Revelation 3:12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.
Hebrews 11:10 for he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
Hebrews 11:16 But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.
Hebrews 12:22-23 but ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, 23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
Isaiah 26:1 In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah; We have a strongcity; salvation willGodappointfor walls and bulwarks.
Revelation 21
2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
9 And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife. 10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, 11 having
the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; 12 and had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: 13 on the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates. 14 And
the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
15 And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. 16 And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are
equal. 17 And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel. 18 And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass. 19 And
the foundations of the wall of the citywere garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; 20 the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst. 21 And the twelve gates were
twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the citywas pure gold, as it were transparent glass.
22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. 23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. 24 And
the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. 25 And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there. 26 And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it. 27 And
there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
The word "politics" comes from the Greek word polis, meaning "city" (or, we might say, "city-state").
Augustine argued that there are only two political systems: The City of God (or the Polis of God) and the City of Man (or as Rushdoony called it, "The Society of Satan").
(Actually, Augustine wrote in Latin. Augustine's book is called De Civitate Dei, "On the City of God" (Civitas Dei). The first words of the City of God are ‘gloriosissimam civitatem Dei,’ ‘the glorious city of God.’ The word "civic" is defined as "of or relating to a city," and comes from the Latin, civis, "citizen." Our English translation of Philippians 3:20, "Our citizenship is in heaven," uses an English word derived from the Latin to translate the Greek word "politeuma," from the Greek word politeuomai, which means “be a good citizen,” or “live worthy of being a citizen.” The Greek word for "citizen" is polites, obviously from polis.)
1 Peter 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;
Because the Bible proclaims a rival Polis, it is deemed "anarchist" by the City of Man, and the Bible is seen as a subversive Anarchist Manifesto. The Bible is ultimately banned by every earthly Polis, as it has been banned by communist dictatorships -- and even by the United States in public schools since the early 1960's.
A Christian society does not mean a society ruled by "the church." The "pulpit" is the invention of the City of Man. The pulpit-centered "institutional church" or "local church" of Protestantism is an outpost of the City of Man, as is the altar-centered ritualism of the Roman Catholic Mass.
The City of God begins in homes, where education, business, and charity all begin. This is known as "The Private Sector." This is where The City of God is built. "The Public Sector" is where false gods build the City of Man.
The Family [patria] is God's first and central institution for human beings. Families support each other in building the City of God through a Freed Market [agora]. It may not be a catchy, marketable phrase, but perhaps we should speak of The City of God as "PATRIAGORA."
What indeed has Athens to do with Jerusalem? What concord is there between the Academy and the Church?... Our instructions come from “the porch of Solomon”.... Away with all attempts to produce a mottled Christianity of Stoic, Platonic, and dialectic composition! We want no curious disputation after possessing Christ Jesus...! Tertullian, Prescription against Heretics (VII).
There is a chilling contrast between "Jerusalem" (the Kingdom of God, the Bible) and "Athens" (the reign of man the would-be god).
Let's look first at "Jerusalem" through the eyes of the prophet Micah (chapter 4):
That He may teach us about His ways And that we may walk in His paths." For from Zion will go forth the Law Even the Word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
And He will judge between many peoples And rebuke mighty, distant nations. Then they will hammer their swords into plowshares And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation will not lift up sword against nation And never again will they train for war.
Here are ten "core values" of "Jerusalem" as seen in Micah's prophecy: We can contrast those values with the values of "Athens" in the modern university
Jerusalem
Revelation: God has spoken to us in the Bible.
Government: Jesus is our King. He began reigning as the Messiah ("Christ") in the past.
Optimillennialism: Jesus is extending His reign over the entire planet, to encompass all nations.
Law: Blackstone said "the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God" are to be found only in the Bible.
Redemption: Jesus is the Lamb of God, who takes away the law-breaking of the world.
Peace: Christ governs through His People, who obey Him as the Prince of Peace, and love their enemies.
Family: God created human beings male and female, and marriage unites them to each other and to their children.
Garden: God created human beings in the Garden of Eden, and paradise is being restored.
Character: Christians obey God when nobody is watching, and when everybody is scorning.
Community: The Kingdom of God is characterized by hospitality.
Athens
Gary North (Ph.D., History, University of California) writes: "You want to know more about the worldview of classical Greece. What did they believe in? What were the foundations of classical Greek civilization? I offer you this list."
Pederasty
Demonism
Warfare
Slavery
Autonomy ("Man is the Measure")
Welfare State
Human Sacrifice
Cyclical View of Time
Female Inferiority
Let's compare these core values in more detail. Jerusalem is on the left, Athens on the right, usually quoting Dr. North.
Jerusalem
Athens
Athens mocks Jerusalem, just as Marx coined the word "capitalism" and Queen Elizabeth mocked Calvin's metric Psalms as "Geneva Jigs." Our belief in the Bible as the Word of God is called
1. Bibliolatry
Micah 1:1 The Word of the Lord that came to Micah of Moresheth in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.
