The Biblical Case Against "National Defense"

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1. We are commanded to be subject to whichever government God "ordains."

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Romans 13:1-7

13 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except by God, and those that exist are put in place by God. ² So then, the one who resists authority resists the ordinance which is from God, and those who resist will receive condemnation on themselves. ³ For rulers are not a cause of terror for a good deed, but for bad conduct. So do you want not to be afraid of authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from it, ⁴ for it is God’s servant to you for what is good. But if you do what is bad, be afraid, because it does not bear the sword to no purpose. For it is God’s servant, the one who avenges for punishment on the one who does what is bad. ⁵ Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath but also because of conscience. ⁶ For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are servants of God, busily engaged in this very thing. ⁷ Pay to everyone what is owed: pay taxes to whom taxes are due; pay customs duties to whom customs duties are due; pay respect to whom respect is due; pay honor to whom honor is due.

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Titus 3

3 Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work,

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1 Peter 2:13-17

¹³ Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; ¹⁴ Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.

¹⁵ For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: ¹⁶ As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.

¹⁷ Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.

• Anarcho-Pacifist Apologetics in Peter's First Epistle
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• A Theonomic Critique of Logic
• Apologetics Without Aristotle
• Benjamin Rush Quote
• On Building the Kingdom
• Listen to Audio

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Being "subject" is not something Americans are very good at.

• Would Jesus Celebrate Independence Day?

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Matthew 26:52
King James Version (KJV)

⁵² Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.

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Matthew 22:15-22
New King James Version (NKJV)

¹⁵ Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk. ¹⁶ And they sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone, for You do not regard the person of men. ¹⁷ Tell us, therefore, what do You think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?”

¹⁸ But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, “Why do you test Me, you hypocrites? ¹⁹ Show Me the tax money.”

So they brought Him a denarius.

²⁰ And He said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?”

²¹ They said to Him, “Caesar’s.”

And He said to them, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” ²² When they had heard these words, they marveled, and left Him and went their way.

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Render Unto Caesar - R.J. Rushdoony

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Jesus on Paying Taxes to Caesar

During this time many Jews were locked in conflict with Roman authorities. Many wanted to establish a theocracy as an ideal Jewish state and for them any Gentile ruler over Israel was an abomination before God. Paying taxes to such a ruler effectively denied God’s sovereignty over the nation. Jesus couldn’t afford to reject this position.

On the other hand, the Roman leaders were very touchy about anything that looked like resistance to their rule. They could be very tolerant of various religions and cultures, but only so long as they accepted Roman authority. If Jesus denied the validity of paying taxes, then he could be turned over to the Romans as someone encouraging rebellion (the Herodians were servants of Rome).

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The Bible prohibits violent revolution against "the powers that be." (The prohibition is not based on the goodness of the powers, but the ordination of God.) "National Defense" is violent revolution against "the powers that wanna be."

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Update September, 2013

Syria is in the news.

Suppose I am the "anarchist" you learned about in government school. Suppose I am outraged that the Syrian government used chemical weapons against "its own" people. I want to overthrow the government of Syria by detonating a bomb in the Syrian capitol, killing off members of the government, so they can be replaced by my friends.

The traditional interpretation of Romans 13 prohibits the violent overthrow of the government, such as I've described.

Suppose, then, that I renounce my Syrian citizenship and become an American citizen and vote for Barack Obama and the United States Congress to drop lots of bombs on Syria in retaliation for the Syrian government crossing "the red line." Is this prohibited by Romans 13? Why not?

Why is it that if I'm a Syrian citizen I am not allowed to overthrow my government by force and violence, but if I'm an American citizen I can overthrow the government of Syria, Iraq, Guatemala, Iran, or any government I want? Isn't it the case that in a "Representative Republic" such as the United States, that the actions of Congress and President Obama reflect the will of "the People?" If "We the People" are Christian, doesn't Romans 13 prohibit the United States government from representing "the will of the People" and therefore from overthrowing governments, fomenting civil wars, prosecuting military invasions or "police actions" around the world?

Obviously very few people in Washington D.C. have read Romans 13 in the last 50 years.

2. God "ordains" invading governments, and we are commanded to be subject to them.

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Rome invaded and conquered Israel a few years before Christ was born.

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Matthew 5:41
Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

⁴¹ And if anyone forces^[a] you to go one mile, go with him two.

Footnotes:

a. Matthew 5:41 Roman soldiers could require people to carry loads for them.

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Reformation Study Bible

5:41 if anyone forces you. The possibility of a Roman soldier coercing a person to serve as a guide or burden carrier was real. Even if compelled by force to do something for someone, one can demonstrate freedom by volunteering more than was demanded rather than begrudging the service.

Generously provided by Ligonier Ministries

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Matthew Henry:

Some give this sense of it: The Jews taught that the disciples of the wise, and the students of the law, were not to be pressed, as others might, by the king’s officers, to travel upon the public service; but Christ will not have his disciples to insist upon this privilege, but to comply rather than offend the government.

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The IVP New Testament Commentary Series

Love Even Your Oppressors (5:41)

Here Matthew probably means submission to a Roman soldier's demands. Because tax revenues did not cover all the Roman army's needs, soldiers could requisition what they required (N. Lewis 1983:172-73; Rapske 1994:14). Romans could legally demand local inhabitants to provide forced labor if they wanted (as in Mt 27:32) and were known to abuse this privilege (for example, Apul. Metam.9.39). Yet "going the extra mile" represents not only submitting to unjust demands but actually exceeding them—showing our oppressors that we love them and take no offense, although our associates may wrongly view this love as collaboration with an enemy occupation. The truth of this passage is a life-and-death matter for many believers.

Such courageous love is not easy to come by and is easily stifled by patriotism. To take but one example that challenges my own culture, many white U.S. citizens may wish to rethink the patriotic lens through which they view the American colonies' revolt against Britain in the 1770s-did they really have grounds for secession of which Jesus would have approved if they had been his disciples? Past oppression is also easily recalled. British Christians might consider their feelings for Germans; Korean and Chinese Christians, for the Japanese. In some form the principle can apply to most national, racial and cultural groups. While early Christians responded to their persecutors with defiant love (a humility the persecutors often viewed as arrogance), many politically zealous Christians in the United States guard their rights so fiercely that they are easily given to anger (which opponents also view as arrogance).

