5 Cycles of Discipline
(Leviticus 26:14-39)
For God’s Chosen Nation
&
For God’s Client Nations
Hosea 4:1-6
• Definition – National judgment for disobedience to
the Word of God. The curse upon rejecters of the
blessing.
• Definition of a Client Nation – a national entity under
Divine Institution #4 responsible for the
custodianship of Bible Doctrine & for being a base for
missionary activity.
• Verse 1: “There is no truth or mercy (chesed)…” –
there is no character in the people.
• Verse 1: “There is no knowledge of God…” – religion &
legalism had replaced doctrine & grace.
• Verse 6: “Rejected” – not just neglected, but
despised, scorned, abhorred, loathed.
Hosea 4:1-6
• As the nation accumulates disobedience & rejects the
Word of God, the judgment (Divine discipline)
increases.
• They begin rejecting the 4 Divine Institutions (#1
Free-Will, #2 Marriage, #3 Family, & #4
Nationalism) & thereby bring discipline upon
themselves.
• Cf. Nehemiah 10:29; II Chronicles 24.
• See Leviticus 26:14-39 for the 5 Cycles of Discipline.
1st Cycle of Discipline – Leviticus 26:14-17
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A strike on their persons.
“Appoint” (vs. 16) – governors of a disobedient people.
“Terror” (vs. 16) – fear instead of calm, serene peace.
Because of terrorism, violence, unrestrained criminality,
hostility from other nations, etc.
Results in a frantic search for security.
Causes many laws to be passed (such as the “Patriot
Act”) for the “social betterment” of the people.
These laws turn around, trapping & suffocating the
people.
Big emphasis on life insurance, health insurance, welfare
plans, etc.
1st Cycle of Discipline – Leviticus 26:14-17
• “Wasting disease & fever” (vs. 16).
• Instead of health & strength, the nation begins to have
loss of health – big emphasis on health begins to develop.
• The more emphasis on health, the less health the nation
enjoys.
• Hospitals overflow, mental disorders become rampant.
• The nation begins to have “wasting disease & burning
fever” (vs. 16) – disease such as AIDS, Ebola, Enterovirus
D68, Cancer, Tuberculosis, & mystery illnesses.
• Eventually, as this cycle of discipline increases under the
other cycles, the medical system begins to fall apart.
• “Consume the eyes & cause sorrow of heart” – the
physical effects of wasting disease & the psychological
effects (“exhausts the eyes because of anxiety & causes
depression” – NET Bible study notes).
1st Cycle of Discipline – Leviticus 26:14-17
• The economy begins to fall apart – “sow your seed in
vain” (vs. 16).
• Crop destruction, inability to compete with foreign
markets (petro dollars will eventually collapse our
economy).
• Can also refer to the Church having very little spiritual
impact upon the spiritual condition of their
communities.
• Believers not walking in victory – not standing spiritually
– defeated.
• The nation’s enemies will “eat” the profits & the nation’s
quality of life will begin to go downhill.
1st Cycle of Discipline – Leviticus 26:14-17
• Vs. 17 - God’s Face will be set against the nation (for
cursing) rather than shining upon the nation (for blessing)
(cf. Numbers 6:25).
• Discipline in the form of defeat on the battlefield (vs.
17) – military begins to have poor leadership, immorality,
& cowardice.
• We have not won a war since WWII.
• We could have won in Korea if the Commander-In-Chief
would have listened to Gen. MacArthur
• We could have won in Vietnam if we would have listened
to soldiers like LTC Anthony B. Herbert.
• All we accomplished in Iraq was basically for nothing –
the radical Muslims are quickly taking back what we
fought so hard for.
• The same thing is happening in Afghanistan.
1st Cycle of Discipline – Leviticus 26:14-17
• “Those who hate you shall reign over you” (vs. 17)
– sneering authority.
• Instead of serving the nation, the leadership will
serve itself & their agenda, & only use
government benefits to seize more power for
themselves.
• In our case, they will do all they can to destroy
our Republic & free enterprise.
