The first mention of freedom (the state of being free) is:
Genesis 2:16 (NIV) 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”"
Therein is the closest thing to total freedom that mankind ever had! God supplied everything: the universe, the sun for light, the moon for seasons, the earth for our sustenance, the waters for our existence, the animals and herbs for our health, a mate for companionship and a beautiful perfect garden for our home! A Utopia! After giving us everything, God gave us freedom!
"You (Adam and Eve) are free to eat from any tree in the garden." This would be total freedom, but God in his wisdom gave mankind one regulation. "...you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil..." That's God's "First Law" and it's the one regulation which allowed mankind "limited freedom".
Anarchy is the complete lack of law, order and government. Everyone has the freedom to do whatever one pleases. Without that one law (do not eat of one particular tree) Eden would have been lawless. God, in his wisdom, gave mankind freedom, but also government. God, the ruler of the universe, gave man one law! The law was more than "not eating of the tree", but wanting to be as God; having his knowledge! Genesis 3:6 (ESV) "...that the tree was to be desired to make one wise". The law wasn't against eating, but against pride! Man desired to be as God! Man could not even obey one law! How pitiful. Today we must obey thousands of not millions of laws.
Before God instituted judges there was anarchy!
Judges 21:25 "In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes."
Without a ruler to impute laws and punishment people did whatever they wished. People were "free", but lawlessness presented problems. Without law it's "survival of the fittest". The strong take from the weak and the weak die. That's how the animal kingdom works. Man is more than beasts. We're endowed with a mind and a spirit! We desire to be free, but "complete freedom" has consequences. Complete freedom leads to bondage. If man is free to do as he wishes, the strong will seek to enslave the weaker or less intelligent. Yes, slavery was a result of freedom. Man had the freedom to enslave others because government either didn't prohibit slavery, or where there was law, it allowed slavery.
Not only did God give man his freedom, he gave that one law and dictated a punishment for breaking the law: "for when you eat from it you will certainly die". The penalty for pride was death! Man was "free", but God limited that freedom and provided a sentence for disobedience.
Mankind totally failed God! After man's "original sin" Satan became de facto ruler of the world:
John 12:31 "Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world (Satan) be cast out."
God created the world. It's his footstool. He removed the protective hedge from around the faithful and has temporarily allowed Satan to rule. It's a test! Will his creation follow Him or the Prince of the World? The answer is "the Prince; Satan". The Anti-Christ, Satan's appointed ruler, is the father of lawlessness:
2 Thessalonians 2:5 (ESV) "Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? 6 And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, 10 and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved."
Remember that anarchy is "lawlessness"? It's where everyone does as he pleases. For a time people will be happy, but lawlessness (total freedom) comes with it's stipulation: Man must obey the ruler. That ruler is Satan. As with God who offered spiritual death for disobedience, Satan dictates that if you don't follow him you will be decapitated!
Revelation 20:4b (ESV) "I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands."
God didn't offer total freedom, but he was honest about it. He knew that we need laws to protect us! But with Satan, the deceiver, he offers freedom too, but with a severe penalty for those who fail to follow him... for the Christian they shall be decapitated! Too much freedom leads to force. Satan offers lawlessness, but for those who deny his authority, they either obey or suffer death! This leads to socialism.
Socialism has a implied goal: It's purpose is to provide the closest thing to Utopia as possible. Utopia is an ideally perfect place. All will have the same income, food, clothing, health care and home. There will be no hate nor intolerance nor injustice. Utopia is the socialist answer to heaven on earth. It's a man-made Garden of Eden on theory!
To obtain Utopia the foremost doctrine of Marxism is "income redistribution". They know that it takes hard work and capitalism to create wealth, but their objective is to take that wealth and share it equally. That sounds good on the surface, but what about the hard workers who don't like the idea of being forced to give away the fruits of their labor? "Force" is used. Laws are made to take their wealth by taxes and regulation. If they refuse, then incarceration or even death is used! Socialists aren't necessarily evil people. They may have good intentions, but they are deceived! Remember that Satan is the ruler of the world? Socialism is the government of Satan! Those loyal soldiers have not an idea that they are tools of the rebellious one.
