The Bible is an Anarchist Manifesto.
This claim strikes most people as utterly implausible or ridiculous.
- Self-proclaimed "Bible-believers" don't like anarchists
- Anarchists don't like the Bible
Both Bible-believers and secular anarchists have been misled. Both groups
think an "anarchist manifesto" exhorts the overthrow of governments by
assassination and bombs, and results in chaos and lawlessness. The Bible opposes
all this.
Second, both groups believe "the
Bible is not a political tract." It's about "worship," not
politics; it's about sacraments and liturgy (Catholics) or "justification
by faith" (Protestants). But the Bible is not a socio-political blueprint.
"Everybody knows that."
This website seeks to prove the contrary: The Bible is mostly about
governments and empires. And the Bible is opposed to all governments.
But the Bible is also against the violent overthrow of sinful, idolatrous,
murderous, pagan governments. Jesus said "Resist not evil" (Matthew
5:39). The Apostle Paul told his readers to "be subject" to "the
powers that be" (Romans 13).
- Bible-believers are correct: The Bible opposes the violent overthrow of
governments
- Secular anarchists are correct: all governments deserve to be overthrown.
The Bible has about 30,000 verses in it. Most church-goers are familiar with
only a handful of those verses. Even those who try to read through the Bible
every year, or every
three years, find their eyes glazing over when reading most of the Bible.
This is because the Bible is mostly about governments, not churches. As they
read the Bible, church-goers are trying to "churchify" the verses, to
make the verses fit into church-life and individualist/introspective thinking,
but it doesn't work. The Bible is more about "The State" than it is
"The Church," and the Bible is against the archists,
not the non-archists.
The
Bible is mostly
about politics.
• Genesis: God creates human beings in
families. There is no "civil magistrate"
among God's People.
• Exodus: God liberates Abraham's family from
slavery to "the State" in Egypt.
• Leviticus-Deuteronomy: Laws given to a
Stateless Israel.
• Joshua: The governments of the Promised
Land are judged.
• Judges: A book about civil officers?
• Samuel and Kings: Four Books about
"the government."
• Psalms: Poems written by a king, about the
life of kings.
• Proverbs: written by a king.
• The Prophets: Proclaiming God's judgments
against governments around the world.
• The Gospels: A New King is born, and the
Empire is nervous. They try to kill the King.
• Acts: The Government against the Gospel.
• Epistles to people persecuted by the
government, often written by an Apostle in prison.
• Revelation: 666 = the Empire.
More pages of the Bible are about
politics than any other subject.
- The Bible is a big book. Thirty thousand verses.
Most church-goers can tell you only about a handful
of those verses.
- The entire Lord
of the Rings series (including The
Hobbit) has 576,459 words. The King James
Authorized Bible has 783,137 words.
- The Lord of the Rings is about power.
So is the Bible.
- The Lord of the Rings is the word of J.R.R.
Tolkien. The Bible is the Word of God.
- Tolkien
is an anarchist. So is the God of the Bible.
- The Bible is both an epic story as well as the
inspired and infallible chronicle of the history of
the human race, focusing on the nation of Israel.
- St. Augustine described the story as the conflict
between "The
City of God" and the kingdoms of man.
- You cannot serve two masters. You must declare
your allegiance
either to the Kingdom of God, or to the kingdom of
man-centered humanism.
In the Bible, human government is a rebellion against
God's Government.
- God never commanded human beings to form
"governments."
- They are instruments of conquest, rape, and
pillage.
- Most idols in the Bible represent human empires.
- God is our King (Isaiah
33:22).
- Israel sinned by rejecting God's Government and
desiring a visible, physical, human government (1
Samuel 8).
- This was a sin because we are to worship and serve
the Creator, not the creature (Romans 1:25).
- Israel constantly sought the protection of foreign
militaries, and God's prophets continually denounced
this as idolatry.
- Then as now, "the State" is the
Most Dangerous Idolatry.
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This is the
picture hidden in the picture. You can't see it at first, but once you see
it, you can't un-see it.
Contents
What Does the word "Anarchist" Mean?
When you hear the word "anarchy," you hear
"chaos," "lawlessness," "disorder,"
"riots," "bombings," "crime running rampant," etc.
This is The Biggest
Lie in the history of human political thought.
When most people (especially those who call themselves "Bible-believing
Christians") hear the word "anarchist," they've been
trained by government-approved schools to think of a bad
person, a violent person:
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- a bomb-throwing
- assassin
- who rejects the doctrine of private property,
- seeks to foment disorder, chaos and riots in order to overthrow
the government by force and violence
- and establish some dreadful political ideal like "the
dictatorship of the proletariat" -- or no political structure
at all, where everyone is his own god and criminals run wild.
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No, this man is an "archist"
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We here at AnarchistManifesto.com
are 100% opposed to such things. We hope you are too.
- The word "anarchist" comes from two Greek
words:
- "a" means
"not,"
- and "archist," as everyone
knows, is . . . .
Wait a minute. Nobody knows what an "archist"
is.
We all know (or think we know) what an "anarchist" is, but
even though "anarchist" means "not an archist,"
we've never asked ourselves, "What is an archist?"
I'll let the Bible define it.
I'll let Jesus define it.
In the Gospel
of Mark, chapter 10, Jesus discovers His disciples arguing about who is
going to be the "greatest" in the Kingdom of God.
They didn't understand that Jesus' Kingdom was quite unlike the kingdoms of
the world.
What they were really arguing about was, "Who is going to be the
greatest archist?"
But Jesus called them to Himself
and said to them, "You know that those who are considered
rulers over the Gentiles lord
it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. {43}
Yet it shall not
be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall
be your servant.
{44}
And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. {45}
"For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve,
and to give His life a ransom for many."
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The word translated "rulers"
comes from the Greek word from which we derive our English word "anarchist."
"Lords," "rulers" and "great ones" are "archists."
The "kings of the gentiles" believe they have a right to impose
their own will on others by political force:
- taxation
- imprisonment
- execution
- military invasion
Jesus clearly says His followers are not to be
"archists." They are to
be "servants." Christians are "Economic
Man." Those who aspire to become, or vote for, "Political Man"
are idolaters. (See more on this
"economic/political" distinction below.)
The archist is a
person who believes
he has the right to
impose his will on others by force or threats of violence. |
Every Professor of Political Science in every college and every university in
the world will agree that this is the very essence of the institution we call
"the State" -- a
monopoly right of violence. Forbidden to "laymen," but a
"right" of the state -- to do what would be a "crime" if you
or I did it.
The "anarchist" is not
an archist. The an-archist
denies that anyone has the right to impose his will on others by force. The
shadowy man above believes in using force to impose his
will on others. He is therefore an "archist."
Not an an-archist.
Our goal here at the The Anarchist Manifesto is to transform you into
a Bible-believing Christian
who, as a follower of Christ,
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This Man was executed as an
"anarchist"
by the archists of His day.
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This is the 180° opposite of what most of us have been told is an "anarchist"
in our archist-approved "public"
schools.
If you believe the Bible, then your heart's desire should be to see "archists"
eradicated from the face of the earth. And yet, a true "anarchist"
does not seek to impose Christ's will on archists
by force. We need to pray that archists will
repent and stop trying to impose
their will on others by force. This will not happen through armed revolution
against "the government." We wait for God to regenerate
archist hearts.
Many Christians are perplexed by the apparent contradiction between the
"Old Testament" part of the
Scriptures and the "New Testament" part. The New Testament seems
to prescribe pacifism, while the Old Testament seems to endorse war, genocide,
slavery, etc. This is a complete misreading of the overall point of the Bible.
It is also a convenient myth for those who want to dismiss the Bible entirely:
- We can't trust the Old Testament because it's so primitive, vengeful, and
warlike, and
- We can't trust the New Testament because the teachings of Jesus, in
particular, are the impractical pacifist platitudes of an unrealistic,
utopian hippie, and should be relegated to the inner religious meditations
of a Mother Theresa, but should be kept away from civil matters, public
policy, and especially foreign affairs and military strategy.
Christians who defend archism don't
disagree with this assessment. They use the Old Testament to justify war, and
relegate the pacifist ethics of the New Testament to one's "private"
"spiritual" life.
Our reply to the alleged conflict is to prove that the Old Testament is just
as "pacifist" as the New Testament. The Bible as a whole prescribes
pacifism. Jesus requires His followers to be pacifists.
The Bible is a Pacifist Manifesto
My definition of "pacifist" is simple:
"One who obeys the commands of the executed Christ."
But for some church-goers, "pacifism" is a bad word. As bad as
"anarchism." I've heard "pacifism" called
"impractical," "unrealistic," "utopian,"
"perfectionist," "heretical," and "pagan."
Let's start with the most basic level of Christian morality:
- Thou shalt not kill (Mark 10:19, quoting Exodus 20:13)
- Thou shalt not steal (confiscate property) (Matthew 19:18; Exodus
20:13-16; Deuteronomy 5:17-20)
- Forgive enemies (Matthew 6:14-15)
- Love enemies (Matthew 5:44)
- Bless enemies (Romans 12:14)
- Pray for enemies (Luke 6:27-28)
- Give gifts to enemies (Romans 12:20)
- Exhort your enemy to repent (Matthew 18:15-17)
And if all that fails:
- Leave vengeance to God (Romans 12:19-21)
Every pacifist is an anarchist. Jesus forbids His followers from doing the
things archists do. Plus, as we saw above,
Jesus said DO NOT BE AN ARCHIST
(Mark 10:42-45).
But most Christians are not pacifists. Astonishingly, there are many
church-goers who say you can call yourself a follower of Christ even if you
advocate intentionally killing your enemy. There's always some
excuse or justification for killing our enemies, rather than loving them. Like
this one:
"God commanded Israel to kill the Canaanites."
True fact, but hardly a
Biblical justification for you killing your enemies -- or Joe Biden killing
his enemies -- in 2023.
Church-goers cheered as their sons (and daughters!) went off to Iraq to
destroy the largest community of Christians in the Arab world, overthrowing a
secular government that gave Christians freedom of religion, and replaced that
secular Christian-protecting government with an Islamic Theocracy under Shariah
law, after killing, crippling, or making homeless millions of people
("Shock and Awe!")
James 1:27 says that true religion is taking care of widows and orphans.
How do church-goers justify creating hundreds of thousands of
widows and orphans through mass murder and destruction of their property?
It takes a Ph.D. to not be a pacifist.
Or it takes someone blindly parroting slogans.
To "love" your enemy means to be a "pacifist" with
respect to your enemy.
How can you love your enemy if you're intentionally trying to kill your
enemy?
How can you love your enemy if you have de-personalized and
de-humanized your enemy to the point where you can thoughtlessly, mindlessly
shoot and kill your enemy?
It seems obvious to me that a follower of the executed Christ is a
"pacifist."
There's something unique about the teachings of Jesus. He not only commands
us not to kill (outward behavior), but not to hate (inner attitude). That would
certainly include depersonalizing a human being to make it easier to kill that
person.
The Bible gives us the responsibility to rescue the perishing (Proverbs 12:6;
24:11-12), but also to love the wicked attacker.
Matthew 5:43-44
43 Ye
have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate
thine enemy.
44
But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that
curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them
which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
You cannot love your enemy if you are intentionally killing your enemy.
You cannot bless your enemy if you've killed him.
And as for praying for your enemy, maybe if you're a Catholic you can
pray for the dead, but Protestants believe the Bible prohibits praying for the
dead (2 Samuel 12:21-23; 1 John 5:16).
How can you pray for, bless, love, and do good
for someone that you have killed or intend to kill?
But the question is always raised: "What
would you do if . . . ?" Surely, some would say, there are
circumstances under which "Love your enemy" does not apply, and a
follower of Christ is free to kill, and (some would say) should not hesitate to
do so.
Here's an example of how to love an "enemy." Here's CCTV of someone
getting ready to stab someone:
Obviously if you saw someone being attacked, and the attacker was ready to
plunge a knife into the victim, you would consider the attacker to be your
"enemy," just as the victim does.
It's hard to "love" someone who is about to stab an innocent
person.
Speaking as a pacifist, I would have no problem grabbing his raised arm and
preventing him from moving his arm and stabbing his victim.
But certain "self-defense" experts, especially those who promote
"Second
Amendment Remedies," will tell you that you should quickly, without
hesitation, shoot the attacker and kill him. Don't even shoot to wound. Shoot to
kill.
How can that advice be reconciled with Jesus' commands not to kill,
and to love the enemy?
Let me try to engage your imagination.
Suppose the attacker were your son. Or if you don't have a son, a sibling,
someone else you love dearly, or a respected public figure that you admire for
his contribution to society.
When I was a kid I read a weird book called The
Day of St. Anthony's Fire. It was a scary book (at least it was for me at
that age). It's the true account of a small town in France in the 1950's which
experienced mass hallucinations and violent madness. The flour that made the
bread for the town had spoiled, and the mold turned into a form of LSD ("ergot").
Imagine that your son, whom you love dearly, eats some infected flour and
hallucinates. He imagines that someone is attacking him, and he decides to
exercise his "Second Amendment Remedies." Maybe he only has a butcher
knife. Maybe he is in your kitchen.
Your son is a good kid, and wouldn't intentionally do drugs, and certainly
wouldn't stab anyone, but what if your son got some bad bread and went
temporarily insane, and thought someone was a dangerous threat, and (since you
didn't raise your son to be one of those impractical, unrealistic wimpy
pacifists) thought lethal self-defense was justified. Except it wasn't really
"self-defense." It was aggression against an innocent person.
Would you depersonalize your son and intentionally shoot to kill -- without
hesitation, without remorse?
Would you see an imminent attack, and say, "Hey, that's my son! Oh well.
He's toast now!"
Of course not. You would try something else. You might yell "STOP, [name
of son]!!" at the top of your lungs, just to jolt him out of his pattern of
thinking ("pattern
interrupt"). "The words of the wicked are to lie in wait for
blood: but the mouth of the upright shall deliver them" (Proverbs
12:6). "Mouth," not "handgun." Maybe you're in a position to
grab the knife or the arm that holds it. But because you LOVE your son, you
wouldn't just kill him without second thought.
You love your son. You don't have to try very hard to love him. You'll think
of something besides just blowing him away.
Many "self-defense" gurus strongly advocate killing at attacker
without a second thought. But Jesus requires a second thought. Jesus requires
you to figure out how to LOVE this "enemy."
That's relatively easy for you to do in the case of your son, or someone you
already love and desire to protect.
But what if you see a perfect stranger getting ready to commit an act of
violence. Someone who is not like you. A Samaritan, maybe. It's much easier to
kill a stranger without giving it a second thought.
But Jesus requires more.
If you're a Christian, and you think about the theological implications of
your faith, you know that thoughtless killing is not consistent with what the
Bible says about the creation of your attacker in the Image of God, and
Christ's work to redeem that person.
You have a moral obligation to engage in creative thinking to LOVE your enemy
by preventing the attack without becoming an attacker yourself.
You would want everyone to think that way if the attacker were
your son.
What a Christian cannot do is de-personalize his enemy, make the judgment
that the enemy's life has no value and is not worth living, and intentionally,
thoughtlessly, impersonally, kill the enemy.
"Love" means trying your hardest to treat an unknown invader with
the same benefit-of-the-doubt that you would give to your own son or to your
best friend in the world, whom you love without having to try very hard.
Love means finding a way to love someone you don't know, as if he were a son
or a brother.
Jesus sacrificed Himself to save His enemies; enemies who were
hell-bent on killing Him (Luke 23:34). When faced with a violent attacker, we
are commanded to "follow in His steps" (1 Peter 2.21). Those who obey
Christ try to save violent attackers who are hallucinating on LSD. Or are
not. We must even love ungodly sinners who are in rebellion against God.
"Christ died for the ungodly."
"God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were
still sinners, Christ died for us."
"For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by
the death of His Son,
much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by His
life."
Romans 5:6,8,10 |
Rebellion against God is a bad LSD trip. It is hallucination. It is madness.
We don't model them, but also we don't kill insane people.
But that's how we should view our enemies. Like we once were.
Like our own son on ergot.
God, however, can view them as rebels deserving of death. But God says
to leave vengeance to Him (Romans 12:19-21). We, creatures, are commanded by
Jesus to overcome evil, rebellious people with love, prayer, blessing, and good
works for the benefit of the attacker.
Anger against rebellion is understandable. God is angry with sinners. David
said he hated his enemies with "perfect hatred" (Psalm 139:22).
But there's another perspective. A New Perspective. It's part of a New
Covenant.
Jesus says we are to love the people we justifiably hate.
People who take the commands of Christ seriously will be called
"pacifists" by the "Second Amendment" crowd.
Pacifism and Optimillennialism
The heartfelt desire of every true Christian is the
• Regeneration,
• Repentance,
• Restitution,
• Reconciliation, and
• Redemption
of "the enemy."
Our assumption should be that "Jesus
is the Savior of the world."
Our assumption should be that the total stranger about to do violence to an
innocent person is (like David) or will be (like Saul of Tarsus) a brother in
Christ.
Jesus commands our love of the enemy.
Not the destruction of the enemy.
Is there a contradiction?
Are we admitting that there is a contradiction between the Old Testament and
the New Testament?
No. It's easy to see that the New Testament teaches pacifism. But the Old
Testament is more than three times as long as the New Testament, and people
don't study the Old Testament the way they do the New. The four Gospels cover
mostly the three years of Jesus' public ministry, while the Old Testament covers
more than a thousand times as many years of human history. In order to prove
that the Old Testament is part of an "Anarchist Manifesto," we have to
prove the the Old Testament is part of a Pacifist Manifesto. This requires
re-reading the entire Bible with a new set of glasses. This is what we're going
to do below in summary form.
In our summary below, we're going to link to many pages to explain the Old
Testament narrative. But two issues stand out in most people's minds: "Capital
punishment" and "holy
war." If you are energetically curious about those two issues, feel
free to follow those links, but please return to this page to view the entire
Bible as a whole.
