realities.
The
Apostle Paul’s address to the Athenians establishes the validity of the fourth
Divine institution for the Church Age, allowing Christians to apply the ancient lesson from Babel to the
current dispensation. (Time period) Paul emphasizes that God’s purpose in separating the nations and
setting “the boundaries of their
habitation” is “that they should seek God” rather than be inordinately impressed with human
achievement embodied in the religion, philosophy, and poetry of the Greeks. (Act 17:26-27;
cf.; Act 17:21; Act 17:23;
Act 17:28)
National entities exist to prevent the world from
degenerating into chaos. God sanctions nations to restrain man’s sin nature. They
provide a deterrent against the tyranny Satan seeks to perpetrate on the human
race and the lethal tendencies of mankind. God also sanctions government as the
authority within a national entity to restrain the unbridled evil that man
without boundaries will commit. Government is designed to protect individual volition, safeguard
privacy and property, and maintain internal tranquility through law enforcement
and external security through military preparedness. (1Pe 2:13-14)
Let every person be in subjection to the
governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those
which exist are established by God. Therefore he who resists authority has
opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive
condemnation upon themselves. For rulers [Government] are not a cause of fear
for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do
what is good, and you will have praise from the same; for it is a minister of
God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not
bear the sword [Capital punishment] for nothing; for it is a minister of God,
an avenger [Arbiter of justice] who brings wrath upon the one who practices
evil. Wherefore it is necessary to be in subjection, [To
all authority] not only because of wrath, but also for
conscience’ sake. For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are
servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing. Render to all what is
due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear;
honor to whom honor. (Rom 13:1-7)
God
ordained that “rulers” should obey
and defend the laws of Divine establishment. Likewise, every inhabitant of a
nation; whether believer or unbeliever is exhorted to obey the authority of the
ruler. Significantly, (Rom
13:1-7) was penned during the
reign of the emperor Nero, one of the most tyrannical and unjust regimes in the
history of the Roman Empire. The
Scripture does not condone the practices of any tyrant, but neither does
oppressive governance negate the Principle of obedience to authority. (Tit 2:15; Tit 3:1) Regardless of the character of a ruler, his office represents the
Divinely delegated authority in that nation. The office, if not the man, should
always be respected.
IS
REVOLUTION JUSTIFIED? David exemplified
obedience and submission to Divinely appointed authority even as he eluded the
treachery of his sovereign; King Saul of Israel. Possessed of a monstrous jealousy Saul sought the life of David,
his Divinely anointed successor. David understood that Saul was responsible to God. (Rom 14:12) In His own purpose and time God would remove
Saul and promote David. Thus, David refused to retaliate by taking Saul’s life
or to allow his soldiers to assassinate Saul. (1Sa 24:4-7) Assassination and or revolution are never sanctioned by God.
Revolution is the deposing of the existing establishment or government
and the destruction of Divine institutions. The intent to overthrow one’s own government; either through plots
and intrigue or by force of arms, including paramilitary activity, constitutes
evil and is always contrary to Divine will. Encouraging revolution leads to senseless mob violence and the lawless
usurping of power. Whatever is gained in revolution could have been
accomplished without revolution. The end never
justifies the means. God swiftly punished
Dathan and Abiram in their mutiny against Moses. (Num 16:31-33) Problems requiring Divine establishment solutions can never
be solved by violating Divine establishment Principles.
What
about the American Revolutionary War of 1776? Was this rebellion against the
governing authority? No! Ours was not a classic revolution in the manner of the
French (1789) or Russian (1917) revolutions, but a war for independence. We did
not overthrow the existing English government, abolish Parliament, eliminate
the landowning aristocracy and replace them with street rabble and anarchists. We sought to perpetuate the Divine institutions
by establishing a republic that allowed the fullest expression of individual
freedom.
NATIONAL CORRUPTION. There
are always citizens in a nation who garner privilege without responsibility.
They enjoy the benefits and protection of their country while giving their
allegiance to a foreign government or a radical political or paramilitary group
bent on insurrection. This destructive duplicity shatters the autonomy of a
nation, as happened to Judea following the death and resurrection of Jesus
Christ. Jewish political and religious leaders paid a bloody price for their
hypocrisy. They exploited the benefits of Roman rule and
patronage while simultaneously plotting against Caesar. As the social structure of Palestine disintegrated, the Roman
procurator, Jewish leaders, Zealot rebels, and desperados of all sorts competed
for power and plunder.”
When
open war broke out in A.D. 66 thousands of Jews in Caesarea were massacred. By
A.D. 68 Vespasian had isolated and surrounded Jerusalem. The siege concluded in
A.D. 70 when Titus utterly destroyed the city, slaughtered and dispersed the
populace, and brought to an end any semblance of Jewish autonomy in Palestine
until 1948. The wages of their
sedition were anarchy, bondage, and death. Freedom cannot survive such
corruption in a society.
THE
CLIENT NATION. At any period in history, somewhere in the world God ordains and maintains a client nation.
This nation is God’s specifically protected representative on earth, a
repository for Divine Truth where the Gospel is freely communicated, Truth is widely taught, and missionaries carry the Word of God to
areas of positive volition throughout the world. The formation of such a
nation begins with people who responded to the grace of God and become
believers in Jesus Christ. (Eph 2:8-9) A nucleus of these
Christians grow Spiritually and form a pivot of mature believers, sufficient to
sustain the nation and through which God furthers His plan for mankind. Israel was the client nation to God in the Old Testament era.
And
you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.
[Client nation] These are the Words that you shall speak to the
sons of Israel. (Exod 19:6)
When
both the Northern (721 B.C.) and Southern (586 B.C.) Kingdoms of Israel were
destroyed under the fifth cycle of discipline; God’s storehouse for Truth resided with those faithful Jews
dispersed throughout the Babylonian Empire and later the Persian Empire. With the return of the Jews from captivity
Israel again functioned as a client nation. Since the beginning of the Church
Age on the day of Pentecost, (A.D. 30) and the subsequent sack of Jerusalem in
A.D. 70, only gentile nations are
client nations. These nations have the additional responsibility to provide a
haven for the Jews of the Diaspora. In the present age Jews who believe in Jesus Christ are part of
the New Covenant Church. (Gal
3:28)
In
the first century A.D. the Roman Empire became the setting for the beginning Church and the first
gentile client nation. New Testament Truth was written and widely circulated
under SPQR, Senatus Populesque Romanus. (Senate and People of Rome ) Following
the fall of Rome, subsequent client nations were the Ireland of Patrick in the
fifth century A.D. and the Frankish Kingdom of Merovingians after A.D. 481;
between the fifteenth and seventeenth centuries Switzerland in the time of
Ulrich, Zwingli and John Calvin; Scotland in the era of John Knox; France after
the Edict of Nantes (1598); Sweden under Gustavus Adolphus; Brandenburg Prussia
with the migration of the Huguenots from France after the revocation of the
Edict of Nantes, (1685). In the eighteenth and
nineteenth centuries England manifested client nation status by providing the
freedom for the communication of Truth and supporting worldwide evangelism.
With the decline of the British Empire the
United States now stands alone as the client nation. This country has been
remarkably blessed by the Lord! Tragically, we have begun to degenerate from
within. In the last few decades the Spiritual life of many Christians has sunk
to arrogant self-righteousness disguised as do-goodism and human solutions to
national and world problems.
Holding to a form of godliness, [Human
old sin nature morality] although they have denied its
power; [Spirituality; the filling of God the Holy Spirit]
Avoid such men as these. (2Ti 3:5)
Our mission as a client nation is all but
forgotten. The opportunity to glorify Jesus Christ through learning and
applying Truth has been disregarded. Fewer and fewer believers
are intent on Spiritual growth and Gospel witness. More and more the insidious
tactics of Christian activism — a zealous crusade for a moral cause — are replacing genuine Christian service. But
the end never justifies the means.
In
the angelic conflict Jesus Christ permits evil to run its course. (Pro 16:3-4) Yet the forward march of God’s plan in history
will inevitably crush any false system that man or Satan can devise. Although God allows wicked nations to exist and
may utilize them for His own purposes. (Psa 76:10)
He cannot permit a client
nation to abuse its Spiritual heritage. God may use evil nations to administer
the fifth cycle of discipline to a client nation riddled with Spiritual decay.
When a client nation is removed, God raises a new one in its place.
The
United States is not now and never has been a Christian nation. We are a client
nation to God, founded on Divine establishment Principles that insure freedom
for both Christian and non-Christian. In the past the foundation of Doctrinally oriented, mature
believers has been the source of Divine blessing for the nation. Yet if believers today reject this Spiritual legacy, we can expect
to be destroyed, not only as a world power but as a free people and a client
nation.
My
people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. [Of
Truth] Because you have rejected knowledge,
I also will reject you from being My priest [Client nation] Since you have
forgotten the Law of your God, I also will forget your children. (Hos 4:6)
God is absolutely just. He will honor His Word
resident in the souls of believers, even as the United States continues to decline. He will also preserve this client nation if a sufficient number of
believers are consistently learning and applying His Word! Truth orients believers to the importance of
the Laws of Divine establishment for the nation, and to the priceless value of
our Spiritual life in adversity and in prosperity. Doctrinally oriented believers support law enforcement for
protection against criminality and military preparedness for national security.
Gideon’s
“three hundred” offers a striking
illustration of how Truth in the soul of mature believers can deliver a client
nation. (Jdg 7:5-7) God chose this unlikely leader from the least
important tribe of Israel. When Gideon delivered an appeal for soldiers to
fight against Midian, thirty thousand men responded to the call. (Jdg 7:3) However, knowing that not all these men had the mental attitude
of courage to fight, God whittled down the volunteers to three hundred
who had fortitude. [Spiritual lives] God honored this small, Doctrinally oriented
force by using them to defeat the Midianites and preserve the nation. The survival and prosperity of the United States
depends on such a pivot of SPIRITUALLY mature believers!
Act as free men, and do not use your freedom
as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God. (1Pe 2:16)
Only the grace of God can deliver this nation
from its current predicament. We do not need overwhelming numbers; we just need
enough Spiritually mature believers for the Lord to use to accomplish His
purpose; BLESSING! Quality not quantity!
CHURCH AND STATE. Although both church and state are ordained of God,
they are always to remain separate organizations in the Church Age. God has separated the two in order to protect the
world from the tyranny of religion. When church and state unite, freedom is destroyed as occurred in
Spain during the Inquisition, (1478-1834) England under the Puritan Oliver
Cromwell, (1649-1658) France rescinding the Edict of Nantes under Louis, XIV
(1661-1715) and in some parts of South America today. Self-righteous Christian
activists who gain power become viciously intolerant of diverging Theologies
and tyrannical toward believers and unbelievers. Believers are persecuted for the “crime” of disagreement. Unbelievers may be forced into religious
conversion denying them true volitional response to the Gospel.
The
true Church; believers in Christ, should have influence on a national entity as
invisible heroes but should never be identified as the state
nor seek political control of the state. When the Principle of
separation of church and state is disregarded, the results are disastrous to
the citizens of that nation. Civil and religious freedoms disappear.
The
influence of the Church is Spiritual not activist. The
presence of a pivot of mature believers obedient to Truth and the Laws of
Divine establishment is the preserving influence on the national entity as “salt.” (Mat 5:13) Salt in the ancient world was a preservative. The believer filled
with God the Holy Spirit, and has maximum amount Truth in the soul reflects the
glory of God and becomes a witness to a lost and dying world. (Mat 5:14-16)
Even a small pivot of
Spiritually mature believers can be the means of maintaining or restoring a
client nation. (Ecc 9:14-16)
In
contrast the activist Christian loses his savor as the salt of the nation.
Christian activism is built on the false philosophy that the end justifies the
means, which includes criminal violence. Believers who become activists seek to settle Spiritual issues with
political solutions. These arrogant,
self-righteous Christians forget that Spiritual issues belong to the believer
alone. The Spiritual life and
values of the Church cannot be forced on the unbeliever or the believer. Only the separation of church and state gives
both human and Spiritual freedom allowing the optimum expression for human
volition, which is the pivotal issue in the angelic conflict.
As a
believer in Jesus Christ you have a tremendous responsibility in relation to
the Divine institutions. You have the latitude of individual choice — to make good or bad decisions; you have
a duty to protect and provide for your family. Do you realize that you are also to protect other families? How?
By understanding the Principle of the separation of church and state and by
fulfilling your responsibility to both. (Mat 22:21) You must grow Spiritually
and discharge the obligations of citizenship, including defending the nation as
a soldier.
THE DEFENSE OF A NATION
The
right of self-defense is the God-given prerogative of a national entity. The
Book of Numbers authorizes the enrolling and training of a military force for
Israel. The call to arms, “whoever was
able to go out to war,” appears fourteen times in the first chapter. God
brought the Jews of the Exodus out of Egypt for a purpose — to seize the land
He promised them. Chapters 10, 13, 14, 26, and 31 delineate their mobilization
plan: an order of battle; (Num
2:1-32) an alert system; (Num 10:7-8) an order of march; (Num 10:14-28)
reconnaissance, intelligence gathering, (Num 13:1-21)
and debriefing; (Num 13:26-33) a roll call of eligible males; (Num 26:2) a deployment for battle; (Num 31:3-6)
and the division of plunder. (Num 31:26-27)
Israel would be compelled to defend herself against a host of enemies. A
military establishment and a battle plan were crucial. This same obligation of
defense stands for any client nation. The importance of the
Spiritual life, national leadership, and military service; for the freedom of a
nation, is further portrayed in the Book of Nehemiah. Nehemiah details God’s military plan for
defending the postexilic city of Jerusalem. As in Old Testament times, the Spiritual life of believers, the
Divine establishment wisdom of those in authority, and a prepared and equipped
military are essentials for preserving and defending our client nation.
Isagogical Background
Truly
the Word of God is “alive and powerful,” but translations are not always clear. Remember, the Bible is
inspired only in the original languages of Hebrew and Aramaic in the Old
Testament and Greek in the New Testament — not in English. Translations may not
always articulate the true meaning of the original text. In addition,
historical settings in the Bible include a variety of ancient cultures, all
very different from our own, which affect word meanings.
When
a study is made of any portion of the Word of God, several methods of inquiry
are used. First, the student must orient to the historical time period in which
the passage was written. Next, he must discern the categories of Truth covered
and study the passages from this Viewpoint. Finally, but of equal importance,
is the analysis of the original language of the passage to accurately translate
the text. Grammar, syntax, etymology, anachronisms, idiomatic phrases must be
examined before a passage of Scripture can be correctly interpreted. This
threefold Biblical hermeneutic for studying God’s Word is called “ICE.”
Isagogics — the interpretation of
Scripture within the framework of its historical setting or Prophetical
environment.
Categories — the hermeneutical
Principle of comparing Scripture with Scripture to determine the classification
of Doctrine.
Exegesis — a Word-by-Word,
Verse-by-Verse, grammatical, syntactical, etymological, and contextual analysis
of Scriptures from the original languages of the Bible.
As we
launch into a study of military preparedness in the Book of Nehemiah, the ICE
approach is essential. Historical background and exegetical analysis must be
covered so we might understand the dilemma the Jews faced on their return from
Babylonian exile. Truth extracted from this
study will orient us to the Biblical View of the military in our society today.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND. King David and his heir Solomon ruled the united
twelve Hebrew tribes and expanded Israel’s borders. After Solomon’s death in
931 B.C. the client nation fragmented. Jeroboam led the ten northern tribes in
rebellion, (1Ki 12:1-19) dividing the nation into the larger Northern
Kingdom of Israel and the smaller Southern Kingdom of Judah that stretched from
Jerusalem to the Negeb. The Northern Kingdom was destroyed and dispersed under
the fifth cycle of discipline by the Assyrians in 721 B.C.
In
586 B.C. God used Nebuchadnezzar, king of Chaldea, as His instrument to bring
chastisement on Jerusalem.
Like the Northern Kingdom, Judah rejected Divine Directives and caved in to
idolatry. The Spiritual life within
the nation ceased to exist.
In the devastation that followed Nebuchadnezzar’s conquest, the walls, palaces,
and Solomon’s temple in Jerusalem were leveled. The Jews lost not only all
freedom and national autonomy but also their national sanctuary, God’s dwelling
place and the center of His worship. The Jews who survived the invasion were enslaved and forced to
march from Ramah to Babylon, a captivity which lasted seventy years.
By
539 B.C. Babylon fell to the powerful empire of Persia. In the next year (538
B.C.) Cyrus, king of Persia, decreed that fifty thousand Jews return to
Palestine. These were the children or the grandchildren of the young men and
women who suffered Nebuchadnezzar’s wrath and endured the death march.
Zerubbabel, the appointed governor of Judah, led the crucial expedition to
rebuild the Temple, the focal point of Spiritual life. Zerubbabel’s temple was
completed about 516 B.C. Ezra led a second expedition of Jews back from
Babylonian exile around 458 B.C. (Ezr 7:10)
With
the completion of the Temple, Jerusalem needed a defense system to protect the
inhabitants and to preserve Temple worship. Nehemiah was God’s chosen leader
for the task of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. Like Daniel, who as an exile
achieved high office in the Chaldean and Persian Empires, Nehemiah was
appointed at a young age by Artaxerxes, (Longimanus) king of Persia, to the
influential court position of cupbearer. In this post of implicit trust and unimpeachable loyalty, Nehemiah’s primary duty was to taste the wine
of the monarch to insure that it was not poisoned. His lofty position required
intimate and prolonged contact with the Persian royal family. Such close
association undoubtedly allowed him to obtain a commission as governor of Judea
and in 445 B.C. to return to Jerusalem with the authority to reconstruct the
fortifications of the city. But the rebuilding of the defenses of Jerusalem did
not go unopposed. Thus, the Book of Nehemiah
emphasizes the importance of a strong military for preserving and prospering
the Spiritual, economic, and cultural life of a nation.
