THE THREEFOLD CORD

The Watchman's Opening Vision

The government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end. (Isaiah 9:6-7, KJV)

Behold a great mystery: that the government of the world to come is not the invention of philosophers nor the discovery of politicians, but the unveiling of what hath been hidden in God from the foundation of the world. For God Himself is government before government, and the threefold cord of His own being hath imprinted upon all things the pattern of threefold strength: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; spirit, soul, and body; faith, hope, and love; wisdom, understanding, and knowledge; mercy, justice, and truth; prayer, fasting, and giving; blood, water, and Spirit; the way, the truth, and the life; death, burial, and resurrection; Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles.

Wherefore is it any marvel that the government of God appeareth in three names - Headocracy, Highestocracy, and Bestocracy? Verily, these are not three governments but three names of one government, even as the river of Eden parted into four heads (Gen. 2:10) and was yet one river. The threefold cord is the river of God's government, branching into three names that the wisdom thereof may be plainly seen, and the strength thereof manifestly proved, and the glory thereof eternally celebrated.

Hear, then, the testimony of the three names. Headocracy proclaimeth: There is one body and one Head, and the Head is Christ (Eph. 4:15-16; Col. 1:18). No government is legitimate that hath no head, and no body is healthy whose head is not Christ. Highestocracy proclaimeth: There is one Most High, and from Him floweth every lawful authority (Dan. 4:17; Eccl. 5:8). No government is legitimate that originateth from any source lower than the Highest. Bestocracy proclaimeth: There is one Best, and unto the Best every government must aspire (Phil. 4:8; Rom. 12:2). No government is legitimate that aimeth at less than the best for the governed.

Lo, when the three names are wound together into one cord, the cord becometh unbreakable. Headocracy alone is structure without elevation; Highestocracy alone is elevation without anchoring; Bestocracy alone is aspiration without administration. But the three together - a Head that is the Highest, a Highest that aimeth at the Best, a Best that is administered by the Head - this is the cord that no algorithm, no army, no aristocracy, no anarchy, and no apostasy can quickly break. This is the cord upon which the prophets prophesied, the apostles laboured, and the saints suffered through every age.

Verily, this prologue maketh the bold claim, and the chapters that follow shall vindicate the claim: that the government of this world is the government of God; that God shall reign for ever and ever (Rev. 11:15); that the threefold cord of His government, woven in eternity past and made manifest in time, shall stand when every other government hath fallen; and that every reader of this book who shall ally himself with this threefold cord shall stand likewise. Wherefore hear, O nations; hear, O rulers; hear, O peoples: the cord of the Highest is woven; the cord of the Highest is unbreakable; the cord of the Highest is the only cord that endureth unto the everlasting kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen and amen.