In our study of the doctrine of freedom. John 8:32: Gal 5:1; We have noted that positive volition to any aspect of God's Word of truth creates freedom because God imputes grace through the divine decree to bless positive volition to truth and discipline negative volition to truth. Lam 3:21-23; James 4:6;
We have noted that positive volition to divine establishment truth provides for temporal human freedom, positive volition toward the truth of the Gospel creates spiritual freedom and positive volition to the truth of Bible Doctrine creates experiential spiritual freedom and spiritual advance.
We see from this that establishment truth is what establishes freedom within the national entity in the midst of the chaos of the devil's world.
Under the principles of divine establishment every person has free volition so they have the right to be wrong but when their negative volition metastases to the point they meddle with and violate the God given freedom, privacy or property of others their free negative volition becomes criminal.
The internal enemy of freedom in the national entity is criminality and the external enemy of freedom in the national entity is criminal nations operating in power lust.
Free nations lose their internal freedom to criminals as the citizens reject truth and refuse or neglect to defend it because of negative volition to truth. This loss of freedom occurs incrementally in cycles until the nation is weakened to the point where predator nations can attack and left unanswered defeat and potentially destroy the previously free client nation in warfare.
Since truth is the sine que non of freedom and happiness as the pivot of believers who hold the line with virtue and integrity from truth declines so do freedom and happiness.
As truth is replaced with the lies of satan's cosmic system freedom and happiness are replaced by unhappiness, tyranny, disaster and war and if left unchecked total destruction.
At this point in our study we are noting God's warning to the Northern Kingdom in Hosea 4:1-6 that explains why God implements the cycles of discipline. Last time we left of at verse 6.
Hosea 4:6; "My people are destroyed by lack of knowledge of doctrine. Because you have rejected the knowledge of doctrine, I will reject you from being My priest nation."
A client nation to God is a "priest nation" that represents God's Word of truth in the devil's world.
This means that within the nation there is freedom for the truth of evangelism, there is freedom for the truth of Bible doctrine to be taught, there is freedom to send missionaries to other nations, and freedom to communicate the Gospel, and establish local churches comprised of indigenous believers who become the basis of the pivot that creates freedom and prosperity in other nations.
At this time the United States is a priest nation but it soon may not be because God's Word of truth is being rejected and Christianity is under assault to the point that the nation no longer represents God's Word in the devil's world because we have exchanged the truth for the lies of cultural diversity and political correctness. Rom 1:25;
The only hope for this country resides in the souls of believers. If negative volition to truth continues we will continue to go down. If there is a surge in positive volition, a pivot large enough to deliver the nation may be formed and the nation preserved. If not, God will extract the pivot and the nation will be destroyed.
Under the principle of as goes the believer, so goes the client nation to God without truth from God's Word there are no solutions for the nation's problems.
Hosea's prophecy was fulfilled in the Northern Kingdom of Israel. What happened in the past to greater nations than we are can and certainly will happen to us if we persist like they did in rejecting God's Word of truth.
This brings us back to our main study of the doctrine of freedom with a look at the importance of law enforcement and the military that protects the nation's freedom and simultaneously is a microcosm of the zeitgeist of the nation.
The national entity is protected internally by the objective application of law or equality before the law combined with good law enforcement and it is protected externally by the military establishment maintaining the integrity of and protection the nation's borders. Nehemiah 4:11-23;
In spite of man's efforts for peace, warfare will continue until Jesus Christ returns, deposes satan and enforces peace under the principle of freedom through military victory. Matt 24:6; Mark 13:7; Luke 21:9.
Warfare is not only a legitimate part of human history under the principle of "a time for war", Eccles 3:8 ;and Num 21:14, but it is also necessary for the maintenance of freedom and national sovereignty when enemies become criminals and refuse to live in peace. Rom 12:18;
Islam is just such an enemy. Islam refuses to live at peace so when it becomes criminal it must be dealt with military force. Thus far we have refused to defeat Islam and there will be no freedom or peace until we do. If we refuse they will destroy us.
Warfare is an evitable part of the maintenance of freedom during the course of human history because Satan and his demon armies are the invisible political force that is behind all attacks on human freedom.
Satan uses the lust patterns of mankind's old sin nature combined with negative volition to God's Word to perpetuate conflict and war throughout human history until Jesus returns.
Before Jesus returns temporary periods of relative peace are only briefly achieved by means of the military victories of client nations. Client nations enforce peace until they succumb to the deception and lies from satan's propaganda and fall. This is the situation of the USA is at this time.
After the Exodus in the struggle for the establishment and the perpetuation of freedom for the first client nation Jesus Christ Himself became the commanding general of the armies of Israel with the title of "the Lord of the Armies." , Josh 5:13- Josh 6:2; Net note 26
Armies defend freedom and armies destroy freedom, Jer 34:7; Jer 12:12; The issue of national sovereignty and temporary temporal freedom depends on which army wins but the pivot is delivered. Jer 40:1-4;
The success or failure of the military is an indication of the degeneracy of a nation. The failure of a military on the battlefield indicates the nation's lack of self-discipline, lack of spiritual incentive, lack of motivation, lack of courage, and the lack of respect for authority that is a basic requirement for success.
Failure of the military is an indication of a lack of character and stability among the citizens of a national entity. The Jewish military failure in 586 BC is a good example of spiritual decline that resulted in the moral decline of a people because of their negative volition to God's Word of truth.
Since the battlefield victory determines national freedom military training is an important function of a nation, Luke 14:31; Num 31:3-5;
Good leadership is an index of national character, Prov 24:1-6; Characteristics of good military leadership include self and group discipline, a relaxed mental attitude under pressure, moral courage from virtue (Prov 28:1) and a sense of responsibility.
Good military leadership has knowledge of military science, good judgment, common sense, loyalty and recognition of authority fairness to personnel under one's command without prejudice.
Good military leadership understands others, has the ability to organize, systematize, categorize, and delegate authority as an executive, endurance and good health, presence, poise, courtesy, flair, and in addition for the believer, a functioning spiritual life.
No army can survive the lack of adequate training, nor can it survive apostasy and degeneracy. Reaction from emotional revolt of the soul destroys the military. Military training is useless if the men of a nation are decadent and full of scar tissue of the soul from personal sins. 1Sam 31:1-4;
We have noted that part of God's judgment against a nation is military defeat that precedes the fifth cycle of discipline. This happened to the Northern Kingdom aka Ephraim in 721 BC; the Assyrians in 612 BC; The Southern Kingdom aka Judah in 586 BC and Judea in 70 AD.