Rather, Jesus' teaching does mean that we depend on God rather than on human weapons, although God may sovereignly raise up human weapons to fight the oppressors. If we value justice and compassion for persons rather than merely utopian idealism, we must also calculate the human cost of opposing various degrees of injustice. In first-century Palestine, few "safe" vehicles existed for nonviolent social protest against the Romans; Romans viewed most public protest as linked with revolution, and punished it accordingly. In a society like ours where Christian egalitarianism has helped shape conceptions of justice, nonviolent protest stands a much better chance of working. Neither violent revolutionaries (whose cause may be more just than their methods) nor the well-fed who complacently ignore the rest of the world's pain (and whose cause is merely personal advancement) may embrace Jesus without either distorting him or transforming themselves in the process.

Yet Jesus' own life explains the meekness he prescribes. When the time appointed by his Father arrived, Jesus allowed people to crucify him, trusting his Father's coming vindication to raise him from the dead (Mt 17:11; 20:18-19). He was too meek to cry out or bruise a reed until the time would come to bring "justice to victory" (12:19-20). Yet he proclaimed justice (12:18), openly denounced the unjust (23:13-36) and actively, even somewhat "violently," protested unrighteousness although he knew what it would cost him (21:12-13). Jesus was meek (11:29), but he was not a wimp. He called his disciples to be both harmless as doves and wise as serpents (10:16)-in short, to be ruled by the law of love (22:39). Love of neighbor not only does no harm to a neighbor but bids us place ourselves in harm's way to protect our neighbor.

IVP New Testament Commentaries are made available by the generosity of InterVarsity Press.

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Zealots and Sicarii - The "Second Amendment" crowd of first century Israel.

• I Repudiate the Second Amendment
• The 2nd Amendment vs. Family Values
• Why I Would Give Obama My Guns If He Asks
• Pink Pistols Survey
• Immigration and Gun Control
• Guns in Churches
• A New Civil War?
• What Does the Bible Say About Gun Control

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If the Bible prohibits violence against those who are in authority over you, how can you justify using violence against these very same people when they are in the process of putting themselves in authority over you -- by invading your nation and conquering it?

If Christian ethics prohibits you from "standing up for your rights" against "the powers that be" (using violence), why do you think you would be permitted to "stand up for your rights" against "the powers that wanna be?" Against those same powers when they are becoming "the powers that be?"

Answer: you are not permitted to use violence against invading powers.

God sent the invaders.

3. God has had much practice in sending evil governments against people who forget Him.

God "Ordains" Evil: A collection of dozens of Biblical references to God sending "the sword" as a judgment against evil nations. This is the Old Testament background of Romans 13.

Governments are evil (sinful; violations of God's Commandments against theft, murder, enslavement, vengeance).

God "ordains" evil, sinful governments, commissioning them to violate His Commandments as a judgment against evil doers, stealing from those evil doers, depriving them of life and liberty, "serving" God as an instrument of God's vengeance.

It's not your business who the "powers" are. God puts them in place, and changes them whenever He wants.

Of course, if "the powers that be" invite your opinion of them ("voting," "referendum," "town hall," etc.) take advantage of the opportunity to speak the truth, and invite them to repent of their confiscation of property, murder, deprivation of liberty, and vengeance.

And of course, if "the powers that be" order you to sin against God, "We must obey God rather than man." (Acts 5:29). In other words, it's a sin to disobey a direct command from God, but it's not a sin to be a victim of governments that disobey direct commands of God (by stealing, murdering, kidnapping, taking vengeance, and everything else the State does routinely). Most Christian teachers fail to make this elementary distinction.

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Hebrews 10:32-34
English Standard Version (ESV)

³² But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, ³³ sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. ³⁴ For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one.

Matthew Henry

They were afflicted in their estates, by the spoiling of their goods, by fines and forfeitures.

4.  God sometimes sends the objects of His wrath to an evil government, taking them captive and shipping them off to a foreign land, rather than putting an evil government in place over the objects of His wrath.

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Jeremiah 29:7

⁷ And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the Lord for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace.

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1 Timothy 2:1-2

¹ I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;
² For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.

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Jeremiah 27

27 In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah came this word unto Jeremiah from the Lord, saying,

² Thus saith the Lord to me; Make thee bonds and yokes, and put them upon thy neck,

⁸ And it shall come to pass, that the nation and kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation will I punish, saith the Lord, with the sword, and with the famine, and with the pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand.

⁹ Therefore hearken not ye to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreamers, nor to your enchanters, nor to your sorcerers, which speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon:

¹⁰ For they prophesy a lie unto you, to remove you far from your land; and that I should drive you out, and ye should perish.

¹¹ But the nations that bring their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him, those will I let remain still in their own land, saith the Lord; and they shall till it, and dwell therein.

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"National Defense" is the attempt to avoid "bringing your neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon." Or China.

"National Defense" is a very expensive lie.

"National Defense" is not Biblical. It is Humanist. It is socialist. It is fascist.

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Matthew Henry

Nebuchadnezzar was very unjust and barbarous in invading the rights and liberties of his neighbours thus, and forcing them into a subjection to him; yet God had just and holy ends in permitting him to do so, to punish these nations for their idolatry and gross immoralities. Those that would not serve the God that made them were justly made to serve their enemies that sought to ruin them. [Jeremiah] shows them the vanity of all the hopes they fed themselves with, that they should preserve their liberties,

Those that will bend shall not break. Perhaps the dominion of the king of Babylon may bear no harder upon them than that of their own kings had done. It is often more a point of honour than true wisdom to prefer liberty before life

"Better Dead than Red!"

Give me liberty or give me death!

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5. Old Testament "Holy Wars" are not a valid basis for "National Defense"

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Old Testament "Holy Wars" are not a valid basis for "National Defense" in New Testament times. They were offensive, not defensive, and ceremonial, fulfilled in Christ.

• Holy War: Ceremonial Atonement by Destruction
• No "Holy Wars" in Our Day
• Humanist Holy War
• Holy War: National Capital Punishment
• Capital Punishment: A Ceremonial Shedding of Blood

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6. "National Defense" is Defense of Politicians, Not "The People."

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"National Defense" really means "Government Defense," that is, not the defense and protection of the American People, but the perpetuation of the power of Washington D.C. insiders. Google "Continuity of Government"

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Pure "Patriotism" is un-Christian

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The United States is not the Christian's Nation.

Our real citizenship is not in this nation-state.

Our allegiance is not to this government.

The State recognizes the conflict, even if most "Christians" do not:

• A Christian cannot hold public office under the Bush-Obama regime.
• A Christian cannot even become a naturalized citizen of the United States.