• “You shall flee when no one pursues you” –
national cowardice.
• This becomes painful discipline because it causes
damage to the soul & increases torment from
neurosis (goes back to “terror” in verse 16).
2nd Cycle of Discipline – Leviticus 26:18-20
• The 2nd Cycle increases the intensity
of the 1st Cycle (vs. 18) – “…punish you
seven times more for your sin” – a
metaphor for “a whole bunch!”
• A strike on their possessions.
• The people of the nation are
characterized by pride & selfrighteousness (vs. 19) – religion (not
Christianity) usually begins to
predominate.
• The land & the environment becomes
the enemy of the farmer (vs. 19) –
severe drought begins to spread.
• California is facing one of the most
severe droughts on record
Intensity:
•
•
•
•
•
D0 - Abnormally Dry
D1 - Moderate Drought
D2 - Severe Drought
D3 - Extreme Drought
D4 - Exceptional Drought
2nd Cycle of Discipline – Leviticus 26:18-20
• An application of the “drought” goes far beyond just
what is happening in the land –
• it includes raw materials from which products are
made;
• advertising;
• marketing;
• whatever brings a production of profits.
• The people will work hard, but it will be in vain (vs.
20).
• The nation goes into an economic recession (vs. 20).
• Poverty increases.
• The beginning of famine (have you seen how they
stock the store shelves lately?!).
3rd Cycle of Discipline – Leviticus 26:21 & 22
• The 3rd Cycle increases the intensity of the
1st & 2nd Cycles (vs. 21) – “…seven times more
plagues …” – a metaphor for “a whole bunch
more!”
• A strike on their children & cattle (wealth in
an agricultural economy).
• “Wild beasts” (vs. 22) – people revert to being
like animals as they move away from God.
Unisex becomes more & more the norm.
• What are some “wild beasts” that endanger
our nation & our children today?
Societies attitude
toward traditional
families
Drugs
(pharmakia)
Homosexuality
Abortion
Pornography
Educational system
“Wild
animals”
Child
molestation
Medical/Legal
system
Bible & God
taken out
Evolution
DSS
No
Spanking
Humanism
Isaiah Rider Chicago
Justina Pelletier Boston
The 10 Points of Humanism
(From “The Philosophy of Humanism” – 8th edition by Corliss Lamont pps 13-15)
First, Humanism believes in a naturalistic
metaphysics or attitude toward the
universe that considers all forms of the
supernatural as myth; and that regards
Nature as the totality of being and as a
constantly changing system of matter
and energy which exists independently
of any mind or consciousness.
The 10 Points of Humanism
Second, Humanism, drawing especially
upon the laws and facts of science,
believes that we human beings are an
evolutionary product of the Nature of
which we are a part; that the mind is
indivisibly conjoined with the
functioning of the brain; and that as an
inseparable unity of body and
personality we can have no conscious
survival after death.
The 10 Points of Humanism
Third, Humanism, having its ultimate
faith in humankind, believes that
human beings possess the power or
potentiality of solving their own
problems, through reliance
primarily upon reason and scientific
method applied with courage and
vision.
The 10 Points of Humanism
Fourth, Humanism, in opposition to all
theories of universal determinism,
fatalism, or predestination, believes
that human beings, while conditioned
by the past, possess genuine freedom
of creative choice and action, and are,
within certain objective limits, the
shapers of their own destiny.
The 10 Points of Humanism
Fifth, Humanism believes in an ethics or
morality that grounds all human values
in this-earthly experiences and
relationships and that holds as its
highest goal the this-worldly
happiness, freedom, and progress economic, cultural, and ethical - of all
humankind, irrespective of nation,
race, or religion.
The 10 Points of Humanism
Sixth, Humanism believes that the
individual attains the good life by
harmoniously combining personal
satisfactions and continuous selfdevelopment with significant work
and other activities that contribute
to the welfare of the community.
The 10 Points of Humanism
Seventh, Humanism believes in the
widest possible development of art
and the awareness of beauty,
including the appreciation of
Nature's loveliness and splendor, so
that the aesthetic experience may
become a pervasive reality in the
lives of all people.