Enemy Activity
Now it came about when Sanballat, Tobiah,
the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the repair of the walls
of Jerusalem went on, and that the breaches began to be closed, they were very
angry. (Neh 4:7)
Four neighboring tribes were threatened by the
return of the Jews and the re-establishment of a Jewish state: Sanballat was the leader of the Samaritans,
adversaries to the north; Tobiah led the Ammonites, the eastern antagonists; Geshem (Neh 2:19) and the Arabs were
enemies to the south; and the Ashdodites, the surviving Philistines,
were foes to the west. When these four clans heard that the returning Jews were erecting
new walls for Jerusalem and closing the gaps in their defenses, they reacted in
anger. Of the several words in
the Hebrew language for anger, charah
is the strongest. Their anger was exceptionally hostile. They were alarmed by the prospect of a mass
Jewish migration back to the Land.
And all of them conspired together to come
and fight against Jerusalem and to cause a disturbance [Confusion] in it. (Neh 4:8)
“All of them” indicates the jealous neighbors had formed an
alliance with a united objective: to prevent the Jews from
raising a wall and defending their national sovereignty. A wall around Jerusalem would provide a haven
for returning exiles. Without a stronghold for
protection Jerusalem could be
recaptured and destroyed anytime her enemies determined to do so.
The
conditions in Nehemiah’s time bear a striking similarity to the situation in
the Middle East in the last half of the twentieth century. Since the founding
of the new Jewish state in 1948, hundreds of thousands of Jews have migrated to
Israel. Surrounding Arab states have resisted this reemergence of Jews in the
Land. Consequently, the Jews have been forced
to fight or be driven into the sea. Israel’s freedom and autonomy are still dependent upon the
strength and readiness of her military.
Similarly, the United States is not without enemies. Yet we have
stripped our military to bare bones. Our armed services are woefully inadequate
for effectively defending our vital interests abroad.
(Neh 4:8) encourages us to
revitalize and maintain the military. We should consider Israel’s continuing struggle for survival and
heed the warnings of Nehemiah. We should realize that our enemies will always
oppose the rebuilding of our military capabilities even as the four tribes
vigorously opposed the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s wall.
“All
of them conspired together to come” indicates the hostile approach of the four armies on Jerusalem.
Their objective: Make war against the city
from all sides. These diverse groups
joined forces in a plot to destroy Jerusalem. “To cause a disturbance,” actually denotes creating “confusion” to facilitate the purpose of
the alliance. Clearly, these armies
were bent on exploitation, tyranny, and enslavement.
The National Response
When the exiled Jews returned to the Land, they
accomplished two tasks: First, they restored the function of the Temple,
revitalizing their Spiritual life as the highest priority; second,
they provided for national defense by rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem and
their military establishment. Mandatory military training was instituted. They
were following the time-honored tradition Mandated by the Mosaic Law.
And
Moses spoke to the people, saying, Arm
men from among you for the war, [Learn the use of arms and train for warfare]
that they may go against Midian, to execute the Lord’s vengeance on Midian. A
thousand from each tribe of all the tribes of Israel you shall send to the war.
So there were furnished from the thousands of Israel, a thousand from each
tribe, twelve thousand armed [Trained] for war. (Num 31:3-5)
The
returned exiles under Nehemiah maintained a small, regular army and a ready
reserve consisting of the entire eligible male populace. Each man was
instructed in the use of a weapon. On any given day the reserve troops might be
soldiers or civilians. Judah was prepared to defend itself.
But we prayed to
our God, and because of them [The enemy] we set up a guard
[Watch] against them day and night. (Neh 4:9)
Spiritual readiness, (Prayer) and humanly on the alert. (Watch; on the alert)
The
conjunction “but” emphasizes the two
areas in which a nation must undergo preparation when facing an antagonist.
Notice first the aspect of Spiritual readiness. “We prayed
[Palal] to our God” literally means, “But from our own free will, we offered
intercessory prayer to our God.” They prefaced their operational
preparations with a petition to the Lord.
The second priority of a nation is military
readiness. “A guard against them day and
night,” (Mishmar ’aleyhem yornam
valaylah) is a phrase encapsulating four critical spheres of grand strategy
for national defense:
1.
the ability to mobilize a military force to meet an invading army;
2.
constant readiness and training;
3. a
sagacious and establishment-oriented civilian administration;
4. a
united civilian populace that supports a common national objective.
With foresight the Jewish leaders had organized
for any eventuality, and were able to oppose the threat of the aggressively
approaching armies. Since they had already
established a superb military organization that could be rapidly mobilized, the
troops were now placed on maximum alert.
Their
determination to defend Jerusalem reveals something about the Jew of ancient
Israel. Like his counterpart in
the modern state of Israel, he was a formidable soldier, a ferocious fighter
who exhibited courage, resourcefulness, and mental toughness in the face of
aggression.
In
the phrase “set up a guard against them,”
the verb ‘amad’ means “to be caused to be stabilized, to take one’s
stand” and the noun mishmar means “a guard” or “a watch.” These
Jews were vigilant and ready for action. While the apostate Jews in the days of Jeremiah neglected and
rejected their military, the steadfast Jews under Nehemiah had a fully staffed,
well-trained military establishment. Clearly the returned exiles had learned
from their past mistakes.
Internal Opposition
Thus in Judah it was said, The strength of
the burden bearers is failing, Yet there is much rubbish; And we ourselves are
unable To rebuild the wall. (Neh 4:10)
Some
of the Jews complained that they could not reconstruct the defensive wall
around the city as long as full mobilization was in effect. When Nehemiah
called up the reserves; that left only the “burden bearers”; an exhausted crew of rock carriers, still
clearing the “rubbish.” The wall had
been devastated in Nebuchadnezzar’s siege and was still in deplorable
condition, useless for protecting the inhabitants. So much rubble remained that
the builders could not maneuver to actually reconstruct the fortifications. Faced with an impending attack and too little
time to rebuild, Nehemiah decided to develop defensive tactics with a fully
mustered legion and to trust in the Lord for deliverance.
While
verse 10 reveals the internal discord among the returned exiles, verse 11 describes the plotting of the enemy from
without.
And our enemies said, They [The Jews] will
not know or see [The plot] until we [The invaders] come among them, kill them,
and put a stop to the work. (Neh 4:11)
The
armies of the Samaritans, the Arabs, the Philistines, and the Ammonites
finalized their strategy for a surprise attack and converged on Jerusalem.
Unbeknown to these conspirators the element of surprise would have no effect. The Jewish army, were well trained, fully alert,
and prepared.
The
four aggressors understood the difficulty of attacking a prepared military
defense. They opted for the shock of surprise, to catch the defenders
off-guard. Their immediate objective was to kill the exiles already in
Jerusalem. Their long-range objective was to discourage any new contingent of
returning Jewish refugees from completing the defensive bulwark of Jerusalem’s
massive walls.
And it came about when the Jews who lived
near them [The invaders] came and told us ten times, They
will come up against us from every place where you may turn. (Neh 4:12).
Even
though Nehemiah inaugurated mandatory military training, even though the army
was prepared for every exigency, even though the general populace would fight
to avoid enslavement and annihilation, there were still some cowards who wanted
to surrender. Jews from outlying areas had scouted the approaching armies and
could see no escape. (Human problem; of fear) Terrified over the possibility of attack, they
flocked to the city frantically repeating a warning to Nehemiah, “Our enemies are coming from every direction
— we are trapped!” Knowing such hysteria could spread to the troops and the
public-at-large, Nehemiah took decisive action.
Military Preparation
Then I stationed
men in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, the exposed places, and I
stationed the people in families
with their swords, spears, and bows.
(Neh 4:13)
After estimating
the situation Nehemiah issued an operations order. He arrayed the troops in a
defensive posture to meet the enemy strategy. Nehemiah
was not only a student of the Word of God, but also of military science and the
human old sin nature. He used the terrain and the available forces to
the best advantage. Lacking a completed wall around the city, he set up a
defensive perimeter, concentrating troops at the gaps in the fortifications to
act as a holding force.
How could such a
sparse first line of defense hold in the face of a numerically superior force?
Nehemiah literally stationed his troops in their mishpachah, “clans.” Each combat unit consisted of extended family members.
In close proximity to each unit were wives, children,
and other noncombatant relatives. Thus the
soldiers were placed in naturally cohesive groups and furnished with a constant reminder of the dire consequences that
defeat would bring to their loved ones. This family nearness would give the warriors added incentive
to fight on to victory. What a brilliant and innovative Command decision! Nehemiah
exhibited exceptional Spiritual courage, an essential attribute for any
military leader.
The strategy
behind stationing “men in the lowest
parts” was to hide the main body of troops from the enemy. In so doing,
regardless of which enemy army attacked first, Nehemiah could call on his
hidden reserve forces to meet the most prominent threat. Nehemiah had thus
provided a defensive perimeter around the city and a mobile reserve to maneuver
on interior lines. The advantage of fighting on interior lines is the ability
to concentrate all available combat power against the most immediate danger. A
smaller force can preserve the initiative against a larger force. Clearly
Nehemiah understood strategy and tactics.
Hidden from sight
on the low ground, Nehemiah set up his mobile reserve, his instant reaction
force. Their position shielded them from the prying eyes of the enemy. The
hostile forces theoretically would observe only the weak perimeter and then
proceed recklessly, confident of easy victory. At just the right moment,
Nehemiah would move the reaction force and strike the attacking enemy on the
flank. Thus, the enemy would face a tenacious holding force and a second
aggressive force, attacking from a different angle. Here is the advantage of
fighting on interior lines. After the enemy is defeated in one quadrant, the
reaction force can move quickly to a different section of the perimeter and
respond to a threat from a new direction.
Notice again the
last phrase of, (Neh 4:13) “with their swords, spears, and bows.” The
Jews had weapons and they knew how to use them. They
had the means and the will to protect their country and their loved ones. Disarmament
is never an option for a people desiring freedom.
From Nehemiah’s
example an application can be made to the Spiritual life of believers in the
United States of America. From time to time the freedom of this country depends
on general officers who accurately understand and skillfully employ the
military science of strategy and tactics. Only after years of intense training
and study in technical military subjects is a commander capable of skillfully
and effectively maneuvering troops. Such proficiency
comes only through constant practice and preparation in the military and in the
Spiritual life. (Heb 5:14)
Civilian Preparation
When I [Nehemiah] saw their fear, I rose
and spoke to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people: Do not be afraid of them; remember the Lord who is great and
awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives,
and your houses. (Neh 4:14)
Who was Nehemiah
addressing? The aristocracy, the bureaucracy, and the rest of the citizens — all the civilians! Nehemiah knew the
danger of civilian leadership traumatized by fear. Instead of communicating
sound national objectives, fear would cause them to overreact and issue
contradictory orders that would hinder the professional soldiers. Although
Nehemiah did not need their interference in his strategic and tactical
decisions, he did
need them to prepare themselves mentally for the coming battle. So he
encouraged them to confront the consequences of their fear.
Nehemiah reminded
the civilians why they should not panic. Fear on the
home front can be just as devastating to the war effort as fear in the foxhole.
Such fear can subvert national team spirit and sabotage a people’s
determination to defend freedom. So he urged
the civilians to focus on Truth. Nehemiah’s
rallying cry was “Do not be afraid of
them; remember the Lord!” In effect he was saying to them, “You have Truth, now use it!”
When I am afraid, I will put my trust in
You. (Psa 56:3) The Lord is for me; I will not fear; What
can man do to me? (Psa 118:6) Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not
anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I
will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. (Isa 41:10)
Nehemiah did not
divulge to the civilian leadership his strategy of fighting on interior lines,
the tactic of envelopment or his ingenious troop dispositions. Security of the
operation was paramount. He could not risk the possibility of his carefully
laid plans falling into enemy hands through a slip of the tongue. Nehemiah had
no time for situation briefings or a long sermon. All his concentration was on
the coming conflict. Success in any endeavor in life requires the concentration
to pay attention to detail while still staying focused on the accomplishment of
the objective. However, Nehemiah remained a brief moment with the
civilians to remind them that the Lord is “great
and awesome”; their God was a mighty warrior, “the Lord of hosts,” the ultimate Commander in Chief. Was the
Mighty Warrior in control? What did Israel have to fear from her enemies?
Nehemiah exhorted them to employ the faith-rest drill (Thinking with the
Promises of God) so they could handle their fear and invoke the battle cry of King
David:
And that all this
assembly may know that the LORD does not deliver by sword or by spear; for the
battle is the LORD'S and He will give you into our hands. (1Sa 17:47)
Do not fear or be
dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours but
God’s. [Read] (2Ch
20:15-26)
God uses warfare to judge nations which have become depraved. At various times in the course of Israel’s history the Lord
of hosts had given the command “Annihilate
the enemy!” to keep corruption from spreading or to preserve His people. (Deut 7:2-16; Deut
20:16-20; Jos 11:20-21) In
First Chronicles 5 the Jews were fighting the Hagrites, descendants of Hagar,
the Egyptian servant of Sarah and Abraham. (Gen
16:1-10) God condoned this war as judgment upon Canaanite apostasy.
And they made war against the Hagrites,
Jetur, Naphish, and Nodab. And they were helped against them, and the Hagrites
and all who were with them [Their allies] were given into their hand; for they
[The Jews] cried out to God in the battle, and He was entreated for them,
[Their cause was just]because they trusted [Faith- rest] in Him. (1Ch 5:19-20)
For many fell slain, because the war was of
God. (1Ch 5:22)
This is the
Divine perspective of warfare: Victory demands that the enemy be rendered hors de combat. (Incapacitated) Wars should be fought to win and winning
means slaying the enemy.
(Neh 4:14) closes with the Command, “Fight for your
brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses.” This Mandate reminds the warriors why they fight:
“For your brothers” — fight to defend your
fellow citizens, the national entity, Divine institution number four;
“Your sons, your daughters” — fight to defend and protect children and family, Divine
institution number three;
“Your wives” — fight to protect your right woman, Divine institution number two;
“Your houses” — fight to defend privacy, property, and freewill, Divine institution
number one.
Warfare is necessary as the guardian of the four Divine
institutions.
First, Nehemiah
calmed the fears of the civilians. Then, he repeated the common cause for which
the military would confront the enemy — the freedom of the nation. Nehemiah
personalizes this statement by saying, “Fight
for the survival and well-being of your families.”
If you are a
soldier, memorize the last phrase of Verse 14. When
you find yourself in combat on a foreign shore thousands of miles from home,
remember you are fighting for your loved ones; we fight Spiritually by staying
in fellowship and Thinking with Truth. No matter where the combat, or who the
enemy, you are waging war for country and home!
Military Preparation Prevents Wars
And it happened
when our enemies heard that it [The surprise attack] was
known to us, and that God had frustrated their
plan, then all of us returned to the wall, each
one to his work. (Neh 4:15)
Having “frustrated”
the machinations of the four enemies, the crisis passed without bloodshed. Why?
The Jews were prepared for war — “peace through strength!”
God honored Nehemiah’s compliance with the Divine defense plan. The Jews were
ready and willing to defend their freedom without reservation. Thus, the four
aggressor nations were deterred and pulled back without attempting an assault.
The epitome of military preparedness is to deter the enemy without a fight.
How different is
the story of the United States. After World War I the military capacity of our
country was drastically reduced by a deluded Congress. Our representatives
mistakenly believed we had just won “the war to end all wars.” Such is never
the case. Why did the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor? To crush our under-strength
army and navy in the Pacific with one blow; leaving us helpless to resist. Had
our military been adequately prepared for aggression, the surprise attack on
Pearl Harbor might have remained only a scenario of Admiral Yamamoto and the
Japanese Imperial staff rather than the Reality of 7 December 1941.
By the end of
World War II our military power reached its zenith. But rather than intelligent
demobilization to maintain a semblance of the most effective fighting force in
the history of our nation, we drastically reduced the army, mothballed the
fleet, and gave up important strategic advantages. Through irresponsible
reduction of forces we were once again left vulnerable. How quickly we forgot
the price of freedom.
Within five years
of World War II we were mired in the Korean war for which we were shockingly
ill-prepared in personnel and equipment. Ten years later we committed troops to
combat in Vietnam, untrained in guerilla warfare and with no intelligible
objective. The civilian population — Americans enjoying the privileges of
freedom — abandoned our soldiers fighting on that distant, jungle battlefield.
We forfeited morale, men, materiel, prestige, and self-respect. Are we destined
to continually repeat the painful lesson taught by our lack of military
preparedness? The old axiom seems to apply: We learn
from history that we learn nothing from history.
In contrast the Jews applied Divine Viewpoint
and learned the lesson of history. Nehemiah’s
established war plan, speedy mobilization, brilliant tactical deployment of
troops, and the support of the civilian population disheartened the four
invading armies. The price of attacking a primed defense was too high. When
oppressors identify a tough opponent, their resolve falters.
Since Nehemiah and his countrymen Understood and
Thought with Divine
Viewpoint, especially the Doctrine of
the total depravity of man, they had no illusions about the evil intent of the
invaders. (Joh 2:24-25)
Totalitarian nations
harbor sinister intentions. Spiritual
and military training are necessary to prevent tyranny from prevailing. The
Jews, both Spiritually and militarily prepared, could now prudently demobilize
the reserves and finish reconstructing the walls — an engineering feat they accomplished in a remarkable fifty-two
days. (Neh
6:15)
Intelligent Demobilization
And it came about from that day on, that
half of my servants carried on the work while half of them held the spears, the
shields, the bows, and the breastplates; and the captains were behind the whole
house of Judah. (Neh
4:16)
The reserves were
demobilized and “carried on the work”
of raising the wall. The rock carriers welcomed the help they had been begging
for while the regular army maintained constant readiness. The regulars, still
mobilized, carried their weapons. This is the shrewd way to demobilize. The
Jews realized their enemies could return without warning. They were not only
equipped militarily for such a contingency, but were also improving their
defensive capability by rebuilding the wall. They had learned the cost of
maintaining freedom and national autonomy. It cannot
be negotiated with an implacable [Unreasonable] enemy. Freedom is the
product of constant vigilance, Spiritually, and with military might, and in the
final analysis, the grace of God!
