The Bible Explained, part 21/40: Politics
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-----<front cover text>
THE BIBLE EXPLAINED
A Guide to the Holy Bible
for Parents and Teenagers
-----<back cover text>
Where did you come from?
What is your purpose?
What happens when you die?
These questions--and more--are answered in 'The
Bible Explained', which is based on the teachings
of the Holy Bible. The Holy Bible is a collection
of ancient books which claim to be the word of the
one and only God. This one and only God claims to
be the sole creator, owner, and sustainer of all
things; he further claims to hold the one and only
key to eternal life. Are these claims true? Get
the facts and then decide for yourself.
This document is meant to be understood by everyone,
and is therefore written in plain, simple language,
avoiding complex religious jargon.
Understand the Bible like never before.
-----<table of contents>
Introduction
Quest for Truth
The Holy Bible
Origin and Destiny
The Big Picture: Good and Evil
The Story of Man
The Purpose of the Earth
The Standard and the Test
Work: The Key to Success and Life
Pyramid Society
Failure of Man
Male and Female
Family Relationships
Marriage and Family
Sexual Immorality
The Value of Life
Multiplication and Overpopulation
Racism
Creation and Evolution
Government
Politics
Justice
Words, Speech, and Censorship
Church Matters
Monotheism, Jews, and Christians
Temptation
The Nature of Evil
Life and Death of Satan
Reincarnation
The Rapture
The End Times
The Near Future
Preparing for the Future
Groups and Labels
Understanding Judgement
Preparing for Death
Conclusion
Appendix A: Questions and Answers
Appendix B: The Ten Commandments
Appendix C: Marriage
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Search for:
TITLE: "The Bible Explained"
AUTHOR: "Arrant Knave"
ISBN-10: "1468197061"
ISBN-13: "9781468197068"
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-----<excerpt from book>
Politics
Politics is "the art and science of government."
[Oxford Dictionary] Politics is an attempt to
replace God with man, wherein man takes the place
of God as the ultimate arbiter of truth and lies,
good and evil, right and wrong, legal and illegal,
etc. When God is replaced by man, evil will
increase, since man's standard is lower than God's
standard: "'For as the heavens are higher than the
earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My
thoughts than your thoughts.'" [Isaiah 55:9]
Goals and Methods: Most modern political systems
are composed of two or more parties representing
differing ideologies. Most political parties have
the same goal: peace, security, and prosperity for
all citizens; however, they differ in the methods
necessary to achieve their objectives. The two
basic methods of governing are based on government
reliance and free enterprise, both of which can be
summarized in the popular proverb: 'If you give a
man a fish, you feed him for a day; if you teach
him to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.' The
reliance on government is called 'socialism'; the
reliance on oneself is called 'capitalism'.
Good and Evil in Government: Modern politics is a
major manifestation of the ongoing battle between
good and evil. Political systems are usually
divided into parties representing good and evil;
however, there comes a time when all parties turn
evil -- either actively in ignorance of good and
evil or passively through fear or apathy, leaving
good people without representation. Since
governments wield great power, they are capable of
great good or great evil -- and Satan knows this.
Therefore, in his quest to destroy mankind, Satan
stirs up his followers to deceive governments into
condoning evil and condemning good, as illustrated
in Daniel 6. This reversal of good and evil is
denounced by God: "Woe to those who call evil good,
and good evil; who put darkness for light, and
light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and
sweet for bitter!" [Isaiah 5:20]
Politics and Judgement: Each individual is entitled
to his personal political views and practices
within his own household; however, the insecure
persons in society seek to impose their views on
others. God is not concerned with your political
views. You may know the cure for all of society's
ills, but God has always known the cure -- and has
given it to us in his word. God is only concerned
with how you spend your time in the flesh. In the
Day of Judgement, you must stand naked and alone in
the presence of God and give an account of your
every thought, word, and deed. You must answer for
yourself -- and no one else; neither can anyone
else answer for you. Therefore, do not concern
yourself with the affairs of others; but rather
mind your own business: Do not force your views on
others, lest you become liable for leading them
astray. Why should you concern yourself with
profitless things? You are not here to change the
world -- that's God's job. You are here to change
yourself by transforming yourself into the image of
your perfect creator: "And do not be conformed to
this world, but be transformed by the renewing of
your mind, that you may prove what is that good and
acceptable and perfect will of God." [Romans 12:2]
We must not forget that God permits good and evil
to coexist for a time, which serves his purpose of
instructing man in the ways of life and death.
If I Were King: Some men feel that they can set the
world straight -- if only they could get the
opportunity to do so. Really? God has bestowed
roles of leadership and authority upon all men,
making them priests, prophets, and kings of their
household. Is your household in proper order? "For
if a man does not know how to rule his own house,
how will he take care of the church of God?" [1
Timothy 3:5] "He who is faithful in what is least
is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in
what is least is unjust also in much." [Luke 16:10]
"If you then are not able to do the least, why are
you anxious for the rest?" [Luke 12:26] If you
really want to rule the world, be numbered among
the saints, since they will rule the earth during
the upcoming Millennium.
