After the global-flood of Noah’s day God inaugurated the dispensation of human governance. Since that time humanity has contrived numerous systems whereby people would govern and be governed and mostly the effort has been one failure after another. Tyranny, fascism, and other forms of social oppression and exploitation quickly rise to the surface, with God-given liberty being the first casualty.
Skipping over the details, the bottom line is that humanity is totally incapable of a fail-safe, self-governance because even the best of men and the finest of civil systems inherit from one generation to the next, the defective spiritual chromosome called sin and sin touches and taints everything. Furthermore, the collective church fails at civil governance because though sin is atoned for by Jesus’ blood, the church consists of people with the sinful Adamic nature. It will take the Rapture of the church and the imposition of our glorified bodies for us to live without that dreadful nature. Going still further, God never has and does not today intend for the church to rule the world─Jesus will personally do that. And, it appears it won’t be very long until His coronation.
In the meantime what about our Republic, one of God’s great gifts to the entire world? Certainly we are (were?) different and far more accommodating to the human spirit of independence and self-sustainment than all others, but does this mean we can do what needs to be done in order to save the ship of state and at the same time make the world safer? What follows is why I believe we cannot, try as we might.
Interestingly, the Spanish Conquistadors went to South America to find gold, while the Pilgrims came to North America in search of religious liberty, specifically the practice of Christianity. The Mayflower Compact clearly reflected this intention and set the posture for what followed in our country’s history.
We have a document, the U.S. Constitution, that is the law of the land; a document so construed by our Founding Fathers as to support God-given liberty to its fullest degree. The Federal Government was cast into the form of a servant of the people; a servant that must be constantly held in check because our Founders clearly understood a federal government’s inherent inclination to subdue and dominate free people. Because they understood that humanity’s rights are unalienable and come from God and not any government, they formed a Constitutional Republic, not a pure democracy for they also clearly understood that democracies can very easily become tyrannical.
This great experiment in human liberty necessarily included the electorate’s endued right to choose its leadership and likewise its endued responsibility to throw them out when their agendas run contrary to the Constitution. Further, the right to make any final decision regarding any issue not directly addressed in the Constitution is retained by the people. Though not perfect, yet it was beyond good; it was the best in a very long line of humanly inspired governments.
But as is the case with every entity associated with human governance, it began to deteriorate. Not of its own determination, but due to its human administration. Because of sometimes felonious interpretations of the Constitution and the resulting immoral implementations we have arrived at the place where the Founders would scarcely recognize many aspects of what they created. The idea that our Constitution is a “living document” is anathema in the collective mind of a free people, for such an interpretation becomes the means by which despicable, liberty-destroying political worldviews become the law of the land. Thus, we are brought to our present circumstances.
Interestingly, when asked what kind of government had been created, Benjamin Franklin is reputed to have said, “A Republic, if you can keep it.” A more realistic answer might have been, “A Republic, but it won’t last.”
Now, is that
some sort of
unpatriotic
appraisal,
unbecoming of
any American
whose idea of
liberty and
freedom from
government
intrusion is
valuable enough
to die for? No.
It is the answer
from an
American, who
like many others
understands that
the evil that
lurks in the
human heart
undermines all
mortal
inspirations no
matter how
virtuous. As is
the case with
the human body
or an artistic
masterpiece,
even the best of
civil systems
begins to
degenerate soon
after gaining
life and is
destined to be
short-lived only
to be replaced
by something
else. And
regarding a
Constitutional
Republic, the
only direction
for it to go is
down, humanly
speaking, and
the slope is
slippery once
the slide
begins. And, it
certainly has
begun.
This has some
major
implications.
For those who
hate the
historic
American legacy
it means the
country is
finally
changing. The
change-advocates
believe America
sticks out like
a sore thumb in
a world that
must not only be
globally
connected, but
globally
assimilated.
This is made
easier because a
number of
American
authorities no
longer have
nationalistic
allegiances and
have no
reluctance at
all about making
our country “fit
in.” An
excellent
illustration is
the way some
Supreme Court
justices now
insist upon
having alien law
and norms
influence their
interpretation
of the U.S.
Constitution.
Among those
who recoil at
this
development,
there are two
basic groups and
they are
distinguished by
their religious
worldviews, or
lack of the
same. The
non-Christian
secularists who
believe in the
American story
are offended and
angered by our
country’s
plummet into
socialism. Their
energy is spent
upon stopping
the slide. No
stone is
unturned and no
opportunity is
wasted in the
fight. They see
what is
happening as an
all-out war, the
victor of which
sets the agenda
for an unlimited
future. Since
they have no
hope beyond
human initiative
they fight as
though this is
all there is,
and they
struggle
incessantly to
preserve the
best system of
government ever
conceived.
The other
group is the
Christians who
also believe in
the American
story, who are
also offended
and angered,
etc. But due to
a knowledge of
not only what is
happening, but
why it is
happening and
what is the end,
we look for
something far
better than a
Constitutional
Republic. We
look for Jesus
to take us
out...yes, we
are escapists!