While not a "contradiction," it is clear that the New Testament
marks a break from the Levitical priesthood of the Old Testament, and this
dramatically affects the shedding of blood which is an inseparable part of
"capital punishment" and "holy war" in the Old Testament.
The New Testament is inescapably pacifist.
It is more like Christ to be killed than to kill.
It is more like Christ to love those we hate. To act lovingly toward
our enemies.
"Pacifism" is a Biblical worldview. A way of looking at the whole
world, and a way of looking at the specific individual with whom you are in
conflict, and a way of looking at what God is doing in history to bring both you
and the attacker "unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of
Christ" (Ephesians 4:13).
The Word of God is more powerful than any gun or knife in the hand of an
attacker. Have you ever thought of preaching the Word of God to an
attacker rather than attacking an attacker?
"So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
It shall not return to Me void,
But it shall accomplish what I please,
And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it."
Isaiah 55:11. See also Hebrews 4:12; 2 Corinthians 10:3-5; Isaiah 55:11;
44:26-28; 45:23; 46:10; 54:9; Deuteronomy 32:2; Matthew 24:35; Luke 8:11-16;
John 6:63; Romans 10:17; 1 Corinthians 1:18; 1 Corinthians 3:6-9; 1
Thessalonians 2:13; Hebrews 6:7; James 1:18; 1 Peter 1:23; Ephesians 1:9-11
A Christian loves a single enemy, as well as an army of enemies.
The "Second Amendment" crowd wants us to spontaneously,
thoughtlessly, impersonally, kill the enemy.
The military takes this to another level. They
engage in brainwashing to prohibit good people from loving their enemies, by
depersonalizing and dehumanizing the enemy, and instead to hate them and kill
them with blood-lust passion and without regret. The philosophy of "self-defense"
leads logically to genocide of millions.
War is never just. It is always un-Christian.
In short: "Love your enemy." (Matthew 5:43-44)
"Thou shalt not kill." (Exodus 20:13)
You cannot obey Christ and love your enemy after you kill him.
Every pacifist is an anarchist.
Archists violate the most basic commands
of Christ.
Jesus
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Archists: The State
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Thou shalt not kill (Mark
10:19, quoting Exodus 20:13) |
The State kills people (in
things like war, capital punishment, and escalated violence against
those who resist paying parking tickets) |
Thou shalt not steal
(confiscate property) (Matthew 19:18; Exodus 20:13-16; Deuteronomy
5:17-20) |
Taxation
is theft. If you don't have taxation,
you don't have a "State" or "Civil Government." |
Forgive enemies (Matthew
6:14-15) |
The State does not -- and
some Christians say the State must not -- forgive those who
sin against it. |
Love enemies (Matthew 5:44) |
The State does not -- and
some Christians say the State must not -- love its enemies. |
Bless enemies (Romans 12:14) |
The State does not -- and
some Christians say the State must not -- bless its enemies. |
Pray for enemies (Luke
6:27-28) |
The State does not pray for
enemies, because this would violate "the separation of Church and
State." |
Give gifts to enemies (Romans
12:20) |
Sometimes the government
gives gifts to its enemies. This is called "foreign aid." The
U.S. government gives aid to Saudi Arabia, which is where most
of the 9/11 hijackers were from. But this money is taken from people
without their consent, by force or by fraud. And nobody in Washington D.C.
thinks for even a second that this transfer of wealth somehow pleases
Jesus. That's the last thing on their mind. |
Exhort your enemy to repent
(Matthew 18:15-17) |
The first step in exhorting
an enemy to repent is to inform the enemy that he has sinned against the
God of the Bible. Name one government on planet earth in 2023 that has
done this. |
Leave vengeance to God
(Romans 12:19-21) |
Governments are formed by
people who are sick and tired of waiting around for God to take vengeance
on their enemies. |
If you obey Jesus, you are a pacifist, and if you are a pacifist, you are a
capitalist, because socialism is based on violence. A consistent follower of
Jesus is a proponent of 100% pure laissez-faire capitalism with 0%
Socialism/Communism/Fascism/Keynesianism. Economist Murray
Rothbard has coined the term "Anarcho-Capitalism"
to describe an economy of 100% pure capitalism and 0% socialism/fascism/etc.
Some church-goers insist that we MUST have SOME socialism. 100% capitalism
(anarcho-capitalism) is sinful, they insist.
They would concede that we might be permitted to have a free market in
computers, cars, housing, clothing and groceries, but there are some goods or
services which MUST NOT be provided by businesses or non-profit organizations
which are freely chosen by consumers. An "oligarchy" (a small group of
men relative to the size of consumers) must have a monopoly in the provision of
these goods and services, without any competition. Consumers must not have a
choice. Anyone going into business to provide these goods and/or services in
competition with "the government" must be threatened with physical
violence and driven out of business.
Of course, if someone goes into business to compete with YOUR business, you
are not allowed to threaten your competitors with physical violence in
order to drive them out of business. Your only recourse is to serve your
customers on a higher level than your competitors.
You may consider your competition as your "enemy," but Jesus
commands you to love your enemy and serve consumers at the highest level.
Anarcho-Capitalism is economic pacifism.
Every Pacifist is an Anarchist. Proof:
Premise 1: The pacifist opposes violence.
Premise 2: The State is institutionalized, systematic violence.
Every professor of political science in every university on planet earth will
agree that the fundamental nature (or most basic definition) of "civil
government" (or "the State") is
- an institution of systematic violence
- which maintains a compulsory monopoly of violence.
Proof:
Conclusion: The opponent of violence is an opponent of "the
State." The logically consistent pacifist says that "the State"
should not exist.
The Christian pacifist would say that those who defend the violent monopoly
of the State are sinning against God.
Every "government" in the history of the world has eventually
banned the Bible, believing it to be an Anarchist Manifesto, which
it is. Even the government of the United States makes it illegal for public
school teachers to endorse
or promote the Bible
as a divine
revelation.
Every pacifist is an anarchist.
If we are to leave vengeance to God, then it is immoral not only to take
vengeance by your own hand, but immoral to hire a contract killer or "hit
man."
Would this not also mean it is immoral to "vote" for a
vengeance-taker?
Instead of "voting" for vengeance-takers, shouldn't we exhort
vengeance-takers (and those who voted for them) to repent of vengeance-taking,
and leave vengeance to God (Romans 12:19-21)?
But wouldn't these three obvious Biblical points logically result in the
abolition of all "civil governments?"
- civil governments hurt people
- and pay their own salaries by taking your stuff
- They don't leave vengeance to God.
Some will say that this line of thinking -- taking these verses literally --
would lead to "anarchy," so this line of argument cannot be true
because anarchy is bad, because the Bible commands all human beings to create
and maintain "civil governments."
Does it really?
Suppose I had supernatural powers of persuasion, and while your back was
turned, I persuaded every human being on planet earth to repent of
vengeance-taking and repent of funding acts of vengeance through
"taxation" (which is the moral equivalent of theft, violating point #2
above). In other words, all politicians repented, abdicated, completely
abolished "the public sector," and got real jobs in "the private
sector." No "civil governments" were left on planet earth. Human
beings lived in a social condition which economist Murray Rothbard called
"anarcho-capitalism." We call this
the “Vine & Fig
Tree” society (Micah 4:1-5).
What Bible verse can you point to to prove that this stateless society is
sinful, and needs to vote for vengeance-takers and tax-collectors?
What Bible verse would you point to
to prove that any human being
has the moral authority to take money from other people by force or threats of
violence ("taxation")
and use that money to fund acts of vengeance?
What Bible verse would you point to
to prove that any human being
has a moral obligation to "vote" for someone to take money from
other people by force or threats of violence ("taxation")
and use that money to fund acts of vengeance?
I would say it is a sin to create a monopoly of violence. I would say
Christians have a moral obligation to abolish all governments (using persuasion,
not violent revolution). We should leave "government" to God.
What makes the State right? What gives Caesar the right? Why should all
Americans rise up, like America's Founders did in 1776, and declare our
independence, and demand that everyone who gets a paycheck from "the Public
Sector" resign and get a real job in the private sector?
You truly do not realize how ironic your allegiance to the United States is.
It vastly exceeds the allegiance your government has for you.
- If you had been born in another country, you could not become a naturalized
U.S. citizen (if you're truly a Christian)
- I know this because I studied law and passed the California Bar Exam, but
was denied a license to practice law because the U.S. Supreme Court has held
that Christians (whose allegiance to God is greater than their allegiance to
the government, Acts 5:29) cannot take the oath to "support the
Constitution" and become an attorney. Same with public school teachers,
certified elevator inspectors, and many other vocations in many
federal cases. You cannot be
a faithful Christian and an American.
- Your government has an "established church," and it's not your
church. It's the
public school system. A system of compulsory atheistic indoctrination.
No serious political scientist or theologian would disagree with that claim
-- except those who have never given the claim any thought. Every political
scientist and theologian alive in 1776 would agree that today's public
school system is our nation's "established church." The First
Amendment is dead meat. As the linked article above shows, serious thinkers
on both the left and the right agree with that claim. Every single person
who signed the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution would engage
in immediate revolt against the U.S. on this one issue alone if they could
read the relevant court cases and sit through a day of public school
classes.
- During my lifetime, the U.S. has killed, crippled, or made homeless tens
of millions of innocent, non-combatant, non-white civilians around the
world. Before I was born, the U.S. needlessly brought about the death of as
many as 90 million people to make sure Poland and Czechoslovakia were ruled
by Stalin instead of by Hitler, and China was ruled by Mao instead of
Hirohito. Mao went on to murder 40 million people. Today the U.S. drops a
bomb somewhere every
12 minutes on average.
- Around the world, the U.S. has tentacles
of atheism, homosexuality, abortion, imposing an anti-Christian agenda
on weaker nations.
- This monopoly of violence known as The
United States government is the enemy of God and humanity.
But you resist abolishing the U.S. government and allowing anarcho-capitalism
to thrive because you believe "government" is good. Even though
America's Founders -- who abolished their own government in 1776 -- would be
horrified at how lawless, tyrannical, and anti-theistic your government is.
Abolishing "civil government" is dangerous, unpatriotic, and somehow
unBiblical, you believe.
What Bible verse gives the U.S. Federal Government the right to exercise
political sovereignty over your state?
What Bible verse gives your state government the right to exercise political
sovereignty over your county?
What Bible verse gives your county government the right to exercise political
sovereignty over your city?
What Bible verse gives your city government the right to exercise political
sovereignty over your neighborhood?
What Bible verse gives your neighbors the right to exercise political
sovereignty over your family?
(For the words "exercise political sovereignty" think: "send the
tanks," "send armed marshals," "taze, handcuff, and
imprison.")
Every civil magistrate -- every monopoly of violence -- eventually declares
outright war on God and the Bible, just as the United States of America has
banned the Bible from its
established church, the public school system.
Imagine an anarcho-capitalist society, living on an uncharted island in the
Pacific, unknown to any current government, population 144,000. There are 12
families in this society. Each family is headed by a very Godly patriarch like
Abraham, Noah, Job, the Prophets or the Apostles, or Godly kings like Hezekiah
or Josiah. Just as Abraham had as many as 12,000 people in his
"household,"1
each of these 12 families are equally large. You would agree it is the most just
society in human history -- except for one thing.
There is no "civil government."
Whenever there is a crime, it is adjudicated following the principles Jesus
laid out in Matthew 18:15-17, and the
appropriate Biblical response to that crime is executed by the island's family
heads, and judges are chosen on a Free Market basis, if they are needed.
But there is no "civil government." No monopoly of violence. No tax
collectors. "Anarcho-capitalism."
Where is the verse which says
that someone has the moral right to demand that this patriarchal society
vote for him to be the "civil magistrate," and empower him to seize
property
to fund acts of vengeance, and threaten violence against competitors?
Which verse says Caesar was morally justified in invading and conquering
Israel, and putting Israel under tribute?
When Jesus said, "Resist not evil," "Go
the second mile," and "Render unto Caesar," He was
de-legitimizing violent revolution by the "Second Amendment" crowd of
His day, who wanted to take up swords against conquering invaders, but He was
not legitimizing conquest, murder, and enslavement by archists
like Caesar.
And beyond that, where is the verse which says that someone
has the moral right to say to Abraham or Noah or Job or any Godly family head,
"You may no longer administer justice. I have a monopoly on the provision
of legal services,
and I will enforce my monopoly with violence."
Why is it insufficient to be a citizen of the "holy nation"
mentioned in 1 Peter 2:9 (see also Philippians
3:20).
People who are not anarchists and pacifists silently condone the killing and
destruction of tens of millions of people, and the atheistic indoctrination of
those that remain alive. They deny that Jesus
is the only legitimate Archist.
Think about one of those dull statistics above: Today the U.S. drops a bomb
somewhere every
12 minutes on average.
Imagine that someone detonates one of these bombs in your neighborhood. Down
the street a bit, so that the only damage that is done to your house is maybe
some particulate matter is dropped on your lawn. No big deal, right?
Are you kidding? Your house would be rocked, even if not damaged. You would
look out the window in horror to see several of your neighbors' homes in rubble.
Every decent and humane psychologist would say you have experienced the kind of trauma
that one experiences through the death of a spouse or child. Not only
would your house be rocked, but your whole world (psychologically speaking)
would be rocked. "What is going on in our world?"
The U.S. government does this to millions of people every year.
The people in Washington D.C. are sociopaths.
The people in your city ("law enforcement") who enforce the diktats
of the violent atheistic federal government are also sociopaths.
If you are not an anarcho-pacifist, you
are experiencing a form of PTSD without realizing it.
1. F. Willeson, The Yalid in Hebrew Society, 12
STUDIA THEOLOGICA 192-210 (1958) (Estimates that
Abram's household in Genesis 14:14 numbered near 12,000 people).
"The State" is a False god.
"Civil Government" is an Idol.
This is the message of most of the verses in the Bible. The dusty parts of
the Bible that nobody reads.
If you attended a government-operated "public" school, you probably
worship a false god.
If the Apostle Paul could travel
through time and have a personal conversation with you, he would probably
conclude that you are an idolater.
The first of the Ten Commandments is this:
Exodus 20
2 I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of
the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
3 Thou shalt have no other gods
before Me.
The only legitimate God is our Creator. Jesus is our Creator (John
1:3). Our Creator is our only real Lord, our only real God. We must worship the Creator,
not the creature.
Romans 1:25
who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the
creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
When the Bible describes Jesus as "The God of gods," the Bible is
saying those other gods are false gods. Illegitimate gods.
Deuteronomy 10:17
For the Lord your God is God of
gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who
shows no partiality nor takes a bribe.
Joshua 22:22
“The Lord God of gods,
the Lord God of gods, He knows,
and let Israel itself know—if it is in rebellion, or if in treachery against
the Lord, do not save us this day.
Psalm 136:2
Oh, give thanks to the God of gods!
For His mercy endures forever.
Daniel 2:47
The king answered Daniel, and said, “Truly your God is the God
of gods, the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, since you
could reveal this secret.”
Daniel 11:36
“Then the king shall do according to his own will: he shall exalt and
magnify himself above every god, shall speak blasphemies against the God
of gods, and shall prosper till the wrath has been accomplished;
for what has been determined shall be done.
Politicians claim to be gods. They claim to be lords. They claim to be kings.
This is all a lie.
The Bible says there are many gods, many lords, many archists.
They do not have divinity. They do not have sovereignty. They do not have the
right to impose their will on others by force or threats of violence.
1 Corinthians 8:5
For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there
are many gods and many lords),
If Jesus is the "God of gods," thereby
de-legitimizing all other gods, Jesus is also the "King of kings,"
thereby de-legitimizing all other kings.
- 1
Timothy 6:15
- Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate,
the King of kings, and Lord of lords;
- Revelation
17:14
- These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them:
for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they
that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.
- Revelation
19:16
- And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING
OF KINGS, AND
LORD OF LORDS.
Our Creator is our only real Lord. All creaturely kings and all creaturely
lords and all creaturely gods (whether human or demonic) are false gods, false
lords, and false kings. Our Creator is the only lord, god, king we should
worship and serve. Romans 1:25
Israel wanted a king "like the gentiles," and God said this was
a rejection of God (1 Samuel 8).
← Read that passage. Having a king is a rejection of God.
Having a military is a rejection
of God.
Is the Bible about going to heaven when you die, or is the Bible an Anarchist
Manifesto?
If you reject God in this life, you will reject God in the next life.
If you put your trust in human archists in
this life, you will not put your trust in God in the next.
As Milton put the words in Satan's mouth in Paradise Lost, "It is
better to rule in hell than to serve in heaven." See
again Mark 10:42-45.
Some people don't want to rule others, but they want others to rule over
them.
Being ruled is better than being responsible.
"Better to have Medicare Part D in hell than to serve in heaven."
What are "gods?"
Answer: "archists"
In the Bible, "gods"
are politicians, emperors, and military conquerors (or images of those Pharaohs,
Caesars, and Führers, or the demons
behind the political puppets).
In the New American Standard Bible, the
word "gods" in Exodus 20:3 ("Thou shalt have no other gods
before Me") is translated "judges" in Exodus 22:8-9 (and Exodus
21:6 in the KJV), "rulers" in Psalm 82:1 (compare Psalm 138:1), and
"mighty prince" in Genesis 23:6. After the gods (Pharaohs, Caesars,
and Führers) successfully invade and subjugate a people, they brainwash the
enslaved masses into believing that their masters are actually their
"benefactors" (Luke 22:25) or "saviors." According to
the German historian, Ethelbert Stauffer, the religious principle of the Roman
Empire, from the days of Augustus on, was salvation by Caesar: “Salvation is
to be found in none other save Augustus, and there is no other name given to men
in which they can be saved.” (Political
Saviors) Does that sound familiar? It would if you have read Acts 4:12.