Why should any Christian kill or die for an atheistic tyranny like that in Washington D.C.?

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National Security, Swiss-Style by Nick Bradley

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7. "Self-Defense and "National Defense"

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For years I opposed pacifism as "unrealistic" and "impractical."

I claimed that God imposed a moral requirement on me to "defend my family" in the event of a home invasion, and that pacifism in the face of such an attack was immoral, not just cowardly.

To discharge my moral responsibility, I voted for a system of self-defense called "The State." This was the only "realistic" view. I was "practical." Not like those crazy pacifists.

Now, as I begin my second half-century of life, I look back on a bad decision. Since I was born, the machinery of self-defense called "The United States Federal Government" has murdered, crippled, or made homeless tens of millions of innocent non-combatant civilians. Children, grandmothers, and breadwinners.

It started with my fear of an attack on my family by a random, anonymous home invader.

• Statistically, this event is wildly improbable. Millions of American homes have never been invaded.
• "The State" doesn't even promise to prevent such an event. Some police departments have the slogan "To Protect and to Serve." They have been sued in court for failing to protect after victims called 911. Courts have always thrown these cases out. The State has no duty to protect, and citizens have no legal expectation to be protected. So much for "defense."
• The State only claims to "deter" such an event to some extent by taking vengeance on the attacker -- after the invasion has taken place and my family is dead.
• But my family was never really in danger. Most attackers attack their own families or friends.
• All such violent criminals are then warehoused by the State in atheistic penitentiaries (where no one is helped to become "penitent") so that their dysfunctional character and bad morals can spread and multiply among the prison population.
• If my home was ever actually invaded, I would probably not be in the same room as my gun, and I would have no idea how to respond to the invader. I would never have imagined myself preaching the gospel to him, engaging him in a way that psychologically disarmed his anger or fear, and praying at the same time. I have been trained by media and academia to be a "tough guy" and blow the attacker's brains out, and this leaves me silent and dependent.
• Every year hundreds of unarmed Christians pray and preach their way out of violent attacks.
• I have never been systematically trained by church or state to know the commands and example of Christ and to "follow in His steps" (1 Peter 2:21) in case of a violent confrontation. I just keep voting for "the State."

From this crippled, unrealistic, skewed vision of "self-defense" comes the global disaster known as "national defense."

• There is no danger of America being invaded. No totalitarian foreign government would ever let a million of its soldiers step foot on American soil, and witness our high standard of living. The entire army would immediately defect.
• We spend a trillion dollars a year, but have no realistic defense against incoming nuclear-armed missiles.
• What "the State" defends is not the "homeland," but the assets of multinational corporations abroad and the jobs they create for foreigners.
• "The State" also uses the armed services to advance the agenda of atheistic Communism and Secular Humanism.
• Churches are often ground-zero for military attacks by the U.S. armed services. A prominent church steeple was the target in Nagasaki, which had the largest Christian population in Japan. Iraq also had the largest Christian population of any Arab nation.
• Christians in America have trillions of dollars of disposable income. "Obamacare" is God's judgment on Christians, who have failed to carry out the "works of mercy" which are supposed to characterize Christians. Christians have given liberals an excuse to step in and give glory to the State. Christians alone could eliminate all health and welfare problems -- not only for other Americans, but for the world's poor. Prof. Ronald J. Sider notes;

  “If American Christians simply gave a tithe rather than the current one-quarter of a tithe, there would be enough private Christian dollars to provide basic health care and education to all the poor of the earth. And we would still have an extra $60-70 billion left over for evangelism around the world.”
  Book Review: The Scandal Of The Evangelical Conscience - Acton Institute PowerBlog

  We could bribe half the world into abandoning jihadism and becoming Christian. But American Christians prefer the delusion of "national defense" and comfortable entertainment in their mega-churches.

  American Christians have the economic muscle to bring in "the millennium." But we waste it on "defense."
   

• The tentacles of "the State" -- the institution of "defense" -- now choke Christianity around the world.
• Home invasions occur ten thousand times a year. Governments kill ten thousand people every single DAY, on average.
•  In order to protect myself from a statistically improbable act of violence, which could probably be defused by a courageous and prayerful Christian witness, and vainly gambling on the State to give me an extra 20 years of life, I'm willing to create an institution of "defense" to protect me from an equally improbable foreign invasion, and this institution is responsible for killing tens of millions of human beings around the world since I was born. [body count] This is so radically self-centered and barbaric that it staggers the imagination of a Christian worldview.

Conclusion: "Self-defense" is irresponsible and unChristlike. "National Defense" is unmitigated evil.

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8. This Christian pacifist nonsense will lead to our being "enslaved" by the Communists, Islamofascists, or other Bad-Guy-of-the-Day.

Slavery is inescapable. If you obey Jesus, you will be a slave. If you rebel against Jesus, He will make you a slave.

But these are two very different kinds of slavery.

Let's review what we've seen so far.

• Christians are commanded to be pacifists, opponents of the use of the sword.
• As opponents of the use of force, Christians are necessarily to be anarchists, because the essence of "the State" is the use of "the sword."
• That means Christians should oppose "national defense" in its entirety
• And this means we must be willing to be "slaves."

Pacifism

The word "pacifism" comes from the Latin word for "peace." It is not related to the word "passive." Christians actively oppose violence and evil, and are willing to give their own lives to save another, but Christians are commanded to
     • love their enemies (Matthew 5:44),
     • put away their sword (Matthew 26:52), and
     • follow Christ's example of non-defense (1 Peter 2:21-24).
I used to believe in "just wars," but I think my views are more Biblical now. Here is how I became a pacifist. The verses quoted in that deposition constitute a "prima facie case" for pacifism. An anthropologist from another planet, here to study the human race, specializing in the teachings and influence of Jesus Christ, would see immediately that Christ and the Bible advocate pacifism. Christ did not defend Himself against attack, and we are to follow "in His steps" (1 Peter 2:18-24). "Thou shalt not kill" and "love your enemies" are clear commands. Elizabeth Flower, of the University of Pennsylvania, writing in The Dictionary of the History of Ideas, observes,

The perplexing issue is why such straightforward and unambiguous teaching came to be ignored, or at least taken as a "counsel of perfection" impossible of realization in this world. In any case, . . . Christians began to accommodate to the social realities of civil government, military service, taxation, etc.; and then to develop their own political power. Yet the literal directives of the Sermon [on the Mount] were time-resistant and Christian pacifism has not lacked for bold and uncompromising advocates in such early Church Fathers as Clement, Justin, and above all Origen, in sects such as the Quakers, Schwenkenfelders, and Doukhobors, and in such modern proponents as Leo Tolstoy, Jacques Maritain, and A.J. Muste. . . . Yet historical Christianity generally compromised its pacifist commitments.