Whereas Judah had
four unrelenting foes, the United States has countless antagonists and few real
allies. Absurd military reductions have made our country dangerously
vulnerable. We cannot maintain freedom from a position
of weakness —
either military or Spiritual weakness. We must
follow Judah’s example and pay the price for freedom by supporting an extensive
and proficient military. (Neh 4:16)
concludes by emphasizing the importance of leadership during Judah’s
demobilization. The
rulers “behind the whole house of Judah”
were leaders who understood the necessity of a well-trained military supported
by the home front. They organized the people both to work and to fight.
The rebuilding of the United States armed forces in the
1980’s brought our long-standing antagonist, the Soviet Union, to dissolution
without a shooting war. Our defense priority was an astute application of the
Concept of freedom and peace through strength. Where is that kind of leadership
in the United States today? Both the executive and legislative branches of
government have denigrated and denuded the military. As a result our national
defense is impaired.
The next two
Verses continue to recount the Jewish demobilization.
Those [The demobilized troops] who were rebuilding
the wall and those who carried burdens [The rock carriers] took their load with one hand doing the work and the other
holding a weapon. (Neh 4:17)
As for the builders, each wore his sword
girded at his side as he built, while the trumpeter stood near me. (Neh 4:18)
Why were the
builders wearing swords? Because these citizen soldiers — professional
construction workers and expert men-at-arms — were essential to the Jewish
defense force. While the men worked on the wall, they kept their weapons
instantly available. Nehemiah did not intend for the enemy to return and
surprise the Jews before they could complete the fortifications around Jerusalem.
The military was so integral to the survival of freedom that participation was
a duty for every able-bodied man. The demobilized reserves carried their
weapons to work and were ready to use them at a moment’s notice. They were true “minutemen.” Their call to arms was only a
trumpet sound away. They were Spiritually, militarily, and mentally prepared. Freedom so zealously
guarded, is freedom preserved!
THE DIVINE
VIEWPOINT OF THE MILITARY
The following Biblical Tenets will illuminate your Thinking
concerning the purpose and necessity of the military. God authorizes a military
so the human race can survive war and guard freedom, just as He authorizes the “sword” of state (Rom 13:4) so the human
race can survive crime on the inside of a nation and live in freedom from evil
on the outside.
Freedom must be maintained. The military and the police maintain freedom. Therefore, the military and the police must be
maintained.
Protection of the Nation
Enemies may appear from within or from without the nation.
Scripture supports the right of law-abiding citizens
to defend themselves against evil and crime; and a nation to defend against
hostile attack. Violence of evildoers is
restrained only by the stronger violence of the righteous. God could not be
called good if “He were to turn the world over to the horrors of unbridled
cruelty perpetrated by violent and bloody criminals or the unchecked aggression
of invading armies.”
In the operation of the military in combat the enemy must be
destroyed to protect freedom. The same is true of the enemy within: The violent criminal
must be removed from society therefore, the necessity of imprisonment and
capital punishment. The military destroys
external enemies; the judicial system executes
internal enemies. Thus, peace and the survival
of a nation are ensured.
INTERIOR
PROTECTION
God
ordained government to be the authority within a national entity. As the
guardian of liberty, a regime, whatever its form of governance, (Parliamentary,
monarchy, republic, etc.) must protect the inherent
right of its citizens to life, privacy, property and freedom to succeed or fail
according to their own ability and volition. The
national entity must also insure the right of the individual to religious
freedom — the opportunity to accept or reject Jesus Christ as Savior (Act 17:26-29) and grow in the Spiritual life. (2Pe 3:18)
Civil liberty is
maintained through an objective judicial system that is respected by a majority
of citizens. The authority of the policeman on the
corner and the judge on the bench protect freedom within a nation. The
police officer detects and deters criminal activity, apprehends offenders, and
keeps public order. Judges as leaders or authorities in the state are “ministers of God” (Rom 13:4) Divinely ordained to adjudicate and to
punish. A system for establishing evidence in trials, administering strict
punitive measures for the guilty, (Ecc 8:11)
and obtaining the immediate release of the innocent characterizes equitable
jurisprudence. The entire internal security of a
people depends on just and skillful administration of law, which protects the
innocent and punishes the guilty.
EXTERIOR
PROTECTION
A nation that
adheres to the laws of Divine establishment is a righteous power that provides
a bulwark against any encroaching forces of tyranny and evil. An honorable
military defends national sovereignty. Obviously,
military invasion for personal or political aggrandizement, such as the Nazis
in World War II or the later communist aggressions, is not justified.
Battlefield victories won by nations forced to employ justified violence have
preserved freedom throughout history.
Does a nation
protect its sovereignty and freedom when it fights an enemy on foreign soil?
The Biblical answer is described in, (Num 32:1).
Two of the tribes of Israel, Reuben and Gad, requested their parcel of Promised
Land on the east side of the Jordan River. (Num
32:5) The rest of the nation’s land was to be on the west side of the
river. Moses was incensed that Reuben and Gad wanted to desert their fellow
Israelites about to begin the battle for dominion west of the river. (Num 32:6) Reuben and Gad corrected their mistake
in a response to Moses.
And the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben
answered, saying, As the Lord has said to your servants, so we will do. We
ourselves will cross over armed in the presence of the Lord into the land of
Canaan, and the possession of our inheritance shall remain with us across [East
of] the Jordan. (Num
32:31-32)
Reuben
and Gad were saying in effect, “We are
fighting for our land by crossing the river and fighting on the other side.” These two tribes realized that their freedom
and autonomy depended upon defeating the common enemy of the entire nation,
even though that foe was beyond the borders of their own territory. They would not wait for the enemy
to attack their domain but would strike first to spare their families and
property from the devastation of war.
When Charles
Martel organized a group of warriors and drove the followers of Mohammed back
behind the Pyrenees Mountains at the battle of Tours, Europe was saved from
centuries of Islamic rule. (A.D. 732) Had it not been for a few Polish, Austrian,
Prussian, Hungarian, and Greek knights who had the courage to oppose Genghis
Khan and his invading Mongol armies. Western Europe would have been subjected
to centuries of barbaric Tatar domination. With overwhelming power and might
the United States of America annihilated the tyranny of Japan and Germany in
World War II. Decisive defeat of an enemy is the only
way to assure autonomy. Such violence is justified to deter evil aggression and
perpetuate freedom.
PEACE
THROUGH PREPARED MILITARY
To insure peace a nation must be prepared for war! Military weakness invites attack by belligerent, aggressive
nations. Military superiority deters
aggression. Only
those living in a fool’s paradise support dodging military service, antiwar
demonstrations, and disarmament.
Understandably,
man desires peace, and freedom is optimized during times of tranquility, but
the manner of achieving and maintaining peace has been the subject of endless
controversy throughout history. Unrealistic Utopians
advocate world peace through capitulation, assuming harmony can be created
among nations through good will. These “doves.”
apostles of appeasement, foster warfare. They beg and cry for peace “...but there is no peace.” (Jer 8:11) Safety is never attained by “petting
the cobra” or peacefully coexisting with the tiger. Those who try end up
peacefully dead. When a nation caters to confused idealists dreaming of a
better world or hoping to bring in the Millennium through disarmament and pacifism,
that nation is being led to the slaughter.
He has put forth his
hands against those who were at peace with him; He has violated his covenant.
His speech was smoother than butter, But his heart was war; His
words were softer than oil, [Deceptive] Yet they were drawn swords. (Psa 55:20-21)
Throughout history deceptive words have been uttered to mask “drawn swords.” Wicked nations proclaim peace when their true intent is to
wage war and subjugate other nations. (Isa
59:7-8) These deceivers extend an olive
branch in one hand while concealing a sword in the other. The plight of
a people desiring peace who are plagued by a belligerent enemy is described by
the psalmist.
Too long has my soul
had its dwelling With those who hate peace. I
am for peace, but when I speak, They are for war. (Psa
120:6-7)
Nations plead for peace, negotiate treaties to guarantee
peace, make compromises and concessions for peace, only to be bitterly
disappointed when the peace is violated and freedom threatened. What is the response to the machinations of deceitful
nations?
Historically, a balance of power against
aggressive nations has been the most effective insurance for an interval of
peace. The only way to avoid war is to be adequately equipped and trained for
war. In any generation the capability for righteous violence is essential for
the preservation of national freedom. Only a prepared national military can
deter enemy aggression.
The Inevitability of War
Despite man’s
efforts for peace, warfare will continue until the Millennium. (Mat 24:6; Mar 13:7;
Luk 21:9) Never in human history has
there been a time when warfare has not been raging in some corner of the globe.
In the period from 1990 through 1995 fifty-three separate major armed conflicts
were recorded. The sin nature, mankind’s volition, and
the cunning stratagems of Satan in the angelic conflict are the root causes. During the six plus years of the Tribulation,
conflicts will become even more brutal, (Rev 6:1)
thru (Rev 20:6). Only at His Second
Advent when the Lord Jesus Christ victoriously concludes the Armageddon
campaign will warfare cease. Satan and all fallen angels will be removed from
the earth. (Rev 20:1-3) Then, with
Jesus Christ on the throne of the millennial kingdom, hostilities will no
longer threaten the peace of nations. (Isa 11:6-9;
Mic 4:1-3)
And He will judge between the nations, And
will render decisions for many peoples; And they will hammer their swords into
plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword
against nation, And never again will they learn war. (Isa 2:4)
Until Christ
returns in glory warfare is inevitable (Ecc 3:8)
and under certain circumstances necessary for maintaining national sovereignty
and preserving freedom.
THE MILITARY
IMAGE OF JESUS CHRIST
During
the struggle to attain and perpetuate Jewish freedom after the Exodus, the
pre-incarnate Jesus Christ reserved the title the “LORD of hosts,” the God of the armies of Israel. (1Sa 17:45) In the Book of Joshua He is called “Captain of the host of the LORD.” Jesus
Christ was the Commander in Chief; Joshua was the chief of staff. (Jos 5:13) thru (Jos
6:2) Joshua received a Mandate from the Lord to destroy certain
enemies, (Jos 11:6; cf. Deut 20:15-18) so Israel might be preserved. This authorization, directed toward the destruction of a
society saturated in degeneracy, included the Divinely authorized killing of
men, women and children. Only then could the people of Israel disentangle
themselves from the pervasive and contagious evil of a depraved society.
No leader today
carries Divine authority to kill civilian men, women and children. However, in
the course of all warfare noncombatants regrettably become casualties. Although
such losses are to be avoided, God still sanctions the destruction of the enemy
in battle to attain victory and maintain freedom. At the Word of the Lord Jesus
Christ, the Assyrian army of 185,000 infantrymen was struck down in one night.
(Isa 37:36) At the close of the
Tribulation, Jesus Christ will use righteous violence to eliminate the military
powers invading the Middle East. (Zec 14:3)
And from His mouth comes a sharp sword, so
that with it He may smite the nations; [At the Armageddon] and He will rule
them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of
God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, KING
OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. (Rev 19:15-16)
Today pacifist
believers would probably censure the Lord Jesus Christ if they understood the
full impact of this passage. They envision Him as the meek and mild Jesus who
spoke of turning the other cheek in the Sermon on the Mount. (Mat 5:39) In Reality He
is the one who “smites the nations.” The Sermon on the Mount relates to His Spiritual life and
ours; in manifesting Personal love toward God the Father, and Impersonal toward
all mankind. (Mat 5:48)
The “sharp sword”
of Verse 15 is the most formidable weapon of all time. With the Words “from His mouth” our Lord slays the
armies at Armageddon. Christ Himself demonstrates how to win a war: Kill the
enemy. Jesus Christ does not return at the
Second Advent to negotiate a peace settlement; He returns to destroy the enemy.
After their annihilation warfare will cease; freedom and peace will reign for a
thousand years.
Nations That Lose Wars Lose Freedom
National autonomy
and well-being inevitably depend on a superior army. A nation perpetuates
freedom when its military succeeds but risks enslavement when it’s military
fails. A strong military establishes a buffer against
conflict. A nation cannot survive the
destruction of its armed forces.
When Zedekiah
attempted to resist Babylonian domination, the Chaldean army descended upon
Judah. Although greatly outnumbered, the Jewish military resisted from two
fortified towns, Lachish and Azekah. (Jer 34:7)
They fought to defend national autonomy; the powerful Chaldean army fought to
destroy their impudent independence. The Jews were defeated. Judah was ravaged
as Prophesied by Jeremiah. (Jer 12:12)
Captivity and enslavement followed the fall of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. (Jer 40:1)
Military defeat
and enslavement are part of the consequences of the demise of every client
nation under the fifth cycle of discipline. (Lev
26:27-39) Before this catastrophic Divine
judgment descends upon a nation, every echelon of Spiritual and national life,
including the military establishment, degenerates. Both the Northern
Kingdom of Israel (721 B.C.) and the Southern Kingdom of Judah, (586 B.C.) destitute of Spiritual Virtue and values, followed this road
to ruin.
Non-client nations that disdain the Laws of Divine establishment also
suffer devastating Divine judgment. The
Assyrians gradually deteriorated over thirty years before their capital,
Nineveh, fell in 612 B.C. Chaldea, in the process of decay since the death of
Nebuchadnezzar in 562 B.C., and was easily subdued by the Persians in 539 B.C.!
Thus, when any nation’s armed forces are neglected,
demoralized, and unprepared to wage war, that nation is in grave danger of
losing a war and forfeiting the autonomy and freedom of its people.
Athens and
Carthage reflect the tragedy of freedom lost on the battlefield. After a
generation of conflict, besieged and starving Athenians surrendered to a cruel
and deceitful Sparta in 404 B.C., ending the Peloponnesian War. Athens was
deprived of its empire and the sun set over the glory of Greece. Carthage was
utterly destroyed in the Third Punic War, (149-146 B.C.). Every building was
burned to the ground, the site sown with salt to render farming futile, and all
remaining territories were confiscated by Rome.
The wars of
Napoleon, from the Italian campaign to the battle at Austerlitz, (1795-1805)
depict the value of preparedness. The Grande Army was the most formidable
fighting force in Europe. With the borders of France secure from invasion the
subdued nations on the continent lost all desire to challenge French dominance.
These early campaigns of the Napoleonic era
demonstrate the Principle that the superior army obtains and maintains freedom
and autonomy for its nation.
The German
conquest of Norway in World War II offers another illustration. Vidkun
Quisling, whose infamous name became synonymous with traitor, undermined the
military’s effectiveness and will to fight. The Nazis needed only a few
battalions to subjugate all Norway. Consequently, the country suffered the
horrors of Nazi occupation for the rest of the war.
Throughout the
history of the United States our army has traditionally been ill-equipped to
wage war. Only after we experienced appalling casualties did our national
spirit arise to mobilize a magnificent army to meet an enemy on two fronts in
World War II. That army crossed the Rhine and liberated Europe in 1945; that
army amphibiously assaulted countless Japanese-held islands in the Pacific. Had
that army with its massive power and efficiency remained under arms as a
deterrent to communist aggression, there might not have been a Korean War, a
Cuban crisis, or a Vietnam. The United States might have realized a Pax
Americana, a tranquil period akin to the Pax Romana, “Roman peace,” the longest
duration of peace and prosperity in world history.
How ironic that
something so cruel and brutal as warfare should be the means for preserving
freedom and peace, but armies both
defend and destroy freedom. Violence is justified as the sole deterrent
against violent aggression, If the army of a free nation deters or prevails
over an aggressor, freedom is perpetuated and peace reigns.
Military Failure Manifests National Degeneracy
Failure on the battlefield often reflects a general lack of
self-discipline, lack of respect for authority, lack of courage, and lack of
Spiritual and establishment incentives among the leaders and people of a
nation. Again, Zedekiah and the populace of Judah illustrate this point.
(2Ch 36:11-21; Jer 34:8-11) Zedekiah had no regard for the
Spiritual authority of the prophet Jeremiah or for the governmental authority
of his suzerain, Nebuchadnezzar. The people of Judah had also turned away from
the Lord. (Deut 15:12; cf. Jer 34:12-16) When the
nation denied and rejected the Word and warnings of God as proclaimed by
Jeremiah, the justice of the Lord severely
punished Judah for their rampant evil. (Jer
5:15-24; cf. Psa 119:75; Pro 3:12; Heb 12:6)
The Jewish defeat of 587-586 B.C. can be directly attributed to the Spiritual
decline of the king and disobedience among his subjects. A shortage of self-discipline, rejection of authority, and Spiritual
decay are primary ingredients for military defeat on the battlefield and
destruction of personal freedom and national independence.
Only
God’s grace can deliver a nation in the eleventh hour. Such deliverance demands
the Spiritual solution: a revival of Truth resident and functioning in the
souls of believers to counteract degeneracy. This
does not mean that believers should lay down their arms and look piously
heavenward in pseudo-Spiritual entreaty. Christians in a client nation
operating on Truth will never disregard the importance of the military in
preserving freedom. They will heed the Biblical exhortations that a nation must
maintain a strong defense force. Thank God for mature
believers and dedicated professional soldiers who persevere in their
convictions despite personal pressure, political animosity, and antimilitary
sentiment.
