Semper Fidelis: Follow Your Last Order

by Hernando Quandt

“Follow the last order you received.” The military abides by this simple, but important principle. The military, like most places, is an environment of constantly changing rules and regulations, not to mention rumors that all together make things confusing. The military has the acute problem of having to give crystal clear instructions and directives in the chaos of combat. “Follow the last order you received” is the simple solution to this problem. Imagine a situation where a Soldier or Marine has been instructed by his superior to muster (to assemble) at a particular place at a particular time, but he encounters a higher-ranking person who informs him that the meeting place has been changed to a different location at a different time. You might simply conclude that since the new information has come from a higher rank that it should be followed, but that would be wrong. That higher-ranking person might have a different mission in mind or might be from a different unit. There are various situations where the scenario I just described could lead to disaster. So how do you know what orders to follow? You follow your general orders and your “last orders.”

All Marines must memorize eleven general orders. These orders are always in effect when standing guard. (I would suggest you do an Internet search for “11 general orders.”) God also left us general orders, the number of which is debated, but ten is the number most often referenced. We all know the Ten Commandments as the mirror that shows us that we need Christ but we should still strive to follow the Commandments, even if we are not always successful. Christ himself said that loving God and loving your neighbor as yourself are the greatest commandments. If he did not really expect us to at least attempt to abide by them, when he was asked what the greatest commandments were, why didn’t he say, “It doesn’t really matter, you can’t abide by them anyway?” We all strive to honor our mother and father and we avoid giving false testimony against our neighbor just as a minimum level of respect. So although the clear objective of the Ten Commandments’ is to show us that we need Christ, it is also expected that we keep them as best as possible. They are always in effect, and in many cases can be very helpful guides to how you should act.

Along with general orders, the military issues specific orders like, capture hill X, secure depot Y, and so forth. All Marines are expected to follow any lawful order issued to them by their command. In the absence of new orders from their command, Marines are expected to follow their last order. Technically, we Christians have been “cut off” from our command (Jesus) for about 2000 years. I don’t want to undermine the power of Jesus and the Holy Spirit in our daily lives, In fact I firmly believe that it guides us and is an ever-present companion. What I mean by “cut off” is that we have not had official, in writing, (or booming voices and burning bushes) orders since the Bible was completed. So in the absence of new directives we must follow our last order issued. Matthew finishes with The Great Commission and Mark finishes with an order to preach the gospel to all creation. It is clear that evangelism is one of our last orders.

In my youth one of the most difficult questions that I wrestled with was, “Were the indigenous people of the Americas saved?” I have Chibcha (a South American tribe) blood in me from me from my mother. I wondered about my ancestors and I worried that since they had not known that Christ had died for their sins, they were not saved. I felt this was terribly unfair. These people should not be condemned simply for being born in the wrong continent or at the wrong time. I asked pastor after pastor for an answer that would satisfy me, but I always received “fluffy” answers that sounded nice, or harsh answers that affirmed my belief that the peoples’ condemnation was unfair. I have not found a definitive answer to my question, but I have found an answer that satisfies me, and the answer came from a layman not a pastor! A close friend of mine used the analogy of a General and his troops. Sometimes a General may order his troops to charge a hill that has clear strategic value. Other times a General will order his troops to capture a hill that has no apparent strategic value. What would you conclude if you were one of the troops capturing the valuable hill watching other troops attempting to capture an apparently worthless hill? The General has lost his mind, those troops are derelict in their duties, or perhaps that it is not you that is capturing the valuable target. Whatever you may conclude, it is wrong. It is not the place of a troop member in the field to question the orders of his superiors if they are lawful orders. A general definitely does not have to justify his orders to lowly grunt (an infantryman). All you can do is trust that the General has a grand plan, and you are privileged to be a part of that plan. It is a unique concept to accept. The Marine Corps defines discipline as “instant and willing obedience to all orders.” It may sound harsh or strange but it is essential to the proper function of the Corps. We know that God is just (1 John 1:9 and 2 Thessalonians 1:6) and that God wants all to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4). As good subordinates we must be content to know that for God to be just, and all to be saved, there must be some plan that God has for those who have not heard his message. I do not know what that plan is, but I know that my General is fair and has a grand plan.

As we anxiously await the return of our General it is important that we remember and abide by the last orders that he gave us. Even though he has been gone (physically) for a long time, he promised to return and left us well equipped to withstand the onslaught of the enemy. While the enemy may try to distract us with false intelligence, attempt to convince us that our cause is lost, or tell us that we have been abandoned; we must stand our ground with honor, courage, and commitment.