"Just War Theory" is one such accommodation to "social realities." It is an attempt to escape the clear teaching of Christ and the Scripture.

Anarchism

Jesus Christ commanded His followers to be "anarchists."

The word "anarchist" literally means "not an archist."

But what's an archist?

An "archist" is someone
   who believes he has a right to
   impose his will on others by force.

Jesus told His disciples not to be "archists." Christians are not to impose Christianity on the world by government force ("the sword")

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.

The Greek word translated "rulers" is the Greek word from which we derive our English word "anarchist."

"Lords," "rulers" and "great ones" are "archists."

Jesus clearly says His followers are not to be "archists." They are to be "servants" instead.

The same Greek word for "servant" in Mark 10 occurs in these passages:

As "servants," Christians are to do whatever the boss says to do (unless the boss orders the servant to disobey God [Acts 5:29]).

It is often objected that if Christian pacifists had enough votes to abolish "national defense," that America would be invaded and taken over by the Communists, the Jihadists, or the enemy-du-jour, and we would all be enslaved.  

1. America is so socialist at this point, it is unlikely that any American would be able to detect if the current socialist regime (Bush-Obama) were to be replaced by another (Xi Jinping, Kim Jong Un, Vladamir Putin, etc.).
2. North Korea would never send a million troops to the U.S. to invade/enslave us, because as soon as the North Korean troops invaded Wal-Mart, they would see the loot all around them, quickly size up their options (destroy Wal-Mart and go back to dirt-poor North Korea?) then defect and become Americans, grab their spoils and move to Ferguson, MO.
   In other words, the poorest people on earth, subjugated by an elite Party of rich people, are never dispatched to invade and enslave the wealthiest nation on earth, because the entire invading army would realize instantly that they would be better off defecting and joining the "invaded" nation.

3. Christians are commanded to accept their role as slaves.
   This is true in two ways.
          First, Christians are "capitalists" (or more accurately, "anarcho-capitalists," because socialism, fascism, communism, Keynesianism, and all other political economies, are based on violence, which Christians oppose). Christians support a "freed market" freed from government coercion. Christians are also characterized by "the Protestant Work Ethic." Working and being productive are core Christian values because this is one way we serve others. In the New Testament, Christian slaves are commanded to work for their non-Christian masters as if they were working for Christ Himself. It is a common saying among capitalists that "The Customer is King." That means capitalists serve the consumers. The poor benefit from the work of rich capitalists like Rockefeller. If Americans would be even more willing to serve communists, Muslims, and other "bad guys," and if Americans would place a high value on continuing lifelong learning and increasing job skills, America would lead the world in productivity and invention, the "bad guys" would be hooked on our consumer goods and the rising standard of living we provide, and would be less inclined to invade, conquer, and destroy the goose that lays the golden eggs. Free trade prevents war. But we must have something to trade, and that means work, and that means serving consumers around the world, and that means "slavery."
          In a second way, Christians are commanded to accept their role as slaves. If a non-Christian nation actually invades a Christian nation, Christians are commanded by their Lord not to engage in "national defense." Let's look at that proposition in more detail.

The Myth of "The Extra Mile"

refers to acts of service for others that go beyond what is required or expected. The expression probably comes from the Bible, when Jesus declares in his Sermon on the Mount, "Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two." (Matthew 5:41, (NASB))

But then Wikipedia accurately notes that:

The verse is a reference to the practice of "impressment" which, among other things, allowed a Roman soldier to conscript a Jewish native to carry his equipment for one Roman mile (milion = 1,000 paces, about 1,611 yards or 1,473 metres) -- no easy task considering a Roman soldier's backpack could weigh upwards of 100 pounds (45.4 kg).

"Going the extra mile" is thus not a feel-good Hallmark Card. As Wikipedia used to note:

Jesus' point was that his followers must relinquish their individual "rights" in order to advance God's kingdom through self-sacrifice.

We as Americans don't want to hear that last point. We don't want to "relinquish our rights." We don't like to hear anything about "self-sacrifice." Perhaps that's why the most recent edition of Wikipedia removed that last line and substituted this:

The editors of the New Oxford Annotated Study Bible have suggested that going the second mile would perhaps spare another from such compulsion.

In other words, "Don't ask ME to go the extra mile -- make my oppressors go the extra mile for me." Self-centered Americans. Wikipedia (and the New Oxford Annotated Study Bible) thereby completely negates what Jesus was saying. Turns it upside down and backwards. 

If you want an example of "oppression," imagine Jews in first-century Israel being subjected to military occupation by unclean pagans from Rome. Then imagine Americans having their one-party government of Democrats and Republicans replaced by members of ISIS.  

Are you ready for that?

Do you think the government will protect you from ISIS? Mitch McConnell is not going to grab a gun and personally protect your neighborhood from ISIS. He might conscript you to grab a gun and go protect someone else's neighborhood from ISIS. Will you obey the government and go fight ISIS? Will you be like the "zealots" and attempt to overthrow the military occupation of your "homeland?"

Or will you obey Jesus? 

Obama and Romney spent over a BILLION dollars on their 2012 campaign. Trump and Hillary (and other 2016 hopefuls) spent $1.5 BILLION with super PACs accounting for an additional $615 million. Despite all this spending, America moved not one iota closer to the peaceful "Vine & Fig Tree" ideal of Micah 4.

Better than a donation to any political candidate is a tax-deductible donation to a non-profit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization called "Vine & Fig Tree"

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The National Motto of the United States of America, by a Joint Resolution of Congress, is "In God We Trust." In reporting the Joint Resolution, the Senate Judiciary Committee stated:

What does it mean to "trust God?" What are we asking for when we sing "God Bless America?" How does our national motto relate to our national defense policy?

We have elsewhere seen that our current defense policies

• Violate the Constitution: the War Power
• Mis-Define U.S Security Strategy
• Compound the Terrorist Threat
• Encourage Weapons of Mass Destruction
• Unnecessarily Inflate the Defense Budget

The policies of the 20th century have proven ineffective --even dangerous -- for the 21st century, and the policies of America as a Christ-trusting "City upon a Hill" will prove to be the only security against the destruction of the American “Vine & Fig Tree” vision.