Micah 4:4 For the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken.
Micah 4:6 “In that day,” says the Lord,
We believe the Bible is the Word of God. Some people call this "Bibliolotry." Fine. Whatever.
The Bible is the most important book in the history of the human race. It is the blueprint for "civilization."
It is a textbook for every subject of human thought and action.
It is a Manifesto of Love, standing in opposition to the "military-industrial complex" of the Athenian State and University.
The Bible was breathed out by God through human penmen. The very existence of the Bible is a threat to Autonomous Man.
The issue is Authority. Who is in charge? Who decides what is right and what is wrong? See "Theonomy" below.
Autonomy. Greek philosophy was based on the ideal of man's mind as completely sovereign -- no personal God allowed. Well, not quite. Socrates claimed he was given guidance in his thinking by a demon (daimon). But rationalistic scholars, beginning with Plato, have always downplayed this. They have sometimes said this was just hyperbolic literary language. Socrates could not really have believed in a demon. After all, they don't.
"There is no alternative but that of theonomy and autonomy."
Cornelius Van Til
The issue . . . is between theonomy (God's Law) and autonomy (self law). Modern autonomous man is aided and abetted in his apostasy from God by the antinomianism of the church, which, by denying God's law, has, in theology, politics, education, industry, and all things else, surrendered the field to the law of the fallen and godless self, to autonomy.
R.J. Rushdoony
Demonism. The Greeks were polytheistic. Greek family life rested on a system of sacrifice to demons that masqueraded as the spirits of dead male relatives. So did clan life, which became political life. These demons also presented themselves as underground gods and spirits, who demanded sacrifices and special rituals to keep from destroying people. On this point, see the works of the early 20th century archaeologist-historian, Jane Ellen Harrison. This never gets into the textbooks, although specialists are well aware of it.
The Greeks used the term barbarian for all non-Greek-speaking peoples, including the Egyptians, Persians,
Medes and Phoenicians, emphasizing their otherness. According to Greek writers, this was because the language they spoke sounded to Greeks like gibberish represented by the sounds "bar..bar..;" the alleged root of the word βάρβαρος,
which is an echomimetic or onomatopoeic word. The Ancient Greek name βάρβαρος (barbaros), "barbarian", was an antonym
for πολίτης (politēs), "citizen" (from πόλις – polis, "city-state"). Barbarian - Wikipedia
Only Christianity has abolished slavery. Our modern concept of "liberty" was completely unknown in Athens. All "nations" (Gk: ethnè) are created in the Image of God, and that Image, distorted by the Fall, is being restored in every nation.
That He may teach us about His ways And that we may walk in His paths." For from Zion will go forth the Law Even the Word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
Jesus alone is the Christ, the Lord, the King, the Lawgiver, the Judge | "His path, the Law-Word"
We are to bring every area of life under His jurisdiction, under His Law.
Isaiah 33:22 For the LORD is our Judge, The LORD is our Lawgiver, The LORD is our King; He will save us
"Theonomy" ("God's Law") is a forbidden subject in every Bible College in America.
Micah says the citizens of Jerusalem, the "City of God," will "walk in His paths." In Athens, the City of Man, everyone walks in his own path. Every man is his own god. This was the Satanic Temptation in the Garden: "Ye shall be as gods," determining good and evil for yourselves. The "City of Man" is actually "the Society of Satan."
The Autonomous, Secular University -- purged of God's Law-Word -- is a Satanic University. More
Autonomy. Greek philosophy was based on the ideal of man's mind as completely sovereign -- no personal God allowed. Well, not quite. Socrates claimed he was given guidance in his thinking by a demon (daimon). But rationalistic scholars, beginning with Plato, have always downplayed this. They have sometimes said this was just hyperbolic literary language. Socrates could not really have believed in a demon. After all, they don't.
Natural law theory was born in a time of breakdown: the breakdown of faith in the Greek city-state. Alexander and then Rome had conquered them all. Stoic philosophers sought a theory to substitute for the local religious rites-based theory of the city-state.
The substitute was a theory of universal mankind, an idea foreign to classical Greek politics. This universal humanity possesses a common reason, they argued. Common reason allows men to come to agreement about ethics and law. Natural law theory was an attempt by philosophers to provide legitimacy for a world empire.
From the "city-state" to the "world-state." However,
Natural law theory died as a widely believed social philosophy when Darwin's theory of evolution through unguided natural selection destroyed intellectuals' faith in an ethically normative nature.
Unfortunately, the idea of the "world state" did not die with "natural law theory." While we no longer have the idea of the "barbarian" who lives outside the city-state, we are still plagued with "natural law" thinking among too many Christians, and the quest for a "world-state" among too many secularists.
That He may teach us about His ways And that we may walk in His paths." For from Zion will go forth the Law Even the Word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
Part of God's path in Old Covenant Jerusalem was a system of blood sacrifices, including what Athens calls "capital punishment."
Jesus is the Lamb of God, the final scapegoat. If you reject Christ's atonement, you punish yourself (masochism) or others (sadism) in a futile attempt to gain atonement.