Universal Military Training
Success on the
battlefield is so important for national survival; that it requires military
training. (Num 31:3-5) Therefore, a maximum
number of men in each generation must be comprehensively instructed, instilled
with individual and group discipline, team coordination, technical skills,
tactical and strategic proficiency. Such intensive training is necessary to develop
every soldier’s ability to act under the stress of combat. Accomplishing this
task demands a faculty of professional officers skilled in the art of war.
Or what king, when he sets out to meet
another king in battle, will not first sit down and take counsel [With his
military staff] whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to encounter
the one coming against him with twenty thousand? (Luk 14:31)
Only in order that the generations of the
sons of Israel might be taught war, those who had not experienced it formerly.
(Jdg 3:2)
This verse directs that the nation “be taught” how to fight. Wars cannot be won with untrained
soldiers. The obligation of a nation dedicated to preserving its sovereignty is
to instruct every generation of young men for war. With the passing years,
however, Israel lapsed into Spiritual decay, idolatry, relativism (Jdg 2:11-23; cf.; Jdg
17:6) and ignoring the army until it
virtually ceased to exist; suffering the consequences of military defeat.
A nucleus of professional soldiers, expert in their
specialized field, must be perpetuated to school new recruits. Who
should serve? The Scripture delineates certain qualifications. War is for
adults. In (Num 1:2-3) and (Num 26:4) God instructed Moses to draft all
suitable males twenty years and over for the Israelite army. This establishes
the Biblical Standard for draftees. Several exceptions were noted.
When a man takes a new wife, he shall not
go out with the army, nor be charged with any duty; he shall be free at home
one year and shall give happiness to his wife whom he has taken. (Deut 24:5)
A newly married man should not go to war for the most obvious
reason: He cannot concentrate on making war.
At this point in life his responsibility is exclusively to “give happiness to his wife.” Therefore, “he shall be free [To remain] at home one year.” The verb “give happiness,” the piel imperative of
samach, means “to cause his wife to be happy” — to lavish her with undivided
attention, engage her in conversation, and make love to her for a year. This
initial year of respite and intense concentration on mutual fulfillment
christens and bonds the relationship.
The officers also shall speak to the
people, saying, Who is the man that has built a new house and has not dedicated
it? [He has a new wife and a new house] Let him depart and return to his house,
lest he die in the battle and another man dedicate it. (Deut 20:5)
A man consumed with “love”
is not focused on military matters. His mental attitude is not conducive to
battle courage. Quite naturally, his beloved
bride and his new house captivate his attention. Preoccupied and self-absorbed
would not be an effective part of a combat team. He could easily become a
casualty or cause others to become casualties.
And who is the man that has planted a
vineyard [Started a new business] and has not begun to use its fruit? [He has
not secured the first year’s profits] Let him depart and return to his house,
lest he die in the battle and another man begin to use its fruit. (Deut 20:6)
A new business also distracts a man from military service.
While concentrating on his personal responsibilities, he could not function
efficiently as a member of a combat team.
And who is the man that is engaged to a
woman and has not married her? Let him depart and return to his house, lest he
die in the battle and another man marry her.
(Deut 20:7)
A man on the brink of matrimony is, likewise, preoccupied,
unable to concentrate in a combat situation. He should be released from
military duty as undependable and unstable for the pressure of combat.
Then the officers shall speak further to
the people, and they shall say, Who is the man that is afraid and fainthearted
?[A coward] Let him depart and return to his house, so
that he might not make his brothers’ hearts melt like his heart. (Deut 20:8)
The Mosaic Law
directed that officers in command of the army determine whether a man was
qualified to be a soldier after he had completed basic training. Cowards in the ranks were discharged. In a combat situation
cowardice in a few men can infect an entire unit with unreasoning fear. “Fainthearted” recruits had to be discharged to maintain the team spirit,
effectiveness, and safety of those troops going into battle.
We are in a Spiritual Battle now! And this will last until
our death and or the Second Advent!
Cursed be the one who does the LORD'S work
negligently, And cursed be the one who restrains his sword from blood. [Will
not stay on duty] (Jer
48:10)
How blessed [Ashere] are the people who
know the sound! [Of the trumpet — answering the call of military training] O
Lord, they walk [March and advance] in the light [Word
of God] of Your countenance. [In fellowship] (Psa 89:15)
Great blessing
characterizes the nation that continues to respond to the call of the military
bugle. The plural of the Hebrew noun esher,
“blessed,” has a twofold meaning.
First, universal military training raises the quality of young men in any generation.
Soldiers learn self-discipline, team discipline, and
respect for authority, refinement and calmness under pressure; that is so
necessary in life. Whether the training is used in combat or not, the
discipline, authority orientation, and motivation learned from military
instruction are invaluable for any personal endeavor and for the stability of
the nation in war and peace. Second, when the quality of the men
improves, women and children are blessed by association. Eligible men must be continually trained and molded into a
well-motivated, well-disciplined fighting force ready for war.
DISCIPLINE
AND TRAINING ARE OBLIGATORY FOR EFFECTIVE MILITARY OPERATIONS
The discipline of
military training is the dividing line between victory and defeat — the iron in
the blood of the soldier that sustains him through every adverse circumstance
of warfare. Discipline and training keep fatigued and hungry troops on their
feet and fighting. Discipline and training make bold strategy and timely
tactics feasible. Both the military and the Spiritual life, run on the fuel
of discipline and the mechanics of training!
The history of warfare does not give the nod to the heaviest
battalions but to the best disciplined and trained battalions. Relying
on iron discipline Epaminondas with his few Thebians successfully attacked the
mighty Spartan military force on the field of Leuctra. (371 B.C.) The steadfast
regimen of the Roman Legions under the able leadership of Julius Caesar
conquered Gaul. (58-50 B.C.) A handful of well-schooled Swedes under Gustavus
Adolphus vanquished Germany in the Thirty Years War. (1618-1648) The
disciplined drill of the army of Frederick the Great brought Prussia to the
forefront of eighteenth century Europe. The disciplined and unbroken British
squares at Waterloo shattered Napoleon’s Imperial Army. (1815) Without
discipline and training no military force can hope for success on the field of
battle.
If the manpower of a nation is degenerate and corrupt,
crippled by anti-authority attitudes, military training is ineffective. When a
nation becomes decadent, it no longer has the means or will to defend itself.
The Law of volitional responsibility and Divine discipline prescribe military
defeat; the indication of the “fifth
cycle of discipline” to a client nation — death, slavery, and dispersion.
Not only were the Jews defeated but the Assyrians, Chaldeans, Persians, and
Romans; they were ultimately conquered as their military prowess eroded.
The Jews of the
Exodus illustrate the importance of military training. Few men in Israel had
military experience during the generations of Egyptian bondage. Moses, Caleb
and Joshua were notable exceptions. When the migrating nation faced combat for
the first time, (Exod 17:8-13) Moses
ordered Joshua to “choose men for us, and
go out, fight against Amalek.” (v. 9b) Moses’ Directive implies that Joshua
had formed a cadre to train the Israelites for war during their desert sojourn.
Now, Joshua as the Commanding general must select the men best prepared to
fight. With Spiritual encouragement from Moses and training instilled by Joshua
the valiant Israelite troops achieved victory over the Amalekites at Rephidim. Schooling
in tactics and weaponry was instrumental in preserving the independence of the
freshman nation.
Leadership and Personal Integrity are Essential
During training soldiers come to respect unit leaders and
adopt their beliefs about how to fight. They also embrace their leader’s
professional values of loyalty, responsibility, and selfless service. These
shared beliefs and values become norms and Standards that influence discipline,
cohesiveness, and the will to fight.
Military history clearly shows that troops should be
trained in tactics and the use of weapons and Indoctrinated with essential
character traits vital to performance as a soldier: courage, competence,
candor, and commitment. These qualities that leadership inculcates by instruction
and by example will vastly increase the chances of a unit’s effectiveness in
crisis situations.
Throughout the
course of world history certain nations cultivate excellent military
leadership; other nations compile a record of poor military leadership but
exhibit a citizenry with exceptional discipline and character. From the time of
Frederick William of Prussia, the Great Elector, through World War I,
(1620-1918) the German army generally exhibited excellent leadership. The
officer corps demonstrated phenomenal discipline and intellectual
insightfulness. In the British army junior officers and enlisted men who
displayed character, discipline, and fortitude often managed to “muddle
through” the mistakes of their senior commanders. But the Principle for
military success remains the same. The preservation of freedom depends on the
caliber of leadership as well as the discipline displayed by the civilian
population, especially those who become soldiers.
Prepare [Military] plans’ by consultation,
And make war by wise guidance. [Of Divine Thinking] (Pro 20:18)
Warfare is
planned and executed through professional expertise and the sharp decisions of
leadership. Therefore, the United States must continue
to develop military leaders; to cultivate men who can formulate strategic and
tactical plans, who can give wise counsel to civilian leaders, who can make war
effectively.
Regardless of technical advances, the human element still
predominates over the tide of battle. The decisions and actions of individuals
remain the fundamental instrument of war. The
most indispensable ingredient in preparing and maintaining this human element
is the Spiritual life of a nation, whose necessary integrity results from
building certain fundamentals of the Spiritual life. By Staying filled with God
the Holy Spirit and daily learning and Thinking with Truth; the Virtue of
Christ is produced in us. And if there is a large enough pivot of Spiritually
mature believers; freedom is maintain and the nation is prospered!
The best man can
produce is relative integrity, (Psa 39:5) because of our total degeneracy, (Rom 3:10-18) we might be honest in a few spots, but dishonest in the rest, as a Spiritually mature
believer we can have true Spiritual integrity of Thought, Word and Action! (Jas 1:4)
Since you have in
obedience to the Truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart. (1Pe 1:22)
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold,
new things have come. (2Co 5:17)
THIS IS WHAT SPIRITUAL MATURIY LOOKS LIKE!
1. Spiritual Maturity — the ability to make
wise decisions based on reason and Divine Principle;
2. Will — the perseverance to accomplish a goal,
regardless of seemingly insurmountable obstacles;
3. Self-discipline — doing your duty regardless of fatigue or other
factors;
4. Flexibility — making timely and appropriate changes in
Thinking, plans, or methods when you see a better way;
5. Confidence — the assurance to be successful in all
endeavors;
6. Endurance — mental, Spiritual, and physical stamina;
7. Decisiveness — sound judgment in making good decisions at the
proper time;
8. Poise under stress — confident control of
emotions under adverse conditions;
9. Initiative — the ability to take action;
10. Justice — the fair treatment of all people regardless of
race, religion, color, gender, age, or national origin;
11. Self-improvement — the readiness to read,
study, seek challenges, and work to strengthen beliefs, values, Principles,
knowledge, and skills;
12. Assertiveness — taking charge when necessary;
13. Compassion — sensitivity to the feelings, values,
interests, and well-being of others;
14. Sense of humor — not taking yourself too seriously;
15. Creativity — Thinking of innovative and better Ideas,
programs, and Solutions to problems;
16. Bearing — posture, overall appearance, and manner of
physical movement;
17. Humility — teachability; correcting weaknesses or
imperfections in your character, knowledge, and skills.
Truth in the soul develops and perpetuates the
Nature of Christ and superb leadership! (2Pe 1:4)
Spiritual Decline Foreshadows Military Disaster
A progressively feeble military and the subsequent threat to
freedom begin with apostasy in the souls of believers. Abandonment of God’s
Truth eroded the Spiritual life of the Israelites in the days of the Judges.
With Spiritual apostasy, came a failure to learn the art of war. As a result,
the Jews repeatedly became enslaved to other nations.
New [False]
gods [Apostasy]
were chosen; [By their own volition]
Then war was in the gates. Not a shield or a spear was seen Among forty
thousand in Israel. (Jdg
5:8)
Confronted with
conflict, why was Israel not armed for war? Because the
military had deteriorated as a result of Spiritual desertion; “Apostasy” (Saying out of the Spiritual
life, and living by human realities) always eradicates the Spiritual Thinking and the Divine
establishment mental attitude of believers.
Your men will fall by the sword, [Death in
combat] And your mighty ones in battle. And her gates will lament and mourn;
And deserted she will sit on the ground. (Isa
3:25-26)
The result of
apostasy is Divine discipline in the form of military disaster. Women grieve
because husbands, brothers and sons perish in battle. Cities lie destitute. The
civilian populace suffers intensely — women especially are in agony, at the
mercy of a rapacious conquering army. (Isa 3:17-24)
For the eyes of the Lord
move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose
heart
[Thinking of the Spiritually mature believer] is completely
His. You have acted foolishly in this.
Indeed, from now on you will surely have wars. [Divine
discipline] (2Ch
16:9)
God is on constant reconnaissance to protect and preserve
believers operating with Divine Viewpoint. When
enough Spiritually mature believers exist in a national entity, God also
protects and preserves the nation. Believers of
a client nation who reject Truth, “will
surely have wars” and be defeated.
How does a believer acquire God’s Viewpoint? Every believer possesses the Spiritual apparatus called
Operation Z for learning, understanding, and applying God's Word.
Operation Z is empowered by means of the filling
of God the Holy Spirit, acquired at Salvation and maintained through the
rebound technique, (1Jn
1:9) in conjunction with the human spirit, (1Co 2:11-12; cf., Heb
4:12) also acquired at regeneration. Initially, Truth is
communicated by a pastor-teacher to the human spirit through the teaching
ministry of God the Holy Spirit. (Joh 16:13)
This Spiritual phenomena, (Pneumatikos
in the Greek of, (1Co 2:13) transfers
from the human spirit to the left lobe (Nous)
or staging area of the soul as academic knowledge. (Gnosis)
At this point,
volition must be exercised. If the Truth in the left lobe is believed, then the
Holy Spirit transfers that Truth into the right lobe of the soul. As a result
of this Spiritual metabolism, Truth resides in the right lobe and becomes epignosis or “Spiritual Knowledge.” (Eph 3:19)
Only epignosis
Truth has Spiritual value and can be applied to the circumstances of life. New
norms and Standards form as a result of this Divine Thinking.
The right lobe is the key to Divine Viewpoint,
discernment, application of Truth to experience, and Divine Wisdom that
preserves a nation. (Isa 33:6) No believer can glorify God or be the salt that preserves a
nation (Mat
5:13) apart from Truth metabolized and
resident in the right lobe of the soul. We
are here to become a new Spiritual creature, (Not
a “good” human) and to reign with Christ in
eternity!
For this reason also, since the day we
heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be
filled with the [Epignosis] knowledge of His will in
all Spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may walk in a manner
worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every
[Divine] good work and increasing in the [Epignosis] knowledge of
God. (Col 1:9-10)
The will of God is contained in the Bible, but the Full
Knowledge of His Will can only be Realized through the daily function of
Operation Z.
Mature believers who possess Divine Thinking from metabolized Truth can
reverse the decline of a client nation.
Such believers held back the destruction of Judah during the Sennacherib
invasion. (701 B.C.) Isaiah had been teaching Bible classes for a year before
the Assyrians attacked Judah. Those who matured under Isaiah’s ministry manned
the ramparts, unafraid of Assyrian threats. (Isa
36:20-21) God honored their faith and
confounded the most powerful empire of the day. (Isa 37:36-37)
The same is true for believers in any era of history. A few
believers with Truth in the early Church turned the world upside down. (Act 17:6) Likewise, believers who consistently utilize Operation Z
remain the only hope to counter the continuing decline of the United States of
America. Christians carry in their soul a
defense against every threat to a client nation!
THE DIVINE
SOLUTIONS
The faithfulness of a nation to the Laws of Divine establishment
and the dedication of believers to Truth; are the Divine solutions that
guarantee freedom in a threatening and hostile world.
Throughout history nations sign and ratify treaties to maintain peace
and freedom; but alliances never guarantee an end to hostility. Treaties are only as good as the integrity of people and the
nations that sign the pact. Neither can any international organization
insure freedom or peace anywhere in the world. Why? The
fundamental depravity of the human race since the fall of Adam prevents the
termination of war.
What is the source of quarrels and
conflicts [Wars] among you? Is not the source
your pleasures [The activity of the sin nature]
that wage war in your members? [Self, group, family, nation, etc.] You lust and
do not have; so you commit murder. And you are envious and cannot obtain; so
you fight and quarrel... (Jas 4:1-2)
The antagonist is the sin nature; the culprit is man’s volition. Since man has the old
sin nature during his lifetime; he will continue to make unwise and wicked
decisions, (Rom 7:18) so conflict will continue until the Lord returns. The solution begins with faith in Christ for the
unbeliever; and the Spiritual life for the believer. (1Jn 3:23)
The Spiritual Life And Establishment Laws
God in His grace
has appointed restraints for the old sin nature to guarantee the survival of
the human race, promote the progress of history, and secure God’s final victory
in the angelic conflict at the Second Advent of Jesus Christ. The restraints are Spiritual regeneration; and the Spiritual
life.
Jesus answered and said to him, Truly,
truly, I say to you, Unless one is
born again, [Regenerated] he cannot see the kingdom
of God. (Joh 3:3)
Neither; rationalism, empiricism, the intellectual prowess of
mankind, nor good works can bring humanity into the presence of the living God!
Mankind cannot solve the problem of sin or earn eternal
life. There is no human solution, only the
Divine solution — faith alone in Jesus Christ alone. He is God’s eternal Son who died as a substitute for our
sins and rose from the dead because of our justification. (Rom 4:25; Rom 5:8,
Rom 5:18)
For no man can lay a foundation other than
the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. (1Co
3:11)
Man’s foundation of wealth, intellect, and power is temporary
and insecure; God’s foundation, the rock
Jesus Christ, is abiding, immovable, and ageless. The attacks of intellectualism will not crumble this
foundation; the acid of ridicule will not dissolve this foundation.