Politicians in generations past sometimes took their oath of office on a Bible opened up to the Book of Deuteronomy, chapter 28. This chapter spells out the "blessings" promised to a nation that trusts in God, and "curses" God promises to the nation that rejects Him. Among the promises are economic prosperity and peace -- safety from our enemies. "God Bless America" is the claim that we trust God, and a prayer that God should honor His promises and bless us. It means if we obey God's Law in our own lives, God will make our enemies at peace with us, and bless us with safety. God does not bless selfish disobedience and arms deals with terrorists. "In God We Trust" is the belief that God is both gracious and righteous.

Drugs could give us all a feeling of "security." The government could tell us that we are secure even if we are in danger, and if we believe what the government says, we can have a feeling of "security."

But what we want is real security. We want to really be secure. There are two ways to achieve real security.

• One way is to be a powerful empire, crushing all resistance, subjugating all enemies, rationing freedom and the economy here at home to finance wars, military bases, and imperialism around the world.
• The other way is to trust God when He says, "When a man's ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him." "Trusting" God means obeying God, and that means being a "City Upon a Hill." That means working hard, producing valuable goods and services, engaging in commerce with the rest of the world, sending missionaries and charity workers to those in darkness, and bringing civilization to all people. If we are raising the standard of living of people everywhere, nobody wants to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs. This is real security.

America's Founding Fathers articulated this kind of "defense policy":

The great rule of conduct for us, in regard to foreign nations is in extending our commercial relations to have with them as little political connection as possible."
— Washington, Farewell Address (1796) [Washington’s emphasis]

I deem [one of] the essential principles of our government, and consequently [one] which ought to shape its administration,…peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations, entangling alliances with none.
— Jefferson, First Inaugural Address (1801) 

"... with a firm reliance on the Protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.
— Declaration of Independence (1776) 

A "political connection" might be a subsidy from our government to a foreign dictatorship, like the U.S. gave aid to Saddam Hussein and Egypt's Mubarak. America's Founders said politicians won't bring us security. We need to rely on the Protection of Divine Providence, and that only comes if we obey His Commandments.

Two Dreaded Words

For most Americans, no two words are more dreaded and offensive than "anarchism" and "pacifism." "Anarchists" are perceived as "lawless," and "pacifists" are utopian wimps.

But these two schools are the indispensable vision of sound defense policy:

• "Pacifists" say we shouldn't kill each other, but we should live in peace. The word comes from the Latin word for "peace," as in "Prince of Peace."
  • Pacifists would not have approved military aid to Islamic militias in the early 1980's, and could have prevented the tragedy of September 11.
• "Anarchists," such as Murray Rothbard, are serious scholars who believe in the principles of a "Free Market," and have reached the very logical conclusion that there is no area of human action which is best served by socialism rather than by capitalism.
  • To whatever degree you believe there should be a State, to that degree you champion socialist principles.

What does the Bible say about "pacifism" and "anarchism"? Not, "What do Richard Nixon and George Bush say about 'pacifism' and 'anarchism,'" but "what saith the LORD?"

The Bible says we are not to kill each other - it's one of the Ten Commandments - and that we should live in peace with each other (Psalm 133:1; Psalm 87; Romans 12:18). The Bible says we should even live in peace with the State, which is where the Bible parts company with many revolutionaries who call themselves "anarchists." Romans 12:18 through 13:10 tell us to be pacifists even with respect to the epitome of anti-pacifism, the State. Thus, Biblical Christians are not "anarchists" in a violent way, but in a non-violent way. For while Conservatives believe in "peace through strength," that is, peace through militaristic national socialism,[1] the Bible teaches "peace through God's strength." The Bible condones peace and condemns security through State socialism. America's once-popular vision of Vine & Fig Tree is all about this Biblical vision of peace and security, a Godly society rooted in pacifism and anarchism.

"Vine & Fig Tree "

The Bible says that people can live safely and securely without a State. Abraham lived prosperously and securely without a State. Even unbelievers can do it. And it's happened, too. The Bible describes it, but most people have never read it:

Judges 18:7 Then the five men departed, and came to Laish, and saw the people that were therein, how they dwelt safely (KJV: "careless"), after the manner of the Zidonians, quiet and secure; and there was no magistrate in the land, that might put them to shame in any thing; and they were far from the Zidonians, and had no business with any man.

The word "careless" is interesting. Let's look at it. My computer will insert the definition from the dictionary in Strong's Exhaustive Concordance:

"Careless," "safely" -- #983 betach; prop. a place of refuge; abstr. safety, both the fact (security) and the feeling (trust); often (adv. with or without prep.) safely: --assurance, boldly, (without) care (-less), confidence, hope, safe (-ly, -ty), secure, surely.

The State promises "security." "National security."

But we are not secure.

We have neither the "fact" nor the "feeling." Vine & Fig Tree is all about security. The prophet Micah describes a time when the long-awaited Christ has come and people live securely and safely without a socialist "garrison state":

Micah 4:1-5 But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. {2} And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. {2} And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. {3} And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. {4} But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken it. {5} For all people will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the LORD our God for ever and ever.

This is not a prophecy of the distant future. Nor is it a prophecy of something that comes about magically, with no faith or effort on the part of men. Micah's Christ has come, but we have an obligation to trust in Him, and not the State.[2]

A nation dedicated to God lives in safety. That's what the Bible says.

Zidon: From Security to Tyranny

A secular (God-denying) Humanist (man-worshipping) nation seeks safety without God. "National security." They may achieve some degree of safety for a time, but only so long as God withholds His judgment upon their sins.[3] Until then, the KJV says they live safely, but "carelessly."[4]

Although the Zidonians of Laish at the time of the Judges may have been at peace, their worship of idols matured into violence and tyranny. As a result of their "carelessness," they eventually saw God's judgment.

Ezekiel 28:21 Son of man, set thy face against Zidon, and prophesy against it, {22} And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Zidon; and I will be glorified in the midst of thee: and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall have executed judgments in her, and shall be sanctified in her.

Ezekiel 32:30 There be the princes of the north, all of them, and all the Zidonians, which are gone down with the slain; with their terror they are ashamed of their might; and they lie uncircumcised with them that be slain by the sword, and bear their shame with them that go down to the pit.

Joel 3:4-7 Yea, and what have ye to do with me, O Tyre, and Zidon, and all the coasts of Palestine? will ye render me a recompense? and if ye recompense me, swiftly and speedily will I return your recompense upon your own head;

Israel rejected God as King, saying, "Make us a king to judge us like all the nations. That we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles" (1 Samuel 8:5,20).