The 10 Points of Humanism
Eighth, Humanism believes in a farreaching social program that stands
for the establishment throughout
the world of democracy, peace, and
a high standard of living on the
foundations of a flourishing
economic order, both national and
international.
The 10 Points of Humanism
Ninth, Humanism believes in the
complete social implementation of
reason and scientific method; and
thereby in democratic procedures,
and parliamentary government, with
full freedom of expression and civil
liberties, throughout all areas of
economic, political, and cultural life.
The 10 Points of Humanism
Tenth, Humanism, in accordance with the
scientific method, believes in the
unending questioning of basic
assumptions and convictions, including
its own. Humanism is not a new dogma,
but is a developing philosophy ever open
to experimental testing, newly
discovered facts, and more rigorous
reasoning.
Secular Humanism
Secular Humanism - Excluding God from Schools &
Society
Secular Humanism is an attempt to function as a civilized
society with the exclusion of God and His moral
principles. During the last several decades, Humanists
have been very successful in propagating their beliefs.
Their primary approach is to target the youth through
the public school system. Humanist Charles F. Potter
writes, "Education is thus a most powerful ally of
humanism, and every American school is a school of
humanism. What can a theistic Sunday school's meeting
for an hour once a week and teaching only a fraction of
the children do to stem the tide of the five-day program
of humanistic teaching?" (Charles F. Potter, "Humanism:
A New Religion," 1930)
Secular Humanism
John J. Dunphy, in his award winning essay, The
Humanist (1983), illustrates this strategic focus,
"The battle for humankind's future must be
waged and won in the public school classroom by
teachers who correctly perceive their role as the
proselytizers of a new faith: A religion of
humanity -- utilizing a classroom instead of a
pulpit to carry humanist values into wherever
they teach. The classroom must and will become
an arena of conflict between the old and the new
-- the rotting corpse of Christianity, together
with its adjacent evils and misery, and the new
faith of humanism."
Secular Humanism
Is this what's happening? John Dewey,
remembered for his efforts in establishing
America's current educational systems,
was one of the chief signers of the 1933
Humanist Manifesto. It seems the
Humanists have been interested in
America's education system for nearly a
century. They have been absolutely
successful in teaching children that God is
imaginary and contrary to "science."
Secular Humanism
Secular Humanism - Main Tool is Evolutionary Thought
Secular Humanism is manifested in Evolutionary Theory.
To satisfy the fundamental question of "Where did we
come from?" children are taught the doctrine of
Evolution. The first plank of the Humanist Manifesto
states: "Religious humanists regard the universe as
self-existing and not created." The second plank states:
"Humanism believes that man is a part of nature and
that he has emerged as a result of a continuous
process." Certainly, the public school system propagates
the Humanist doctrine (clearly an atheistic "religion"),
and thus, condemns the concept of God.
Secular Humanism
This is an amazing irony. Creation Science has been
successfully kept out of the public schools by
organizations such as the American Civil Liberties
Union (A.C.L.U.) on the grounds that Creation is
religious, and the government should not support
religion in any fashion. "In fact, evolution became
in a sense a scientific religion; almost all
scientists have accepted it, and many are
prepared to 'bend' their observations to fit with
it." (H. S. Lipson, FRS, Professor of Physics,
University of Manchester, UK, "A Physicist Looks
at Evolution", Physics Bulletin, vol. 31, May 1980,
pg. 138).
Secular Humanism
Yet Evolution has not been proved. Sir Arthur Keith, a
famous British evolutionary anthropologist and anatomist,
confesses, "Evolution is unproved and unprovable. We
believe it only because the only alternative is special
creation, and that is unthinkable." In fact, it seems that
the Theory of Evolution is contrary to established
science. George Wald, another prominent Evolutionist (a
Harvard University biochemist and Nobel Laureate),
wrote, "When it comes to the Origin of Life there are
only two possibilities: creation or spontaneous generation.