Politicians as Gods: When people reject God as
their provider and protector, that void must be
filled by men; however, God issues this warning to
those who would replace him with men: "Thus says
the LORD: 'Cursed is the man who trusts in man and
makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from
the LORD. For he shall be like a shrub in the
desert, and shall not see when good comes, but
shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness,
in a salt land which is not inhabited. Blessed is
the man who trusts in the LORD, and whose hope is
the LORD. For he shall be like a tree planted by
the waters, which spreads out its roots by the
river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its
leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the
year of drought, nor will cease from yielding
fruit.'" [Jeremiah 17:5-8]
Secularism: Secularism is "concerned with the
affairs of this world; not spiritual or sacred."
[Oxford Dictionary] Secular governments deny or
ignore the spiritual component of man, which makes
problem-solving impossible, since problems in the
physical world are symptoms of diseased spirits,
since spirit is superior to flesh -- wherever the
spirit leads, the flesh will follow. Thus, treating
symptoms is futile and expensive; treating the
spirit is impossible when one denies the existence
of spirit. Therefore, secularism will not solve
society's ills so long as it limits itself to the
physical realm. In order to motivate its citizens,
the secular government must provide them a reason
to produce -- an ultimate purpose to life.
Secular Solutions: To combat social ills, the
secular government has three major weapons in its
arsenal: legislation, money, and police force.
Flooding the world with laws, money, and military
personnel will not change human nature, since these
tools can be applied only to the physical, not the
spiritual. Treating the physical is akin to
treating the symptom -- rather than its cause,
since the spirit is master of the flesh. Those who
break existing laws do not need more laws; they
need an incentive to live peacefully among their
neighbours. Those who abuse social services do not
need more handouts; they need an incentive to use
their God-given talent to achieve their greatest
potential. To live righteous lives, God has given
men the incentive of life eternal in his glorious
presence. One of the greatest errors of government
is to provide guaranteed lifelong care to its
citizens, thereby removing the need for individual
strife. Striving is good, since it produces
character and a sense of accomplishment: "And not
only that, but we also glory in tribulations,
knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and
perseverance, character; and character, hope."
[Romans 5:3-4] In order for a man to strive to be
good, he needs hope of a worthwhile reward for his
efforts. Governments cannot provide that hope --
only God can. Without God, nothing matters: we come
from the dust and we return to the dust -- that is
our beginning and our end. Thus, secularism leaves
one without hope and without direction or purpose.
God and State: George Washington said, "It is
impossible to rightly govern the world without God
and the Bible." Abraham Lincoln said, "Those
nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord."
History verifies that these sayings are true, yet
there are those who would remove God from
government. For example, there are those who would
remove the Ten Commandments from government
offices, courts of law, public schools, public
buildings, etc. Why? Is there any evil in the Ten
Commandments? If there is no evil in the Ten
Commandments, why remove them from public view? If
the Ten Commandments are good, why not promote
them? There is only one logical explanation: there
is a real devil (and his children) who oppose the
things of God. The Ten Commandments exposes sins --
and the children of the devil would rather remain
in darkness, lest their sins be exposed. The
murderer does not want to hear 'You shall not
murder'; the adulterer does not want to hear 'You
shall not commit adultery'; the thief does not want
to hear 'You shall not steal'; the perjurer does
not want to hear 'You shall not bear false
witness'; etc. God is in all things -- including
government. It is God who gives value to a thing;
but when you remove God from something, it becomes
worthless: "Unless the LORD builds the house, they
labour in vain who build it; unless the LORD guards
the city, the watchman stays awake in vain." [Psalm
127:1]
Separation of God and State: You may have been led
to believe that secular governments are without
religion, however, they are not: secularism is
based on humanism, wherein God is replaced by man
as the ultimate arbiter of truth, right and wrong,
good and evil, etc. It is God who lends value to a
thing; when you remove God from something, it
becomes worthless. Without the absolute foundation
of God's law, a government is left without
direction and without destiny. Man's laws cannot be
relied upon, since they change from time to time
and from place to place; God's laws, however, are
absolute, beneficial, and lead to life eternal.
Thus, the nation which abandons God will come to
naught, since it lacks direction and purpose. The
perfect system of government will be seen in the
forthcoming Millennium, wherein the Christ/Messiah
and his saints will rule the earth in accordance
with the order of Melchizedek. To refresh your
memory, Melchizedek was both king of Salem (Peace)
and priest of God Most High. (See Genesis 14:18 for
details.) In summary, a good and effective leader
must be both a priest and a king -- you cannot
separate God from good government.