Human Sacrifice. This was a basic theme in Greek literature. It was part of Athenian religious liturgy. There was no widespread movement to decry the earlier practice. The great expert here was Lord Acton ["Power corrupts"], who wrote a long-ignored essay, "Human Sacrifice," in 1864. It is online here. It is included in Volume 3 of Selected Writings of Lord Acton, published by the Liberty Fund. From the day he published it in order to refute the great historian Macaulay,
historians have refused to incorporate it in their narratives. It is way too embarrassing.
Jerusalem
Athens
6. Pacifism
And He will judge between many peoples And rebuke mighty, distant nations. Then they will hammer their swords into plowshares And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation will not lift up sword against nation And never again will they train for war.
Peace through Peace, not through "Strength." | "Swords into Plowshares"
Jesus is our Savior, not the Pentagon
Vengeance belongs to God
No Bible College in America will admit that Jesus commands us to be pacifists, we should not "support the troops," and we should abolish "the Department of Defense."
Jesus is "The Prince of Peace." Jerusalem beats "swords into plowshares."
Warfare. At the center of the literature of classical Greece was Homer's poem, The Iliad. It is the story of how Achilles' resentment against King Agamemnon raged because the king took his kidnapped concubine for himself. All the other men had concubines for the ten years they were at war. But no children are mentioned by Homer. Now that's real Greek mythology! Their wives stayed home and kept the ritual home fires burning -- to placate the family's departed male
spirits. Athens destroyed itself in Pericles' needless imperial war against Sparta. Then the Macedonians conquered war-ravaged Greece. But the textbooks praise Pericles as a pillar of wisdom, reprinting Thucydides' posthumous version of Pericles' suicidal imperial oration.
The monogamous heterosexual family is the root of civilization. "Patriarchy" is a hated word. It doesn't mean what you think it means.
Christian morality begins at home.
Vine & Fig Tree is a decentralized family-centered society
God created us male and female.
Women were the first to believe in Christ's resurrection, and the authors of the Gospel did not shrink from reporting that fact in a misogynistic culture.
The monogamous heterosexual family is the foundation of civilization. Adultery and homosexuality destroy civilization. Monogamous Civilizations
Homosexuals, transgenders, cross-dressers, and others who violate Biblical commands are invited to enroll in Vine & Fig Tree University -- an offer no Bible College in America will make. (And possibly an offer no "gay activist" will accept.)
The Family vs. The Polis
Jesus is our Priest and King
All Christians are priests and kings
No humans are priests or kings.
Imagine a society made up entirely of loving families and no clergy and no politicians (philosopher-kings).
Pederasty. This is the homosexual union of an older married man with a teenage boy. The men often met the boys on their way to the gymnasium, the building in which the boys danced and played sports naked. The men then became the boys' lovers and teachers.
Female Inferiority. Wives were only for procreation. They could not be citizens. They had no legal rights. A man needed a male heir to perform the ritual sacrifices to feed him after he died. Women had no political influence except as prophetesses and mistresses.
Jerusalem
Athens
8. Agrarianism
Vine and under hisfig tree, With no one to make them afraid. For the LORD of hosts has spoken.
"Salvation" in the Bible means the restoration of the conditions of the Garden of Eden (Genesis 1-2)
But Man's goal and purpose is to bring the Garden to maturity as "the City of God." (Revelation 21-22)
Is "Industrialism" possible without the sword (police and military) of "the State?"
Will we have "agrarianism" or "technocracy?"
Who gets to decide?
Dr. North has no direct antithesis in "Athens" to the "Vine & Fig Tree" vision of "Jerusalem." St. Augustine contrasted "The City of God" and the City of Man. Autonomous Man separates the Garden and the City, corrupting both.
The Greek word for "city" is polis, from which we derive the English word "political."
The ability to stand against the crowd, in faith, in obedience to God.
The commandments of God, lived out in practice. Examples
What if all the politicians, university professors, TV commentators, bloggers, newspaper editors, rock stars, scientists, CEO's, athletes, authors, and think-tanks repudiate theVine & Fig Treevision and tell you not to believe it?
Grow up. Be strong. Resist the mainstream.
Service is better than domination or celebrity status.
Love isn't just a feeling, it's a life-long commitment to Christian Civilization.
Deuteronomy 5:1 And Moses called all Israel, and said to them: “Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your hearing today, that you maylearnthem and be careful to observe them.
Proverbs 9:9 Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; Teach a just man, and he will increase inlearning.
Isaiah 1:17Learnto do good; Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless, Plead for the widow.
Micah 4:3 He shall judge between many peoples, And rebuke strong nations afar off; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall theylearnwar anymore.
We support the Bible, not Aristotle. Since Aristotle was created in the Image of God, and showed the work of God's Law written on his heart (Romans 2:15), there are some elements of Aristotle's ethics and ideal character which seem to parallel God's standard of moral excellence. But we should go to the Source, the True Authority, which is found in Jerusalem, not Athens.