"Like all the nations."

Like Zidon.

And so Israel had a history like the Zidonians. At one time there was peace and security. Then tyranny. Then judgment.

Israel: From Security to Tyranny

One of the kings given to Israel was Solomon. In many ways, Solomon was a good king. When he was good, he was a pale reflection of the True King, Jesus the Christ. Psalm 72 is a Psalm which teaches us more about Christ than about any earthly king:

Psalm 72 A Psalm for Solomon. Give the king thy judgments, O God, and thy righteousness unto the king's son. {2} He shall judge thy people with righteousness, and thy poor with judgment. {3} The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness. {4} He shall judge the poor of the people, he shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor. {5} They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations. {6} He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth. {7} In his days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth. {8} He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth. {9} They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust. {10} The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts. {11} Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him. {12} For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper. {13} He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy. {14} He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in his sight. {15} And he shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba: prayer also shall be made for him continually; and daily shall he be praised. {16} There shall be an handful of corn in the earth upon the top of the mountains; the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon: and they of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth. {17} His name shall endure for ever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed. {18} Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things.{19} And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen.

David and Solomon could be used of God to show us what the True King would eventually give to those who were faithful. Because Solomon was wise, Israel experienced for a time the kind of safety we can expect if we trust in Christ:

1 Kings 4:25 And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan even to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon.

But David and Solomon were both violent and idolatrous men. Their lives and failures teach us an important "anarchistic" truth: We should put our trust in Christ the King, not in men. If David and Solomon were failures, are there any among the bleary politicians vying for our support in the first years of the 21st century who can be trusted to bring "national security?" If we are to avoid nuclear war and economic chaos, we must learn this vital lesson from Scripture:

Christ, not man, is King. 
The Holy Spirit brings "national security," not the State and its politicians. 

The 21st century must be the century that Christians at last embrace "Anarcho-Theocracy" with a vibrant faith; the world of Vine & Fig Tree with its "pacifism" and "anarchism," no matter what the Council on Foreign Relations and its media may say.[5]

{5} Though all people walk every one in the name of his god, we will walk in the name of the LORD our God for ever and ever. (Micah 4:1-5)

Solomon was not always like Christ. He was an idolater. He faithlessly played the harlot with the gods of the Zidonians, as did all of Israel.

1 Kings 11:1 But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites;

1 Kings 11:5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.

1 Kings 11:33 Because that they have forsaken me, and have worshipped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon, and have not walked in my ways, to do that which is right in mine eyes, and to keep my statutes and my judgments, as did David his father.

1 Kings 16:31 And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him.

2 Kings 23:13 And the high places that were before Jerusalem, which were on the right hand of the mount of corruption, which Solomon the king of Israel had builded for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Zidonians, and for Chemosh the abomination of the Moabites, and for Milcom the abomination of the children of Ammon, did the king defile.

1 Chronicles 22:4 Also cedar trees in abundance: for the Zidonians and they of Tyre brought much cedar wood to David.

Ezra 3:7 They gave money also unto the masons, and to the carpenters; and meat, and drink, and oil, unto them of Zidon, and to them of Tyre, to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea of Joppa, according to the grant that they had of Cyrus king of Persia.

In asking for a human king, and in hearkening to the false promises of safety and "national security" from the gods of Zidon, Israel rejected God, and thus rejected true safety and security, as their history and eventual captivity proves.

Christians Must Be Servants

Just as Christ came to be a Servant, so the true Patriarch is a servant. The true servant sees God's Law as the "blueprints" of Godly service. The Patriarch Abraham did not wait for the State to create a righteous society.

Genesis 18:18-19 Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him. 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.

Abraham did not wait for the State to bring justice to the afflicted. He brought them into his household, and put them under the covenant (Genesis 12:5). He brought in dozens of dozens of people, circumcised them, and taught them the ways of the LORD.[6] Abraham was blessed . . .

Genesis 26:5 Because Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.

God's Holy Spirit blesses obedience.

Proverbs 16:7 When a man's ways please the LORD, He maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.

The Jews rejected Christ because they did not want a "Suffering Servant" for a Messiah. They knew that if the Messiah was a Servant, they too would have to be servants. They wanted a military dictator for a Messiah because they were despots in their hearts, and they wanted a vindication of their despotism. "We have no king but Caesar!" they said, and they experienced all the curses of Deuteronomy 28.

Mark 10:35-45 {42} But Jesus called them to Him, and saith unto them, Ye know that they which are accounted to rule [Gk: "be an archist"] over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them. {43} But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: {44} And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all. {45} For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. (cf. 1 Peter 2:21ff.)

Remember: The Prince of Peace forbids us to be "archists." What does that mean? [7]

"Archists" would rather kill the people of Iraq than to be their servants. We would rather kill criminals than minister to them. But this violence does not bring security. If we are willing to obey God's Law, become servants, and throw away our archist idols, we shall experience God's safety and security. True, if we repudiate the State, politicians will call us "naive," and other Christians will call us "Anabaptists." Let them call us "anarchists" or "pacifists" if they want, but the children of Abraham will not put their trust in the State

Micah 4:1-5 {5} For though all people walk every one in the name of his god, we will walk in the name of the LORD our God for ever and ever.

Sadly, Christians continue to listen to the false prophets of the Pentagon and the University of Zidon, rather than to the Word of God. We cherish the State. We worship false gods. We will not give up our "archists."

Over and over and over again, God asks us to trust Him, and over and over and over again, He promises us safety and security if we will do so. God never says, "Here is a State to keep you safe." God never says we are to trust our police or our Joint Chiefs of Staff.[8] God very clearly told Israel not to develop a "Military-Industrial Complex" like all the other nations.

Deuteronomy 17:16-17 But he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, for the LORD has said to you, "You shall not return that way again." {17} Neither shall he multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away; nor shall he greatly multiply silver and gold for himself.

Psalm 20:7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; But we will remember the name of the LORD our God.

Psalm 33:16-17 No king is saved by the multitude of an army; A mighty man is not delivered by great strength. {17} A horse is a vain hope for safety; Neither shall it deliver any by its great strength.

Psalm 147:10-11,14 He does not delight in the strength of the horse; He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man. {11} The LORD takes pleasure in those who fear Him, In those who hope in His mercy. {14} He makes peace in your borders, And fills you with the finest wheat.

Zechariah 4:6 So he answered and said to me: "This is the Word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' Says the LORD of hosts."

We must repudiate the Zidonian State.