And there is Salvation in no one else; for
there is no other name [Jesus Christ] under heaven that has been given among
men, by which we must be saved. (Act 4:12)
Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you shall be
saved... (Act 16:31)
After
regeneration, the believer must allow God the Holy Spirit to rule his life. (Gal 5:16) Only in the power of God the Holy
Spirit can the believer grow, (2Pe 3:18)
serve, and glorify God. God the Holy Spirit fills the believer, (Eph 5:18) to provide the dynamics for living the
Spiritual life and to nullify the control of the old sin nature.
Another restraint
of the sin nature is the Laws of Divine establishment including a government
that supports:
1. A strong and resolute military with a grand strategy to
protect freedom from enemies outside the nation;
2. Vigorous law enforcement and objective jurisprudence to
protect freedom from enemies inside the nation.
The sin nature is not only the source of war, but also the
source of crime. Both war and crime have been
scourges to mankind through the ages. God
ordained the military for protection from external aggression and Law for
protection from internal aggression. The stability of a nation depends on a powerful and
proficient military organization, a fair and objective body of Laws, and
impartial, uncompromising enforcement of those Laws.
Both the military and Law enforcement share one
common goal: defeat the enemy, both foreign and domestic. The military must deter or crush the foreign enemy while
the judicial system must deter, incarcerate or execute the criminal. (Exod 21:23; cf., Rom
13:4) Only then can tyranny and anarchy be
dissipated; and peace and freedom be assured.
When flawed
leadership and a subjective (Opinionated) interpretation of Law neutralize the
effectiveness of the military and Law enforcement, the probability of war
intensifies and the crime rate soars. The nation is
victimized when the military is neglected and despised; and honest citizens are
victimized by criminals. The duty of Divinely
ordained government is to secure freedom by promoting a strong defense against
all enemies.
The Laws of
Divine establishment are designed to protect citizens, to protect property, and
to give equal opportunity for all to pursue a course in life. Freedom provides
the environment to succeed or to fail based on one’s own motivation, decisions,
and capabilities. Decisions and actions precipitate a diversity of results. No two people
succeed to the same degree, and no two equally fail. Hence, the blessings of freedom guarantee inequality among
people. (Now and in Eternity) Those in governing authority must support equality
of opportunity to flourish or falter, but never force equality of results.
Equality is unattainable for human beings apart from faith
in Jesus Christ. At the moment of Salvation all believers share an equal
position and destiny in Christ. The Savior also secures equal opportunity by
providing equal assets for Spiritual advance during the lifetime of the
believer and an eternal future in heaven.
God always gives
the human race a “fair shake” in every generation. No
one reaches the age of accountability without having the opportunity to be
saved. The realization of our insignificance;
compared to the absolute power and righteousness of the Creator of the
universe; is the point of
God-consciousness. Sooner or later, all normal
members of the human race reach this point. At that time, a person will be either
positive or negative toward God. Should
anyone seek the Truth and desire a relationship with God, He has Promised to
provide the information and opportunity to hear the Gospel. (Act 8:26-40) Anytime
an unbeliever desires the Truth, that person will be exposed to the Gospel
message. (1Ti
2:4) Because
of the grace of God in providing Salvation through Jesus Christ to anyone who
seeks the Savior, there are countless people in heaven. Because of the Laws of
Divine establishment, the human race has been perpetuated so that people may
exercise freedom to make the decision to believe in Jesus Christ.
Whereas in the
past, patriotism and individual sacrifice characterized the American way of
life, today such qualities are exceptions rather than the rule. Multitudes of
people refuse to assume the responsibilities of citizenship in a free nation. Influenced by relativism and secularism they have no clearly
defined goals other than instant gratification and self-elevation. Successive
generations of Americans are progressively abandoning the Principles which
established and preserved this nation. In this fertile
soil of unrealistic expectations, Spiritual decline, and lack of a personal and
national destiny; are sown the seeds of disaster and slavery.
Listen to the Word of the Lord, O sons of
Israel, For the Lord has a case against the inhabitants of the land, Because
there is no faithfulness [Truth] or kindness [Loyalty] Or knowledge of
God in the land. There is swearing, deception,
murder, stealing, and adultery. They employ violence, [Crime] so that bloodshed
follows bloodshed. Therefore the land mourns, And everyone who lives in it
languishes. (Hos 4:1-3)
We have seen that freedom cannot survive Spiritual decline
that devalue and deteriorate the national defense. When degeneracy and decay
weaken the undergirding of Virtue and integrity, God is neglected, freedom is
taken for granted, and the military is ridiculed and despised.
God and the soldier we adore
In time of danger — not before
The danger past and all things sighted God is
forgotten and the soldier slighted.
Despite scorn
from those who are recipients of freedom courtesy of the military, the
profession of arms is honorable before God and all who understand the
Principles of Divine establishment. The soldier may be unappreciated or even
detested by those he is called upon to defend, yet his duty to God and country
remains. Through the fog of national confusion and
decadence there shines in the souls of a dedicated few the lucid light of the
Word of Truth, and the common sense of Divine establishment.
TO THE SOLDIER THE
CHRISTIAN SOLDIER
Can a believer in
Jesus Christ serve his country as a soldier, kill the enemy, and at the same
time be a good Christian? Can a believer justify being a conscientious
objector? Did God contradict Himself in the Commandments, “You shall not murder” (Exod 20:13)
and “You shall defeat them, then you
shall utterly destroy them?” [Annihilate every man, woman, and child] (Deut 7:2)
Before these
questions can be resolved, we must first remember that three kingdoms coexist
on earth today: Satan's, as the ruler of the demonic
world and ALL religious systems. At the same
time the Spiritual kingdom of believers in Jesus Christ; the Church, and the earthly kingdom of believers and unbelievers,
citizens of a national entity, the state. The
Scripture categorizes Spiritual Principles for Christ’s kingdom, and Divine establishment
Principles for the earthly kingdom. The
Lord Himself confirmed the existence of these realms and the responsibility of
the believer to fulfill his duty to both of the Divinely established kingdoms,
when He said,
Render to Caesar [Earthly
kingdom] the things that are Caesar’s; and to God [Spiritual kingdom] the things that are God’s. (Mat 22:21)
The believer’s duties to the state are compatible with his
duties to God. Both realms are to be coordinated but never combined; until Christ's rule in the millennium. The preeminent responsibility of the Christian is to God:
Stay filled with God the Holy Spirit, study His Word, learn Promises,
techniques, and Doctrines, grow Spiritually, (2Pe 3:18) worship, witness, and
pray. Only then can the believer render “to God the things
that are God’s.” Yet, the believer also has
a responsibility to the state as a citizen — to obey the Law, vote, pay taxes, heed the call of jury
duty, serve in the government, and as a soldier defend the nation against
foreign aggression. This merging of civic and
military responsibility is eloquently expressed in “The American’s Creed.”
I believe in the United States of America, as a government
of the people, by the people, for the people; whose just powers are derived
from the consent of the governed; a democracy in a Republic; a sovereign Nation
of many sovereign States; a perfect Union, one and inseparable; established
upon those Principles of freedom, equality, justice and humanity for which
American patriots sacrificed their lives and fortunes. I therefore believe it
is my duty to my country to love it, to support its Constitution, to obey its
Laws, to respect its flag, and to defend it against all enemies.
In accepting a commission on 29 May 1940 as a second
lieutenant in the United States Army I took an oath — the same one that every officer
in the military has taken since the beginning of our armed forces.
I do solemnly swear that I will support and
defend the constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign or
domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same, that I take
this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion:
and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon
which I am about to enter: so help me God.
These statements have in no way conflicted with my
obligation to the Lord Jesus Christ. I
have, therefore, never deviated from my responsibility. I believe as strongly
in the tenets of this oath today as I did in 1940. I do not think any Christian
should repudiate the duty of defending his country. A
believer’s Spiritual responsibility to serve the Lord is never an excuse to
avoid his civil or military responsibility to serve his nation.
The particulars
of soldiering — close order drill, weapons instruction, tactical coordination,
leadership training, learning how to fight — are all skills to be mastered. God
approves military training. (Psa 18:34;
Psa 18:37-40) But no Biblical support
or Divine approval exists for the conscientious objector. Believers who avoid
military service are not only carnal but can bring the wrath of God on the
entire nation. (Num 32:6-15)
But if you will
not do so, [Fight in the Spiritual life, and or in the military] behold, you have sinned against the Lord, and be sure
your sin [Of cowardice] will find you out. [Personal and national Divine discipline] (Num 32:23)
Confusion among
Christians about fighting for freedom originates from ignorance of Divine
Thinking and ignorance of history. The Bible cites numerous instances of
national freedom and autonomy gained and maintained by the military victories
of Israel verifying that war is justifiable. Though immoral acts may be
committed by individual soldiers, the underlying Principle of national defense
is not negated. Killing the enemy in combat is not sinful. “You shall not murder” (Lo
tirtzach) refers only to the
criminal act of homicide, not taking the life of enemy soldiers in legitimate
warfare.
Then Jesus said to him, [Peter] Put your
sword back into its place; for all those who take up the sword [In criminal
activity] shall perish by the sword.
(Mat 26:52)
This verse is
often mistaken as an antiwar declaration. But the context in which Jesus spoke
was not at all related to military activities. Taking up the sword refers to
the crime of homicide; perishing by the sword refers to capital punishment for
that homicide. Consequently, this statement of our Lord does not justify or permit
conscientious objection to military service.
Blessed be the Lord, my rock, Who trains my
hands for war, And my fingers for battle. (Psa
144:1)
David, the
magnificent warrior king of Israel, began life as a shepherd, untrained for
war. In this serene isolation he grew to Spiritual
maturity. Then came the opportunity to exhibit his Spiritual adulthood
as he observed Israel’s army cowering in the presence of Goliath, the
Philistine giant. With courage forged from absolute confidence in the Lord,
David killed the arrogant challenger in single combat. Only later did he learn
the art of war from God. (2Sa 22:35)
When war is legitimate, killing is necessary; (2Sa
22:40-41) when it is not legitimate, then killing becomes homicide.
God never teaches or condones murder.
Part of the
Christian serviceman’s witness is to be the best possible soldier as unto the
Lord, including killing the enemy in combat. Many Christians served the Roman
Empire in Caesar’s legions while also serving as witnesses for Jesus Christ to
their fellow soldiers and the nation. A dramatic incident occurred in A.D. 174
when a Roman detachment including the VI th legion, known as the
“Thunderbolts,” was ambushed by barbarians. The Romans were surrounded, cut
off, wounded, and tortured by thirst. The barbarians held off the final assault
thinking that the exhausted legion would surrender. Suddenly a thunderstorm
burst over the field. Catching the rain in their shields and helmets the Roman
legionaries revived themselves and their horses. Revitalized, they routed the
enemy.
It happened that
the legion [VI th] in question, which came from Cappadocia, was composed of
Christians. This is the first mention we have of Christian soldiers being
victorious as such. . . . That it was really due to the stability of the
Christians, who, as so often, were ready to face death rather than betray their
faith and loyalty be it to Caesar or to Christ, is the underlying Truth of the
matter. . . . The incident itself made such an impression that it is
represented on Marcus’
column in Rome.
None could doubt
the loyalty and steadfastness of these soldiers serving Christ and Caesar. They
made a obvious contribution for the cause of their Savior, as well as for the
cause of their country. A Christian should also be a
patriot!
The Honorable Military
Freedom through
military victory was taught, to reveal the Biblical Viewpoint on warfare and to
encourage those who serve, to appreciate the honorable nature of their calling.
Each individual entering the military or Spiritual
life; willingly sacrifices personal independence and submits to a strict system
of discipline while preparing to defend the freedom of his countrymen. (And by growing to Spiritual maturity) This service may culminate in the ultimate sacrifice of his
life. The nobility of this dedication conveys
the utmost in honor.
Any national
crisis that involves American troops serves as a reminder that military service
is indispensable, as well as bona fide Christian service. God’s plan calls for
believers with Truth in their soul to defend the four Divine institutions. (Freewill,
Marriage, Family and Nationalism) Those who wear the uniform of the Army, the
Navy, the Marine Corps, the Air Force or the Coast Guard represent the
Principle of sustaining freedom through military victory.
PROTECTION
FOR THE CHRISTIAN SOLDIER
Since military
service is honorable before the Lord, God protects those He honors. Omnipotent
God is able to safeguard the believer even in a perilous battlefield
environment. The Christian warrior must trust in
“the Mighty Fortress,” Jesus Christ, and make the Lord of hosts his “stronghold.”
The nations
made an uproar, [Went to war] the kingdoms tottered; He [The Lord] raised His
voice, the earth melted. The LORD of hosts [Of the armies] is with us; The God
of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah. Come, behold the works of the LORD, Who has
wrought desolations in the earth. (Psa 46:6-8)
When the psalmist
urges, “Come, behold the works of the
LORD,” he is instructing believing soldiers of a client nation to watch the
Lord’s preserving grace sustain them in time of war. Jesus Christ controls
every aspect of history including warfare. What a secure bulwark is the Lord of
the armies Who “is with” believers in
action. If He imposes “desolations in the earth,” He can quite easily guide the destiny of
those in the life and death conditions of combat.
He makes
wars to cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in
two; He burns the chariots with fire. Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in
the earth. (Psa
46:9-10)
Cast your burden
upon the Lord, and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be
shaken. But You, O God, wilt bring them down to the pit of destruction;
Men of bloodshed and deceit will not live out half their days. But I will trust in You. (Psa 55:22-23)
Who [Believers] are protected by the power
of God through faith for a Salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (1Pe 1:5)
God Promises judgment on any hostile nation that draws a
sword against a client nation, and rescue for the nation that observes the Laws
of Divine establishment and has a pivot of Spiritually mature believers. Likewise, God Promises to
care for the believer through the ordeal of warfare. The individual believer
must trust in the deliverance of the Lord, a faith that is never misplaced.
One unfailing
weapon possessed by the Christian warrior is prayer — the prayer for
protection.
Rescue me, O Lord, from evil men; Preserve
me from violent men, Who devise evil things in their hearts; They
continually stir up wars. (Psa 140:1-2)
In modern warfare
a successful tactical operation is preceded with a barrage of artillery. When
artillery fire pins down, disorganizes, confuses, or routs the enemy,
casualties are minimized and battles are won. One of the greatest weaknesses of
the Church today is the lack of a prayer barrage — prevailing prayer. Prayer is
every believer’s means of direct petition to God the Father for logistical and
fire support in the advance of the Christian life. We are Commanded to “pray without ceasing” (1Th 5:17) — to pray consistently. I stand as a recruiting
officer looking for faithful prayer warriors to enlist in the Lord’s Artillery.
In the privacy of our royal priesthood pray for those encountering combat
pressure.
Our gracious
Heavenly Father, we pray for our men and women who are on active duty. Many of
them are in places of great danger and we recognize the fact that they have a
testimony for You, and the most wonderful opportunity to apply Truth and become
courageous Christian warriors. We not only pray for them but also for those
many, many more who will be called to the colors. We ask that they might
fulfill the very purpose for which they have been graced out all of these years
in learning and using the Word of Truth. We pray that we might be faithful on
our part in the perception of Truth so that we can become part of the pivot
that will inevitably result in victory for our nation.
We are grateful.
Heavenly Father, that we live in a time that there is such a challenge — not
just a military challenge but a challenge to face so many different kinds of
adversities; a challenge related to the fact that client nation USA is under
fire in so many ways. We pray that through all the confusion that is going to
exist in the future, through all the adversities that will come our way, that
we will glorify You so that in Your perfect will and in Your perfect plan when
each one of us is called home, we might hear that wonderful phrase: “Well done, good
and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, [Divine Thoughts] I will make you ruler over many things.” We ask all this in
the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
THE VIRTUE
OF THE CHRISTIAN SOLDIER
The soldier who concentrates on his duty under the pressure
of combat will manifest the fortitude and resourcefulness necessary to
accomplish his mission and survive. The
Christian warrior who concentrates on the Promises and Doctrines of the Word of
God gains absolute confidence in God’s everlasting care; (Mat 6:31-34;
1Pe 5:7) shows
his heart, endures adversity, and secures deliverance. In life and in death the Lord always delivers. (Php 1:21) Consequently,
bravery requires concentration on the Lord Jesus Christ as demonstrated in the
Command from the Mosaic Law to never fear a numerically superior enemy.
When you go out to battle against your
enemies and see horses and chariots and people more numerous than you, do not
be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, [Jesus Christ] who brought you up
from the land of Egypt, is with you. (Deut 20:1)
Deuteronomy 20:1
was addressed to the client nation Israel. The Jewish infantry was the finest
in the world but Israel did not possess cavalry or a chariot corps. What was
the Command from God to the out-manned, under-equipped Jews? “Do not be afraid of them.” The Lord exhorted
these Jews to concentrate on Him, not on the
enemy; to keep their eyes on the solution,
not on the problem. Remembering His faithfulness in a past crisis inspires courage and
assures deliverance in the present crisis. God had brought them “up from the land of Egypt” and
delivered them at the Red Sea and He would deliver them now! In eternity past He made provision for all our needs and
problems. We must trust and concentrate on His resources!
As a soldier fighting for your country, remember that this
Command and Promise to Israel is a Command and Promise for you. God is gracious and steadfast in delivering His people,
whether in a nation of confused, complaining, carnal
believers like ancient Israel or like the United States today. When a
few magnificent Christian warriors hold the line for the Word of Truth and
Divine establishment, God will honor those men and bless the nation with
victory.
Now it shall come about that when you are
approaching the battle, the priest shall come near and speak to the people. (Deut 20:2)
At the time this
Verse was written the armies of Israel were encouraged first by their national
leader, Moses, father of the first Jewish client nation, then by their
Spiritual leaders, members of the Levitical priesthood. These priests delivered
a message of confidence and courage. Communicators of God’s Word have a
Spiritual responsibility to instill battle courage.