"Classical" schools contend that Americans today lack even the Greek ideal of moral excellence. True enough. But if we pursue Athens rather than Jerusalem, we will eventually end up with
Pederasty
Demonism
Warfare
Slavery
Autonomy ("Man is the Measure")
Welfare State
Human Sacrifice
Cyclical View of Time
Female Inferiority
We must go to Jerusalem, not Athens. True character and moral excellence ("Arete") means resisting the city of man and pursuing the City of God.
Third step: production. Selling something other people buy voluntarily. A Godly calling.
The world's poor are best served by a division of labor under a Free Market, directed by an "Invisible Hand" who "assembles," "gathers," and "makes strong."
Community is impossible in a society where every man thinks he is his own god. As the existentialist philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre put it, "If I am god, my neighbor is the devil."
Philippians 3:18-20 18 For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: 19 whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things. 20 For our citizenship is in heaven
For those whose god is their belly and their own material advancement, cut-throat competition replaces community. The weak will be trampled on in the quest to climb the ladder of material success.
The monogamous family is where adults live out (and children learn about) commitment. This is the foundation for community. The welfare state destroys true religion and community. Instead of community, the welfare state hands out an impersonal welfare check from an anonymous bureaucrat. The homeless need homes, not bureaucracies.
James 1:27 Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.
Jerusalem
Athens
Civilization is not "Western," it is Christian.
You would not want to live in ancient Greece or Rome. See also this and this. You would say they were "uncivilized." Bishop Augustine was saddened by the fall of Rome, but Salvian the Presbyter understood that real civilization is based on Christian morality: Salvian rejoiced at the fall of the Roman Empire.
What is "Christendom?"
This section will be radically expanded soon. For now, see the article in Wikipedia, which defines "Christendom" as "countries in which Christianity dominates or prevails." I will define "Christendom" as "Christian Reconstruction in every area of life." Going further, I will define "Christendom" as "Civilization." Some call this "Western Civilization." I've heard some Christian commentators, like Eric Metaxas, describe "western civilization" as the combination of "Jerusalem and Athens." But "Christendom," or "Christian Reconstruction," should be defined as "Jerusalem WITHOUT Athens," as Tertullian said.
It has been said that the average human uses less than 10% of the awesome power of the human brain.
"Christendom" has used only a small fraction of the civilizing power of the Bible. Too often, Christians have resorted to the strategies of Athens and the Roman Empire to build "civilization."
True civilization, which is Christian Civilization, is founded on the Bible, and the three most hated words in secular/classical/enlightenment/humanistic political philosophy:
Pacifism
Anarchism
Theocracy
If you were educated in secular schools, you are a victim of educational malpractice, and have been brainwashed into believing that those three concepts undermine "democracy" and "civilization."
What is "Pacifism?"
The word "pacifism" comes from the Latin word for "peace." It does not come from the word "passive." Our definition of "pacifism" is active civilization-building dominion conducted in accordance with the ethical prescriptions of the executed Christ. It is these prescriptions that modern secular man finds so offensive.
Thou shalt not kill (Mark 10:19, quoting Exodus 20:13)
Jesus goes further, and says that if anyone does these things to you, you must
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 these fail to bring repentance, restitution, and reconciliation,
Leave vengeance to God (Romans 12:19-21)
To say that you must leave vengeance to God means you must not hire a Mafia hit-man to take vengeance on your enemy. To do so would be "unChristian" and therefore "uncivilized."
To say that you must leave vengeance to God means you must not VOTE for a Mafia hit-man to take vengeance on your enemy. To do so would be "unChristian" and therefore "uncivilized."
The Bible says that throughout history, God has raised up contract killers and vile, reprobate, pathologically violent nations to take vengeance on sinners. See Isaiah 10 for the prophecy of God using Assyria to punish Israel. Although Israel deserved punishment, it was morally wrong for Assyria to do so. Therefore God destroyed Assyria, as Isaiah went on to prophesy.
You and I must leave vengeance to God.
Autonomous Man will not do this. Autonomous Man takes vengeance autonomously, sometimes using verses of Scripture to justify his own vengeance.
It is wrong to hire vengeance-takers.
It is wrong to vote for vengeance-takers.
"Vengeance is Mine" saith the Lord. "I will repay." (Romans 12:19, quoting:Deuteronomy 32:35; cf. Psalm 94:1; 1 Thessalonians 4:6; Hebrews 10:30).
This completely rules out "politics" as secular man defines it.
Too many Christians have sought to ground the creation of an institution of human vengeance on commands given to the priesthood of Israel. See more on this.
Pacifism -- forgiveness and leaving vengeance to God -- leads logically to "anarchism."
The word "anarchist" is derived from two Greek words meaning "not an archist."
An "archist" is a vengeance-taker. An "archist" believes he has the right to impose his own will on others by force or threats of violence.
Every professor of political science in every university on planet earth agrees that the essential nature of "the State" is a monopoly of violence. See here.