There is no third way. Spontaneous generation was
disproved one hundred years ago, but that leads us to only
one other conclusion, that of supernatural creation. We
cannot accept that on philosophical grounds; therefore, we
choose to believe the impossible: that life arose
spontaneously by chance!" ("The Origin of Life," Scientific
American, 191:48, May 1954).
3rd Cycle of Discipline – Leviticus 26:21 & 22
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•
•
•
•
Rebellious teenagers.
No respect for authority.
An increase in crime.
Property vandelized.
“Highways desolate” (vs. 22) – gas
crisis? Commerce declines.
4th Cycle of Discipline – Leviticus 26:23-26
• The 4th Cycle increases the intensity of the 1st through 3rd
Cycles (vs. 24) – “…punish you seven times more…” – a metaphor
for “a whole bunch more!”
• “I will bring a sword against you” – refers to not doing well in
military battles.
• May also refer to a civil war in our own country – look how fast
the “Arab Spring” spread.
• There is much racial unrest in our nation today – it wouldn’t
take much to fan its flames into a very similar movement in this
country.
• Every coin has 2 sides – the flip side to God’s mercy (loyal love)
is vengeance (vs. 25a). When a nation begins to spit in the face
of God’s blessing by saying, “The power of my hand has gotten
me this wealth” (Deut. 8:17), then that nation is choosing
vengeance.
• Those that cast off God deserve that He should cast them off.
4th Cycle of Discipline – Leviticus 26:23-26
• “Pestilence” (vs. 25) – a pandemic occurrence of sickness
that causes widespread death; such as a bubonic plague (a
bacterially spread attack on the lymph system) –
epidemic diseases raging throughout the cities.
• “Shall be delivered into the hand of your enemy” (vs. 25)
– bad decisions bring defeat with all the horrors that go
with it.
• “Cut off your supply of bread…” (vs. 26) – broken
economy; loss of economic stability.
• “You shall eat & not be satisfied” – Economy goes from
recession into depression.
• The people still have time for repentance – but not for
much longer.
5th Cycle of Discipline – Leviticus 26:27-39
• The 5th Cycle increases the intensity of the 1st through
4th Cycles (vs. 28) – “…chastise you seven times more…” – a
metaphor for “a whole bunch more!”
• The time for repentance is over.
• Characteristics of the 5th Cycle:
1) Cannibalism (vs. 29) – natural ties are broken (would
possibly include family members turning one another
in). Widespread death.
2) Destruction of places of “worship” & the false idols of
the nation (vs. 30 & 31). What does our nation
worship?
3) Destruction of the cities (vs. 31).
4) Destruction of the land (vs. 32).
5) Dispersion to other lands as slaves (vs. 33).
6) Fear will become the normal modus operandi of any who
are still alive (vs. 36, 37). Cf. Deuteronomy 28 & 29.
5th Cycle of Discipline – Leviticus 26:27-39
• The reason for the 5 cycles of discipline is found in
Leviticus 26:34 & 35 – DISOBEDIENCE!
• Every 7th year was to be an year of rest for the land –
God would provide an abundant harvest in the 6th year
that would last them for the following 2 years (they could
take food from the land that grew naturally as they
needed it – but no harvest during that time).
• At the end of the 7th year, on Elul 29, all debts were to
be released (Deuteronomy 15:1, 2, 9; 31:10).
• The word “release” is shemitah (schme-tah) – the release;
the remission (the cancellation or reduction of a debt or
penalty).
• All debts were wiped clean – the nation’s financial
accounts were wiped clean.
• 29 Elul is called The Day of Remission.
5th Cycle of Discipline – Leviticus 26:27-39
• Israel & Judah had driven God out of their lives & the
Shemitah from their land.
• What they had refused to observe freely would now come
on them by force.
• We either adjust to the Justice of God, or the
Justice of God will adjust to us.
• The northern kingdom of Israel went into the 5th cycle of
discipline in 721 B.C., & never returned.
• The southern kingdom of Judah went into the 5th cycle of
discipline in 586 B.C. (after abundant warnings).