In the Church Age
believers live in the dispensation of a universal “royal priesthood.” (1Pe 2:9)
You are your own priest. Your confidence and courage
must originate from the metabolized Truth resident in your soul. The key
to successful military action is Spiritual strength. I would expect
believer-priests with Truth in their soul to approach a campaign with the same
bravery summoned by the Levitical priests.
Hear, O Israel,
you are approaching the battle against your enemies today. Do not be
fainthearted. Do not be afraid, or panic, or tremble before them, for the Lord
your God is the one who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies,
to save [Deliver] you. (Deut 20:3-4)
Today, instead of
“Hear, O Israel,” we would challenge
our soldiers: “Hear, O Christian warrior, you will soon meet
the enemy in battle. Do not be afraid; do not panic; do not tremble before
them, for Jesus Christ is the one who accompanies you against the enemy, to
deliver you.” Obeying these three vital Commands instills courage in
the believer facing the battle.
1. “Do not be
fainthearted;” do not be afraid. Dread affects your will and effectiveness
to fight. During the War Between the States, the Union General George McClellan
allowed fear to cloud his mind in the heat of battle. He would believe
incorrectly that he was vastly outnumbered, and he would withdraw. At these
crucial moments in history, his character failed to control his fears and keep
his mind clear to see and deal with reality.
When you faithfully metabolize and Think with the Word of
God, you suppress anxiety. By controlling
this heart-pounding reaction you keep your Thoughts and energy focused on doing
your duty. Your Spiritual concentration rouses strength of character. You are
able to stabilize under pressure. Promises and Doctrines from God’s Word
replace fear and stress with calm and poise. (2Ti 1:7)
Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid
or tremble at them, for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you. He will
not fail you or forsake you. (Deut
31:6)
This commission
from God is directed to you as a soldier. “Strong”
refers to the power of the Spiritual life derived from metabolized Truth; “courageous” refers to the expression of
this Spiritual strength. “Be strong and
courageous” is a Command to possess and display Spiritual courage that
originates from Spiritual strength, and overcomes any apprehensions you may
have while doing what ought to be done. Courage
demands standing firm on Convictions drawn from Virtue and values from metabolized
Truth resident in your soul!
“Do not be afraid” is a Divine Command for battle courage — overcoming fears
of bodily harm while doing your duty. How? Spiritual strength generates not
only Spiritual courage but also battle courage. This dual courage allows you to
remember your training and operate your weapon expertly during the adversity of
combat. You do not morbidly dwell on the possibility of personal injury or
death.
2. Do not panic.
The sudden emergence of irrational, emotional terror paralyzes Thought and
action. Encouragement from Truth conquers this panic and draws out battle
courage. Tranquility under pressure is the overt expression of a courageous
soul.
“...The Lord your
God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.”
(Deut 31:6) cf. (Heb
13:5) is assurance that the Lord Jesus
Christ Himself will never desert you in battle or anywhere else. Panic
vanishes in the confidence of His ever-present protection — He is your “point
man.” This foremost position is the most dangerous when advancing toward the
enemy. The individual, the squad, the platoon, or the company in the vanguard
are first to meet the enemy and receive fire. In so doing they offer early
warning and protection for the main body of troops. (Deut 31:8) clearly identifies the Lord as our point.
And the Lord is
the one who goes ahead of you; [As the guide] He will be
with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear, or be dismayed. (Deut 31:8)
3. “Do not . . . tremble.” Fear causes debilitating
physical reactions. Rising tension shakes a soldier like the passage of a
powerful electric current. But by fixing your
Thinking on Divine Viewpoint, you alleviate the instinctual reactions of
anxiety and fear and insure the physical control of your body. The
resulting battle courage may not eliminate fear but allows you to put your
training in action in spite of it. With focus and fortitude from the Word of
Truth you will recall your training and execute your mission under adverse
conditions.
Professionalism
Killing the enemy
in battle is neither immoral nor sinful. (Deut
20:12-13) The believer, filled with God the Holy Spirit, motivated
by metabolized Truth in his soul, and obedient to the orders of his superiors
should calmly and efficiently plan and execute the destruction of the enemy. When a soldier on the battlefield follows the Principles set
down by, (Deut 20:3; Psa 144:1) and gains control of his spirit, mind and body, he
demonstrates personal responsibility and nobility of character, symbolizes
selfless service, and competently executes his duties; in a word, he exhibits
professionalism.
Professionalism demands recall and application of the
training that prepared your spirit, mind and body to function normally in the
abnormal circumstances of war. If you convert
the outside pressure of adversity into the inner pressure of stress in the
soul, the mental application of your training becomes impossible. Your power of execution comes from Spiritual strength. With
Truth circulating in your soul you have the grit to concentrate under combat
pressure. (We are always in combat!)
(Deut 20:3-4; Deut
31:6-8) should be metabolized by every Christian warrior. If I were
a chaplain, I would address similar words to troops before they enter combat. Since I cannot be with you to prompt concentration and
courage, to comfort and encourage, I urge you to saturate your soul with Divine
Thinking from the unfailing, infallible Word of God before you face the crisis. The Lord is our comfort and ever-present help in time of
trouble. (Psa 46:1) The Word of Truth steadies us under pressure situations and
instills motivation for a professional attitude of confidence and calm
resolution.
Though a host [An army] encamp against me, My
heart will not fear; though war arise against me, In spite of this I shall be
confident. (Psa 27:3)
Victory Over
Fear — The Ten Problem-Solving Devices
The United States
Army employs the acronym FLOT, Forward Line of Troops,
to designate front line units in the defense that will encounter and do battle
with the enemy. They deny the adversary access to specific terrain for a
specified time and slow, steer, and defeat the enemy’s major units. God has
provided for us a Spiritual FLOT, a defense
line in our soul to meet and defeat the enemies of the Spiritual life. The line
consists of ten combat units; problem-solving devices that reinforce and
strengthen as we grow to Spiritual maturity. This battle line delivers victory in four intense conflicts: the temptations of the sin nature, the pressure of stress in
the soul, the attraction of false Biblical and non Biblical thoughts; and the
tendency to trust in human solutions. By
deploying God’s defense system you guarantee ultimate triumph against
encroachment to your Spiritual life.
The problem-solving devices are the God-given means of
accurate and correct application of Truth to experience. They prevent the inevitable outside pressures of
adversity from overwhelming your soul. Operation of these devices begins with
your recovery from carnality. Restored to fellowship with God your Spiritual
life is empowered for advance. As you acquire epignosis knowledge, you incorporate the problem-solving mechanics
for leading a life of meaning, purpose, definition, and fulfillment of God’s
plan. Whether surrounded by adversity or prosperity,
you can solve every human problem by deploying the appropriate combination of
these ten devices.
1. REBOUND. When your soul is controlled by the sin nature, you are
carnal and powerless to live the Spiritual life. (Rom 7:14-25) Rebound is
the only solution to carnality and the only problem-solving device that
functions in a state of sin. How do you recover from carnality? Simply
admit your personal sins privately to God the Father.
If we confess our [Known] sins. He is
faithful and righteous to forgive us our [Known] sins and to cleanse [Purify]
us from all [Unknown or forgotten sins] unrighteousness. (1Jn 1:9)
The mechanics of recovery from sin are fourfold:
(1) Admit the sin,
to immediately receive complete Divine forgiveness and to reestablish the
absolute status of Spirituality, the control of your soul by the Holy Spirit:
(2) isolate (Set
apart; to stop chain sinning) the sin to stop any bitterness; (Heb 12:15)
(3) forget the sin
so as not to reclaim guilt; (Php 3:13)
(4) keep moving in the Spiritual life. (Php 3:14)
Self-reproach is
not a prerequisite for this recovery technique. Rebound purifies you from all
unrighteousness, restoring fellowship with God the Father so that you can
resume living the Spiritual life. The only way you can employ the nine
remaining problem-solving devices or fulfill God’s plan for your life is
through the ministry of God the Holy Spirit regained from rebound.
2. THE FILLING OF GOD
THE HOLY SPIRIT. God the Holy Spirit empowers you
to Think with Truth, execute God’s plan, become an invisible hero, and glorify
God by utilizing all the assets He has provided. Accordingly, you are
mandated to “be filled with the Spirit.”
(Eph 5:18) This
filling that controls your soul after rebound energizes the problem-solving
devices and supports your resistance to the temptations of the sin nature.
But I say, walk by [In fellowship with]
the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. [The old sin
nature] (Gal
5:16)
In carnality, we
are grieving and quenching God the Holy Spirit, our advance halts; we cannot
grow Spiritually, resist the temptations from the lust patterns and trends of
the old sin nature, or use the Divine problem-solving devices. But from the filling of God the Holy Spirit comes the
source of the Spiritual life. Under His mentorship we can “walk by the Spirit” — learn the Word of God,
(Joh 16:13) and apply — Think with Truth in EVERY circumstance. The filling of God the Holy
Spirit converts the lowest human IQ into Spiritual IQ. Every believer now has equal
opportunity and equal privilege to perceive and understand the Word; which
forms and operates the eight remaining problem-solving devices in the soul.
3. THE FAITH-REST
DRILL. When you are so beset by difficulties
that you cannot Think clearly, you must apply the most basic form of Truth, the
Promises of God. Promises urge you to cultivate a persistent and habitual trust
in God, which the Bible calls “perseverance”
or patience. (Rom 12:12) Patience means you are steadfast in believing God’s Word. When you are
under pressure, adversity, disaster, and have hit a dead end, you must cling to
God’s Promises until they become more real to you than your situation,
experience, or emotions! When faith in the
Promises permeates your soul, you can rest in the tranquility and contentment
acquired from Divine Viewpoint.
A Promise is a Divine Guarantee, a capsule statement of
Truth, a solid rock upon which to anchor your mental attitude. Promises express the essence and policy of God, provide
instantaneous perspective, and reduce complicated situations to their utmost
simplicity. Numerous Promises in the Bible express the perpetual logistical
support and care of God and assure us of His unlimited ability to help in time
of need.
The steps for using the faith-rest drill are:
(1) Think a Promise to stabilize your soul; (Rom 8:28)
(2) glean from that Promise a relevant Truth or Doctrinal
Rationale to Think; (Rom 8:30)
(3) reach a Doctrinal Conclusion (Rom 8:31) so that Divine Thinking
is in control of the situation.
After employing these three stages you gain immediate Divine Perspective
for the intense pressures of life. Your confidence increases as you use Truth
resident in your soul. Certain of God’s steadfastness,
and secure in His care, you can genuinely rest, relax, and trust in Him for
solutions.
Yet, with respect to the Promise of God,
he [Abraham] did not waver in unbelief, but
grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what He had Promised. He was
able also to perform.
(Rom
4:20-21)
The faith-rest
drill stabilizes your mentality, regains your ability to Think under pressure,
keeps your emotions in perspective, and reinforces your appreciation of the
grace of God. (Heb 4:1-3; 2Pe 1:3-4) The mixing
of faith with Promises changes your outlook from one of self-centered arrogance
to authority orientation, dignity and poise, teach-ability, objectivity, and
professionalism. Thinking with Promises becomes an instant reaction
force to hold the FLOT line for a time. This faith rest drill is the foundation
of humility and Spiritual strength to execute the plan of God.
4. GRACE ORIENTATION.
Employing the faith-rest drill orients the believer to the grace of God — the
firm assurance that you will receive the consideration, equity, and care of the
Supreme Court of Heaven. Understanding His grace
policy and how little you deserve the incredible bounty He provides, motivates
humility. Genuine humility in your soul is a system of Divine Thinking and a
way of life. (Php 2:2-8) As a system of Thinking,
humility is freedom from arrogance and human realities. As a way of life, humility is orientation to authority
and to objective Reality. (God's Reality) Genuine humility creates capacity for greater grace
blessings.
Clothe yourselves with humility toward one
another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Humble
yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at
the proper time. (1Pe
5:5-6)
In humility you
are teachable, your Thinking adapts to His grace procedures, you grow
Spiritually. You realize that only the ability and power of God can meet your
needs and provide answers and solutions to the problems of life. Since you are constantly treated with kindness by the Lord,
you begin to apply God’s charitable policy of undeserved favor to yourself and
others! You become increasingly sensitive to
and tolerant of the weaknesses of your fellow man. (Eph 4:31-32) This
attitude of grace orientation when linked with metabolizing Truth produces
Christian Virtue.
5. DOCTRINAL
ORIENTATION. “For
as he Thinks within himself, so he is.” (Pro
23:7) The Spiritual life is Thinking
Divine Thoughts and then applying that Thinking to your circumstances, things,
people and self. When you Think with
metabolized Truth, you operate with “the
Mind of Christ,” the only source of absolute Wisdom! (1Co 2:16)
This orientation permits you to advance from applying the basic Promises of
Spiritual childhood to the complex Doctrinal rationales in Spiritual adulthood.
Truth is the glue that holds together all the problem-solving devices on the
FLOT line of the soul.
And do not be
conformed to this worlds, [Way of thinking]
but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, [With
Divine Thoughts] that you may prove what the will of God is, that which
is good and acceptable and perfect. For through the grace given to me I say to
every man among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think;
but to think so as to have sound judgment,
[God's Reality] as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. [Standard of Thinking from
metabolized Truth] (Rom 12:2-3)
Truth creates a
mirror in the soul in which you can accurately and objectively evaluate
yourself and your circumstances from Divine Viewpoint. (Pro 27:19) When you
are inculcated with Doctrinal norms and Standards, you rely on the Lord, make
good decisions, and resolve the dilemmas of life God’s way!
The objective of the believer’s Spiritual life is the
inserting of Truth into the soul. But usable epignosis Truth accumulates gradually in increments. Truth builds
upon Truth. We must persist in learning “line
on line . . . a little here, a little there.” (Isa 28:10) Bit-by-bit
the believer develops a frame of reference for receiving and retaining ever
more complex Doctrines, thereby unveiling the whole panorama of his magnificent
Spiritual life. This system explains why the believer must faithfully listen to
Bible teaching as a consistent routine and emphasizes the value of repetition
by the pastor. The Word of Truth cannot be
absorbed and used through sporadic bursts of enthusiasm, but through tenacious reception, retention, and recall. The perception and metabolism of Truth always results in
confidence in, and Personal love for God. (1Co
13:13)
6. A PERSONAL SENSE OF
DESTINY. With confidence from metabolized Truth in the soul you begin to
live in the light of an eternally secure future. Your self-worth becomes
inseparably united with Jesus Christ, because you eternally share in all that
Christ has and IS: His righteousness, (2Co 5:21)
His election, (Eph 1:3-4) His sonship,
(Gal 3:26) His priesthood, (Heb 10:10-14) His kingship, (2Ti 2:11-12) His personal destiny. (Rom 8:30) United with
Christ and His destiny you can serve Him, (2Co 4:5-11) glorify Him, (Rom 8:11-14) and you will accompany Him at the Second Advent and rule
with Him forever! You have acquired the sense of your destiny.
From
this realization you attain Spiritual self-esteem. With Spiritual self-esteem you are able to
address and solve problems from the Truth in your soul, because the information
from the Bible teaching has been firmly united in your Thinking! You develop the capacity for
happiness, for Understanding and benefiting from Divine blessings, for enduring
suffering, for maintaining the momentum of your Spiritual life! Never before in
history have all these privileges been extended to all believers.
For not one of us lives for himself, and
not one dies for himself; for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die,
we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. (Rom 14:7-8)
Through Grace and
Doctrinal orientation you discern your personal potential in the plan of God.
Adversity fades in proximity to the Spiritual self-esteem generated from a
limitless relationship with the Lord. This authenticated personal destiny
weathers all circumstances of adversity or prosperity.
When you have a personal recognition of the
destiny you share in Christ and the enormity of your Spiritual assets, awe and
gratitude toward God animate your attitude!
7. PERSONAL LOVE FOR
GOD THE FATHER. When you discover the perfect
essence and integrity of God and the remarkable Spiritual assets He has given
you, your response of respect, admiration, and reverence fulfills the Command
of, (Mat 22:37). Personal love
motivates you to conform to the object of your appreciation by following His
precedent of Virtue and integrity. This motivational
Virtue based on absolute confidence in the Divine ability to care for you,
supports and sustains momentum for problem-solving and courage in the face of
adversity, the same courage expressed in, (Deut
31:6-8).
But how do you
love God when the object of your worship and adoration is invisible? (1Pe 1:8) You see, know,
and love Him only through “Truth,”
The Word Truth, and “Spirit,” the
filling of God the Holy Spirit. (Joh 4:24)
When your soul is inculcated with Truth so that you
Think with His Thoughts, share His Viewpoint, and appreciate His perfect
integrity and matchless grace, you love
God! As our capacity to love God increases,
we gain confidence that He directs even our
problems for our benefit!
And we
know that God causes all things
to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called
according to His purpose. (Rom 8:28)
8. IMPERSONAL LOVE FOR
ALL MANKIND. People are among the most severe tests in life. Some of your
associations may be thoroughly obnoxious or evil. You want friendship, rapport,
or intimacy with only a selected few. Even for these loved ones and close
companions a constant personal love is difficult to maintain. There are always times when disappointment, incompatibility,
or hostility characterizes the most intimate of relationships. How much
more impossible it would be to cultivate personal love for the unattractive,
repulsive or unlovable! How then can you obey the Biblical Command “to love your neighbor as yourself?” (Rom 13:9)
You can only love
all people through a mental attitude of Impersonal love. (Rom 13:8-10) Impersonal
love for the entire human race does not require attraction, friendship, or even
acquaintance with the object of love. This love that flows out of the integrity
of the subject rather than the appeal of the
object is the same love that God bestows on
all unbelievers. (Joh 3:16; Eph 5:1-2) God
planned and executed the Salvation of unbelievers based on His perfect
integrity. Such love is not sentimental or emotional but Virtue-dependent. When
you acquire Spiritual self-esteem and develop Personal love for God, (1Jn 4:21) you gain
the Virtue necessary to express Impersonal love toward everyone in your
periphery!