An "archist" is the opposite of a "pacifist."
Modern secular political philosophy opposes pacifism and anarchism for the same reason. Taking Jesus literally means the end of "civilization" as they know it.
Liberty was a 19th-century anarchist periodical published in the United States by Benjamin Tucker from August 1881 to April 1908. Included in its masthead is a quote from Pierre-Joseph Proudhon saying that liberty is "Not the Daughter But the Mother of Order."
Most people think that liberty and prosperity are the products of imposed order -- order imposed by "the State."
"The State" says "We have a moral right to take vengeance on the bad guys and take money by force [extortion] from the good guys." This is false. The Bible says vengeance belongs to God, not to any earthly creature. Extortion is a sin. When "the State" attempts to impose order on a society, it engages in sin. Even if the State has some noble motivation, and even if the bad guys are genuinely bad, the State sins, and legitimizes sin, and when sin is legitimized, Christendom is undermined.
Relentless, systematic institutionalized vengeance is uncivilized.
"The State" is the enemy of True Christendom. For Wikipedia, above, "the State" is essential to "Christendom." This is because Wikipedia is the vassal of Athens, rather than Jerusalem.
Civilization is the byproduct of obedience to the Commandments of God, and especially those pacifist-sounding Commandments of Christ which "the State" and "the institutional church" relegate to the "personal" and "private" sector, freeing up "the State" to use violence and aggression to pursue State objectives.
Jesus is "the Prince of Peace." Prior to His Incarnation, the world was uncivilized. The Reign of King Jesus is fulfilling "Messianic Prophecies" from the Old Testament which emphasize "peace on earth." True Pacifists are anarchists. Christian pacifists create true Christendom.
What is "Anarchism?"
The idea of imposing Biblical commandments on the State is anathema to secular humanistic autonomous political philosophy.
They will say Christians are attempting to "impose a Theocracy" on "our" democracy.
The word "Theocracy" is derived from two Greek words meaning "God governs."
A pure Theocracy is not a government by clergymen. That would be an "ecclesiocracy," from the Greek ekklesia, which is usually translated "church" in the New Testament.
God rules/governs when people are obeying His commandments.
True Christian Civilization is a society that obeys God's commandments.
Civilization is Christian Theocracy, or "Christocracy."
Benjamin Rush signed the Declaration of Independence (1776) and served in the Presidential administrations of John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison -- each of whom came from a different political party. And of what party was Rush? He answered:
I have been alternately called an aristocrat and a democrat. I am now neither. I am a Christocrat. I believe all power. . . will always fail of producing order and happiness in the hands of man. He alone Who created and redeemed man is qualified to govern him.
"Civilization" is the result of being governed by the Prince of Peace. All those who trace their genealogy to Athens despise Christian civilization. Their civilization puts them in power over a society characterized by
Pederasty
Demonism
Warfare
Slavery
Autonomy ("Man is the Measure")
Welfare State
Human Sacrifice
Cyclical View of Time
Female Inferiority
All those who trace their genealogy to Jerusalem are champions of Christian civilization, and are at war with Athens. The symbol of the Athenian State is "the sword." Christians battle against the sword with the Word of God:
Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
2 Corinthians 10:3-5 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,
The English word "civilization" comes from the same Latin root as "city." Augustine wrote a book "On the City of God" (De Civitate Dei).
• "The City of God" is civilized.
• "The City of Man" is uncivilized.
The City of God leads to life, peace, and prosperity, while the "City of Man" ultimately leads to death, either through tyranny (genocide) or through chaos and meaninglessness (suicide).
Our job as human beings is to build the City of God following God's Blueprints. This is the only path to lasting civilization.
Before the Advent of Christ, the world was uncivilized. It was a world of dehumanizing violence, irrational occultism and demonism, and the complete absence of any concept of personal liberty. Jesus, the Messiah, by His reigning from the Throne of David, has created Christian Civilization. Every corner of the earth has now been touched by the City of God. Our job is to continue to invite the world to live in this peaceful and prosperous City -- to become "civilized."
Civilization = Salvation
Jesus is the cause of "Western Civilization."
That's because Jesus is a "Savior" (one who brings "salvation"), and "civilization" is another word for the Biblical concept of "salvation."
Civilization is holistic salvation. The word "salvation" comes from the same Hebrew root as "JESUS." The name "Jesus" comes from the Hebrew word Yhowshuwa', which is derived from yasha', which is the Hebrew word most frequently translated "salvation." Here's how one mainstream scholar defines the Hebrew word for "salvation:"
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.
Let's think about this definition. An "uncivilized" person with power is called a "tyrant." When God threatens a sinful and rebellious nation, He often threatens to send "a sword." "Sword" is a symbol for violent uncivilized people with power: Tyrants and their armies. These uncivilized tyrants are a threat to "civilization," our society's salvation. Here again is Hartley's definition, with key words highlighted.
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.