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,

We must not be "careless." "Safety" comes only from God. Let us trust in God and obey His Word. Either we can trust God to give us safety, or we worship the wrong god.

Leviticus 25:18-19 Wherefore ye shall do my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them; and ye shall dwell in the land in safety. And the land shall yield her fruit, and ye shall eat your fill, and dwell therein in safety.[9]

Leviticus 26:5 And your threshing shall reach unto the vintage, and the vintage shall reach unto the sowing time: and ye shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely.

Deuteronomy 12:10 But when ye go over Jordan, and dwell in the land which the LORD your God giveth you to inherit, and when he giveth you rest from all your enemies round about, so that ye dwell in safety;

Deuteronomy 33:12 And of Benjamin he said, The beloved of the LORD shall dwell in safety by him; and the LORD shall cover him all the day long, and he shall dwell between his shoulders.

Deuteronomy 33:28 Israel then shall dwell in safety alone: the fountain of Jacob shall be upon a land of corn and wine; also his heavens shall drop down dew.

1 Samuel 12:11 And the LORD sent Jerubbaal, and Bedan, and Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side, and ye dwelled safe.

Job 11:18 And thou shalt be secure, because there is hope; yea, thou shalt dig about thee, and thou shalt take thy rest in safety.

Psalm 4:8 I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.

Psalm 16:9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.

Psalm 78:53 And he led them on safely, so that they feared not: but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.

Proverbs 1:33 But whoso hearkeneth unto Me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.

Proverbs 3:23 Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble.

Proverbs 3:29 Devise not evil against thy neighbour, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee.

Proverbs 10:9 He that walketh uprightly walketh surely: but he that perverteth his ways shall be known.

Isaiah 14:30 And the firstborn of the poor shall feed, and the needy shall lie down in safety: and I will kill thy root with famine, and he shall slay thy remnant.

Isaiah 32:17-18 And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever. And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places;

Jeremiah 23:6 In His days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is His Name whereby He shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Jeremiah 32:37 Behold, I will gather them out of all countries, whither I have driven them in Mine anger, and in My fury, and in great wrath; and I will bring them again unto this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely:

Jeremiah 33:16 In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, The LORD our righteousness.

Ezekiel 28:26 And they shall dwell safely therein, and shall build houses, and plant vineyards; yea, they shall dwell with confidence, when I have executed judgments upon all those that despise them round about them; and they shall know that I am the LORD their God.

Ezekiel 34:25 And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods.

Ezekiel 34:27 And the tree of the field shall yield her fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase, and they shall be safe in their land, and shall know that I am the LORD, when I have broken the bands of their yoke, and delivered them out of the hand of those that served themselves of them.

Ezekiel 34:28 And they shall no more be a prey to the heathen, neither shall the beast of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and none shall make them afraid.

Ezekiel 38:8 After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.

Ezekiel 38:14 Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it?

Ezekiel 39:26 After that they have borne their shame, and all their trespasses whereby they have trespassed against me, when they dwelt safely in their land, and none made them afraid.

Hosea 2:18 And in that day will I make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven, and with the creeping things of the ground: and I will break the bow and the sword and the battle out of the earth, and will make them to lie down safely.

Zechariah 14:11 And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited.

Aren't these beautiful, beautiful promises? This is Biblical Anarcho-Theocracy. Godliness is blessed with peace ("Pacifism"). We trust in God, not Zidonian politicians ("Anarchism"). It is a message of holistic peace, of "shalom." It is a message of Jubilee, of freedom and security from the bureaucrats who promise us freedom and security. The whole message of the Bible -- with its books of Kings and its Chronicles of God's prophets confronting evil empires and wicked citizens -- is that we should not put our faith in empires and armies and governments, but in God. And "faith" means obedience to His Word. Abraham had faith (Hebrews 11, James 2). The Godly Patriarch of the new millennium must have this obedient faith.

The essence of Faith is trusting God, obeying His Word, and enjoying His abundant blessings.

Jeremiah 17:8 For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit.

If we trust in politicians, whether ours or those of a "stronger" (careless!) nation, we will not have safety. If we seek to be safe by cheating, dominating, or killing our enemies, we will experience the anxiety of God's Judgment.

Ezekiel 12:19 And say to the people of the land, "Thus says the Lord GOD to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the land of Israel: 'They shall eat their bread with anxiety, and drink their water with dread, so that her land may be emptied of all who are in it, because of the violence of all those who dwell in it.'"

Christian Patriarchs are pacifists. They trust God, not the Warfare State. We must not be like the erudite political philosophers around us. They do not have true safety.

Luke 12:29 And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. {30} For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. {31} But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.

Security does not come through a God-less quest for wealth or power. Wealth and power do not bring security.

Job 24:22-24 He draweth also the mighty with his power: he riseth up, and no man is sure of life. Though it be given him to be in safety, whereon he resteth; yet His eyes are upon their ways. {24} They are exalted for a little while, but are gone and brought low; they are taken out of the way as all others, and cut off as the tops of the ears of corn.

Isaiah 47:8 Therefore hear now this, thou that art given to pleasures, that dwellest carelessly, that sayest in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me; I shall not sit as a widow, neither shall I know the loss of children:

Jeremiah 49:31 Arise, get you up unto the wealthy nation, that dwelleth without care, saith the LORD, which have neither gates nor bars, which dwell alone.

Ezekiel 30:9 In that day shall messengers go forth from me in ships to make the careless Ethiopians afraid, and great pain shall come upon them, as in the day of Egypt: for, lo, it cometh.

Ezekiel 39:6 And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD.

Micah 2:8 Even of late my people is risen up as an enemy: ye pull off the robe with the garment from them that pass by securely as men averse from war.

Zephaniah 2:15 This is the rejoicing city that dwelt carelessly, that said in her heart, I am, and there is none beside me: how is she become a desolation, a place for beasts to lie down in! every one that passeth by her shall hiss, and wag his hand.

Judges 8:11 And Gideon went up by the way of them that dwelt in tents on the east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and smote the host: for the host was secure.

It might appear that living without the protection of a powerful state would be an invitation to disaster: invasion, attack, first strike! To be sure, the wicked plot evil against the Godly:

Ezekiel 38:11 And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,

And so we faithlessly think, "If we just give half our income to the State, they will protect us! If we don't have a State, the bad guys will take advantage of us! If we don't have a policeman on every corner, criminals will come

to take plunder and to take booty, to stretch out [their] hand against the waste places that are again inhabited, and against a people gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and goods, who dwell in the midst of the land." (Ezekiel 38:12)

It is undeniably true: criminals think this way. They just might attack Christian Patriarchs and other pacifists first. What would happen if we obeyed Jesus? What would happen if we turned the other cheek? Who should we fear: robbers, or God?