Jesus is the only
legitimate archist (1 Timothy 6:15). He is
described as "the Lord of lords, the King of kings," and the God of
gods. The fact that there exist kings, lords, and gods, doesn't mean that their
kingdoms are legitimate. They are real, but they are rebellious. The only
morally legitimate "nation" on earth is the nation mentioned in
1 Peter 2:9. Whether we describe Clinton, Bush, Obama, Trump, and Biden as
"kings," "lords" or "gods," they are false gods,
according to the Bible. If Joe Biden is a "king," he should shut down
his earthly "kingdom" at once, and let Jesus be King.
The Bible is against rival gods.
The Bible is against rival kings.
All creaturely gods are false gods.
All creaturely kings are false kings.
All Presidents are false gods.
The desire for a king is a desire for a false god and a rejection of the true
God (1 Samuel 8). (We're going to
repeat that passage for you multiple times. It
is important.)
- 1
Samuel 8:7
- And the LORD said unto Samuel,
Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for
they have not rejected
thee, but they have rejected
Me, that I should not reign over
them.
- 1
Samuel 10:19
- And ye have this day rejected
your God, who Himself saved
you out of all your adversities and your tribulations; and ye have said
unto Him, Nay, but set a king over
us.
If you believe you cannot live without a king,
without a human government,
then you are an idolater.
The God of the Bible is the only legitimate Governor.
If you are not an "anarchist," then you reject God from being your
sole, exclusive Archist. You put your trust in human kings and false gods to
bring you salvation.
- In the Bible, the
word for "save" is sometimes translated "deliver."
In the majority of cases, people want to be delivered/saved from archists
who threaten to impose their own will on the people by force or threats of
military invasion. In the Bible, "salvation" usually means
"freedom from archists."
God's Word promises that if we obey His Law, He
will not send archists against us.
If we disobey, He promises to
send evil, that is, "governments"
and their armies ("the sword").
If you believe you cannot live without a king,
without a human government,
then you are an idolater.
The God of the Bible is the only legitimate Savior.
- Salvation is seen in Exodus 20:2
- I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee
out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
- "Anarchism" is seen in verse 3:
- Thou shalt have no other gods
before Me.
- Thou shalt have no other archists
before Me. "Anarchism" -- a world free from false gods, false
lords, and false kings -- is the "Good News" -- the
Gospel.
The word for "salvation" is also translated
"deliverance," "welfare," "victory,"
"wholeness," "peace," "health," etc. There are
always various departments of "government" that promise "salvation"
in the holistic Biblical
sense of the word.
1 Peter 2:9 says there is only one legitimate "nation." It also
says there is only one legitimate priesthood. Jesus is the only
legitimate King and Priest. We are all priests and kings (Revelation
1:6;5:10),
and no human being is a priest or a king in an exclusive way different from the
way that every human being (in Christ) is a king and a priest. No human being is
a legitimate "archist." Jesus is the One True
Archist. All other archists are false gods and idols.
Not only is the Bible about abolishing "governments," it is also
about abolishing "churches." Most human beings in the last 6,000 years
of human history have lived under a church-state. The Emperor was a god. Their
king was their priest. Their Church was their State. There is never a
"Separation of Church and State." Every State is a religion. Either
the State serves a religion, or religion serves the State.
Protestant churches today are partially-reformed Roman Catholic churches.
They are Roman, not Hebrew. They are humanist, not Biblical. They are
state-churches, not house-churches.
Politics vs. Patriarchy
Polis vs. Patria
There was only one "institution" in the Garden of Eden: The Family.
There was no "state" and no "church" in the Garden of
Eden. Just the family.
Feminists scream "Patriarchy!"
Feminists believe in Politics.
The word "Politics" comes from the Greek word polis,
which means "state" or "city-state."
St. Augustine said the history of the human race is the history of the conflict
between "The City
of God" and "The City of Man."
On this planet, this is the conflict between Patriarchy and Politics.
Obviously "The Bible is an Anarchist Manifesto" is a controversial
proposition.
- Anarchists don't like the Bible
- Bible-believers don't like anarchists.
People who call themselves "Bible-believing Christians" will tell
you not to trust anarchists.
Anarchists will say you can't trust the Bible.
I trust the Bible. I believe the Bible is the Word of God. In fact, I
worship the Bible. But I also believe the Bible is an Anarchist
Manifesto.
Not only are you probably thinking that I'm wrong to say "The Bible is
an Anarchist Manifesto," you're thinking that it's OBVIOUSLY wrong -- so obviously
wrong that there's something screwy, dishonest, or perverse about
someone who would say "The Bible is an Anarchist Manifesto."
I'm surprised, frankly, that you're still reading.
If you'll give me three minutes, I think I can not only convince you that I'm
right, but that I'm obviously right, and then you'll say,
"OK, I see where you're going with this," and you'll be tempted to
think that this is a trivial point; a play on words.
But this is not a game. I want you to take this truth so seriously that you
risk losing your job, being arrested by the government, and even put to death.
Like Jesus.
Here is my argument in a nutshell:
- We've all been trained to think of an "anarchist
manifesto" as an excuse for bombing things or starting riots.
- The English word "anarchist" comes from two Greek words
meaning "not an archist."
- The person described by the word "archist"
is a person who believes he has the moral right to impose his own
will on other people by force or threats of violence.
- The Bible prohibits "archism."
Jesus commanded His followers to be "servants," not
archists like "the kings of
the Gentiles" (Mark 10:42-45)
- The people who drop the most bombs are "archists,"
not "anarchists."
- Most people described by the government (or its lapdog media) as
"anarchists" are trying to impose their own will on others
by force or threats of violence. They are actually "archists,"
not "anarchists." "Anarchy" in the mainstream
media usually means "poly-archy" or "multi-archy."
- The vast majority of the nearly 8 billion human beings on planet
earth are anarchists in practice. They do not believe they
have the right to impose their own will on other people by force or
threats of violence. They work peacefully all day to produce goods
and services which they hope they can trade for the goods and
services produced by everyone else.
- Only a very small minority of human beings are "archists,"
and they are corrupt, amoral sociopaths.
- The most important thing we can do to advance the condition of the
human race and see it flourish is to eradicate the myth that a small
group of sociopaths have the moral right to impose their own will on
the rest of society by force or threats of violence.
- The Bible is the most powerful anti-archist
document in human history. It is in fact a sweeping chronicle of the
history of "the State." On nearly every page, the theft
and murder and vengeance of the State is denounced by God and His
prophets. Nowhere does God command human beings to form "the
State." God promises a swarm
of archists as a curse to
every society that transgresses against God's Law, and promises to bless
every society that obeys His Commandments with archist-free
prosperity.
- Wherever the Bible has circulated freely, archism
has been held in check, and human beings live more peacefully and
prosperously.
- Archists inevitably try to suppress the Bible so as
to eliminate this powerful check on their violent impulses.
- By banning the Bible, archists
have brought bitter poverty, tyranny, concentration camps, and mass
death to their society.
- If they can't ban the Bible outright, archists
in both "church" and "state" promote the myth
that the Bible approves and mandates the existence of archists
in every human society, when the Bible actually commands all archists
to repent and be converted to anarchists.
- The only way we will be able to live peacefully under our
own “Vine
& Fig Tree” is for archists to repent
themselves out of existence and for Jesus to be acknowledged as the
only legitimate Archist.
|
If I had been alive in 1776, I would have been executed by the likes of
George Washington and Alexander Hamilton.
America's Founding Fathers said the exact opposite:
- God requires human beings to form "governments"
- We have the right, nay, the duty,
to abolish the government by armed revolution if it becomes tyrannical (see
the Declaration of Independence)
"Government" is the Reign
of Evil.
America's Founding Fathers complained about
"taxation without representation." By every
political measure, in our day taxes are 20 times
greater and representation incalculably less.
In 1994 “criminals” committed
7,885 bank robberies, taking $28
million. That same year, “government
agencies” seized $2.1
Billion
in “asset
forfeiture proceedings,” often without “probable
cause,” and often not returned even when
innocence was proven. And it has only gotten worse.
Last year in America, over 10,000 people were
murdered. But during the 20th century,
"governments" intentionally killed an
average of 10,000 people every single day
during the entire century:
- Hundreds of Millions
of human beings have been deliberately murdered by
"governments" in famines, pogroms,
concentration camps, and wars.
- This figure does not include
"legalized" child-killing (abortion)
- Billions of
people have lost their most fundamental rights
under systems of communism, socialism, and
fascism.
- Theft of private property by governments through
"nationalization," "taxation,"
and war amounts to trillions
of dollars.
But all the "respectable" voices say that
if we let Jesus out of our hearts and into the
"real world," and beat our "swords into
plowshares," then "evil would take
over." Nobody thinks twice when
"respectable" people speak. The most
intelligent, highly-educated, self-disciplined, and
successful criminals have already taken over. And we
keep voting for them.
Here's another startling claim: The
United States is the Most Evil and Dangerous
Government on Planet Earth. |
|
|
But if America's Founders could travel through time, look at the carnage and
destruction wrought by "governments" in the 20th century, and study
America in the 21st century, they would be shocked, appalled, outraged.
And I'm confident I could prove to America's Founders that their whole theory
of political science and political resistance was unBiblical. It's a product of
the "Enlightenment," and the scholastic synthesis between "Jerusalem
and Athens." Our political theories came from Greco-Roman humanism,
"the kings of the Gentiles," not the Bible.
If you have the same broad understanding of the Bible that the average
15-year old in colonial America had (c. 1776), that 60-second summary above
should be sufficient to persuade you that the Bible is an Anarchist Manifesto.
But you may be a victim of educational malpractice, with virtually no
familiarity with the Bible, or only a distorted view of the Bible that
circulates on the internet or in Sunday School classrooms. So I need to give you
two things: (1) a survey of the Bible, and (2) an answer
to objections we've all been given for abolishing archism,
such as "If we abolish the government, evil will take over."
What I want to give you is an understanding that
- The Bible commands us to abolish all governments by converting all archists
into followers of the executed pacifist, Jesus Christ
- As the prophet Micah puts it, beat "swords into plowshares"
- This would work. This would make life on the planet a paradise.
It's practical, sensible, realistic, moral, and ... inevitable.
- Again, the prophet Micah says the day is coming when we will all dwell
peacefully under our own "Vine &
Fig Tree."
- And we are not to just sit around on our duffs waiting for the
"second coming" to make this happen for us.
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- Who Cares About the Bible?
- What is That Big Book about?
- The Bible is about "The Kingdom of God."
- or, "The Government of God."
- God governs when people obey His Commandments.
- The word "Theocracy" means "God Governs."
- God is the only legitimate Governor.
- When God's will is done "in earth as it
is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10) you have "Theocracy" (God
governs) and "anarchy" (no human pretenders or substitutes for
God).
- We call this "Anarcho-Theocracy."
- So here's what the Bible is about, in chronological order:
- Objections to Anarcho-Theocracy
- "Evil will take over."
- Romans 13 -- Being conquered and put under
tribute is good.
- The Bible isn't about Anarchism, it's about SALVATION!
- In the Bible, "salvation" most
often means "freedom from archists."
- In the Bible, "saviors" save us
from archists.
- The Jews rejected Jesus as their Savior, that is, as their Messiah
- If you reject Jesus as your Theocratic
King/Messiah/Christ/Archist, you have rejected Him as your
"savior" (ticket to heaven).
- Jesus has been saving the world for 2,000
years.
- When Jesus is our only Archist, we enjoy "Civilization."
- But, but, but . . . the government is ordained by God!
- God never commanded human beings to be
archists over others.
- The Bible says the origin of "the State" is demonic.
Anarchists who aren't Christians (and non-anarchists who aren't Christians)
might ask,
Who Cares About the Bible?
What difference does it make if the Bible is an anarchist manifesto or not?
It's just an old book. In fact, it's so old, and has been changed so many times
through long centuries of history, that nobody even knows what the original
writers were even trying to say.
This claim is as false and misleading as the claim that the Bible commands
human beings to form "governments."
Most of the arguments against the Bible share common traits with one of the
most common: "The Telephone Game" argument.
At a party, the first participant in "the Telephone Game" will
whisper a sentence to the person in the next chair, who whispers the message to
the person in the next chair, and so on around the circle. The final person in
the "phone chain" reveals the message, which is compared with the
first participant's real message. The two are found to be totally different, and
everybody laughs.
As the argument goes, this is like the transmission of the Bible over the
centuries. Nobody involved in copying the Holy Scriptures took it all that
seriously, they whimsically changed words, sentences, or paragraphs to suit
their fancy, and the Bible we have today bears no resemblance whatsoever to what
Moses, Isaiah, Matthew (or whoever started the chain) had in mind.
This argument can be made to sound very educated and sophisticated, but it is
pathetic and juvenile.
Here is some
information on the actual transmission of the Biblical text.
In 1912, Frederic Kenyon was knighted Sir
Frederic Kenyon for his service as Director and Head Librarian of the
British Museum. He describes how the Jews meticulously copied the Old Testament:
Besides recording varieties of reading, tradition, or conjecture, the
Massoretes undertook a number of calculations which do not enter into the
ordinary sphere of textual criticism. They numbered the verses, words, and
letters of every book. They calculated the middle word and the middle letter
of each. The enumerated verses which contained all the letters of the
alphabet, or a certain number of them; and so on. These trivialities, as we
may rightly consider them, had yet the effect of securing minute attention to
the precise transmission of the text; and they are but an excessive
manifestation of a respect for the sacred Scriptures which in itself deserves
nothing but praise. The Massoretes were indeed anxious that not
one jot nor tittle, not one smallest letter nor one tiny part of a letter, of
the Law should pass away or be lost.
In Kenyon's day, the oldest copy of the Old Testament was a copy from the
10th century after Christ. But in 1947 the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered, and
they contained a complete copy of the Book of Isaiah, dating over one thousand
years earlier than that 10th century copy. The results astonished the scholarly
world. Gleason Archer,
in comparing the manuscript variations of the Hebrew text with pre-Christian
literature such as the Egyptian Book of the Dead, states that it is amazing that
the Hebrew text does not have the phenomenon of discrepancy and MS change of
other literature of the same age: "Even though the two copies of Isaiah
discovered in Qumran Cave 1 near the Dead Sea in 1947 were a thousand years
earlier than the oldest dated manuscript previously known (A. D. 980), they
proved to be word for word identical with our standard Hebrew Bible" with
the exception of minor variations in spelling, on a par with the British "colour"
and the American "color." "Even those Dead Sea fragments of
Deuteronomy and Samuel which point to a different manuscript family from that
which underlies our received Hebrew text do not indicate any differences in
doctrine or teaching. They do not affect the message of revelation in the
slightest."
In other words, the Old Testament we have today is virtually
letter-for-letter the same Old Testament Jesus had in His day. And the copy of
Isaiah that Jesus read from (Luke
4) was virtually letter-for-letter the same as the one Isaiah himself wrote.
Ditto for the Proverbs of Solomon, the Psalms of David, and the books of Moses.
All this about the Bible being filled with corruptions and changes is the
polar opposite of reality. There is no ancient manuscript evidence to support
this view; all the evidence is against this view.
This proves that atheists live in a world of fantasy. Some atheists believe
the Bible is unreliable because that's what they've been taught, and they want
to be respected by those who told them. But there are some atheists who are bad
people and are just making this stuff up. The ones who start these rumors about
the Bible have a completely different conception of history than historical
reality, and a completely different view of religious people than reality. If an
atheist -- knowing even one-tenth as much about the Biblical manuscripts as the
Director and Head Librarian of the British Museum -- makes up the story that the
Bible is untrustworthy and unreliably transmitted through the centuries, then he
is a liar who probably hates God and doesn't want to love his neighbor, refrain
from stealing, or be faithful to his wife. You would be wise not to listen to
such people.
Here's an analogy that better represents the analysis of different copies of
an ancient manuscript. Suppose you won the Pillsbury Bake-Off. Everyone wants
your winning apple strudel recipe. So you hand-write a copy. Then another. Then
another. You end up making 50 copies of your recipe. Then you lose it. You call
all your friends and tell them you lost the recipe, and request that they give
back the copy you made for them. When you get the copies, you discover that on a
couple of copies you made minor mistakes. On one copy you put "2 Tbs"
instead of "2 tsp." On another recipe you wrote "20 minutes
at 350°" instead of "30 minutes at 350°." But since all the
other copies had the correct item, it's easy to see which copy had the mistake.
This is the science of "textual criticism."
"Textual Criticism" is how, in God's Providence, we can learn what
God wants us to learn, and what the original authors of the books of the Bible
wrote.
There are thousands of copies of the New Testament, some copied only decades
after the original. There are only a handful of copies of the History of
Herodotus (B.C. 488-428), and they are centuries older than the long-lost
originals. F. F. Bruce
notes,
Yet no classical scholar would listen to an argument that the authenticity
of Herodotus or Thucydides is in doubt because the earliest manuscripts of
their works which are of any use to us are over 1,300 years later than the
originals.
"Textual Criticism" looks at actual texts and compares them. This
is very different from "Higher Criticism," which presupposes that
there is no God who communicates with people created in His Image, and
speculates that the entire Bible evolved in a meaningless universe -- even
though there are no actual texts supporting this view -- much like Darwin
speculated that species evolved -- even though all the transitional forms were
missing from the record. (And still are.)
If the Bible we have today is not an accurate deposit of the writings of the
original authors, then there is no such thing as human history. All history is
bogus. We can't know anything about the past.
But if we have an accurate edition of the writings of Moses, Isaiah, Matthew,
Mark, Luke and John, who cares? They were just primitive peasants. Why should we
listen to their long story?
I believe the story-tellers. There are two reasons I believe them.
