True Greatness

If one were to state that America, as it operates today, is not the same country as it was at the time when the Constitution was first ratified, most people would tend to agree. But if you were to ask them for a specific event that made the change, the answers are likely to be varied if not reluctant altogether. The fact is, there is no one here but us people. That is, a country is nothing more than its citizens. If one were to change what it means to be a citizen, then they consequently change the country.

It may come as a surprise to most that the Constitution, when it was ratified, does not define what a citizen is. Evidently, the people who wrote it assumed that the one reading it already had such knowledge. Today, an American citizen is defined as one who is born, or naturalized in the United States. This is a result of the Fourteenth Amendment, which was ratified in 1868 in the wake of the Civil War. It is one of three amendments associated with a period that is historically known as Reconstruction. That begs the question, what was de-constructed?

There is a proverb that says, “Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.” This could also be understood as saying that righteousness makes a nation great. So what is righteousness apart from doing things right? According to the Bible, God is righteous, so doing things the way God does them is an opportunity to demonstrate righteousness. So how does God do things?

In the beginning, man was given dominion. That is, man was allowed to relate to the creation as if it were his property despite the fact that man was not responsible for bringing it into existence. Property is that which one owns, possesses, or more specifically, is able to exercise his will over. After man took on the view of God’s adversary, he lost his dominion, and has been trying to get it back ever since. One of these attempts has been through the establishment of countries, with their respective governments.

Every government that has ever existed has been an experiment. The purpose of an experiment is to arrive at a conclusion. The focus behind the American experiment is directly related to property. In a monarchy, like England, all the property ultimately belongs to the monarch. This includes the people, which is why they are called subjects. America’s Founding Fathers, and others who supported the cause of independence were people who embraced the concept of living as a citizen who possessed their own property in contrast to being a subject of another property owner. This is the original definition of a citizen: one who owned property, specifically land.

What made the experiment go awry is when people started holding other people as property, i.e. slaves. The Fourteenth Amendment is an effect of this practice and as a result, the original definition of a citizen was de-constructed to be replaced with the current one. One of the consequences of this is that it is now legally impossible for anyone to own any property. People are only holders or users of property that belongs to another power. Information on this power structure can be examined here.

While some are caught up in the idea of making America great again (as if it ever was), the true greatness is here now for those who have eyes to see it. And one can see it when they have arrived at the conclusion of the experiment of government.

“But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the Lord of hosts hath spoken it. For all people will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever. In that day, saith the Lord, will I assemble her that halteth, and I will gather her that is driven out, and her that I have afflicted; and I will make her that halted a remnant, and her that was cast far off a strong nation: and the Lord shall reign over them in mount Zion from henceforth, even for ever. And thou, O tower of the flock, the strong hold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion; the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem.” Micah 4:1-8.