• tyrants cause insufficiencies and shortages • tyrants restrict our liberties • tyrants are our enemies • tyrants cause "catastrophicmeltdowns" • tyrants restrict freedom • tyrants interfere with our pursuit of happiness • tyrants leave us insecure
• tyrants are the object of our fears
"Civilization (and "Salvation" in the Bible) is therefore "freedom from tyrants." America's Declaration of Independence complained about an empire that "has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our People, and eat out their substance." Around the world, most famine is caused by tyrants, not nature; uncivilized tyrants with power to blockade ports, confiscate family farms, and put farmers in concentration camps. Technologically advanced but morally uncivilized people who wield political power are the greatest threats and obstacles to civilization.
Tyrants depend on thousands or millions of uncivilized people to carry out the tyrant's de-civilizing orders. Tyrants depend on victims of educational malpractice, who don't know what "civilization" really is.
Who is more "civilized?" These guys:
... or these guys:
I once read an intelligent person on Facebook (or do I contradict myself?) speak of an uncivilized person as "a pagan swine herder in some northern European forest or an illiterate peasant on the wild windy coast of Celtic Britain." I don't claim that pacifism can eliminate coastal winds (?), but if the opposite of a "swine herder" is Constantine, I would rather herd swine.
The historian bishopEusebiusof
Caesaria states that Constantine was marching with his army (Eusebius does not specify the actual location of the event, but it is clearly not in the camp at Rome), when he looked up to the sun and saw a cross of light above it, and with it the Greek words "(ἐν)τούτῳνίκα"
("In this, conquer"),[3]a
phrase often rendered into Latin asin hoc signovinces("in
this sign, youwillconquer").[4]
Does a truly civilized person leave his home and family to lead a military expedition to conquer foreign nations, using the cross or other Christian rhetoric to baptize the invading army, with the death and destruction it brings?
Who is more "civilized" -- the "illiterate peasant" who bears the fruit of the spirit and the character of Christ, or a conquering tyrant leading sociopathic armies and violently exacting tribute from "illiterate peasants?"
Imagine that you had a button, the pushing of which would cause all professing Christians to take Jesus seriously.
If you take Jesus seriously, the unbelieving world (and most church-goers) will say you're "unrealistic," "impractical," and "utopian." They will call you a "pacifist" and an "anarchist."
"Taking Jesus Seriously" means the following:
Pacifism: Any objective observer of the teachings of Christ admits that Christ commanded His followers to be "pacifists." This proposition is proven here, here, and here.
Objections to this claim are almost universally based on misapplications of Old Covenant "ceremonial law," or interpretations of a small number of New Testament verses, e.g., Luke 22:35-38 -- interpretations which John Calvin would have described as "truly shameful and stupid ignorance."
The pacifist says "I will not intentionally kill another human being, even to defend my own life."
Christians who take Jesus seriously would believe that we are to
Love our enemies (Matthew 5:44) with an "agape" love that puts the redemption of the attacker ahead of one's own life.
Resist not evil (Matthew 5:39)
Pay your taxes; don't take up arms against the Red Coats (Matthew 22:21). [details]
Turn the other cheek (Matthew 5:39)
Forgive those who seek to kill you (Luke 23:34; 1 Peter 2:21-24)
Christians would believe that it is always sinful to kill a human being ("Thou shalt not kill." Mark 10:19, quoting Exodus 20:13). Better to be killed than to kill.
In short, even if we get called "pacifists," we will take Jesus seriously and follow Him. [details]
The Westminster Larger Catechism (1647) gives detail on the meaning of the Commandment "Thou Shalt Not Kill." It is a pacifist manifesto. It also explicates the implications of the Commandment "Thou Shalt Not Steal." It is an anarchist manifesto, since "the State" is based on theft ("taxation," "eminent domain," "asset forfeiture," currency debasement, etc.).
Anarchism: Christendom would believe that it is always sinful to impose your own will on others by initiating force or threatening violence. (We are to be servants, not "archists." Mark 10:42-45.) I know, that sounds "weird." "Anarchism?" [explanation]
Home Education: "Let the children come to Me." (Mark 10:14) Christians would believe that the central core of "education" is not going to a government-run "school," and not getting a paper "degree," but simply teaching children these commandments of God throughout the day, as they participate in the daily business of the family (Deuteronomy 4:9f.; 6:7f., 20f.; 11:18-21). Teach them to bear the fruit of the spirit and the character of Christ, and you will have civilization. This kind of education is the equivalent of "pushing the button" for future generations.
Preterism: The word "Preterism" comes from the Latin word for "past." Preterists believe that Jesus began His Messianic reign in the past. Most church-goers believe Jesus will not reign as Messiah until after He comes again. But the Bible says nothing about Jesus coming in our future; it says Jesus came and began reigning in the past:
"Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in His kingdom with power and glory and the holy angels." (Matthew 16:27-28; Mark 8:38-9:1; Luke 9:26-27)
"Pushing the button" would mean that Americans would not believe that Jesus is "coming soon" to destroy all the bad guys at "Armageddon" and deliver the Kingdom to Christians on a silver platter. I know: very controversial. Just read all the verses. [details]
This means the end of the American Revolution. Americans would not get out their muskets and kill the "Red Coats." Rather, they would do what Jesus and the Apostle Paul commanded: Pay your taxes. People today would accuse such Americans of being "pacifists."