First, they appear to be people of integrity. Simon
Greenleaf, a co-founder of the Harvard Law School and the greatest authority
on the law of evidence in the 19th century, said that if the New Testament were
to be subjected to the Anglo-American laws of evidence in a court of law, the
resurrection of Christ would be an established fact. The witnesses (the authors
of the Gospels, for example) are credible witnesses.
It has been said, "History is written by the conquerors." The Old
Testament is different. It is obviously not written by biased Jews who only
wanted Israel to look good. The Old Testament is in a sense the most "anti-semitic"
book ever written. It paints a picture of a group of people who were chosen by
God and given every favor, and still rebelled and failed. They are portrayed as
history's most faithless losers. And yet their story was meticulously and
faithfully copied over and over by those very same folks.
This is because they believed the Bible was the Word of God, not just the
word of some man.
But one element of the story these credible witnesses report is that God
moved them to speak and to write exactly what God wanted written. That's their
testimony. I believe it. I believe it because I like the idea of living in a
universe that's lovingly controlled by a personal and sovereign God. There are
no credible reasons given by atheists why I should not accept this entire worldview.
Peaceful and loving people want the Bible to be true. Rational people believe
the Bible is the Word of God.
OK, let's assume just for the sake of the argument that
the Bible is the Word of God. That God "breathed out" His own Words
through human penmen.
Is the Bible -- the Word of God -- an "Anarchist Manifesto?"
A "Manifesto" is
a published verbal declaration of the intentions, motives, or views of the
issuer, be it an individual, group, political party or government.
Manifestos relating to religious belief are generally referred
to as creeds.
— Wikipedia
Credo comes straight from the Latin word meaning "I
believe", and is the first word of many religious credos, or creeds,
such as the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed. But the word can be
applied to any guiding principle or set of principles. Of course, you may
choose a different credo when you're 52 than when you're 19. But here is
the credo of the writer H. L. Mencken, written after he had lived quite a
few years: "I believe that it is better to tell the truth than to
lie. I believe that it is better to be free than to be a slave. And I
believe that it is better to know than to be ignorant".
Definition of
Credo by Merriam-Webster
Credo: "I am convinced."
Manifesto: "I will act."
Acts 19:26
And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led
astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the
whole province of Asia. He says that gods made by human hands are no gods
at all.
The Bible is intended to lead idolaters
"astray." |
The Bible is both a creed and a manifesto. The word
"creed" comes from the Latin word credo, "I believe."
The Bible tells us what we should believe about who God is and what He wants us
to do. But the Bible is also a manifesto, which is why most governments
throughout history have banned it -- including now, the United States. It is a
manifesto promulgated by a government called "The Kingdom of God." The
word "kingdom" is not used much in our day. When Jesus used the word,
it was subversive. He was talking about a rival
government.
There are over 30,000 verses in the Bible. Thousands of people throughout
history have sacrificed greatly -- even to the point of death -- to preserve
copies of these verses and hand them down to us.
What is God trying to tell us in all these verses?
The Bible is not written in the form of an article in the Harvard Law
Review or the Unabomber's
Manifesto. It has many literary genres:
- song,
- biography,
- law,
- poetry,
- genealogy,
- history,
- proverb,
- census reports,
- government indictments,
- architectural blueprints,
- personal letters,
- etc.
Imagine sitting in the rocking chair on your front porch with God. God starts
telling you a story. If God only said, "I know a man who ate his broccoli
and became the wisest man in the kingdom," you'd know it's an indirect way
of telling you to eat your broccoli. But the Bible is a long, long story. You
listen respectfully as God seems to go on and on. What's His point?
This website defends the proposition that God in the Bible wants us to
abolish all of man's kingdoms and let
God be our King, our Lawgiver, our Judge, and our Deliverer. Of the 30,000
verses in the Bible, most of them touch on the conflict between the Kingdom of
God and the kingdoms of man.
Immediately some will object that if we abolish all visible, earthly
kings/presidents/prime ministers, and if we abolish all human legislatures, and
if we abolish all human judges, and beat our "swords into plowshares"
(Micah 4), we will be plunged into a state of "anarchy."
This is technically correct, as the word "anarchy" means
"absence of rulers." Or as we like to say, "absence of archists."
The whole Bible teaches Christian Anarchism. From cover to cover. Most
Christians are familiar with only a few passages in the Bible, those on
"salvation," or maybe a few passages on "the
rapture" or "the second coming." Most Christians have never
read the history of the rise of the
State or the idolatry and infanticide of the kings, and the Prophets who so
thoroughly denounced them. Most
of the Bible is about politics, and the Bible is against politics.
The Bible Describes the Battle: Politics vs.
Patriarchy
The whole history of
man as recorded in the Bible is the history of sinful rebellion against
God's model for society as created in the Garden of Eden, and the construction
of institutions based on Humanistic power: coercion
and violence. It is the history of Politics
vs. Patriarchy.
God created human beings male and female: The Family. This is the core
institution of human society. Feminists don't like the word
"patriarchy," but you'll find it on this website anyway. We made up a
new word: "Patriagora."
Patria = "family" + Agora = "market"
God designed human beings to live in families and serve consumers in a Free
Market.
The Institution called "The State" is unBiblical. It reflects rebellion
against God's Law. The patriotic people who don't like feminism don't like
the word "anarchism," but we use it anyway. We are not
archists.
- God never commanded human beings to form a "state." The State
was formed by rebels who wanted to seize the wealth of others rather than
work for it or engage in peaceful trade. The archist
is applauded by those who want something for nothing, and don't mind being
accomplices to crime.
The Demonic Origin of "Civil Government"
God did not create or command the entity we call "the government"
or "the State." It was formed by people who rejected God's government
over them. It was formed by people who wanted to conquer other people. We can
call these people "archists."
An "archist" is somebody who
believes he has the right to impose his will on other people by force. From
cover to cover the Bible says "archists"
are bad. God uses "archists"
to accomplish His purposes -- like when he used the Assyrian Army to punish
Israel (Isaiah 10) -- but then He punishes the "archists"
He used to accomplish His purposes (same book and chapter). The "archist"
is a conqueror, a bandit, or a politician. A peaceful and prosperous society is
one without "archists." God
punishes a people who choose to be ruled and/or defended by archists
instead of God.
Click here for more on the Origin of "The
State."
Here are links to our old webpages:
Forty years ago I put together "95 Theses on the State," in
homage to Luther's 95 Theses on Justification. I went through the Bible from
Genesis to Revelation and pulled out 95 key concepts that relate to the issues
of politics, law, economics, and government. Nowhere did I find a Biblical
warrant for a king, or even a "State" of any kind. No book is more
highly critical of empires than the Bible. Emperors are idols -- false gods.
I have copied below a section from this
page which contains an outline of my "95 Theses on the State." It
is found on the left-hand side. Each of these links contains numerous
cross-references from Scripture and other resources on the subject. On the
right-hand side are hints at how each Thesis can be used as the foundation for
other academic subjects which might be covered in a home school curriculum. This
is somewhat sketchy at this point.
The word "Theocracy" comes from
two Greek words meaning "God Rules."
Theocracy is an inescapable concept. It is
not a question of whether a society will
be a "theocracy," but which god
will rule. We believe Jesus should rule because Jesus
is the Christ.
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I have variously entitled these Theses, "95 Theses on the State,"
"95 Theses on Patriarchy," "95 Theses on Anarcho-Theocracy,"
and here I have substituted "Anarcho-Theocracy"
for "Patriarchy" except in those instances where there is a specific
reference to the institution of "The Family" vs. Church or State.
These 95 Theses cover the Bible from cover to cover. They are arranged under
the following time periods:
- Anarcho-Theocracy Before The Fall
- Anarcho-Theocracy Before The Flood
- Anarcho-Theocracy Before Sinai
- Anarcho-Theocracy Under Moses
- Anarcho-Theocracy and The Rise Of The State
- Anarcho-Theocracy and Providence: The State
- Anarcho-Theocracy and The Messiah
- Anarcho-Theocracy and The Early Home-Churches
- Anarcho-Theocracy In "The Millennium"
INTRODUCTION
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| Welcome to “The 95 Days of Christmas” |
|
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| The Importance of Luther's 95 Theses |
In his book on How
the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization,
Tom Woods overstates the role of the Institutional Church and understates
the role of the Bible in the creation of Western Civilization.
The link at left cites John Robbins, who overstates the role of Luther and
the Protestant Reformation in the creation of Western Civilization.
Western Civilization is
Biblical Civilization |
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| The Origin of These 95 Theses |
|
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| Introduction: Taking the Bible Seriously |
The Bible sets itself before us as
a revelation from God. The authors of the books of the Bible make this
claim. This claim is either true, or the Bible is evil. The claim cannot
be ignored. The Bible is the most important book in the history of the
human race. No other book has had more influence. A secular (Bible-denying
or Bible-ignoring) education is irresponsible.
Christians would agree that some people have made
praiseworthy cultural advances motivated by the Koran, but we would say
that these advances were either incidental or epistemologically
inconsistent with the Koran. Many praiseworthy advances have been made by
people motivated by the Bible, but if the Bible is fundamentally a hoax,
then the amount of evil (and missed opportunities) caused by the Bible
greatly outweighs these inconsistent advances.
More on the Bible. |
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Thesis | Thesis 1: Christ the Word |
Jesus claimed to be
God. The Jews of His day wanted Him put to death for saying this. The
incarnation of God is either a lie or the most important event in the
history of the human race.
The Deity of Christ is the heart of the doctrine
of the "Trinity." Thomas Jefferson denied this doctrine. If he
were here today, I would make him read two books which would completely
change his mind on this issue.
First, The Hoax
of Higher Criticism by Gary North. Jefferson fell for the myths of
18th century German Higher Criticism hook line and sinker. These myths
have long since been debunked. Another easy source is Josh McDowell's Evidence
that Demands a Verdict.
Second, The One and The Many,
by R.J. Rushdoony. Rushdoony's book shows that the Trinity is the
foundation for liberty and humane society. Governments always embody
theological error. The problem of "the one and the many" is a
vexing philosophical problem that cannot be solved without the doctrine of
the Trinity.
Jefferson would see immediately -- taking in the facts of the modern
world (socialism, communism, fascism, crony-capitalism, and the complete
abandonment of the principles of the Declaration
of Independence and the Bill
of Rights) -- that "higher criticism" was a ruse for big
government. Big Unitarian Government.
Jefferson was not an
enemy of morality. Higher Criticism is. Government is. I believe the
modern combination of tyranny
and anti-trinitarianism would click in Jefferson's mind. He would realize
that the war against the Bible is a war for Big Government.
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Thesis | Thesis 2: Christ the Creator |
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Thesis | Thesis 3: Creation, not Evolution |
Why teach the laws of physics, or the laws of chemistry, if
the universe is actually a random, constantly-evolving multiverse?
Evolution is a faith,
not a fact. |
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Thesis | Thesis 4: Omniscience, Predestination, and Providence |
The Total Security State seeks and claims omniscience, and
other "incommunicable attributes" of God. The doctrine of God's
Providence is a bulwark of liberty.
www.AstonishingProvidence.com
more |
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Thesis | Thesis 5: “Self-Evident Truths” |
Deep down, everyone knows the
Bible (also called "The
Laws of Nature and of Nature's God") is true. Students should be
taught how to turn conscience
into a worldview.
Education without reference to "self-evident truths" is self-deception. |
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Thesis | Thesis 6: The Biological Basis of Patriarchy |
Students should learn that there is no
biological basis for homosexuality. "Homophobia?"
Children need to be assured of the fundamental facts of life: not condoms,
but the goodness of fathers and mothers. |
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Thesis | Thesis 7: The Dominion Mandate |
The opposite of environmentalism. |
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Thesis | Thesis 8: Patriarchy and “the Extended Family” |
The Bible commands grandparents to be involved in the
homeschooling of their grandchildren. See also Thesis
39. |
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Thesis | Thesis 9: Anarcho-Theocracy and the Sanctions
of the Covenant
Christians
are the sons of Abraham and heirs of the promises made to
Abraham.
Of Abraham the Scripture says:
For I know him, that he will command his children and his
household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord,
to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon
Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.
Genesis 18:19
And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven,
and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed
shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;
Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my
commandments, my statutes, and my laws.
Genesis 26:4-5
"Theonomy"
is the Gospel:
And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the
heathen through faith, preached before the
Gospel unto Abraham, saying,
In thee shall all nations be blessed.
Galatians 3:8
"The blessings of liberty" -- "Good News"
indeed -- come only through obedience to God's Law.
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Skip down to Thesis 10
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This Thesis is a major point. .
If the Bible is not true, there really is no such
thing as "Law" except the "positive law" of the State.
Every home school curriculum needs to teach
children ""The
Laws of Nature and of Nature's God," that is, Biblical Law,
also known as "Theonomy."
It was one of the most important features of
early American public schools that they inculcated "religion
and morality," a.k.a. "piety and virtue."
America's Founders believed that religion and morality were "necessary
for good government and the happiness of mankind," and this was
the explicitly stated reason why schools were created.
One of the centerpieces of early American
education was the Westminster
Shorter Catechism. It was in virtually every single classroom in
America, and in nearly every home. One of the finest features of that work
is an exposition of the Ten Commandments, including "the duties
required" and "the sins forbidden" by each commandment.
This is the foundation of the
Common Law and American Law. A school curriculum is not complete
without a daily study of the Ten Commandments. Rushdoony's The
Institutes of Biblical Law
would be an appropriate text for home-schooled high-schoolers. Here is an
outline of a home-study program that I still haven't finished, as well as
links to the Westminster Standards.
The Ten
Commandments prohibit:
1. Idolatry
2. False
Religion
3. Swearing a false oath
4. Refusal
to work
5. Disrespecting
parents and other authorities
6. Murder
7. Cheating on your
Wife
8. Theft
9. Slander
10. Covetousness
For more than 300 years -- roughly 1600-1900 -- "the
Laws of Nature and of Nature's God" -- that is, the Bible --
permeated America's schools
and American culture. These laws are the
foundation of civilization.
Ten Principles for a
Free Society
The
Ten Commandments in a Biblical Worldview
The Ten
Commandments Moral Inventory and Meditation Program
Preface
to the Ten Commandments
From Rushdoony's Institutes of Biblical Law:
- Introduction: The Importance of the Law
- The Validity of Biblical Law
- The Law as Revelation and Treaty
- The Direction of the Law
- Overview
- Do I
Agree With God's Word?
- Have I
Violated This Commandment?
- Am I
Resolved to Obey it in the Future?
- How
This Commandment was Applied in Early American Law
- Idolatry and the Ten
Commandments
From Rushdoony's Institutes of Biblical Law:
- The First Commandment and the Shema Israel
- The Undivided Word
- God versus Moloch
- The Laws of Covenant Membership
- The Law as Power and Discrimination
- Overview
- Do I
Agree With God's Word?
- Have I
Violated This Commandment?
- Am I
Resolved to Obey it in the Future?
- How
This Commandment was Applied in Early American Law
- Day
81: Religious Worship, part 1
- Day
82: Religious Worship, part 2
- Day
83: Christian Liberty and Liberty of Conscience, part 1
- Day
84: Christian Liberty and Liberty of Conscience, part 2
- Day
85: The Word of God in Worship, part 1
- Day
86: The Word of God in Worship, part 2
- Day
87: The Word of God in Worship, part 3
- Day
88: The Word of God in Worship, part 4
- Day
89: Of the Sacraments, part 1
- Day
90: Of the Sacraments, part 2
- Day
91: Of Baptism, part 1
- Day
92: Of Baptism, part 2
- Day
93: Of Baptism, part 3
- Day
94: Of The Lord's Supper, part 1
- Day
95: Of The Lord's Supper, part 2
- Day
96: Of The Lord's Supper, part 3
- Day
97: Of The Lord's Supper, part 4
- Day
98: Of The Lord's Supper, part 5
- Day
99: Of The Lord's Supper, part 6
- Day
100: Of Communion of Saints, part 1
- Day
101: Of Communion of Saints, part 2
From Rushdoony's Institutes of Biblical Law:
- The Lawful Approach to God
- The Throne of Law
- The Altar and Capital Punishment
- Sacrifice and Responsibility
- Holiness and Law
- Law as Warfare
- Law and Equality
- Overview
- Do I
Agree With God's Word?
- Have I
Violated This Commandment?
- Am I
Resolved to Obey it in the Future?
- How
This Commandment was Applied in Early American Law
From Rushdoony's Institutes of Biblical Law:
- The Negativism of the Law
- Swearing and Revolution
- The Oath and Society
- Swearing and Worship
- The Oath and Authority
- The Name of God
- Overview
- Do I
Agree With God's Word?
- Have I
Violated This Commandment?
- Am I
Resolved to Obey it in the Future?
- How
This Commandment was Applied in Early American Law
From Rushdoony's Institutes of Biblical Law:
- The Sign of Freedom
- The Sabbath and Life
- The Sabbath and Work
- The Sabbath and Authority
- The Sabbath and Law
- Appendix 4. The Economics of Sabbath Keeping by Gary North
- Overview
- Do I
Agree With God's Word?
- Have I
Violated This Commandment?
- Am I
Resolved to Obey it in the Future?
- How
This Commandment was Applied in Early American Law
- Day
106: The Fifth Commandment, part 1
- Day
107: The Fifth Commandment, part 2
- Day
108: The Fifth Commandment, part 3
- Day
109: The Fifth Commandment, part 4
- Day
110: The Fifth Commandment, part 5
- Day
111: The Fifth Commandment, part 6
- Day
112: The Civil Magistrate, part 1
- Day
113: The Civil Magistrate, part 2
- Day
114: The Civil Magistrate, part 3
- Day
115: Of The Church, part 1
- Day
116: Of The Church, part 2
- Day
117: Of Church Censures, part 1
- Day
118: Of Church Censures, part 2
- Day
119: Of Synods and Councils
From Rushdoony's Institutes of Biblical Law:
- The Authority of the Family
- The Promise of Life
- The Economics of the Family
- Education and the Family
- The Family and Delinquency
- The Principle of Authority
- The Family and Authority
- The Holy Family
- The Limitation of Man's Authority
- Overview
- Do I
Agree With God's Word?