Love is patient, love
is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not
act unbecomingly; it does not seek its
own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not
rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the Truth; bears all things,
believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails... (1Co 13:4-8)
Impersonal love, derived from Divine Virtue, takes
precedence over the faults and flaws of people. When
Personal love for God and Impersonal love unite to form Virtue-love, you will
not be encumbered by cruel intolerance, smoldering anger, judging, hatred, or
any other mental attitude sins, and you will not be distracted by stress,
pressure, or persecution. You will obey and
imitate the Lord by repaying insults and antagonism with compassion, kindness,
patience, and humility. (Col 3:12-14;
1Pe 3:8-9)
9. SHARING THE
HAPPINESS OF GOD. While suffering the unimaginable agonies of the cross,
the humanity of Jesus Christ never lost perfect contentment and joy. (Heb 12:2) His relaxed mental attitude equated
adversity with prosperity and living with dying. (Php
1:21) He never felt threatened or sorry for
Himself. His happiness did not change even under difficult circumstances,
cruelty, torture, unjust treatment or Spiritual death. (Luk 23:28-34)
You have access to this same happiness in your life — a happiness that does
not depend upon people, circumstances, or the things of this life. When Truth and Virtue-love fill your soul, you will enjoy
contentment in the midst of sin nature, Thought, people, system, and disaster
testing!
These things I [Jesus
Christ] have spoken to you, [God's Thoughts]
that My joy [The
happiness of God] may be in you, and that your
joy may be made full. [Mature and permanent] (Joh 15:11)
The happiness of God is enduring and self-sustaining. When
your Spiritual life takes precedence over circumstances, you carry God’s
happiness with you as a constant companion. Your
Divine inner happiness and Spiritual maturity conquer any human unhappiness or
fearful situation, (Jas 1:2) and generate a tremendous
capacity for life. No set of circumstances can defeat you!
10. OCCUPATION WITH
THE PERSON OF JESUS CHRIST. When you intensely
love and respect a person, you develop a concentrated zeal for that person.
Likewise, when you grow to understand and love the Lord Jesus Christ your
attention rivets on Him; He is your role model, the vital pattern for your
life. The Lord becomes your closest companion,
influencing your every Thought and action. You
focus moment-by-moment on Him! Since your Spiritual life now depends upon encouragement only from Christ, you cease to depend
upon people for love, happiness, help, or support. You have become
Spiritually self-sustaining. No suffering, disaster, shock, or pressure can
intrude on your soul and dim the enlightening presence of the Lord Jesus
Christ.
The
key to utilizing this ultimate solution is progressing in Spiritual maturity so
that the Mind of Christ permeates your mind. As you live for Christ, your soul
forms the maximum expression of Personal love toward God; your
priorities conform exclusively to Divine Thoughts! Arrogant
self-centeredness is replaced by this quintessence of motivation, by an
energizing Virtue, and by unencumbered enthusiasm and capacity for life. Happiness and contentment
characterize your conduct regardless of your circumstances. Problems fade away as the lusts and desires of the sin
nature are overruled by your soul’s Occupation with Christ! (2Pe 1:4)
During the Incarnation, Jesus Christ displayed impeccable
Spirituality, faith-rest, grace and Doctrinal orientation, fulfillment of His
destiny, Virtue-love, and the happiness of God. Now, armed with the same power
and assets, your mental attitude can reflect His Divine problem-solving
Perspective. (2Co 5:15; 1Jn 3:16) The
continuous circulation of metabolized Truth in your soul’s stream of
consciousness produces a concentration on the Lord that transcends all
experiences of living or dying.
According to my earnest expectation [Concentration] and hope, [Absolute
confidence] that I shall not be put to shame in anything, but that with
all boldness, [And openness
to Divine guidance] Christ shall even now, as always, be exalted in my
body, whether by life or death. For me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
[A promotion] (Php
1:20-21)
With these
problem-solving devices in mind you can focus on resolving the quandary of
fear. Courage demands Thinking under pressure. The problem-solving devices remove all the cobwebs of fear
from your Thinking and replace them with a confidence in Truth which leads to
confidence in the Lord. Confident trust in the
Lord creates the highest form of courage — a mental attitude of tranquil composure, thoughtful
determination, and courageous perseverance under every circumstance of life!
You must defeat fear before fear defeats you; only then can
you defeat the enemy in battle. When fear strikes, it must not be allowed to
ignite a devastating chain reaction of mental attitude sins that incapacitate
Divine Thinking, decision-making, and actions.
1. The more you surrender to fear, (Any sin) the more you perpetuate
fear.
2. The more you perpetuate fear, the
greater your capacity for fear.
3. The greater your capacity for
fear, the more you increase the power of fear in your life. When you control fear, it has no power in your life!
4. The more you increase-the power
of fear in your life, the more you live by fear and the greater becomes your
failure to learn and utilize Truth.
5. The more you live by fear the
more you are intimidated by life.
6. Fear focuses on the problem, but Truth focuses on the
Divine solution. The Divine solution is the only solution; human solutions are
no solution!
7. Fear is a sin that generates
emotionalism, a major distraction to the Spiritual life.
8. Fear breeds arrogance, but Truth nurtures
humility and the Spiritual life.
9. Fear of death
cannot prevent death, but fear can prevent living
the Spiritual life designed by God for every believer.
Fear epitomizes human reality and obstructs problem solving.
Since fear is a component of the emotional complex of sins, it negates Divine
Thinking, applying Truth, or any ability to function in a crisis. Unchecked fear
neutralizes the Spiritual FLOT line defense system and destabilizes the mental
process. You must recognize the symptoms and effects of fear and
vanquish its destructive tendencies. (Gen 15:1)
At least five categories of emotional sins stem from
the root of fear, worry, hatred, reaction, guilt, self-pity. You must admit,
isolate, forget, and move on from these sins to restore battlefield courage and
rational Thought.
1. Sudden disaster or fear of a
future campaign places a soldier under immense pressure and generates worry, anxiety, panic, loss of control.
Such trepidation squelches the filling of God the Holy Spirit and extinguishes
the Spiritual power supply. As emotions take control of the soul, a soldier
becomes a coward. Worry replaces objective Thinking resulting in an imagination
that conjures catastrophic scenarios — a sure formula for retreat and defeat. To recover
courage when the stress of fear and worry invades the soul, you must rebound,
then use the faith-rest drill; Focus your Thinking on a Biblical Promise and
cast your cares upon the Lord. (1Pe 5:7)
Be anxious [Worry, panic, lose control]
for [About] nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with
thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God,
[Result of the faith-rest drill] which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard
your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
(Php 4:6-7)
The
battle is not yours. The Lord wants you to rely only on Him. God will
faithfully take care of you through all adversity, but the “rest” from faith-rest will not occur until you are filled with God
the Holy Spirit, Think with His Promises, and let faith take control of the
situation.
When the Reality of Truth confronts the Reality of a combat
situation, you have a clear choice. If you focus on God’s Word, concentration
and courage will escort you through the battlefield of life! If you focus on the problem or the circumstances, worry and
anxiety will dog your footsteps. Regardless of
the extent of your predicament, faith-rest
will work. Truth in your soul overcomes any difficulty.
For He has delivered me
from all trouble; And my eye has
looked with satisfaction upon my enemies. (Psa
54:7)
For
He has delivered me from all
trouble; And my eye has looked with satisfaction upon my enemies. (Psa 54:7)
A formidable
enemy who arouses fear can also inspire intense hatred. When a close friend is
wounded or killed, the resulting emotional caldron ignites a furious response.
Professionalism and objective Thinking disappear replaced by loathing and
killer lust. These implacable and criminal hostilities have no place in a
combat situation. Wars are not won by outbursts of emotion, but by composed, measured, deliberate planning and execution.
You must go to war with Virtue in your soul: the motivational Virtue from Personal love for God the
Father and the functional Virtue of Impersonal love for all mankind. The motivational Virtue of absolute confidence in God
inspires the functional Virtue of courage toward man. If you display
Virtue-love, you cannot simultaneously harbor rage and hatred. You must accomplish your
mission dispassionately, (Professionalism)
remaining within the parameters of the rules of engagement and the conventions
of war.
3. Fears that confuse a soldier facing combat induce
reaction. This treacherous emotional sin includes
bitterness, vindictiveness, and implacability. (Unforgivness) The rampant emotionalism of reaction produces paranoia,
increases insecurity, and distorts Reality. Reaction promotes self-absorption
and self-deception, thereby fragmenting Thinking, shattering concentration, and
displacing contentment. Prolonged reaction can
degenerate to personality dysfunction, neurotic, (Obsessive and compulsive) or psychotic, (Paranoid and schizophrenic
distortions of Reality) behavior. These subjective, introspective, and irrational
responses break down and eliminate Virtue and self-discipline so necessary for
overcoming the pressure of combat. The believer
who refuses to treat a wounded psyche by rebounding and applying the soothing
salve of Spiritual Truth cannot
prevent reaction from escalating to emotional imbalance, mental instability,
and egocentricity. (Php 2:21; Jas 1:8) What a tragedy
to witness this complete divorcement from God’s grace.
Humility from grace orientation resists self-centeredness
and hypersensitivity and abandons irrationality for sound Thinking motivated by
Doctrinal orientation. You do not succumb to frustration or anger caused by stress,
unrealistic expectations, or unjust treatment. Being humble counteracts the
false solutions of arrogance, human viewpoint, and the pitfalls of
emotionalism. (Jas 4:6) Humility represents the Virtue and integrity of the
Spiritual life!
The Christian soldier can also evade reaction and perpetuate
honor and integrity by using Impersonal love, the antithesis of bitterness,
vindictiveness, and implacability. Impersonal
love is impervious to hatred, persecution, flattery, injustice, temptation or
antagonism directed toward you. With Impersonal love you no longer lose control
of your emotions but impartially and objectively evaluate the conflict swirling
around you. Where grace orientation, Doctrinal
orientation, and Impersonal love reside; you are unburdened by sinful reaction!
4. As fear and panic settle in your soul, you may engage in
guilt to clear your conscience. You immerse yourself in a sea of self-reproach
for past failure, for killing the enemy, or the death of a friend. When you are
alone with time to think about the destructiveness and desolation of war, you
may indulge in morbid self-reproach. With unrestrained subjectivity you
consider your honorable service shameful and tarnished. Wallowing in guilt, you
foster a chain of mental attitude sins that plunge you into reversionism. Each
one of these sins is a road to ruin.
Excessive self-reproach prohibits forgetting and isolating
sins after rebound and replaces problem-solving devices with defense mechanisms
such as repression and denial. Denial of
painful or agonizing thoughts, memories, feelings, or impulses only temporarily
alleviates guilt and remorse. Such repression collects as garbage in the
subconscious and permits human viewpoint to infiltrate and dominate the stream
of consciousness. Pangs of inadequacy and helplessness intrude on your
concentration, evolving into extreme doubt about the ethics of your endeavor
and intense preoccupation with overtly
correct behavior. This tortured state of mind subverts battle courage. You can
no longer have a productive Spiritual life or be an effective member of a
combat team. What is God’s solution to the sin of guilt?
Brethren, I do not regard myself as having
laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting
what lies behind [Including guilt]
and reaching forward to what lies ahead. (Php 3:13)
Do not dwell
obsessively on the past. Never look back — always
look ahead! Killing the enemy in battle is justified before the Lord.
Agonizing in quagmires of guilt only bog down your Spiritual advance. Guilt of the past denies Reality, and squashes confidence in
Divine solutions; but grace orientation and a personal sense of destiny adjust
your Thinking to the Reality of Divine guardianship. (Psa 46:1-2) Even
in the surrealistic circumstance of combat you will embrace the plan of God
rather than seek escape. If you are still alive, God has a purpose for your
life. Leave self-accusation behind and continue to fulfill your personal
Spiritual destiny!
5. Self-pity
frequently occurs in the severe adversity of a combat zone. Faced with
appalling conditions, a hostile enemy, and an uncertain future, team spirit
sinks and you may begin to feel sorry for yourself. This
subjectivity is the opposite of concentrating on Divine Promises, trusting in
God, and focusing on the mission to be accomplished. How do you combat
self-pity? The immature believer enlists the faith-rest drill; the mature believer relies on the acquisition of God’s
happiness. The subsequent contentment and tranquility boost team spirit
and rejuvenate the professional attitude of the Christian soldier who might
otherwise succumb to demoralizing circumstances.
Occupation with Christ further neutralizes preoccupation
with self that breeds self-pity. Christ
“formed in you.” [In new nature and Thinking] (Gal 4:19) Instead
of reacting to people or circumstances with a martyr complex or drawing out
pity from those around you, apply the Truth you have stored. Your soul will relax
under pressure and your personal sense of destiny will inspire confidence and
courage.
When Truth becomes your first priority, you ultimately
arrive at Spiritual self-esteem, Personal love for God, the happiness of God,
and Occupation with Christ! The Apostle Paul
describes this height of the Spiritual life.
For the love of
Christ controls [Motivates] us. (2Co 5:14)
Motivated by the person of Jesus Christ who dwells in you, (Joh 14:20; Joh 17:21-26; Col
1:27) instead of the fear that
relentlessness intrudes on your daily life, you find blessing, encouragement,
and strength from the inventory of Truth in your soul. Self-pity arouses
only weakness and discouragement. When disaster strikes, you must not seek
comfort from trouble through panhandling your self-pity; rather you must
reflect the serenity of Jesus Christ with whom you are permanently united. Only
then will you experience victory over fear.
SPIRITUAL
LOGISTICS FOR THE
CHRISTIAN
SOLDIER
God is perfect,
His plan is perfect. But we, the recipients of His plan, are imperfect. Sin
devastates our soul, counteracting the execution of this plan. Sin is never
part of God’s purpose for our life. Since carnal Christians cannot execute
God’s perfect plan, God graciously supplies both the power and the means for
overcoming the sins of emotionalism and arrogance, all the human frailties that
contradict the protocol plan. When the believer
consistently uses the three Spiritual skills — the filling of God the Holy Spirit, cognition of Truth
through Operation Z, and deployment of the ten problem-solving devices, any sin
can be defeated before it can interrupt Thinking, decisions, and actions.
For God has not given us a spirit of
timidity, [Fear] but of power [The filling of God the Holy Spirit] and love
[Virtue-love] and discipline. [Sound mind and or Doctrinal orientation] (2Ti 1:7)
The Spiritual life of the mature believer is dependent on
Virtue-love. Three of the ten problem-solving
devices are categorized under Virtue-love — Personal love for God the Father, Impersonal love for all
mankind, and Occupation with the person of Christ. When Virtue-love saturates the soul fear (Sin) cannot take root. With fear dislodged from the soul, the
Spiritual life flourishes and both courage and common sense become the
believer’s lifestyle.
There is no fear [Sin]
in love; [In fellowship] but perfect
love [Virtue-love] casts out fear. (1Jn 4:18)
The question may
be asked, “Do I compromise my Spiritual life and defile Virtue-love if I kill
the enemies of my country in battle?” Definitely not! The
Spiritual life is compromised only by sin and failure to rebound, never by performing one’s
duty in combat. When you refuse to allow fear to rule your soul, Virtue-love remains
intact. Doing your duty in combat does
not effect your Spiritual life as long as you maintain the filling of God the
Holy Spirit through rebound and apply problem-solving devices to your combat
experience. When you
are in God’s plan, He works all things together for your good — even in combat.
The
Christian soldier’s first priority is Spiritual strength. This Spiritual vigor,
which promotes battle courage, comes from believing the Word of Truth and
applying the ten problem-solving devices.
The crippling concerns for personal safety and survival in battle gradually
subside. As a believer, your safety is entirely in
the hands of the Lord. (Psa 4:8)
You will not be removed from this life until the
Divinely appointed time. Your only concern is to glorify God by
executing His protocol plan in your life and in your death.
How do you
execute the protocol plan of God? First, you must maintain Spirituality through
rebound and the filling of God the Holy Spirit. Since you have trusted Jesus
Christ for the greatest provision — Salvation — you
can now trust Him for the lesser provision — your
daily needs. By Thinking the Promises of the
faith-rest drill you orient to grace. Then, as
Truth becomes the number one priority in your life, it also becomes your entire
support system. When you grow Spiritually, you
acquire humility, a personal sense of destiny, and Personal love for God the
Father. With Spiritual maturity you gain
absolute confidence in the Lord, begin to exhibit Virtue toward people with
Impersonal love, and courage toward circumstances. God’s happiness settles in your soul to exterminate stress
and sustain inner peace. Finally, when you are Occupied with Christ by Thinking
with His Mind, you manifest integrity in every situation! Spiritually mature you are part of the pivot — the invisible hero who
glorifies God and helps to preserve our nation.
VICTORY OF
THE CHRISTIAN SOLDIER
A serviceman facing the demands of military life generally
asks himself two questions:
1. Will I be able to handle the pressures of military life
in peacetime or the stress of combat?
2. Will I be killed in battle?
When a believer asks himself these questions, the critical
factor effecting his response is the status of his Spiritual life.
According to my earnest expectation [Concentration] and hope, [Confident
expectation] that I shall not be put to shame in anything, but that with
all boldness, [And openness
to Divine guidance] Christ shall even now, as always, be exalted in my
body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is
gain. [Profit and promotion] (Php 1:20-21)
The Apostle Paul
expresses Spiritual strength as he contemplates his life and eventual death. He
views living and dying in terms of his shared destiny and personal relationship
with Jesus Christ. If you have Spiritual strength from a dynamic Spiritual
life, you, too, can answer all questions of living and dying with this same
assurance. The ten problem-solving devices will bring
victory in your life and triumph and dignity to your death!
