Conspiracy and Discipline

THE DOCTRINE OF CONSPIRACY
1. Conspiracy was the basis of the Absalom rebellion (2 Sam 15:12,13).
2. Conspiracy brought about upheaval in Judah, the Southern Kingdom.
a. Assassination of Joash (2 Kings 12:19-21)
b. Assassination of Amaziah (2 Kings 14:17-19; 2 Chron 25:27)
3. Conspiracy destroyed the Northern Kingdom (2 Kings 15:30; 17:4-16).
a. Hoshea, the last king of Israel, came to the throne on the basis of conspiracy in 732 B.C.
b. He was also removed from the throne because of his conspiracy against Assyria.
c. This conspiracy became the basis of the fifth cycle of discipline in 721 B.C.
d. The principle is that if you build your on conspiracy, it can be destroyed by a greater conspiracy.
4. Conspiracy also destroyed the Southern Kingdom under Zedekiah (2 Chron. 36:13, Jer 11:9)
5. Jeremiah was the object of conspiracy from three sources.
a. Friends (home town) (Jer. 11:19-23).
b. Family (Jer. 12:6).
c. Right Woman (Jer. 12:7).
6. Gedeliah was the object of a conspiracy (Jer. 40:13-16; 41:1-3).
7. Paul was the victim of a religious conspiracy (Acts 23:13).
a. The plotters were scribes and Pharisees.
b. The intriguers were young men who took a vow to assassinate Paul.
c. Machination crowd were the leaders of the Jerusalem Church who advised Paul to enter the Temple to take a vow.
8. Religious conspiracy involves every category of humanity (Ezek. 22:25-31).
9. A conspiracy sought to frustrate the rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem (neh. 4:7-14).

THE FIVE CYCLES OF DISCIPLINE
 1. A nation loses its health, agricultural prosperity declines, terror, fear and death in combat, loss of personal freedoms due to negative volition toward Bible doctrine (Lev. 26:14-17).
2. Economic recession and depression, increased personal and individual discipline for continued negative attitude in spite of God's first warning (Lev. 26:18-20).
3. Violence and breakdown of law and order; cities broken up (Lev 26:21,22).
4. Military conquest and foreign occupation, scarcity of food (reduced to 10% of the normal supply) the break up of families (Lev. 26:23-26).
5. Destruction of a nation due to maximum rejection of Biblical principles (Lev. 26:27-31).

The five cycles of discipline are also covered in  Deuteronomy 28:15-68.)