- Have I
Violated This Commandment?
- Am I
Resolved to Obey it in the Future?
- How
This Commandment was Applied in Early American Law
From Rushdoony's Institutes of Biblical Law:
- "Thou Shalt Not Kill''
- The Death Penalty
- Origins of the State: Its Prophetic Office
- “To Make Alive”
- Hybridization and Law
- Abortion
- Responsibility and Law
- Restitution or Restoration
- Military Laws and Production
- Taxation
- Love and the Law
- Coercion
- Quarantine Laws
- Dietary Rules
- Christ and the Law
- Work
- Amalek
- Amalek and Violence
- Violence as Presumption
- Social Inheritance: Landmarks
- Overview
- Do I
Agree With God's Word?
- Have I
Violated This Commandment?
- Am I
Resolved to Obey it in the Future?
- How
This Commandment was Applied in Early American Law
Family Values:
From Rushdoony's Institutes of Biblical Law:
- Marriage
- Marriage
and Man
- Marriage
and Woman
- Nakedness
- Family Law
- Marriage and Monogamy
- Incest
- The Levirate
- Sex and Crime
- Sex and Religion
- Adultery
- Divorce
- The Family as Trustee
- Homosexuality
- Uncovering the Springs
- The Mediatorial Work of the Law
- The Transvestite
- Bestiality
- The Architecture of Life
- Faithfulness
- Overview
- Do I
Agree With God's Word?
- Have I
Violated This Commandment?
- Am I
Resolved to Obey it in the Future?
- How
This Commandment was Applied in Early American Law
From Rushdoony's Institutes of Biblical Law:
- Dominion
- Theft
- Restitution and Forgiveness
- Liability of the Bystander
- Money and Measure
- Usury
- Responsibility
- Stealing Freedom
- Landmarks and Land
- The Virgin Birth and Property
- Fraud
- Eminent Domain
- Labor Laws
- Robbing God
- Prison
- Lawful Wealth
- Restitution to God
- The Rights of Strangers, Widows, and Orphans
- Injustice as Robbery
- Theft and Law
- Appendix 3. "Stewardship, Investment, and Usury: Financing the
Kingdom of God" by Gary North
- Overview
- Do I
Agree With God's Word?
- Have
I Violated This Commandment?
- Am I
Resolved to Obey it in the Future?
- How
This Commandment was Applied in Early American Law
From Rushdoony's Institutes of Biblical Law:
- Tempting God
- Sanctification and the Law
- The False Prophet
- The Witness of the False Prophet
- Corroboration
- Perjury
- Jesus Christ as The Witness
- False Witness
- False Freedom
- The Lying Tongue
- Slander Within Marriage
- Slander
- Slander as Theft
- “Every Idle Word”
- Trials by Ordeal and the Law of Nature
- Judges
- The Responsibility of Judges and Rulers
- The Court
- The Procedure of the Court
- The Judgment of the Court
- Perfection
-
- Overview
- Do
I Agree With God's Word?
- Have
I Violated This Commandment?
- Am I
Resolved to Obey it in the Future?
- How
This Commandment was Applied in Early American Law
From Rushdoony's Institutes of Biblical Law:
- Covetousness
- The Law in Force
- Special Privilege
- Offenses Against Our Neighbor
- The System
|
• View
Thesis | Thesis 10: The Priority of
Agrarianism |
Gary North introduces Ron Paul's Curriculum with a video
about the Industrial Revolution entitled "How Did We Get So
Rich." It is an interesting debate. |
• View
Thesis | Thesis 11: Anarcho-Theocracy and the Mountain |
The Bible is not just a book about "religion,"
i.e. liturgies and rituals, nor is it solely a book about law ("thou
shalt," "thou shalt not"), even though every
verse in the Bible is law. The Bible is also one of the most amazing
pieces of literature in human history. It is a vast literary symphony,
with recurring symbolic themes or leitmotifs. The
"mountain" theme not only solves perplexing riddles of Bible
prophecy, but helps us read the Bible like a picture. |
• Patriarchy and "Government" |
The Bible describes The State as the invention of
demonic men. Men who are not loyal to God's Institution of the Family
tend to form States, or else become hippies and nomads. |
• Patriarchy and "Paternalism" |
All human beings are created in families. Patriarchy
is an inescapable concept. If the Christian pater does not train
his family in the Ways
of Peace, he will be oppressed by a “paternalistic” State.
The Family is the basic social unit of a prosperous society.
Obedience through the Family eliminates
tyranny, protects property. |
• View
Thesis | Thesis 12: The Fall Of The Angels |
In a very real sense, here is the origin of "The
State." |
• View
Thesis | Thesis 13: The Fall of Man |
The Calvinistic doctrine of "The
Depravity of Man" is the foundation of "checks and
balances," a "separation of powers," and "The Bill of
Rights." In one of the most famous passages of The Federalist,
No. 51, James Madison said, "If men were angels," we would not
need a government. But if men are depraved, we dare not entrust
them with a monopoly of violence. |
• View
Thesis | Thesis 14: The Purpose of Cain’s “Suspended
Sentence" |
|
• The
Patriarchal Power of Capital Punishment |
Capital
Punishment: The Biblical View Negates "the State." |
• The Mark of Cain |
|
• View
Thesis | Thesis 15: Cain’s City: The Autonomy of the State |
|
• Raising Cain |
|
• Why
Cain Was Not Executed for Murder |
|
• View
Thesis | Thesis 16: The Demonic Roots of Violent Tyranny |
The Bible says that violence, committed by archist-like
figures, was the reason for the global flood which Noah escaped. That
flood obviously has numerous implications in other fields, such as geology
and history, which students need to know. |
• "The Sons of God and the Daughters of
Men" |
|
• Elders
as Judges |
|
• View
Thesis | Thesis 17: The Post-Flood Absence of The Institutional Church |
|
• View
Thesis | Thesis 18: The Patriarchal Power Of “Capital Punishment.” |
|
• View
Thesis | Thesis 19: Nimrod: The First Politician (Post-Flood) |
|
• Nimrod:
The First Politician |
|
• View
Thesis | Thesis 20: Patriarchy vs. Political Slavery |
|
• Nimrod:
"Hunter of Men" |
|
• View
Thesis | Thesis 21: Demonic Activity At Babel |
The Tower of Babel has been an inspiration for the United Nations and
European Union, yet students in a Bible-free school might not know
anything about the Tower of Babel
Tyranny and tower-building receives a great boost from a Bible-free
curriculum.
The original architect of "The State" was Satan.
In the Bible, the archetypal origin of "Politics" and "The
State" is The Polis of Babel, usually referred to as the tower of
Babel. Yes, there was a "tower," but more important than the
tower was the political ideology that built it. The State was a Savior.
Genesis 11
4 “Come, let us build ourselves a city.”
5 But the Lord came down to see the city
8 So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the
earth, and they ceased building the city.
In the Septuagint, the Greek word for "city" in Genesis 11 is
"polis,"
from which we derive the English word "politics."
Augustine wrote about "The
City of God"
in contrast to "the city
of man." The Polis of Man is the
Society of Satan, as Rushdoony observed.
The Apostle Paul writes about the City of Man in Romans
13, calling it "the powers," a word which speaks of demonic
power everywhere the word is
found in the New Testament.
|
• View
Thesis | Thesis 22: The Division of The Nations |
|
• Babel and "The Religion of
Humanity" |
|
• The Dispersed Nations of "The Family
of Man" |
See also: Chapter
VII: THE UNITED NATIONS
by Rousas J. Rushdoony in The
Nature of the American System |
• View
Thesis | Thesis 23: Evangelism In The Old Covenant |
Hospitality
Evangelism and Social Order
Private Service Creates Public
Order |
• View
Thesis | Thesis 24: Patriarchy, “National Defense,” And Military
Socialism |
"National
Defense" is unBiblical. |
• View
Thesis | Thesis 25: Anarcho-Theocracy and “Sacraments”:
Circumcision |
|
• View
Thesis | Thesis 26: The Myth of The “Separation Of Church And State” |
They never were. They never can be. more |
• View
Thesis | Thesis 27: Patriarchy, Precious Metals, and Money |
The Bible teaches a commodity standard for honest money.
Most of our nation's economic problems would be solved if this issue were
dealt with. Secular Austrian economics can tell you that if you pursue
Monetary Policy A, you will experience economic effect X, or, if you
pursue Monetary Policy B, you will experience economic effect Y. But
secular Austrian economists cannot, and they are committed not to, tell
you which policy is immoral and will bring the judgment of God on your
nation. You need a Bible-based curriculum if students are to avoid the judgment
of God.
|
• View
Thesis | Thesis 28: Salvation is Political |
The Federal
Department of Salvation |
View
| D. ANARCHO-THEOCRACY UNDER MOSES
• Pharaohs and Pyramids |
|
• View
Thesis | Thesis 29: Patriarchy and Resistance to Tyranny in the Early
Days of the Old Testament |
|
• View
Thesis | Thesis 30: As With All Angelic Activity, No State Action Is
Coincidental or Random |
|
• View
Thesis | Thesis 31: Ceremony, Ritual, Liturgy, And The “Pedagogical
Law” |
|
• View
Thesis | Thesis 32: Patriarchy and “Sacraments”: Passover
|
|
• View
Thesis | Thesis 33: Patriarchs And “Elders” |
Many Christians today call their
church leaders "elders." But "elders" were
"civil" officials in the Old Testament, not
"ecclesiastical."
These "95 Theses" reject
the modern notion of "the Separation of Church and State."
Instead, they promote the abolition of Church and State.
Under Moses, a temporary institution of priesthood and temple was formed,
but it was intended to be abolished with the Advent of the Messiah. It
does not legitimately serve as a foundation for today's
"institutional church" or for the modern State. |
• Patriarchs
as "Elders" |
|
• View
Thesis | Thesis 34: The Need for a Pedagogical Legal Structure |
|
• View
Thesis | Thesis 35: Angels And The Pedagogical Legal Structure |
|
• View
Thesis | Thesis 36: The Promised Land |
One of the thorniest issues of foreign policy is the
nation of Israel. No homeschool student is equipped to deal
effectively with this issue without a knowledge of the Bible. The
promises made to Abraham were both fulfilled and conditional. This
obscure theological/Biblical debate is at the core of the support of
neo-conservative pro-Israel policy by a hundred million American
Christians. |
• View
Thesis | Thesis 37: The Temporary Character of The First “Church
Officers” |
|
• View
Thesis | Thesis 38: Anarcho-Theocracy and the Temple |
|
• View
Thesis | Thesis 39: Patriarchy and Education |
|
• View
Thesis | Thesis 40: Anarcho-Theocracy and Oaths |
The Oath of Office
In his famous "Farewell
Address," George Washington said:
Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political
prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain
would that man claim the tribute of patriotism who should labor to
subvert these great pillars of human happiness - these firmest props of
the duties of men and citizens. The mere politician, equally with the
pious man, ought to respect and to cherish them. A volume could not
trace all their connections with private and public felicity. Let it
simply be asked, Where is the security for
property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation
desert the oaths which are the instruments of investigation
in courts of justice? And let us with caution indulge the supposition
that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be
conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar
structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national
morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle
The Ron Paul Curriculum cannot afford to neglect "religion and
morality." This is why today's politicians cannot be trusted to
uphold constitutional government. The issues are theological.
|
View
| E. ANARCHO-THEOCRACY AND THE RISE OF THE STATE
View
| F. ANARCHO-THEOCRACY AND PROVIDENCE : THE STATE
• God
Sends EVIL ! |
This section of Theses proves that God "ordained"
the State, because God "ordains" all evil. The State is evil.
This is one of the most important issues facing the Human Race.
Annihilation of billions of human beings is the cost of getting it wrong.
See also: www.Romans13.com |
• Angels
and God's Throne of Government |
|
• Stars
and Idolatry |
|
• View
Thesis | Thesis 46: Romans 8:28 and The State |
Romans 8:28 says God works all things together for good.
Even evil
things. |
• View
Thesis | Thesis 47: God’s Sovereign Ordering of Every State |
|
• View
Thesis | Thesis 48: The State Serves God by Sinning |
|
• View
Thesis | Thesis 49: The State As Sanctified “Servant”/ “Deacon”/”Minister” |
|
• View
Thesis | Thesis 50: The State Does Not Serve God Self-Consciously |
|
• View
Thesis | Thesis 51: Only One King Self-Consciously Serves God |
|
• View
Thesis | Thesis 52: Judgment of the State in Heaven and Earth |
|
• View
Thesis | Thesis 53: Moloch-Worship and the Nature of Idols |
|
• View
Thesis | Thesis 54: War, Capital Punishment, and “The Sword” |
|
• View
Thesis | Thesis 55: The Throne of David |
|
• The Power of the Sword |
|
• "In the Name of the Law" |
|
View
| G. ANARCHO-THEOCRACY AND THE MESSIAH
• View
Thesis | Thesis 56: Statism At The Time Of Christ |
|
• View
Thesis | Thesis 57: Kingship, Citizenship, and The Gospel |
|
• View
Thesis | Thesis 58: The Civil Authority of The Pastor: Christ The
Shepherd |
Like Melchizedek, the priest-king of Jerusalem, Jesus The
Messiah is the integration of Church and State, Priest and King, and the
abolition of earthly priests and princes. |
• View
Thesis | Thesis 59: Jewish Opposition To The Kingdom |
|
• View
Thesis | Thesis 60: Christ’s Binding of Satan |
Why liberty is possible.
Why the State -- and the "Principalities
and Powers" behind it -- is now obsolete. |
• View
Thesis | Thesis 61: True Power vs. Political Power |
|
• View
Thesis | Thesis 62: Agrarianism As Environmentalism |
To question the Industrial Revolution is not to adopt the
errors of the "Green" or "environmentalist"
movement. |
• View
Thesis | Thesis 63: Christ’s Ascension to the Throne of David |
|
• View
Thesis | Thesis 64: The Camaraderie of “Church” And State |
|
• View
Thesis | Thesis 65: CNN and the Coming of the Kingdom |
|
• View
Thesis | Thesis 66: The Anointed King vs. Political Kings |
|
• View
Thesis | Thesis 67: Jesus The Nazarene |
|
• Why
the State Encourages Immorality |
|
• "Unlucky
13": Isaiah 13, Romans 13, Revelation 13 |
|
• A
Romans-Eye View of Romans 13 |
|
• "Principalities
and Powers" |
|
• Lakes
of Fire in "Smoke-filled Rooms" |
|
• Romans
13: The Burden is on the Archists |
|
• Taxation,
Representation, and the Myth of the State |
|
• Why
the State is not a "Divine Institution" |
|
View
| H. ANARCHO-THEOCRACY AND THE EARLY HOME-CHURCHES
View
| I. ANARCHO-THEOCRACY IN “THE MILLENNIUM”
• View
Thesis | Thesis 86: “The Millennium” |
|
• View
Thesis | Thesis 87: “Ruling with Christ” |
|
• Angels
and Autarchy |
|
• View
Thesis | Thesis 88: Salvation as Light and Social Healing |
|
• View
Thesis | Thesis 89: Edenic Restoration |
|
• View
Thesis | Thesis 90: The New Heavens and New Earth |
|
• View
Thesis | Thesis 91: The Unconverted In the “Millennium” |
This point is important as an explanation of why a Biblical
society can be held in place without the institution of "The
State." Social pressure provides real incentives without coercion. |
• View
Thesis | Thesis 92: The Last Acts of Earthly Archists |
|
• View
Thesis | Thesis 93: The
City of God |
|
• View
Thesis | Thesis 94: We are in Heaven Now |
|
• View
Thesis | Thesis 95: Perfection |
|
Despite the fact that "governments" have proven to be massively
more lethal than "criminals," we still hear the objection that without
"the State," criminals will "take over"
and "rule the world."
People think that any effort to abolish archists is
"disrespectful" of "authority." And it's true that some
people who are labeled "anarchists" have the attitude that
"nobody can tell me what to do." But from a Biblical perspective,
humanity will never abolish empires without a massive increase in
social morality. There must be a society-wide willingness to accept greater
levels of personal responsibility. It's not enough to not be an archist.
We must become servants.
Society must develop heightened sensitivity and moral aversion to theft,
kidnapping, vengeance, and murder before society will abolish the greatest
perpetrator of this violence ("the State"). The stereotypical lawless
and disorderly "anarchist" will never become a movement and succeed in
abolishing archists. He is a wanna-be archist.
He wants to impose his vision on society by violent revolution.
Many people think there are socially necessary services which can only be
provided by archists (the "public
sector"), and cannot be provided by public, profit-seeking businesses, and
public-benefit non-profit charities. In other words, some level of socialism
is needed in every society, because capitalism (the Free
Market) can't be depended on to provide these valuable services. One such
service is the adjudication of disputes. The Bible has a very different view:
What about "national defense?" If our nation abolishes the Defense
Department, the Chinese will invade the U.S. and "take over." But
Jesus says "national defense" is a sin. "What?!?" is the
response. "We're just supposed to allow the commies to enslave
us?"
Finally, the most common objection: "What about Romans 13?" We have
an entire website on Romans 13 -- www.Romans13.com
In a nutshell, Romans 13 talks about being subject to "the powers," a
word which means "demonic forces" every
single place where it occurs in the New Testament. Everyone in the world in
the days when Romans 13 was written believed that empires were guided by demons,
but patriots believed their state-demons were good, and their
enemy's were bad. Here is the table of contents:
Romans 13: A Table of Contents
We have devoted an entire
website to Romans 13 - www.Romans13.com. Here are some pages
from that website which dig deeper into the background and meaning of Romans 13.