In Mark 10, Jesus discovers the disciples arguing about who is going to wield the most power in the coming Kingdom. Jesus tells them that "the kings of the Gentiles" like to wield power, but Christians are not to be like them, but are to be servants instead. Jesus uses the Greek word from which we get the English word "anarchist." He says we are not to be "archists." What is an "archist?" What makes "the kings of the Gentiles" different from other Gentiles? Answer: kings claim the right to impose their own will on other by force: by prisons, by armies, by the sword. Christians are not to be "archists." People today
would call consistent Christ-followers "anarchists."
Suppose that in 1761 (when John Adams said the American Revolution really began) that all of "Christendom" had repudiated archism and adopted pacifism. Notable nations with this Christian heritage include Britain, Germany, and Russia.
British Red Coats would have gone home, rather than impose a tax on tea.
George III would have abdicated, or if he didn't, he wouldn't have sufficient numbers of Red Coats to carry out his orders. So the "British Empire" would have ceased to exist.
The Bolshevik Revolution would not have taken place, for the same reasons the American Revolution would not have taken place.
Communism would not have taken root. Christians would not have carried out Stalin's orders.
The Soviet Union, Red China, and the Third Reich would not have come into existence, along with every other "government" on earth for the last 200 years.
Hundreds of millions of human beings would not have been intentionally murdered by "governments."
Billions of human beings would not have been enslaved by communism, socialism, fascism, or Keynesian "governments."
Trillions of dollars worth of private property would not have been bombed, stolen, destroyed or "nationalized" by "archists."
Would You Push the Button?
Some people will become downright angry at this "easy-button" scenario. They would refuse to "push the button." They say that if sufficient numbers of people became "pacifists" and we abolished all governments and their armies and police -- especially "our" government -- then "evil would take over." This would mean the end of "civilization." It would mean a reign of "warlords."
I've heard that many times.
Let's think carefully about this. We're supposed to believe that
If "We the People" take Jesus seriously and refuse to form "governments," then "EVIL" will "take over."
Really?
Please tell me what "evil" looks like if it is not:
Hundreds of millions of human beings intentionally murdered by "governments" through war and concentration camps (and 135,000 government-approved abortions each and every single day).
Billions of human beings losing their rights and liberties and being enslaved by communism, socialism, fascism, or Keynesianism.
Trillions of dollars worth of private property destroyed or confiscated by "archists."
How could the world have been more evil than it was under "governments" in the 20th century???
Seriously.
If "We the People" do not create the machinery of "government," what will evil "take over?" What institutions will evil men employ to do evil?
Adolph Hitler did not kill six million Jews. Six million Germans killed six million Jews -- and many of them were church-going Lutherans. But they did not take Jesus seriously. They did not say "We must obey God rather than man" (Acts 5:29). If Hitler were transported through time to a future day when everyone took Jesus seriously, Hitler could get no evil done, because nobody would take him seriously. Nobody would have said, "I was just following (Hitler's) orders." Because everyone would be saying "I am following Jesus' orders."
Evil and uncivilized tyrants need the traction afforded them by millions of "Christians" who are encouraged by their tyrant-approved "Pastors" not to take Jesus seriously.
It is a myth that "evil" could "take over" a world where everyone takes Jesus seriously. If there were no "governments," there would be no laws requiring people to do evil. Nobody would run the trains that take the Jews to the death camps. Nobody would bomb other people "back to the stone age." People do these horrible things because they believe that "governments" have the right to be "archists" and use force and violence to impose their will on other people (people who are not "the government," or people of other "governments").
Too many church-goers say we can't take Jesus seriously because . . . Jesus is a loser. That's really what they're saying. Jesus' advice doesn't work. We have to be "prudent." We have to be "practical." We have to be "responsible" and make sure that evil does not take advantage of the naïveté of Jesus and those who take Him seriously.
Because God is not Sovereign. God is not in control. We must act like God and take vengeance on our enemies.
"Civilization" is not the product of bureaucracies and armies.
"Civilization" is the result of regenerated hearts, the gift of God's grace.
"Civilization" is not the result of "prudent" archism, which is in fact the machinery of REVOLUTION, feeding fallen man's desire to be as god, creating social salvation autonomously rather than in dependence on Divine Providence.
Because we trust in "the State" instead of God's grace, we live in a "civilization" which is more like Nazi Germany than an Amish barn-raising. More like the Roman Empire under Constantine than Celtic farmers. And we as Americans are particularly blind to the brute force of statism which is behind "Western" civilization and all the creature-comforts we've grown to assume are normal.
You may have heard it said that the average human being uses less than 10% of the total brain power with which we have been endowed.
It is likely that the human race has only applied about 1% of the pacifist teachings of Christ.
But just this 1% is responsible for what we call "civilization."