Victory in Life
The Spiritual
life begins at the moment of faith alone in Christ alone and continues to the
point of physical death. Long before the moment of
faith, in eternity past omniscient God decreed a plan for every believer. To live in the framework
of that personal plan, believers must exercise their volition to maintain
fellowship with God and to make good decisions from Divine Thinking; carnality and human thinking propel the believer into bad
decisions that distract from God’s plan.
The soul of every believer is a battleground. An inner
Spiritual conflict rages: never-ending temptation from the sin nature to make
bad decisions from a position of weakness, versus the filling of God the Holy Spirit who empowers good
decisions from the strength of Spiritual
Thinking. Negative volition results in the sin
nature’s control and loss of Spiritual momentum. As carnality continues; the
believer becomes entangled in reversionism sinking into moral and or immoral
degeneracy! Carnal Christians become
indistinguishable from their unbelieving counterparts. (1Co 3:1-3) But through positive volition, God the Holy Spirit
controls the soul, the Word of Truth permeates the Thinking through Operation
Z, and the believer progresses into the adult Spiritual life becoming a winner
in the Christian life!
When you metabolize Truth, you follow the precedent set by
the Lord Himself during His earthly ministry. Through the Spiritual life, we,
too, can position His problem-solving devices in our soul, plus become Occupied
with Christ. How will you handle the
stress of battle and the pressure of military life? The answer lies with your
volition. The decisions you make dictate the life
you lead!
LIVING
THROUGH COMBAT
Will I survive
military service? Does God have a plan for me beyond the war zone?
(Job 5:19-27) illustrates the response of the
mature believer to these questions: Leave the answer
in the hands of the Lord. Job was in agony. He had lost his children and
all his possessions. Depressed and despondent he was waiting to die. Although
Job was still in the plan of God, Eliphaz, a well meaning but misguided friend,
wrongly assumed Job had sinned against God and was under Divine discipline.
While Eliphaz’s false view of the source of Job’s suffering caused further
testing for Job, Eliphaz does accurately express the certainty that God would
solve the problem.
From six troubles He will deliver you, Even
in seven evil will not touch you. (Job 5:19)
Since God
surrounds the believer with a “wall of
fire,” (Zec 2:5; 1Pe 1:5) we are protected from evil. God
constantly converts the evil that assails us to our benefit. (Rom 8:28) As long as we live, God shields and
defends us so that we can accomplish His plan.
Because he [The believer] has loved
Me, [Reached Spiritual maturity] therefore I will deliver him; I will set him securely on high, because he has known My name. He will call upon Me, and I
will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him, and honor
him. (Psa
91:14-15)
What a
magnificent message for the Christian soldier in harm’s way or for any of us,
facing adversity. If during the seven greatest
pressures of life no evil can defeat the believer in God’s plan, how much more
will He rescue us from everyday pressures!
Four of these
pressures are mentioned in the next two Verses. The
revealed disasters are famine, death, war, slander, violence, animal attacks,
weapons and unknown problems. The same as in, (Rom 8:35-37). In the case of the mature believer, suffering for blessing
is to accelerate Spiritual growth. Since this passage warns of future pressures in life, when
they surface Truth will prepare you for them, just as Truth prepared Job. (Job 1:20-22)
In famine He will redeem [Deliver] you from
death, And in war from the power of the sword. (Job
5:20)
In Job’s era
famine was synonymous with economic recession, depression, or disaster. God
Promises to rescue His people from malnourishment and starvation. This same
Promise applied not only in the time of Job but also to believers in Jesus
Christ today. No matter how great the economic
calamity, until God’s plan for that believer is completed he will survive the
adversity. Understanding God’s plan from Truth launches the faith-rest
drill and solidifies a personal sense of destiny — the certainty of a future in
time and eternity.
The second
disaster reveals God’s design for the Christian soldier. In battle or under
combat pressure you will be protected from “the
power of the sword.” No weapon of war, no matter how destructive, will take
your life as long as God’s plan calls for you to remain on earth. “The battle is the Lord’s.” (1Sa 17:47)
You will be hidden from the scourge of the
tongue, [Social disaster] Neither will you be afraid of violence when it comes.
(Job
5:21)
When you are the
victim of character assassination — slander, gossip, maligning, judging —
social disaster can attain monumental proportions. Sins of the tongue are
devastating, but the Lord will protect you from malicious defamation. He will
strengthen and vindicate you against the most vicious of verbal assaults, (Isa 54:17; Rom 14:4)
The Lord judges with intense discipline those who judge and defame. (Mat 7:1-2; Rom 2:1)
God also protects from the fourth adversity, so that when violence and death
threaten, you need not fear. You cannot be removed from-this life apart from
the sovereign decision of a wise and loving God. In the next paragraph, (Job 5:22-26) violence and death are mentioned in
some detail.
You will laugh at violence and famine...
[Economic disaster] (Job
5:22)
To have a sense
of humor, to have a relaxed mental attitude under the horrendous pressures of
life, to be able to respond to undue disaster by using the ten problem-solving
devices — this is what is meant by “you will laugh at violence and famine.” Laughing indicates inner contentment and tranquility
amidst overwhelming catastrophe. The believer with peace of mind and a sense of
humor; derived from sharing God’s happiness thrives under the pressures of
life.
...And you will not be afraid of wild
beasts. (Job 5:22)
In the ancient
world wild beasts often attacked vulnerable and unsuspecting persons who
perished from their injuries. Therefore, in this context, wild beast is also an
image of sudden, violent catastrophe. When facing
brutal conditions, courage from Truth results in an attitude that is prepared
for anything, yet relaxed. The believer knows that all the “wild beasts” in this world cannot
menace or ruin him. He is not intimidated by the proximity of upheaval and
devastation. He is calm, secure in his dependence on
Divine safekeeping.
For you will be in league [Alliance] with
the stones of the field; And the beasts of the field will be at peace with you. (Job 5:23)
In conclusion Eliphaz
assures of Divine protection from the stones that were used as ammunition for
an ancient weapon — the sling. Today that ordnance includes rifle bullets,
artillery rounds, missiles, or other lethal projectiles. You are allied with
the ammunition meant for your destruction. In other
words, no bullet has your name on it as long as the Lord has a plan for your
life. You can be at ease in a hostile
environment because the Lord has allotted your moment for dying and no
destructive device can remove you from this earth until that time. When His
plan for you is completed, dying is profit.
(Job 5:24) continues the conclusion addressing
our mental and physical well-being despite the seven disasters of life.
And you will know that your tent is secure,
For you will visit your abode and fear no loss. (Job 5:24)
As Job sat on the
ground for seven days and seven nights (Job 2:13)
overwhelmed by disaster with nothing left but his integrity, how ironic that
Eliphaz should mention Job’s “tent”
as being “secure.” From the human
viewpoint nothing in Job’s life seemed secure. Yet Job had security. Without
God’s permission, nothing could harm Job or his property, remove him from this
earth, (Job 2:6) or shake the
foundations of his relaxed mental attitude. Likewise, your tranquility and life
remain secure even if encountering a hail of gunfire or a barrage of high
explosive shells. When the time does come for you to be “absent from the body and face to face with the Lord — a place of no
more sorrow, no more pain, no more death,” you will arrive in heaven, an
abode of everlasting, perfect happiness, to await the resurrection.
You will know also that your descendants
will be many, And your offspring as the grass of the earth. (Job 5:25)
The Principle
explained in this Verse affirms that life must go on. Even if you die in
combat, God’s plan for the lives of those left behind and His plan for the
advance of history does not stop. You should know that personal blessing will
continue to be extended to all your loved ones.
At first Job 5:25
appears to mean that you will have numerous children who will multiply
abundantly, but the scope is much broader — all human life will continue. God
guarantees the survival of the human race in spite of mankind’s tendency for
self-destruction. As an extension of the prehistoric angelic conflict, human
history will continue until Satan’s sentence is executed at the end of the
Millennium. (Rev 20:10) Since the
Millennium is still future, the destruction of mankind by nuclear holocaust,
environmental disaster, or any other worldwide catastrophe is not only pure
fiction but humanly impossible. Only the Lord Jesus
Christ Himself at the close of the Millennium will destroy the present universe
and create “a new heaven and a new
earth.” There believers will dwell for all eternity. (2Pe 3:12-13; Rev
21:1)
You will come to
the grave in full vigor, Like the stacking of grain in its season. (Job 5:26)
This Verse is the
end of the Eliphaz discourse dedicated to those in uniform who may face death
in combat. The
agricultural image of “the stacking of
grain in its season” reveals a right and a wrong time for harvest. Only an expert can determine the right time. In all matters
of life and death timing is critical and God is the expert!
The “season” for your death is not
determined by your age or human volition but by the sovereignty, love, and
wisdom of God. “Stacking of grain” is analogous to your soul
and spirit departing from this body of corruption in physical death and
transferring to heaven. Since God stacks the grain at the right time, our death is God’s victory; whether on a
battlefield or in bed, whether in youth or old age, death
is always God’s call!
Victory over Death
Will you die in combat? Since death is in God’s hands, you
can eliminate it from your list of worries. Neither
the threat of violence nor any form of deadly weapon can remove you from this
life until the Lord so allows. Your demise is strictly the decision of God. You
have no control as to the time, the manner, or the place of death. Death is the sovereign decision of God’s infallible wisdom,
impeccable integrity, and unqualified love for you as a member of Christ’s
royal family. God’s perfect justice and righteousness guarantee that He
is absolutely fair in His decision regarding your death. You never need to
question His wisdom concerning your departure or the loss of a loved one. While
volition is a determining factor in how you live, the sovereignty of God is the
determining factor when you die. How well you die when the time comes for the
Lord to take you home, depends on your Spiritual life.
Since death is an
expression of God’s will and He desires only the best for the believer, “dying is profit.” Why? Because every Spiritually mature believer gains infinitely
more in eternity, than the wealthiest, most powerful, most privileged person
who has ever lived.
Numerous passages
in the Word of God instruct the believer not to fear death. Death for the
believer is going to sleep, and who is afraid to go to sleep? Death is going
home, and who is afraid to go home? Death is arriving
face to face with the Lord, and who is afraid
to be face to face with the Lord? Death
is God’s victory. Whether you are carnal or Spiritual, a winner or loser
believer, in Spiritual maturity or Christian degeneracy, your death will always
be His triumph.
O death, where is your victory? O death,
where is your sting? . . . But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ.
(1Co 15:55-57)
Precious in the sight of the Lord is the
death of His godly ones.[Believers] (Psa
116:15)
He said, Naked I came from my mother's womb,
And naked I shall return there. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away.
Blessed be the name of the LORD. (Job 1:21)
Six Principles summarize the Concept of victory over death.
1. Since the believer’s death is strictly God’s decision,
the Lord’s will for us is always victory.
2. The Divine decision regarding the believer’s death
includes the time, the manner, and the place of death. Therefore, nothing can remove
the believer from this life except God.
3. Since God is perfect. His
timing is perfect in all matters of life and death for the believer. No
believer in God’s plan can die prematurely.
4. Death is the wise and gracious choice of God and is
always in the best interest of the believer. Therefore, none of us has the
right to question God’s perfect wisdom.
5. No circumstances, not even warfare, can remove the
believer from this life without Divine consent.
The believer is always under God’s protection.
6. In death we are absent from the body and face to face
with the Lord. We are in a place of perfect happiness. (2Co 5:8)
And He shall wipe away every tear from their
eyes; and there shall no longer be any death; there shall no longer be any
mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things [The mortal or living phase]
have passed away. (Rev 21:4)
Victory over Sorrow
But we do not want you to be uninformed,
brethren, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve, as do the rest
who have no hope. (1Th
4:13)
“Brethren . . . who are asleep” is a metaphor for Christian death and reminds all believers
of their mortality. Apart from a Harvest, (Mat
13:39; Rev
14:14-16) we will all experience physical death. In Christ we do not
despair over our losses as do unbelievers who have no hope. Our hope in the
Lord Jesus Christ is the confidence that we will all be resurrected on the last
day, [The First Resurrection] (Rev 20:6).
For the Lord Himself said at a grave side:
Martha said to Him, I know that he will rise
again in the resurrection on the last
day. Jesus said to her, I am the
resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live [Spiritually] even
if he dies, [Physically] and everyone who lives [Physically] and believes in Me will never die. [Spiritually] Do you believe this?
(Joh 11:24-25)
However, our immediate
future may hold many bombshells — there is every possibility of war, disaster,
sudden death. We must ask ourselves: Do we have the resources to carry grief
with grace and poise, to fulfill the noble purpose for which we are called by
the Lord?
If you lose someone in the service of the
nation, recall the grace of God in your bereavement. Although memories of the
dearly departed stir sorrow and tenderness, remember that those who have died
in Christ are now in a place of no more sorrow, tears, pain, or death — a
residence in heaven so wonderful that the description of its glory cannot be
comprehended by mortal man. (2Co 12:4)
With the assurance that our believing loved ones are securely in the hands of
the Lord in eternal happiness and perfect contentment, you can press on and
continue living your life as unto the Lord. Remember these important Principles
as you mourn those you love.
1. You cannot stop normal living because people you love
have died and gone to heaven.
2. You cannot resent others who are enjoying life when you
are in a state of sorrow.
3. You cannot demand that your friends or fellow Christians
alter their lives to join you in extended mourning and grief. (1Co 7:30-31)
Although you are
emotionally involved in the death of a loved one and your grief continues, you
should understand a Principle: You must not tarnish the memory of their death
by becoming morbid, resentful, bitter, or vindictive, especially against others
who may not share in your pain and grief. Even though your heartache is
intensely personal and you will remember long after others forget, you must
release your friends to go on living. Take comfort from Truth that in death
your loved one has entered into exalted blessings. In this way you will fulfill
the encouragement of (Job 5:25) to
continue your life, not in a callous way but in a tender way, recognizing what
God does for those who die.
You will not
resent the laughter, the happiness of others who are not in the midst of
heartache. You must go on living and let your grief be a private matter between
you and the Lord. Your loneliness and sorrow belong to you, as does the
fragrance of memories. Confidence belongs to you
because you have learned to apply the Word of God through the ten
problem-solving devices. Comfort belongs to you knowing that our
believing loved ones dwell in heaven. What does not belong to you are resentment, bitterness, and hatred toward
those who do not seem to care.
Occupation with Christ focuses your Thoughts on the Lord, not
on your anguish — you can tenderly remember those who have died but you must
carry on. You keep on living, learning, and applying Truth so when you reach
Occupation with Christ, you can experience what your loved ones who have gone
before you already know: Living is Christ, and dying
is profit.
In my soul I
carry sorrow for loved ones who have died — family, friends, various associates,
extraordinary people I have known in the past. Since I am of the World War II
generation, numerous close friends from childhood and from those war years are
gone. I honor them through my fragrance of memories of our times together. My
life does not cease because they are no longer here. I cannot resign my
responsibility to study and teach the Word of God because I retain a deep
sadness for those I loved. It would be dishonoring to their memory to retreat
into a prolonged melancholy. I cannot impose such sorrow on others by
arrogantly insisting they share my grief. But I can tell you how I have handled
my own grief.
“F” FOR FREDDIE. Charles Frederick
McIntosh was my first Christian friend after I became a believer and was one of
the closest friends of my life. We were inseparable until the time I went to
college at the University of Arizona and he went to UCLA. During the summers I
lifeguarded on Catalina Island and he worked nearby so we saw each other
frequently.
He was a
wonderful believer with the Spiritual gift of pastor-teacher. I have never
heard anyone communicate the Scriptures in such a marvelous way. People would
sit and listen with rapt attention as he gave a testimony or a message of
Truth.
When Pearl Harbor
was attacked and the United States entered World War II, I had been an officer
in service for about a year. Freddie had just graduated from UCLA and went on
to join the Army Air Corps where he became a flying cadet. After graduation “F”
for Freddie was sent to the European theater. Before shipping overseas he
visited the headquarters where I was stationed to say good-bye. One of the last
things I said to him was, “Freddie, you are going to come back with an exciting
repertoire of illustrations for your ministry after the war.”
I remember the
letters Freddie wrote, not about his heroism, although he was highly decorated,
but about those men with whom he served. He was the pilot of a B-17 with a crew
of ten. He asked me to pray for his crew members. He wrote every time one accepted
Christ as Savior. I think the navigator was the first, then the bombardier,
then the tail-gunner. His final letter came just prior to his twenty-fifth
mission confirming that every person in his air crew was a believer in Jesus
Christ.
On that
twenty-fifth mission which was over Berlin the starboard engines were hit by
flak and caught fire. Freddie manually held the B-17 in position so his crew
could bail out. When he gave the order to jump, the navigator asked, “Are you
coming with us?” Freddie replied, “I will when I can.” The navigator was the
last to exit the crippled bomber. As his parachute opened, he looked up and saw
the aircraft engulfed in flames. A massive explosion tore through the fuselage
and Freddie McIntosh went into eternity.
When I received word of Freddie’s death, I
was shocked and grief-stricken. Not only was he my best friend but he had such
splendid plans for a postwar ministry. Yet the Lord took him home. I had some
difficult times dealing with his death. Many nights, especially when I was on
duty with the Air Force, I would go out to watch a few planes come in and
remember Fred. I would give him a salute and then leave. Remembering was truly
sad for me. In time, however, I came to understand the Truth I am now communicating
to you.
Some of you in
the near or distant future will face the death of someone you hold dear. You
now have the information to handle that situation. The rest is up to you. There
is no substitute for daily perception of the Word of Truth in overcoming grief.
Through the application of Truth, you can be at peace when the Lord takes
someone home to be with Himself.
End
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