They explore God's sovereignty over evil, the work of angelic beings in the
Providence of God, and the necessity of abolishing evil in the world, especially
the State. These are the lost themes of Romans 13.
We recommend reading them in the order below. The first three
pages are foundational. The first page helps us cultivate the heart of a servant
and Christian non-archist. The second page
is critical to understanding Romans 13, and the reader is urged to spend some
time perusing the rest of the pages on that site ("TOTAL
Predestination"), particularly the pages on "Baalism"
and "Radical
Calvinism."
- Pray for a
Servant's Understanding of Romans 13
- All Evil is Predestined by
God
Reading all these verses puts Romans 13 in a completely new context.
- Christian
"Anarchism" is Our Goal
For those who would like more detail, especially on the
cultural background of Romans 13, the following are useful. These essays were
written back in the early 1980's, and have not been revised since. We're
counting on the reader being delayed by those first three pages (above) long
enough for us to get the rest of these pages edited and revised. As you will
discover, there are very few original thoughts on this website. Nearly all our
ideas are plagiarized from other writers: Reformed, Dispensational, and even
secular. Our contribution is putting them all together for the first time.
- Angels and God's Throne of
Government
Providence - God Governs through Angels
- Stars and Idolatry
God Governs the Evil through demons
- Why the State Always Encourages
Immorality
Theft, murder, vengeance, fraud, sexual immorality
- Unlucky 13 -- Romans 13,
Revelation 13 and Isaiah 13
Isaiah 13 and Revelation 13 say the same thing as Romans 13
The State is evil, but God is sovereign over it.
- A Roman's-Eye View of Romans
13
• The State: The Religion of Man
• The Liturgical State
• The Supernatural State
• The Syncretism of the Universal State
• The Greco-Roman Background
• Views of Babylon, Egypt
• Main Currents in Greco-Roman Statism
• Power
(dunameiV, dynameis)
• Astrology
• Monotheism
- "Principalities and
Powers" - Part One: The Old Testament
• Judaism vs. the Bible
• The Spirit World of Judaism
• Deuteronomy 32:8
• Daniel 10
- "Principalities and Powers" - Part
Two: Powers in the New Testament
• German Liberals and Conservative Protestants
• Lords Many and Powers Many
• Exousiai is plural
- Lakes of Fire in
"Smoke-Filled Rooms"
• "Demons" (daimones, daimoneV)
• Pagan Demonology
• Christian Syncretism
- Romans 13: The Burden is on the
Archists
• Romans 13 is Not a Starting Point
• God's Law is Our Starting Point
• The State vs. the Family: Monopolization of Powers
• Why the Decline of Patriarchal Power?
• If the State is "Ordained," How Can it Be
Judged?
- Taxation, "Consent of
the Governed," and the Myth of the State
• The Myth of "Representative Government"
• Taxation and Biblical Law - Can the State tax too much?
• Taxation and "Representation" - Did Christians in Paul's day
enjoy representation?
• Consent of the Self-Governed
- Why the State is not a
"Divine Institution"
• Some Kind of "Christian Anarchism"?
• The State and the War of the Powers Against Supernatural Government
• The State after Nimrod
- Angels and
Autarchy
• Angelic Government Before the Cross
• Autarchy and Anarchy
• Angels Watching Over Me
• The Church's Witness to the Angels
|
You'll recognize one of those archists
above as Adolph Hitler.
Hitler did not kill six million Jews.
Name one Jew whom you can prove Hitler killed.
Six million Jews were killed by
six million Germans
who chose to wear a silly uniform, walk a silly goose-step, and follow
the orders of a beyond-silly, pathologically evil man.
These Germans were archists.
They were "ordinary people." Just like you. |
If you don't take immediate steps to become an anarchist,
then by default you'll be an archist.
Plus, you'll be unable to resist the temptations, the bribes, the pressure
and the threats by archists to become
an archist. You'll become an archist
just like those rows and rows of "good" Germans above. They are
just like you. You are just like them. "Sensible."
"Rational." "Practical."
The most important proof of our thesis is simply going through
the Bible and inductively putting together a theory of the State. Where did it
originate? What does God say about it? The preponderance of the Biblical
evidence is anti-State.
A Call
for a "Paradigm Shift"
- Ninety-Five Theses
Against the State
- This is where you can get a bird's-eye view of the Bible from Genesis to
Revelation. You'll see that God never commanded human beings to form
"the State."
Here is what a Christian Anarchist looks like
after he has
joined The
Christmas
Conspiracy.
Additional studies on Romans 13:
Patriarchy
and Providence
- THESIS
30: AS WITH ALL ANGELIC
ACTIVITY, NO STATE
ACTION IS COINCIDENTAL OR RANDOM
- THESIS
46: ROMANS 8:28 AND THE STATE
- THESIS
47: GOD'S SOVEREIGN ORDERING
OF EVERY STATE
- THESIS
49: THE STATE SERVES
GOD BY SINNING
- THESIS
49: THE STATE AS SANCTIFIED
“SERVANT” / “DEACON” /
“MINISTER”
- THESIS
50: THE STATE DOES
NOT SERVE GOD
SELF-CONSCIOUSLY
- THESIS
51: ONLY ONE KING
SELF-CONSCIOUSLY SERVES
GOD
- THESIS
52: JUDGMENT OF THE STATE IN HEAVEN
AND EARTH
- THESIS
53: MOLOCH-WORSHIP AND
THE NATURE OF IDOLS
- THESIS
54: WAR AND “THE SWORD”
Anarchism
and Submission to the Evil Empire
Vine
& Fig Tree: A World Without "The State"
Other important angles:
Archive: View an earlier version of this website: August
3, 2001
Please leave your Romans 13-related comments here.
(Vine & Fig Tree does not endorse any political candidates.)
The Biblical Doctrine of "Salvation"
The Fall of Man
Man's basic sin against God is the desire to "be as gods."
Genesis
3
4 And
the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
5 For
God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened,
and ye shall be as gods,
knowing good and evil.
An aspect of this rebellion is the desire to get something for nothing, or
something without working for it. (James Jordan has argued that Adam and Eve
would eventually have been allowed to eat of the Tree of Knowledge, but they
were required to work for it first and earn it.)
This is a major motivation for forming "the State" and conquering
other people. (The other one being vengeance.)
God is man's Governor. Man rejects God's Government by desiring to be his own
governor.
God punishes man for his rebellion by granting him his wishes. When man lusts
for political power, God gives it to him.
Then in His mercy, God saves the repentant sinner by delivering him from the
political disease.
If we obey God's commandments, we will not have war; God will not send
"the sword" against us.
I will argue below that peace is possible only in a state of "an-archy,"
that is, the absence of "archists."
This too is a "paradigm shift."
When we disobey God's Law, God
sends archists as a judgment/curse against us.
We see this repeatedly in the Scripture. Israel lusts after gentile archists
(false "gods," like Moloch, which means "king").
God delivers Israel into the hand of these false gods, these pagan archists,
and Israel cries out for deliverance, and God delivers them by sending a
deliverer, or "savior"
or "judge" who "saves" Israel from the pagan archists.
Here's how Nehemiah sums up Israel's history of
rebelling against God's Law and then being "saved" from the
consequences of their disobedience:
- Nehemiah
9:23-31
- 23 Thou
also multipliedst their children as the stars of heaven, and broughtest
them into the land, concerning which thou hadst promised to their fathers,
that they should go in to possess it.
- 24 So
the children went in and possessed the land, and thou subduedst before
them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and gavest them into
their hands, with their kings, and the people of the land, that they might
do with them as they would.
- 25 And
they took strong cities, and a fat land, and possessed houses full of all
goods, wells digged, vineyards, and oliveyards, and fruit trees in
abundance: so they did eat, and were filled, and became fat, and delighted
themselves in thy great goodness.
- 26 Nevertheless
they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast
thy law behind their backs, and slew thy prophets which testified
against them to turn them to thee, and they wrought great provocations.
- 27 Therefore
thou deliveredst them into the hand of their enemies, who vexed them: and
in the time of their trouble, when they cried unto thee, thou heardest
them from heaven; and according to thy manifold mercies thou gavest them saviours,
who saved them out of the hand of their enemies.
- 28 But
after they had rest, they did evil again before thee: therefore leftest
thou them in the land of their enemies, so that they had the dominion over
them: yet when they returned, and cried unto thee, thou heardest them from
heaven; and many times didst thou
deliver them according to thy mercies;
- 29 And
testifiedst against them, that
thou mightest bring them again unto thy law: yet they dealt
proudly, and hearkened not unto
thy commandments, but sinned
against thy judgments, (which if a man do, he shall live in them;)
and withdrew the shoulder, and hardened their neck, and would not hear.
- 30 Yet
many years didst thou forbear them, and testifiedst against them by thy
spirit in thy prophets: yet would they not give ear: therefore gavest thou
them into the hand of the people of the lands.
- 31 Nevertheless
for thy great mercies' sake thou didst not utterly consume them, nor
forsake them; for thou art a gracious and merciful God.
God sent Israel many "saviors." When Bible-believers think of a
"savior," they think of someone who will save Israel "out
of the hand of their enemies."
The angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph, and said:
- Matthew
1:18-23
- Joseph, thou son of
David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is
conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she will bring forth a
Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for
He will save His people from their sins.
A first-century Jew, steeped in the
Scriptures, would hear this as a promise to save "His people" from
the consequences of their sins, the curses imposed on them by God because
of their rebellion against His Law. John the Baptist's father "Zacharias
was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying"
- Luke
1:67-80
- 68 “Blessed
is the Lord God of Israel,
For He has visited and redeemed His people,
69 And
has raised up a horn of
salvation for us
In the house of His servant David,
71 That
we should be saved from our
enemies
And from the hand of all who hate us,
74 To
grant us that we,
Being delivered
from the hand of our enemies,
Might serve Him without fear,
75 In
holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life.
79 To
guide our feet into the way of peace.”
The Babe born in Bethlehem saved Christians in the first century from their enemies:
the Jews
who collaborated with Rome. Then the
Rock destroyed Rome, and has filled the earth with Christian
Civilization -- The
City of God. The growing and filling continues.
Consider this classic Christmas text:
- Luke 2:8-20
- 8 Now there
were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch
over their flock by night. 9 And
behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord
shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. 10 Then
the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good
tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 For
there is born to you this day in the city of David a
Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And
this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in
swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”
- 13 And
suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host
praising God and saying:
- 14
“Glory to God in the highest,
and on
earth peace among
those with whom he is pleased!”
What would a first-century Israelite think if an angel of the LORD
announced the coming of a "savior?"
They would doubtless think back to all the saviors in the
[Old Testament] Scriptures. Those saviors did not just promise a ticket to
heaven when everyone died. They promised to save Israel from the consequences of
her sins. Those consequences included "the Sword."
Freedom from the sword is one aspect of the holistic Biblical concept of Salvation,
and one of the benefits of a Biblical savior.
The savior brought the benefits ("blessings") of obedience upon a
people who had not been obedient, but who had repented
of their disobedience.
"Salvation" is holistic/cultural/economic, not just a ticket to
heaven when you die. We'll see this below in more detail.
In the Bible, "Savior" = "Deliverer" (Deliver from evil,
from enemies)
- evil/enemies were raised up by
God as "punishment" or incentive to repent
- evil/enemies are the consequence of unrepentant sin
- idolatry - false religion
- political alliances with pagans
- trusting in violence/archism
- Deliverance from evil = saved from sins (and the consequences of sin,
which are God's judgments)
Jesus was a Savior in
this Biblical tradition. He came to bring Salvation.
He came to
save His people from their enemies, so they could get on with the work of
building the New Jerusalem.
The name "Jesus"
comes from the Hebrew word Yhowshuwa',
which is derived from yasha',
which is the Hebrew word most frequently translated "salvation."
A Biblical "Savior" Brings Biblical
"Salvation"
The Hebrew word in the Bible
Read every one of these verses. If possible, read them in the paragraph in
which they are found. For each occurrence ask yourself, "Does salvation
in this verse mean going to heaven when I die, or does it mean being
free from archists?"
save 149, saviour 15, deliver 13,
help 12, preserved 5, salvation 3, avenging 2, at
all 1, avenged 1, defend 1, rescue 1, safe 1,
victory 1; 205
avenged
1 Samuel 25:31. |
avenging
1 Samuel 25:26, 33. |
defend
Judges 10:1. |
deliver
Judges 10:13, 14; 13:5. |
delivered
Judges 2:16, 18; 3:9, 31; 8:22; 10:12; 12:2,
3. |
deliverer
Judges 3:9, 15. |
help
2 Samuel 10:11, 19; 14:4. 2 Kings 6:26, 27,
27. 1 Chronicles 19:12, 19. 2 Chronicles
20:9. Psalms 12:1. |
helped
Exodus 2:17. Psalms 116:6. |
preserved
2 Samuel 8:6, 14. 1 Chronicles 18:6, 13. |
preservest
Psalms 36:6. |
rescue
Deuteronomy 28:31. |
safe
Psalms 119:117. |
salvation
Isaiah 59:16; 63:5. Zechariah 9:9. |
save not at
all
Jeremiah 11:12 |
|
save
Deuteronomy 20:4; 22:27; 28:29. Joshua 10:6;
22:22. Judges 6:14, 15, 31, 36, 37; 7:7. 1
Samuel 4:3; 7:8; 9:16; 10:27; 11:3; 14:6;
23:2. 2 Samuel 3:18; 22:28, 42. 2 Kings
16:7; 19:19, 34. 1 Chronicles 16:35. Job
22:29; 40:14. Psalms 3:7; 6:4; 7:1; 18:27,
41; 20:9; 22:21; 28:9; 31:2, 16; 37:40;
44:3, 6; 54:1; 55:16; 57:3; 59:2; 60:5;
69:1, 35; 71:2, 3; 72:4, 13; 76:9; 86:2, 16;
106:47; 108:6; 109:26, 31; 118:25; 119:94,
146; 138:7; 145:19. Proverbs 20:22. Isaiah
25:9; 33:22; 35:4; 37:20, 35; 38:20; 45:20;
46:7; 47:13, 15; 49:25; 59:1; 63:1. Jeremiah
2:27, 28; 11:12; 14:9; 15:20; 17:14; 30:10,
11; 31:7; 42:11; 46:27. Lamentations 4:17.
Ezekiel 34:22; 36:29; 37:23. Hosea 1:7, 7;
13:10; 14:3. Habakkuk 1:2. Zephaniah 3:17,
19. Zechariah 8:7, 13; 9:16; 10:6; 12:7. |
saved
Exodus 14:30. Numbers 10:9. Deuteronomy
33:29. Judges 7:2. 1 Samuel 10:19; 14:23;
23:5. 2 Samuel 22:4. 2 Kings 14:27. 1
Chronicles 11:14. 2 Chronicles 32:22.
Nehemiah 9:27. Psalms 18:3; 33:16; 34:6;
44:7; 80:3, 7, 19; 106:8, 10; 107:13.
Proverbs 28:18. Isaiah 30:15; 43:12; 45:17,
22; 63:9; 64:5. Jeremiah 4:14; 8:20; 17:14;
23:6; 30:7; 33:16. |
savest
2 Samuel 22:3. Job 26:2. Psalms 17:7. |
saveth
1 Samuel 14:39; 17:47. Job 5:15. Psalms
7:10; 20:6; 34:18; 107:19. |
saviour
2 Samuel 22:3. 2 Kings 13:5. Psalms 106:21.
Isaiah 19:20; 43:3, 11; 45:15, 21; 49:26;
60:16; 63:8. Jeremiah 14:8. Hosea 13:4. |
saviours
Nehemiah 9:27. Obadiah 1:21. |
victory
Psalms 98:1. |
|
- "Judges" as "Saviors":
- Nehemiah
9:27; Judges 2:18; 3:9-15; 1 Samuel 12:10,11; 2
Kings 13:5; 14:27; Obadiah 1:21
|
|
|
12 Key Scripture Texts
- #11: Over 300
"Salvation" Verses
OK, let's just take Luke 1:71
- 71 That
we should be
saved from our enemies
And from the hand of
all who hate us,
74 To
grant us that we,
Being delivered
from the hand of our enemies,
Might serve Him
without fear,
|
|
|
What is "Salvation" in the Bible?
Not "What is 'salvation' in the minds of most professing
Christians?"
What does the Bible say?
The Hebrew word most frequently translated "salvation" or
"save" is yasha'.
In various derivatives it can be translated "deliverance,"
"victory," "safety," "security," and "welfare."
(The Greek equivalent also carries the idea of "health.")
What does the government promise? We have a Department of Health, a Welfare
Department, a Department of Homeland Security -- all components of the
Biblical concept of "salvation." "The
Government" (a.k.a. "civil government") is always a substitute
for God. God is our Governor (Isaiah 33:22), and He
brings salvation.
The Hebrew word for "save" or "bring
salvation" is "yasha." Here is how a very mainstream,
non-anarchist scholar defines that Hebrew word:
Yasha
and its derivatives
are used 353
times. The root meaning . . . is “make
wide” or make sufficient: this root is in
contrast to sarar, “narrow,” which
means “be restricted” or “cause distress.”
To move from distress to safety requires
deliverance. [T]he majority of references to
salvation speak of Yahweh granting deliverance
from real enemies and out of real catastrophes.
That which is wide
connotes freedom from distress and the ability to
pursue one’s own objectives. Thus salvation is
not merely a momentary victory on the battlefield;
it is also the safety
and security necessary to maintain
life unafraid of numerous dangers.
Hartley, John E. (1999). 929
יָשַׁע ["yasha"],
in R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer, Jr. & B. K.
Waltke (Eds.), Theological
Wordbook of the Old Testament, vol. 1, pp.
414-15.
|
|
|
I admit that I say many controversial things. That definition is not one of
them. It is thoroughly Biblical. That's a very conservative, mainstream
reference work. Let's look at it in more detail.