While socialism is about total control and regulation of all monetary and economic matters, on social issues it stands for total lawlessness, the law of the devil. Laws will gradually be enacted to confiscate property, collect repressive taxes and the government to control all commerce. While that's happening social and moral laws will be repealed. People will again be allowed to "that which was right in his (their) own eyes" just as before the time of Judges in the Old Testament.
Socialism seeks dissolution of the family unit, it minimizes individualism and propagates the notion of "societal good". Women's rights as workers is emphasized with them having no dependence on men. (They have created a war between men and women which is God's most cherished institution). Children are to be raised in a common manner without the family unit under government control. Without repressive social laws same-sex marriage and free sex are encouraged. On moral issues people are on their own. Liberterianism is a dupe dogma of socialism! Religion interferes with the socialist agenda, especially Christianity. As such the state tells how to worship and even disallow worship at its whim.
You may be thinking, "That's communism!" Socialism IS the initial stage of communism. At first Marxists are lawful in taking control, but as they gain more control, physical force becomes the coercion which brings the billigerent in line with socialism. Physical force is the invisible line where socialism becomes communism. Freedom is not an objective of Marxism. Control is the objective. Those in power become dictators and those who believed they were "free" find themselves slaves to the goverment. That's how Satan works! Socialism is gradual change. It's called "creeping socialism". It mixes just enough "good" with a nefarious agenda so that the uninformed welcome the "change" with open arms! That's the "hope" of socialism: Utopia and freedom. The reality of socialism is poverty and slavery, except for the powerful rulers!
In Paul's letter to the Thessalonians above he says "the lawless one will be revealed". That's the Anti-Christ. He is the civil leader of the government and the religious leader, proclaiming himself as God (just as God foresaw). You may seek a "wall of separation between church and state", but the Anti-Christ, the ruler and god, removes that wall! (That "wall" is a lie of Satan and if Christians don't participate in government, we hurry the advent of the Anti-Christ!) The Anti-Christ will do much "good" in 3-1/2 years. The people will adore him. (They accept him as God). He ends wars and and actually creates a false Utopia here on earth... unless you're a Christian! The Anti-Christ is indeed the leader of a socialist goverment in the first 3-1/2 years.
Then...
As Revelation says "I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands."
Just like Marxism, some will fail to go along with the government. Those who reject the Anti-Christ and the socialist goverment will be beheaded. That's where physical force comes into play. Christians will be decapitated! The Marxist government just went from socialsim to communism and persecution lasts for 3-1/2 more years. That's Marxism in action. That's godless Marxism pure and simple!
Being "free" means being realistic. We need to cherish freedoms with which we are endowed:
From Paragraph 2 of The Declaration of Independence it says "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that
they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among
these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these
rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from
the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes
destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish
it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles
and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to
effect their Safety and Happiness."
"Liberty" spoken of here is "freedom". It's what "being free" means! Like God in Genesis "governments are instituted", meaning that some regulation is necessary. That goverment is to protect freedom! In the event the government fails us: it is the right of the people to altar or abolish it, and to institute a new Goverment". The government isn't meant to control us, but "Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed..." We as free men are to control the government! That's what the American Revolution was all about.
The First Amendment is there to protect our freedoms:
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
The Anti-Christ will establish a religion. It's called the "Great Whore Babylon" and is a church in apostasy, much like the Laodicean Church was in Paul's day. While Christianity will be part of the message of that church, it will be a false Christ. (Like Adam [from Genesis] above he made himself wise, mimicking God).
We are "free", according to the Constitution "to free(ly) exercise thereof (our religion)". The government isn't allowed to tell Christians how or where to worship... but it does! We are in the mid-stages of socialism, the government of the Anti-Christ. Don't be fooled. I'm no Jeremiah, but I do know scripture! Just as Judah foolishly rejected Jeremiah's warning and was destroyed, America will also be; right along with the rest of the world!
Right now I can write this. I still have limited "freedom of speech" as enumerated above. However, just as Canada has abridged freedom of religious speech, America is on the brink of doing the same. Where scripture "judges" the goverment, led by socialists, will label scripture "hate speech". Whereas now Christians are only fired for having an opinion, it will soon be the law of the land.
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