The "uncivilized" person is not a pacifist. He is an "archist." He believes he has the right to extract what he wants from others through force or threats of violence. He believes in vengeance. Civilization -- peace and the prosperity that peaceful cooperation and trade brings -- is impossible on these terms, in the long-run.
Human beings before the Advent of Christ were not pacifists. Historians and anthropologists have speculated that anywhere from 30% to 60% of all human beings died violent deaths in the years "B.C." (Before Christ). Steven Pinker, Johnstone Professor of Psychology at Harvard University, previously at MIT, wrote a controversial article entitled "Why is There Peace?" What was most controversial about this article was not his data on the violence of the human race before Christ, but his claim that there is, now, today, peace. Most people have been brainwashed by the mainstream media to believe that our world is awash in war and violence. But compared to the ages before Christ, we now experience unimaginable "peace on earth." Pinker claims that the peace which
human beings enjoy today is the result of the modern revival of statism that was born in Greco-Roman culture. This page argues that "civilization" was not the product of Rome and "classical" values, but is the result of the reign of Jesus the Christ as Messiah, in fulfillment of Biblical prophecies concerning global peace.
If you doubt that Christianity teaches pacifism, and that Christian pacifism is responsible for "civilization," you need to explore the six links above. More verses. If you believe that "classical" Greece and Rome are responsible for "civilization," you're on the right page.
Jews do not accept Jesus as the messiah because . . . Jesus Did Not Fulfill the Messianic Prophecies. What is the Messiah supposed to accomplish? One of the central themes of biblical prophecy is the promise of a future age of perfection characterized by universal peace and recognition of God. (Isaiah 2:1-4, 32:15-18, 60:15-18; Zephaniah 3:9; Hosea 2:20-22; Amos 9:13-15; Micah 4:1-4; Zechariah 8:23, 14:9; Jeremiah 31:33-34)
I would like to suggest that Jesus is in fact fulfilling those Messianic Prophecies, and understanding why this is true can revolutionize your faith. (For a detailed response to that article from the Jewish website, click here.)
Most people who call themselves "Christians" today believe that Micah's prophecy (and the others cited) will not begin to see fulfillment until Jesus returns to earth a second time. The Jewish website understands this rationalization:
Because no one has ever fulfilled the Bible's description of this future King, Jews still await the coming of the Messiah. All past Messianic claimants, including Jesus of Nazareth, Bar Cochba and Shabbtai Tzvi have been rejected. Christians counter that Jesus will fulfill these in the Second Coming. Jewish sources show that the Messiah will fulfill the prophecies outright; in the Bible no concept of a second coming exists.
But the Bible teaches that Jesus was born during "the last days" of the Old Covenant, and He put into effect a New Covenant, and as a result of this New Covenant, billions of human beings have been streaming to "the mountain of the Lord" (Miach 4:2), and the world is more obedient to God's Commandments today than it was before Jesus was born. The world is more peaceful. The world is more civilized. The Pentagon, the Mainstream Media and secular academia do not want you to understand this.
Nor do most clergymen. The more perceptive clergy will say that our belief that Micah's prophecy is already being fulfilled (along with all the other Messianic prophecies), and that we should continue beating swords into plowshares, is "dangerous." They will warn you that we are promoting the ancient heresy of "anarcho-preterism." They are correct (we are indeed promoting "anarcho-preterism") except for two things:
This position is not "heretical." It is the core of the evangelical message of the Bible. (The word "evangelical" comes from "evangel," which means "good news."). That's what this website is all about: Good News. Civilization is "good news." Tyranny is "bad news."
This position is not "ancient." I just made up the term "anarcho-preterism" last Thursday.
Yes, Jesus is described as a violent Archist Warrior as well as a Prince of Peace:
“I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean…On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written ‘King of Kings and Lord of Lords.'” Revelation 19:11-14, 16
But I believe the book of Revelation describes a Day of Vengeance against . . . the "Institutional Church" of Jesus' day.
"Who warned you to flee from the wrath about to come?" (Matthew 3:7) "The axe is already laid at the root of the trees." (Matthew 3:10)
"You shall not finish going through the cities of Israel, until the Son of Man comes." (Matthew 10:23)
"The Son of Man is about to come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and will then recompense every man according to his deeds. There are some of those who are standing here who shall not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom." (Matthew 16:28; cf. Mark 9:1; Luke 9:27)
"'When the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vine-growers?' '....He will bring those wretches to a wretched end, and will rent out the vineyard to other vine-growers, who will pay him the proceeds at the proper seasons.' '....Therefore I say to
you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you, and be given to a nation producing the fruit of it.' ....When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard His parables, they understood that He was speaking about them." (Matthew 21:40-41,43,45)
Matthew 22:7 But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.
Matthew 23:31 “Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ guilt. 33 Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell? 34 Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of
them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, 35 that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 36 Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.
Vengeance belongs to the Prince of Peace, not to the princes we might elect through "political activism."
, vol. 1, pp. 414-15.