An "agrarian"
might well argue that this level of consumerism
inevitably destroys marriages, fractures families,
increases the power of "the State," and
makes us all automatons. We'll have to postpone a
discussion of this question for another day. Certainly
we should not be intimidated by the
"mainstream" (government, academia, media,
corporations) into pursuing violent, centralized
"technocratic"
means to an end, rather than peaceful, decentralized
"agrarian"
means. |
|
|
Consider first the phrase "safety
and security necessary to maintain life." This is also the
"safety and security necessary to maintain a prosperous and humane society."
In order to go to WalMart and buy a shopping cart full of food and household
accessories, there has to be a global network of businesses who create and
transport millions of products by making billions of economic calculations and
transactions. Millions of human beings have to get to work on time, run the
trucks on schedule, choose to work instead of stealing and
robbing, and work the graveyard shift so that when you get to the store, all the
items you want are neatly arranged on the shelf in an order which makes it
possible for you to quickly find what you need and get on with life.
Who should we trust for "safety" and "security?" What
does the Bible say?
The Bible repeatedly says that if we obey God the Lawgiver by loving our
neighbor through productive service, God our Judge and King will
"bless" us with peace and prosperity. "Peace" means
"safety" and "security." These are all components of the
Biblical picture of holistic "salvation."
But there are those who want to supplant God the King by promising to give us
salvation if we will vote for them.
- "safety" is part of holistic Biblical
"salvation"
- "security" is part of "salvation"
As faith in God declines, votes for archists
grow. As archists grow, true salvation
declines. Government is bigger today than it was 50 years ago, and we are less
secure and more in debt -- precisely what God promised in Leviticus
26 and Deuteronomy 28 would happen to a nation that apostatizes (forgets God
and becomes "secular" [The
Paradox of Deuteronomy 8).
False gods Promise a False Salvation
When Israel rejected the government of God and lusted after Gentile archists,
God delivered Israel into the hands of her archist lover/idol. Then Israel cried
out for deliverance from these archists.
This deliverance is the doorway through which we can gain a larger understanding
of the Biblical doctrine of "salvation."
Most Christians think "salvation" means "going to heaven when
I die." They focus on a tiny fraction of the Bible, and ignore the vast
majority.
"Salvation" -- in the vast majority of Biblical texts -- means
"anarchism." "Salvation"
means a "libertarian" society. Some would call it an
"anarcho-capitalist" society.
The Libertarian Party
requires party members to affirm but one proposition:
I do not believe in or advocate
the initiation of force
as a means of achieving political or social goals.
People who will not make this pledge
are "archists." They believe they
have a right to impose their will on other people by force,
usually by "the sword" -- political or military power.
Being an "archist" is
un-Christian (Mark 10:42-45). We are not to spread
Christianity with the sword. We are not to vote for archists
who promise to bring salvation.
"Safety" and "security" are blessings
from God, not government. We
enjoy "safety" and "security" when our nation is Christian
and observes "the Laws
of Nature and of Nature's God," that is, the Bible.
Nobody enjoys "safety" and "security" when the government
becomes a tyranny which bans the
Bible and people behave like pagans.
- The Bible promises that as Christianity pervades a society, even pagans
will start acting
like Christians.
- Then we will all enjoy "salvation."
- Jesus is "the savior of all men, especially those
who believe." 1 Timothy 4:10 (see below)
Here are other key descriptions of Biblical "salvation," according
to our mainstream source above:
- being placed in a "wide" space
- having "sufficient" quantities of things needed (God's Covenant promises
more than you "need")
- opposite: having your options
"narrowed" \ Q.: Who does
these things?
- opposite: being
"restricted"
| A.: Archists
- opposite: experiencing
"distress"
/ "Blessing" = "salvation" = freedom from archists
- "the ability to pursue one’s own objectives" without someone
else telling you what to do and imposing their will on you by force
- living life unafraid of "dangers" [dangerous people, i.e., archists
who threaten your liberty and prosperity]
The Bible describes "salvation" as being placed onto a large piece
of property that supplies everything you need:
- Psalm 118:5
I called upon the LORD in distress: the LORD
answered me, and set me in a large place.
- 2 Samuel 22:20
He brought me forth also into a large place: He delivered me, because He
delighted in me.
- Genesis 26:22
He moved from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it;
so he called it Rehoboth, saying, “Now the LORD has
made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.”
- Hosea 4:16
For Israel slideth back as a backsliding heifer: can now the LORD
feed them as a lamb in a large place?
- Psalm 31:8
and hast not delivered me into the hand of the enemy; Thou hast set my feet
in a broad place.
- Psalm 18:19
He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me, because he
delighted in me.
- Psalm 66:12
Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and
through water: but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place.
- Psalm 69:35
For God will save Zion, and will build the cities of Judah: that they
may dwell there, and have it in possession.
In the Bible,
Godly men are shown to be concerned about living in a “large” land. Of
course, in a more agrarian society, “large” is better, as far as land goes.
But when God promises to save us by putting us into a “large land,” it’s
clear that more is included than going to heaven after living for decades in a
narrow land before we up and die. What is the modern equivalent of a “large
land?” It varies from person to person, but it includes some form of economic
prosperity and political Liberty. “Liberty” and “large” are Biblical
concepts we are not familiar enough with. Let’s review them and put them in
our brains, so that as we read the Bible we will be more aware of them.
- Genesis 34:21
“These men are at peace with us. Therefore let them dwell in the land and
trade in it. For indeed the land is large enough for them. Let us take their
daughters to us as wives, and let us give them our daughters.
- Exodus 3:8
So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to
bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing
with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the
Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites.
- Judges 18:10
When you go, you will come to a secure people and a large land. For God has
given it into your hands, a place where there is no lack of anything that is
on the earth.”
- 1 Chronicles 4:40
And they found rich, good pasture, and the land was broad, quiet, and
peaceful; for some Hamites formerly lived there.
- Nehemiah 7:4
Now the city was large and spacious, but the people in it were few, and the
houses were not rebuilt.
- Nehemiah 9:35
For they have not served You in their kingdom,
Or in the many good things that You gave
them,
Or in the large and rich land which You set
before them;
Nor did they turn from their wicked works.
One of the blessings promised to the obedient in the Bible is
"liberty."
- LEVITICUS XXV.X (25:10)
proclaim liberty throughout all the land to all its inhabitants.
- Psalm 119:45
And I will walk at liberty,
For I seek Your precepts.
- Isaiah 61:1
“The Spirit of the Lord GOD
is upon Me,
Because the LORD has
anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who
are bound;
- Jeremiah 34:8
This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD,
after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people who were at
Jerusalem to proclaim liberty to them:
Jeremiah 34:15-17
15 Then you recently turned and did what was right in My sight—every man
proclaiming liberty to his neighbor; and you made a covenant before Me in
the house which is called by My name. 16 Then you turned around and profaned
My name, and every one of you brought back his male and female slaves, whom
you had set at liberty, at their pleasure, and brought them back into
subjection, to be your male and female slaves.’
17 “Therefore thus says the LORD: ‘You have not
obeyed Me in proclaiming liberty, every one to his brother and every one to
his neighbor. Behold, I proclaim liberty to you,’ says the LORD—’to
the sword, to pestilence, and to famine! And I will deliver you to trouble
among all the kingdoms of the earth.
- 2 Corinthians 3:17
Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is
liberty.
- James 1:25
But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is
not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in
what he does.
- James 2:12
So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty.
"Liberty" means "freedom." But "freedom from
what?" In the pages of the Bible, the answer is almost always:
"freedom from archists."
One of the blessings promised in Leviticus
26 is "peace," or freedom from those who bear the sword.
Those who bear the sword are archists. They
are also called in the Bible "enemies."
Of course, "freedom from" is always for the purpose of
"freedom to" -- freedom to serve and obey the Lord.
The name "Jesus"
comes from the Hebrew word Yhowshuwa',
which is derived from yasha',
which is the Hebrew word most frequently translated "salvation."
"Jesus" means God will save. It was said of Jesus at His birth:
- Luke 1:71
- That we should be saved
from our enemies
and from the hand of all that hate us;
- 74 That He would grant unto us, that we
being delivered out of the
hand of our enemies might serve
Him [exercise dominion and build His Kingdom] without fear [living under
our "vine and fig tree"
"with no one to make them afraid" (Micah
4:1-7)]
This is what "salvation" means in the Bible.
The specific enemies Christians had in the first century were of the
Jewish establishment, but I believe Jesus the Messiah will save us from our
enemies today -- whoever they may be, whenever we live -- if we obey God's Law.
"But isn't the real meaning of salvation 'being forgiven of your sins
and going to heaven when you die?'"
Most church-goers ask this.
Forgiveness of sins = restoration to fellowship with God,
Forgiveness of sins = restoration to our
original Edenic Mandate to build the Kingdom of God.
Forgiveness of sins is a means to an end, not an end in itself.
Jesus: Savior but not Messiah?
The overwhelming majority of Christians today agree with Jews who say that
Jesus is not the Messiah. The vast majority of Christians believe that Jesus
will not reign as Messiah until there is a second Christmas -- a second Advent,
or "second coming of Christ" -- which is really the first coming
of the Christ, since at His first Advent Jesus came only as "savior,"
-- that is, someone who secures for us a ticket to heaven when we die -- and not
as "Christ" -- that is, someone who delivers us out of the hand of our
enemies, sets us in a wide open place, opens the bounties of heaven, and makes
our land like Eden, so we can enjoy a “Vine
& Fig Tree” society.
Many Christians in our day say that the Jews rejected Jesus as their Messiah,
therefore He could only offer to be their Savior. This is so
confused it's hard to know where to begin.
- Most Jews accepted Jesus as Messiah; only the corrupt upper-crust
establishment rejected Jesus (Acts
2:41, 47; 4:4; 5:14; 6:7; 12:24; 19:20; 21:20; Matthew 13:31-33; John
12:24,42; 3:2; 11:45; 19:38; Colossians 1:6).
- Jesus' claim to be a "savior" (i.e., to forgive sins [but
not to punish sins as a Messiah would]), was considered blasphemous
by the Jews who rejected Jesus as Messiah (Matthew
9:2-8; Mark 2:3-12, Luke 5:18-26)
- Just because someone does not want Jesus to reign over him as Messiah is
no impediment to Jesus (Luke
9:14,27). Jesus reigned as Messiah over the apostate Jews by directing
Titus to destroy those who rejected Jesus as Messiah with the Roman legions
in AD 70.
- There is no Biblical distinction between a "Messiah" and a
"Savior."
Most Christians today say Jesus came 2,000 years ago only as
"Savior," and only when He comes again (in our future) will He
reign as "Messiah." But if you look at how the
Scriptures use the words "save" and "savior," you
can easily see why no 1st-century Jew would have understood such a
distinction. It is not in the Bible. In the
Scriptures, "saviors" did the work of "messiahs." We
saw above how Nehemiah says God sent many "saviors" to Israel
after they became dissatisfied with their Gentile archist
lovers:
- Nehemiah 9:27
- Therefore Thou deliveredst
them into the hand of their enemies that vexed them: yet in the time
of their affliction, when they cried unto Thee, Thou heardest them
from the heaven, and through Thy great mercies thou gavest them saviors,
who saved
them out of the hand of their adversaries
(cp. Luke
1:71,74).
The idea that Jesus is only a "savior" but not the Messiah is
is not a Biblically tenable position. There is almost no hint in the Bible
that any "savior" would do nothing to "save" his people
in this life, but only in the next.
There is no Biblical support for the idea that the Messiah can only reign
over those who give Him their permission. The Old Testament prophets spoke of a
Messiah who would
- "break in pieces the oppressor" (Psalm 72:4)
- "shall judge among the nations,
He shall fill the places with dead bodies,
He shall execute the heads of many countries." (Psalm 110:6)
- with righteousness He shall judge the poor,
And decide with equity for the meek of the earth
He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth
And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked. (Isaiah 11:4)
- He shall judge between many peoples,
And rebuke strong nations afar off; (Micah 4:3)
- "Yes, all kings shall fall down before Him;
All nations shall serve Him." (Psalm 72:11)
- "I will beat down his foes before his face,
And plague those who hate him." (Psalm 89:23)
- The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at My right hand,
Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”
The Lord shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion.
Rule in the midst of Your enemies! (Psalm 110:1-2)
- There I will make the horn of David grow;
I will prepare a lamp for My Anointed.
His enemies I will clothe with shame,
But upon Himself His crown shall flourish.” (Psalm 132:17-18)
In fact, Jesus destroyed His enemies in A.D. 70, laying waste the city of
Jerusalem, while saving the
remnant who believed Him. The Jewish historian Josephus recorded the
horrifying judgment on unbelieving Jews in his writings on the
Jewish wars and destruction of Jerusalem, in which the Jews, under
relentless protracted siege by the Roman armies, resorted to cannibalism before
Jerusalem was completely destroyed (Deuteronomy
28:52-57). The Jews thought the Messiah would destroy the enemies of the
Jews -- the unclean pagan conquering Roman gentiles. It turned out that the
Messiah's enemies were the
Jews themselves.
Even if Jesus was never described as "Messiah," but only as a
"savior," the word "savior" in the
Scriptures is virtually synonymous with "messiah."
- The Biblical word for "savior"
is also translated "deliverer," and the "judges"
are called "deliverers" and "saviors" (example: Nehemiah
9:27).
- The prophet Obadiah (verse 21) said, "Then saviors shall come
to Mount Zion, To judge the mountains of Esau, And the kingdom shall
be the LORD’s."
- But the "judges" were also "rulers," who
"judged" (governed) Israel very much like "kings," and
the word "messiah" means "anointed," as in
"king."
- So there really is no Biblical difference between a "savior" and
a "messiah-king." A "savior" is also a
"governor." Jesus was made messiah and king at His first coming 21
centuries ago, not just "savior."
- More
details?
One of the first acts of Jesus' reign as Messiah was destroying Jerusalem.
And Jesus the Christ has been reigning as Messiah ever since.
Obviously, unbelieving Jews do not agree with that last sentence -- and with
the thousands of Jews in Acts 2 who did.
The vast, overwhelming majority of people who are found in a
church building on Easter Sunday agree with the unbelieving Jews.
Most church-goers do not believe that Jesus is
the Christ today.
- They believe Satan is in control; "Alive
and Well on Planet Earth" (according to a book that sold millions
of copies).
- Maybe they believe that Jesus has the "right" to be
the Christ
- Maybe they believe that Jesus offered to be the Messiah, but
the Jews rejected His offer, so He had to settle for offering
them a ticket to heaven when they die. (An offer they also reject,
because who wants to spend eternity hanging out with a deluded con-man
who falsely claimed to be the Messiah and rejected the Law and the
Prophets [held dear by the Jews]?)
He could only be the "Savior"
of the Jews, but not their "King."
- Most likely the Easter Sunday crowd believes that Jesus will someday
("soon") become the Messiah, when He comes again, a second
time. In the future.
- But they all agree that Jesus is not -- today
-- reigning as Messiah (exercising His rightful powers
at full level, high-octane, on "the throne of David," and bringing
all those verses above to fulfillment). The
Messianic reign is for tomorrow, not today.
- (Why do they call themselves CHRISTians instead of JESUSians? Why do
they celebrate CHRISTmas instead of JESUSmas?)
I would like to suggest that Jesus is in fact fulfilling those Messianic
Prophecies, and understanding why this is true can revolutionize your faith.
- Most Christians are pessimistic about the future. Up ahead: "The
Great Tribulation," "Armageddon," and "One World
Government" under "The Antichrist."
- Easter is actually a message of tremendous optimism about the future:
"Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end"
(Isaiah 9:7).
- Most Christians are pessimistic about the ability of human beings to
live in peace.
- Easter is the message that Jesus is "the Savior of all men,
especially those that believe" (1
Timothy 4:10). A "savior"
is one who brings "salvation,"
which (in the Bible) is the peaceful “Vine
& Fig Tree” society. When we work and pray for
peace (1 Timothy 2:1-2; Matthew 6:10; Micah 4:3), Jesus changes the hearts
of politicians and generals (Proverbs 21:1; Proverbs 16:7).
- Most Christians believe that Jesus must sit on a throne in Jerusalem in
order to bring about "millennial" conditions.
- Easter is the "good news" that Christ has been creating
"millennial" conditions for 2,000 years. Prophets like Isaiah,
Micah, and Jeremiah would be astounded at what the Messiah has
accomplished thus far. The crucified Jesus was made "Lord and Christ
[Messiah]" when He was raised up to the right hand of our heavenly
Father (Acts 2:36). Israel was sinfully mistaken when they said they
needed a king on an earthly throne like the gentile nations (1
Samuel 8).
How do you see the world?
"OK, but what about peace? Wasn't the Messiah supposed to bring about
"peace on earth" (Luke
2:14)?"
A Harvard Professor recently wrote a controversial article entitled "Why
is there Peace?" The controversy is not over his answer
("Why") but over his claim ("There is Peace").
We
are all victims of educational malpractice. We don't know history as we should.
We don't see the stunning contrast between human life before the Advent of the
Messiah, and human life today. The world before Jesus the Christ was a world of
savage violence caused by insane rebellion. Some historians suggest that a third
of all human beings died violent deaths, or had their lives shortened by the
effects of continued violence. Israel was a dim light in the darkness. You have
to be insane to be God's Chosen People and still go whoring after golden calves
and dumb idols, sacrificing your own children to the political saviors these
idols represent. Idols were the political equivalent of a red hat that says
"Make Assyria Great Again."
Today, in the Age of the Messiah, most people die peacefully. It is a
dramatic contrast. Isaiah and Jeremiah would see it immediately if they could
travel through time from their day to ours. We are not grateful for the
remarkable change that Jesus has wrought. Are you waiting for the Messiah to
come, so that He can rule from the Throne of David, so that you can live in a
world of amazing beauty and calming peace, with prosperity so unimaginable that
you fall to your knees every morning in gratitude to God? Are you unable to see
the evidence that Jesus is the Christ today?