• Judah was in captivity for 70 years until the law of the
Shemitah was fulfilled (II Chronicles 36:15-21).
• And, as we study history, we find that 586 B.C. changed
history big time (nations rose and fell around this time
frame).
5th Cycle of Discipline – Leviticus 26:27-39
• Haggai 2:6, 7 talks about God shaking the
nations to get their attention.
• On 9/11/2001 (23 Elul 5761 on the Hebrew
calendar) America received its first real
shaking. A destruction of buildings & lives.
• This was at the end of a Shemitah year,
which began in September 2000.
• On 9/17/2001 (29 Elul 5761) after
being closed for a week, the stock
market plunged just over 7 percent,
or nearly 700 points, and occurred in
response to the 9/11 attacks. A
collapse of American financial &
economic power.
5th Cycle of Discipline – Leviticus 26:27-39
• On 9/29/08 (29 Elul 5768) the stock
market dropped 777.7 points, or 7
percent, and took place in reaction to
the U.S. Congress failing to approve the
first vote for a Wall Street bailout
during the financial crisis that year.
The nations financial accounts were
basically wiped clean.
• This was at the end of a Shemitah year which began in
September 2007.
• This was America’s 2nd shaking.
• We have driven God out of our lives & out of our land.
• What we have refused to observe freely will now come
on us by force.
• We either adjust to the Justice of God, or the
Justice of God will adjust to us.
5th Cycle of Discipline – Leviticus 26:27-39
• On September 16, 2008, failures of massive financial
institutions in the United States, due primarily to
exposure of securities of packaged subprime loans and
credit default swaps issued to insure these loans and
their issuers, rapidly devolved into a global crisis resulting
in a number of bank failures in Europe and sharp
reductions in the value of stocks and commodities
worldwide.
• The failure of banks in Iceland resulted in a devaluation
of the Icelandic króna and threatened the government
with bankruptcy. Iceland was able to secure an emergency
loan from the International Monetary Fund in November.
• In the United States, 15 banks failed in 2008, while
several others were rescued through government
intervention or acquisitions by other banks. On October
11, 2008, the head of the International Monetary Fund
(IMF) warned that the world financial system was
teetering on the "brink of systemic meltdown."
5th Cycle of Discipline – Leviticus 26:27-39
• We have just entered a new Shemitah year, which began
on September 24th at sundown until sundown on
September 25th, and will end at sundown September 13th
2015.
• September 13th 2015 therefore is Elul 29, The Day of
Remission.
• At sundown on September 13th 2015 to sundown
September 14th 2015 (Tishri 1), the Jewish New Year
begins with Rosh Hashanah – The Feast of Trumpets –
The Day of Judgment.
• God’s judgments on America seem to be increasing in
intensity – what will the next Day of Judgment be like?
• It is very possible that this also begins a Year of
Jubilee, which will be covered in another study.
5th Cycle of Discipline – Leviticus 26:27-39
I do not claim prophetic utterance! We
are a non-prophet organization!
I may be wrong – I hope I am.
Nothing may happen this Shemitah that
we have just entered into.
I am not a date-setter.
HOWEVER, I feel a burden that there is a very distinct
possibility that a lot is getting ready to happen.
God has given watchmen to proclaim the danger of impending
doom (see Ezekiel 33:1-6).
If the watchman fails to proclaim the warning to the people,
& it comes to pass, then their blood is on his head.
If he does proclaim the warning, & it comes to pass, then
their blood is on their own heads.
5th Cycle of Discipline – Leviticus 26:27-39
• Jonah is a great example of what
happens when a watchman proclaims
a message of impending judgment &
the people actually heed his words.
• He told the people of Ninivah (his
hated enemies) that they were going
to be judged.
• He probably really enjoyed telling
them that they were going to hell!
• THEY BELIEVED HIM & REPENTED!
• As a result the doom that was sure
did not come on them at that time (it
did later, but only because they fell
back into their old ways).
• Jonah had a big-time problem with
their repentance – he wanted them
to go to hell!
• Just like us, he had a lot to sort out
in his people/circumstance testing!