Integration of God and Government: God has
appointed a period of one thousand years, known as
the Millennium, in which the Messiah and his saints
will rule the earth in accordance with every word
which proceeds out of the mouth of God. Thus, the
Millennium will be a period of peace and prosperity
on the earth. Before God can establish his
government on Earth, he must first destroy the
existing man-made governments. (See Daniel 2 for
details on the abolishment of man-made governments
and the establishment of God's everlasting
government.) Those who seek to remove God from
government are, perhaps unwittingly, doing the work
of their father the devil: for the devil makes his
ways fair-seeming by putting good for evil and evil
for good, deceiving those who do not know the
absolute standard which separates good from evil --
the word of God.
Key to National Success: "If you walk in My
statutes and keep My commandments, and perform
them, then I will give you rain in its season, the
land shall yield its produce, and the trees of the
field shall yield their fruit. Your threshing shall
last till the time of vintage, and the vintage
shall last till the time of sowing; you shall eat
your bread to the full, and dwell in your land
safely. I will give peace in the land, and you
shall lie down, and none will make you afraid; I
will rid the land of evil beasts, and the sword
will not go through your land. You will chase your
enemies, and they shall fall by the sword before
you..." [Leviticus 26:3-7] "Now it shall come to
pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD
your God, to observe carefully all His commandments
which I command you today, that the LORD your God
will set you high above all nations of the earth."
[Deuteronomy 28:1] Thus, the nation which keeps
God's commandments will rule the world.
Key to National Failure: "But if you do not obey
Me, and do not observe all these commandments, and
if you despise My statutes, or if your soul abhors
My judgements, so that you do not perform all My
commandments, but break My covenant, I also will do
this to you: I will even appoint terror over you,
wasting disease and fever which shall consume the
eyes and cause sorrow of heart. And you shall sow
your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. I
will set My face against you, and you shall be
defeated by your enemies. Those who hate you shall
reign over you, and you shall flee when no one
pursues you..." [Leviticus 26:14-17]
Flesh and Spirit: God created humans to be free
individuals; however, some humans will form groups
in order to do evil, prompting others to form other
groups to oppose them, thereby creating governments
and nations which oppose each other. The basis of
conflict is theological, and its solution is
spiritual, as General Douglas MacArthur recognized:
"Men since the beginning of time have sought peace.
Various methods through the ages have been
attempted to devise an international process to
prevent or settle disputes between nations. From
the very start workable methods were found in so
far as individual citizens were concerned, but the
mechanics of an instrumentality of larger
international scope have never been successful.
Military alliances, balances of power, leagues of
nations, all in turn failed, leaving the only path
to be by way of the crucible of war. The utter
destructiveness of war now blocks out this
alternative. We have had our last chance. If we
will not devise some greater and more equitable
system, our Armageddon will be at our door. The
problem basically is theological and involves a
spiritual recrudescence, an improvement of human
character that will synchronize with our almost
matchless advances in science, art, literature, and
all material and cultural developments of the past
two thousand years. It must be of the spirit if we
are to save the flesh." Thus, the government which
refuses to acknowledge the spirit will not find the
path to peace, since the spirit leads the flesh.
Path to Peace: Most political groups desire peace;
however, they differ in the means to achieve it.
The obstacle to peace is evil. But what is evil?
Evil is destructiveness; evil's only purpose is to
destroy; if left unchecked, evil would eventually
destroy all things -- including itself; evil does
not respond to reason; evil cannot be pacified: the
only thing one can do with evil is destroy it; if
you do not destroy it, it will destroy you. The
source of evil is Satan the destroyer, who is a
spirit being. Thus, the only path to peace is the
permanent destruction of evil. If governments fail
to acknowledge the existence of the spirit realm,
peace will never be achieved, since the enemy of
peace is a spirit being -- Satan the evil one: "For
we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but
against principalities, against powers, against the
rulers of the darkness of this age, against
spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly
places." [Ephesians 6:12] Since evil is spirit, it
can be destroyed only by spirit -- the spirit of
God: "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil
with good." [Romans 12:21] "No one is good but One,
that is, God." [Matthew 19:17] Since God alone is
good, he is the only one who can destroy evil;
nevertheless, man should make every effort to
restrain evil until God comes.
-----<availability>
The above book is available for purchase at:
http://www.amazon.com
Search for:
TITLE: "The Bible Explained"
AUTHOR: "Arrant Knave"
ISBN-10: "1468197061"
ISBN-13: "9781468197068"
Or try this direct link:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Bible-Explained-Parents-Teenagers/dp/1468197061
-----<copyright notice>
The above excerpt from 'The Bible Explained' is copyright
2010 by Arrant Knave. All rights reserved. No part of this
document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system
or transmitted in any form or by any means without the
prior written permission of the publisher, except by a
reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review to be
printed in a newspaper, magazine, or journal.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are
taken from the New King James Version (R). Copyright (C)
1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights
reserved.
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