12 Key Scripture Texts
#12: Habakkuk
2:14
For the earth will be filled With the knowledge
of the glory of the LORD,
As the waters cover the sea.
If they could travel through time to our day, the
Prophets and the Apostles would be astonished, and
would say that this prophecy has been gloriously
fulfilled in the existence of Christian
civilization. We are not un-sanctified to yearn
for more fulfillment.
Here is an excursus on Prof. Pinker's claim that human
life before Christ was more violent than it is
today.
And I'm always linking to the excursus on Christian
civilization. Only Christian civilization is
civilized.
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"Saviors" in the Old Testament served what we could call primarily
"messianic" functions." Biblically speaking, "savior"
is virtually a synonym for "messiah." And "Messiah" is
a political term, that is, a term that does not have primary
reference to us after death, but reference to our lives today, in their holistic
cultural, social, political, civil, economic, recreational, and legal
dimensions.
A "Messiah" brings political changes. A "savior" brings
"salvation." But the Biblical definition of "salvation" is
not just a short-term relief on the battlefield, but long-term liberty from archists.
See the definition of the Hebrew word for "salvation," yasha,
which we looked at above.
- A true "savior" is the Messiah
who brings Christian
civilization, that is, "salvation"
over the long haul, now over twenty centuries. See the
five books listed here: Christian
civilization. (That's an important link.)
Jay Wile writes (An
Interesting Observation from China | Proslogion):
Recently, I read an article by Dr.
Paul Copan entitled, “Jesus-Shaped Cultures.”1
In that article, he makes the case for how faithful Christians have
transformed the societies they have served. For example, he discusses the
Ethiopian famine that took place in 1984 and 1985. Brian Stewart, a CBC
journalist, noted that it was Christians who were on the front lines of the
famine, giving aid to the suffering. Their service was such a powerful witness
to him that it
started him on his journey to becoming a Christian himself.
While Copan’s article is interesting, it led me to a book that I thought
was even more interesting. It is entitled Jesus in Beijing: How
Christianity Is Transforming China And Changing the Global Balance of Power,
and it is written by David Aikman, who served as a journalist for Time
Magazine from 1971 to 1994. In his role as a Time
correspondent, he visited China several times and even lived in China for two
years as Time’s bureau chief. He returned to China in 2002 to
gather the information he needed to complete his book.
He begins the book in a dramatic way. It is worth quoting at length:2
The eighteen American tourists visiting China weren’t expecting much
from the evening’s lecture. They were already exhausted from a day of
touring in Beijing. But what the speaker had to say astonished them.
“One of the things we were asked to look into was what accounted for
the success, in fact, the pre-eminence of the West all over the world,” he
said. “We studied everything we could from the historical, political,
economic, and cultural perspective. At first, we thought it was because you
had more powerful guns than we had. Then we thought it was because you had
the best political system. Next, we focused on your economic system. But
in the past twenty years, we have realized that the heart of your culture is
your religion: Christianity. That is why the West has been so
powerful. The Christian moral foundation of social and cultural life was
what made possible the emergence of capitalism and then the successful
transition to democratic politics. We don’t have any doubt about this.”
This was not coming from some ultra-conservative think tank in Orange
County, California or from Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University in
Lynchburg, Virginia. This was a scholar from China’s premier academic
research institute, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) in Beijing
in 2002. (emphasis mine)
In his book, Aikman suggests that Christianity will transform China to the
point where it won’t even be communist anymore. He suggests that in the next
thirty years, nearly one-third of China could be Christian, making it one of
the largest Christian nations in the world and a strong ally of the U.S.
2. David Aikman, Jesus in Beijing: How Christianity Is Transforming
China And Changing the Global Balance of Power, pp. 5-6
See also: The
Iona Institute | Christianity the reason for West's success, say the Chinese
In asking whether Habakkuk's prophecy has been or is being fulfilled, and
whether the knowledge of God covers the earth as the waters cover the sea, don't
ask those who should admit that they know the Lord; ask the
Scriptures whether they ought to admit it. Sometimes they won't, but many
times they will. Truth is truth, whether we admit it or not.
Today, the Chinese are "streaming" to Zion (Micah 4:1-2). So
are people in Latin America, Africa, and even India, according to Philip
Jenkins. Humanity has been flowing to Zion for 2,000 years, but the rate may
be accelerating. This phenomenon is not
yet on the radar of archists. It will
dramatically increase when Christians become widely recognized as a
Dispute Resolution Forum. It will exsanguinate the State by doing so.
Jesus is the Savior of the World
John
4:42
Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not because of what you
said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed
the Christ, the Savior of the world.”
1
John 4:14
And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior
of the world.
John
1:29
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb
of God who takes away the sin of the world!
John
3:17
For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world through Him might be saved.
Isaiah
45:22
“Look to Me, and be saved,
All you ends of the earth!
For I am God, and there is no other.
1
Chronicles 16:23
Sing to the Lord, all the earth;
Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day.
Psalm
65:5
By awesome deeds in righteousness You will answer us, O God of our salvation,
You who are the confidence of all the ends of the earth, And of
the far-off seas;
Psalm
67:2
That Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among
all nations.
Psalm
98:3
He has remembered His mercy and His faithfulness to the house of Israel;
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
Isaiah
45:8
“Rain down, you heavens, from above, And let the skies pour down
righteousness; Let the earth open, let them bring forth salvation,
And let righteousness spring up together. I, the Lord,
have created it.
Isaiah
49:6
Indeed He says, ‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant
To raise up the tribes of Jacob, And to restore the preserved ones of Israel;
I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, That You should be My salvation
to the ends of the earth.’”
Isaiah
49:8
Thus says the Lord: “In an acceptable
time I have heard You, And in the day of salvation I have helped You; I
will preserve You and give You As a covenant to the people, To restore the earth,
To cause them to inherit the desolate heritages;
Isaiah
51:6
Lift up your eyes to the heavens, And look on the earth beneath.
For the heavens will vanish away like smoke, The earth will grow old
like a garment, And those who dwell in it will die in like manner; But My salvation
will be forever, And My righteousness will not be abolished.
Isaiah
52:10
The Lord has made bare His holy arm In the
eyes of all the nations; And all the ends of the earth shall see The salvation
of our God.
Acts
13:47
For so the Lord has commanded us: ‘I have set you as a light to the
Gentiles, That you should be for salvation to the ends of the earth.’”
2
Corinthians 5:19
that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to
Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the
word of reconciliation.
1
John 2:2
And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but
also for the whole world.
1
Timothy 4:10
For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the
living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.
1
Corinthians 15:45
And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam
was made a quickening spirit.
Romans
5
17 For if by one man's offence death reigned by one;
21 even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus
Christ our Lord.
John
6:33
33 For the bread of God is He which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life
unto the world.
When the Lord spoke to Isaiah and the prophets, that He would save
the whole world, was He announcing a doctrine of
"universalism," that every individual would go to heaven when he died?
Even universalists would say no -- provided they understand the prophetic
meaning of the concept of "salvation." That is, even if eternal
paradise after death has been granted universally to all individuals, that's not
what the prophets were talking about when they foretold the
"salvation" of the entire world.
In the Bible, especially in the Old Testament, "salvation"
means what economist Murray N. Rothbard described as "anarcho-capitalism"
-- a vibrant global network of commerce liberated from the "strife,"
"war," and coercive regulatory "domination" of the City of
Man. The economics of the New Jerusalem rather than the Old Babylon.
Contrary to amillennialists like Michael
Horton, Christians best "serve" the world by helping to
"save" it. For "serve" see here.
For "save" see here.
"Save the world" does not mean "preserve the world in a state of
rebellion against The
City of God." It means convert the whole world into the
City of God. "In earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew
6:10).
The Origin of "Civil Government"
The Bible is an infallible history of the human race and the origin of
"Civil government."
"The State" has its origin in rebellion against God and
conquest of other human beings.
Nowhere in His inscriptured Law does God command any society to form an
empire or a State or a "civil magistrate."
We must agree with James Benjamin Green who, in his
exposition of the chapter on the Civil Magistrate in the Westminster
Confession of Faith rightly observes (concerning Romans 13:1), "It is
not meant that God directly ordained the state by saying to man, Thou shalt set
up a government or organize a commonwealth."
Romans 13 doesn't mean that because it never happened. God never commanded
anyone to form "the State."
"The State" was invented by rebels against God. They did not want
God as their king. They believed they have some moral right to impose their own
will on others by force or threats of violence. drew the distinction between
"Economic Man" -- who produces goods and services for a living
-- and "Political Man" -- who confiscates the productivity of
"Economic Man" for a living.
The Bible is opposed to this, from cover to cover.
Sociologist
Franz Oppenheimer, in his book The
State: Its History and Development Viewed Sociologically, distinguishes
between "Economic Man" and "Political Man."
- "Economic Man" takes natural resources and
transforms them into something more useful to human beings, and under a
division of labor, trades most or all of what he produces for the fruit of
the labor of others. Both producers in such a voluntary trade are better off
than they were before the trade.
- "Political Man," on the other hand, uses force
to seize the wealth produced by "Economic Man." This was the
operating ideology of Imperial Rome. "Political Man" creates
"governments" to impose their own will on others by force
or threats of violence.
Here is an excerpt from Albert Jay
Nock and the Libertarian Tradition - Jeff Riggenbach - Mises Daily
One such question was, what is the nature of the state? Where did it
come from? If the state was in fact useless for the purpose of
improving human society what was it in fact good for? So he wrote a
book. It's called Our
Enemy, the State. It came out in 1935, after being delivered
as a series of lectures at Nock's newly renamed alma mater, Bard
College. Our Enemy, the State is a true libertarian classic,
one of those books you simply must read if you have any serious
interest at all in the libertarian idea.
The state, Nock wrote,
did not originate in the common understanding and agreement of
society; it originated in conquest and confiscation. Its intention,
far from contemplating "freedom and security,"
contemplated nothing of the kind. It contemplated primarily the
continuous economic exploitation of one class by another, and it
concerned itself with only so much freedom and security as was
consistent with this primary intention; and this was, in fact, very
little. Its primary function or exercise was … maintaining the
stratification of society into an owning and exploiting class, and a
propertyless dependent class. The order of interest that it
reflected was not social, but purely antisocial; and those who
administered it, judged by the common standard of ethics, or even
the common standard of law as applied to private persons, were
indistinguishable from a professional-criminal class. …
The positive testimony of history is that the State invariably
had its origin in conquest and confiscation. No primitive State
known to history originated in any other manner … no primitive
State could possibly have had any other origin. Moreover, the sole
invariable characteristic of the State is the economic exploitation
of one class by another.
Nock quotes the German sociologist Franz Oppenheimer, who described
the typical primitive state,
in respect of its origin, as an institution "forced on a
defeated group by a conquering group, with a view only to
systematizing the domination of the conquered by the conquerors, and
safeguarding itself against insurrection from within and attack from
without. This domination had no other final purpose than the
economic exploitation of the conquered group by the victorious
group."
Nock wrote,
Any considerable economic accumulation, or any considerable body
of natural resources, is an incentive to conquest. The primitive
technique was that of raiding the coveted possessions, appropriating
them entire, and either exterminating the possessors, or dispersing
them beyond convenient reach. Very early, however, it was seen to be
in general more profitable to reduce the possessors to dependence,
and use them as labour-motors. … [This] modified technique has
been in use almost from the beginning, and everywhere its first
appearance marks the origin of the State. …
The State, both in its genesis and by its primary intention, is
purely anti-social. It is not based on the idea of natural rights,
but on the idea that the individual has no rights except those that
the State may provisionally grant him. It has always made justice
costly and difficult of access, and has invariably held itself above
justice and common morality whenever it could advantage itself by so
doing.
In essence, then, "taking the State wherever found, striking
into its history at any point, one sees no way to differentiate the
activities of its founders, administrators and beneficiaries from
those of a professional-criminal class."
After all, Nock argued, there are two and only two means of making
a living in this world. There's the economic means — earning it. And
there's the political means — seizing it from someone else who has
earned it. The state, Nock said, is "the organization of the
political means."
Does this sound familiar somehow? Does it sound, perhaps, like the
rhetoric of Mr. Libertarian, Murray N. Rothbard? Nock had an immense
influence on Rothbard. He also had an immense influence, apparently,
on another major figure in the contemporary libertarian movement, Ayn
Rand. According to Anne C. Heller, whose biography of Rand, Ayn
Rand and the World She Made, was published about a year ago,
it was the theory Nock had adapted from Franz Oppenheimer that
inspired Rand to write The Fountainhead. |
Happy
Birthday Franz Oppenheimer
Franz
Oppenheimer was born on March 30, 1864 in Berlin; he died September 30 1943 in
Los Angeles. This is not the Oppenheimer associated with the Atomic Bomb. Our
Oppenheimer exposed the mythology of the "social contract" theory of
the State, by showing its roots in conquest and violence.
Oppenheimer started out as a physician. Then he studied economics and wrote
his PhD dissertation on David
Ricardo. After accepting a call to serve as Chair for Sociology and
Theoretical Political Economy at Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in
Frankfurt/Main (the first chair dedicated to Sociology in Germany) a
cooperative agricultural community of individual farms (called a "Moshav")
was founded by Jews using Oppenheimer's blueprint. Oppenheimer later taught in
Palestine. He fled Nazi persecution to Los Angeles, and became a founding
member of The American Journal of Economics and
Sociology.
Oppenheimer's book The
State looks
at the origins of this political entity:
"The State, completely in its genesis, essentially and almost
completely during the first stages of its existence, is a social
institution, forced by a victorious group of men on a defeated group, with
the sole purpose of regulating the dominion of the victorious group over the
vanquished, and securing itself against revolt from within and attacks from
abroad. Teleologically, this dominion had no other purpose than the economic
exploitation of the vanquished by the victors."
"No primitive state known to history originated in any other manner.
Wherever a reliable tradition reports otherwise, either it concerns the
amalgamation of two fully developed primitive states into one body of more
complete organisation, or else it is an adaptation to men of the fable of
the sheep which made a bear their king in order to be protected against the
wolf. But even in this latter case, the form and content of the State became
precisely the same as in those states where nothing intervened, and which
became immediately 'wolf states'." (p. 15)
Economic Man and Political Man
Oppenheimer made the compelling observation:
"There are two fundamentally opposed means whereby man, requiring
sustenance, is impelled to obtain the necessary means for satisfying his
desires. These are work and robbery, one's own labor and the forcible
appropriation of the labor of others. Robbery! Forcible appropriation! These
words convey to us ideas of crime and the penitentiary, since we are the
contemporaries of a developed civilization, specifically based on the
inviolability of property. And this tang is not lost when we are convinced
that land and sea robbery is the primitive relation of life, just as the
warrior's trade - which also for a long time is only organized mass robbery
- constitutes the most respected of occupations. Both because of this, and
also on account of the need of having, in the further development of this
study, terse, clear, sharply opposing terms for these very important
contrasts, I propose in the following discussion to call one's own labor and
the equivalent exchange of one's own labor for the labor of others, the “economic
means" for the satisfaction of needs, while the unrequited
appropriation of the labor of others will be called the "political
means." (pp. 24-25)
Albert Jay Nock introduced these concepts to American readers in his own book
Our
Enemy, the State.
h/t Wikipedia
The Demonic Origin of
"the State"
Start with the essay "Stars and
Idolatry" in the Romans 13 essays above.
Then see how the Bible consistently refers to the State as "evil."
More:
Table of
Contents
That's probably the nuttiest thing you've ever heard.
• No Bible-believing Christian you've ever met believes the Bible is an
"Anarchist Manifesto."
• Even anarchists don't think the Bible is an "Anarchist Manifesto."
If I can convince you that the Bible is an "Anarchist Manifesto," you
and I may well be the only two people on planet earth who believe that.
A few years ago, I never heard anyone suggest that the Bible endorses
anarchism. Do you know anyone else who claims that the #1 agenda item on the
"To Do" list of the Church (I mean, "The Body of Christ") is
to eradicate all "civil governments" from the face of the earth?
But if I had heard someone say that years ago, I would have laughed at that
insane proposition, or I would have thought that such a person was a person of
bad moral character, a dangerous person I should not listen to, a "wolf in
sheep's clothing." Even an "antichrist."
But today, I am the dangerous person my Pastor warned me about.
But I think my Pastor was wrong, and I am a better Christian, a more Biblical
Christian, for concluding that the Bible is an Anarchist Manifesto.
I think if I share my path with you, how I became a Bible-believing
anarchist, what changed my mind from believing that "governments" are
a good thing to believing that "governments" are the worst thing human
beings have ever invented, you might change your mind as well, and become a
Bible-believing anarchist.
But I totally get it. Right now you think "Bible" and
"Anarchist" are total opposites.
Most people have heard that the main idea of the Bible is "How to go to
heaven when you die."
Nobody has heard that the main idea of the Bible is that we should abolish all
"civil governments."
Most of the 30,000 verses in the Bible are not about going to heaven when you
die.
Most of the 30,000 verses in the Bible are about idolatry, and especially the
most dangerous idol: "The State."
I'm not saying that the Bible doesn't say anything at all about how to
go to heaven when you die. But if you earnestly desire the existence of a
"civil government," you won't be happy living for eternity in heaven
with the God who wrote the Bible. Because The Bible is an Anarchist Manifesto.
The God of the Bible does not want human beings to have "civil
governments." The Bible says having an earthly governor is a rejection of
God as Governor, and a form of idolatry. Are you sure that's
the god with whom you wish to spend eternity?
Most of the Bible is the history of the rise of "the State," and
prophecy of its decline and future eradication.
Vine & Fig Tree
Taney County, MO
65731-0179
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