Further, we look
for the coming
theocracy. Seven
years after the
taking out the
church when the
Tribulation
period ends,
Jesus will take
control of this
world. King
Jesus will rule
with a rod of
iron and will
deliver on His
promise for
peace and
liberty. The
curse will be
lifted, war will
be no more, fear
and danger of
all types will
be gone and we
will be at His
side enjoying
this planet in
the way it was
intended. In
short, we look
for the
Millennium (see
Isaiah 11).
So, back to
the present…Like
our secular
patriot friends,
it is natural
that Christians
should want to
do everything
possible to stop
the imposition
of a godless,
tyrannical
template upon
everyone and
everything we
do. The
difference,
though, is
Christians do no
see the struggle
as an effort to
preserve a
humanly-inspired
way of life, no
matter how
noble. They see
the struggle as
a delaying
action; an
effort to keep
the dogs of
tyranny at bay
while using our
God-given
liberty to carry
on our God-given
mission of
declaring the
good news of
salvation and
the imminent
return of Jesus
to all who will
listen. And,
that is a very
important
distinction!
And what
might we expect
as the moment
gets closer? A
growing
animosity toward
those who see
liberty as a
gift from God,
who believe in
the Bible’s
natural, clear
and plainsense
meaning, who
believe God has
not nor ever
shall throw
Israel under the
bus, and who
believe in the
millennial
theocracy. That
belief system,
that
worldview─call
it what you
will, will
continue to be
painted as
outmoded and
irrelevant at
best, and as a
criminal and
national threat
at worst. Though
unbelievable for
many of us, that
animosity is now
coming from
quarters many of
us once thought
of as the
greatest
guarantors of
our freedom to
practice our
religion.
Consider just
one of many
examples.
In 2008 U.S.
Army Major Brian
L. Stuckert
wrote a thesis
titled,
“Strategic
Implications of
American
Millennialism.”
This paper was
presented to the
U.S. Army School
of Advanced
Military Studies
and the Command
and General
Staff College at
Ft. Leavenworth,
KS. Stuckert’s
thesis monograph
was approved by
Col. Tim
Challans, PhD,
director. The
CGSC is a
military
graduate school,
and is the place
where future
general officers
begin their
serious
grooming.
Briefly,
Major Stuckert
issued a warning
regarding the
terrible
influence such
Christians are
having upon
American
foreign-policy,
and basically
recommended they
not be allowed
leadership
positions in the
military.
Surprising to
many, his
opinions are
shared by more
in the
government and
in the military
than most
readers might
realize.
There is one
other thing
about this
growing malice
toward
“millennialists”
that is
disquieting. Not
only are most
Christians
unaware of it,
but at least
some evangelical
leaders are
likewise
ignorant.
Recently, Major
Stuckert’s
thesis was
brought to the
attention of
three
evangelical
leaders, all
being doctors in
their
theological
fields. One said
he thought he
had heard about
it, and another
stammered a bit,
glanced at a
copy and
flippantly
implied it was
irrelevant. Only
one admitted he
was unaware of
such an anti-God
undercurrent in
the U.S.
military and
said he wanted
to read the
paper.
What does all
this really
mean? Several
things. It means
some very bold
changes are
being made in
the way America
views her raison
d'être, her
reason for
existence.
Clearly, the
dominant
thinking of
early America is
being replaced
by a godless,
amoral and
materialistic
culture that is
touching more
and more areas
of American
life. It means
many of us
living in
Mayberry have no
idea of what is
discreetly
changing in the
fabric of our
Republic. And
further, it is
more evidence
our great nation
will be a
non-player in
endtime events,
or at the very
least an
unimportant one.
That means a
comeuppance is
heading our way;
some kind of
great tragedy is
coming that will
cut our legs out
from under us.
Today if one
wants to be
accepted by the
ranking
political,
military and
religious
aristocracy some
rules must be
followed: Just
tow the line,
simply forget
the
God-and-Israel
thing, just do
your religion
for an hour on
Sunday then
forget about it
for another
week. Don’t take
it seriously,
and certainly
don’t try to
evangelize.
Don’t bother
people. Simply
get on board
with main-line,
globally-correct
religious
thinking and you
won’t have to
worry about
government
harassment and
estrangement
from all the
other religions.
Things go more
smoothly that
way, you see.
This is hard
to accept by
many people
because
anti-Godism is
just
unprecedented in
American
history. Maybe
like Pearl
Harbor and the
911 Islamic
attack were
unprecedented.
That same
secular
God-hating world
sarcastically
repudiates any
mention of God’s
judgment, for
they believe
such are the
ravings of
religious
lunatics. Even
some Christians
refuse to see
God’s hand in
any of this.
They refuse to
believe that He
will do very
much at all
regarding murder
of the preborn,
redefinement of
marriage, the
estrangement
from Israel,
obstruction of
God-given
liberty by
bureaucratic
fiat, etc.
“Ain’t life
wonderful and
ain’t God good,”
is their
constant refrain
as they
blissfully
ignore the
gathering storm
clouds!
We shall be
forever grateful
to God for the
American
Republic and her
constitutional
liberties, and
we gladly pledge
our secular
allegiance to
her. But this
affinity must
never be allowed
to overshadow
the fact that
this planet is
destined for
Messiah’s rule.
The world should
learn to bow,
for bow it will
before Messiah
Jesus─soon.
csm01@att.net