Matthew 10:28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

It should be enough to trust God, and be willing to be among those who "rejoiced in the spoiling of your goods" (Hebrews 10:34).

But the Godly Patriarch does not fear. He knows that God looks forward to the day when robbers and armies and IRS agents come after the Christian pacifists:

Ezekiel 38:22 And I will bring him to judgment with pestilence and bloodshed; I will rain down on him, on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him, flooding rain, great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. {23} Thus I will magnify Myself and sanctify Myself, and I will be known in the eyes of many nations. Then they shall know that I am the LORD.

Our goal is not to live comfortably and be protected by the State. Our goal is to increase the glory of God.

Security comes only when our
confidence is in God,
not the State.

Confidence: 4009. mibtach, mib-tawkh'; from H982; prop. a refuge, i.e. (obj.) security, or (subj.) assurance:--confidence, hope, sure, trust.

Job 8:11-14 Whose hope shall be cut off, and whose trust shall be a spider's web.

Job 18:14,21 His confidence shall be rooted out of his tabernacle, and it shall bring him to the king of terrors.

Job 31:24-28 If I have made gold my hope, or have said to the fine gold, Thou art my confidence;

Psalm 40:4 Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.

Psalm 65:5 By terrible things in righteousness wilt thou answer us, O God of our salvation; who art the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of them that are afar off upon the sea:

Psalm 71:5 For thou art my hope, O Lord GOD: thou art my trust from my youth.

Proverbs 14:26 In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge.

Proverbs 21:22 A wise man scaleth the city of the mighty, and casteth down the strength of the confidence thereof.

Proverbs 22:19 That thy trust may be in the LORD, I have made known to thee this day, even to thee.

Proverbs 25:19 Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a broken tooth, and a foot out of joint.

Isaiah 32:18 And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places;

Jeremiah 2:37 Yea, thou shalt go forth from him, and thine hands upon thine head: for the LORD hath rejected thy confidences, and thou shalt not prosper in them.

Jeremiah 17:7 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.

Jeremiah 48:13 And Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel their confidence.

Ezekiel 29:16 And it shall be no more the confidence of the house of Israel, which bringeth their iniquity to remembrance, when they shall look after them: but they shall know that I am the Lord GOD.

American Christians have worried about a burglar, or some foreign invasion, or "Arab Terrorists." And so we have given power to the State. The Biblical record is clear: people who ignore God's Law feel the guilt and impending judgment, and they turn to powerful empires for security.

The American Empire cannot bring security. But it can bring death. The corrupting power which Lord Acton spoke of has created totalitarianism across the globe. Hundreds of millions of people have been murdered by the government. America has supported in its faithless quest for "security."[10] We have given billions of dollars in economic, technological, and military aid to the most vicious and idolatrous of dictators.[11] If you believe we need a "State," and that "anarchy" would be so terrible, how do you account for the fact that the murder and confiscation of property caused by all the criminals and so-called "anarchists" in the world combined is but a drop in the bucket compared to the destruction caused by "organized government"? What could be worse than the wars, executions, planned famines, dictatorial control, and gulags of socialist States? For too many people, the answer is,

Having to obey God's Law would be worse than being in a labor camp. Crucifying my desires for vengeance, putting to death my lusts, being willing to serve 'the least of these' (Matthew 25:45-46), giving up my new car, trendy wardrobe and comfortable house - no way. This is why I love the State.

Exodus 14:11 And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt?
Numbers 11:5 We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic;
Nehemiah 9:15-17 And gavest them bread from heaven for their hunger, and broughtest forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and promisedst them that they should go in to possess the land which thou hadst sworn to give them. {16} But they and our fathers dealt proudly, and hardened their necks, and hearkened not to thy commandments, {17} And refused to obey, neither were mindful of thy wonders that thou didst among them; but hardened their necks, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage:

Do we really want God's safety in a Promised Land? Or do we want the tinsel and glitter of Babylon?

The 20th century has been lauded as the century of the greatest wealth and technology in human history. It is also the most violent in human history.[12] But we don't care, as long as we have personal peace and affluence.

This is not "national security." This is idolatry. This is not Patriarchy worthy of Sons of Abraham (Galatians 3:29). This is slavery.

"Besides, the State protects us from our enemies."

What could make enemy take-over easier than to have the entire population regulated and controlled from a Central State?[13]

Simply take over the machinery of government, run your own flag up the flagpole, and you control 300 million people.

What could make enemy take-over more difficult than having social order created by thousands of decentralized communities?

Could the Chinese Communists take over America if they had to conquer or persuade 100 million autonomous families?

It is inescapable: American Christians trust the State more than God. Their confidence is in the State, not in the LORD. And this is because they lust for the promises of the Tempter, and not for responsibility and service under God's Law.

Joshua 24:15 And if it seem evil to you to serve the LORD, chose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

NOTES

(1) "Peace through Strength" -- Notice that conservatives do not believe in peace through private strength, or strength provided through Free Market Capitalism; they believe that national security must be provided for in the way socialists believe all other goods and services must be provided: through a socialistic State.  [Return to text]

(2) The word "Christ" means "Anointed King." If Jesus is not King, then He is not Christ. The one who denies that Jesus is King is a liar (1 John 2:22).  [Return to text]

(3) What is "judgment"? Am I talking about the "Judgment Day" in the far-off distant future? No. God's judgment consists in allowing a Secular Humanist nation (a nation that worships the State [considered to be the "highest" embodiment of Man]) to feel the "natural" effects of their worship of Man: tyranny. Israel experienced this kind of judgment (1 Samuel 8:9-20). It happens because God personally causes it. It doesn't look like a miracle. But nothing does. And everything is. Including the "miracle of tyranny." It happens every time.  [Return to text]

(4) It's the same Hebrew word, but it means different things for different people. People who love God and seek His Kingdom live "safely" because God is protecting them. People who worship themselves but haven't yet felt the back of God's Hand live "carelessly," which is to say, safely, but faithlessly. The difference in translation is based on the theology of the people involved.  [Return to text]

(5) Education must be Patriarchal, not just in form, but in content. We will not have Patriarchy in our generation. We probably cannot expect to eliminate socialism and slavery in the next generation. We must teach our children to teach their children about Patriarchy. We must develop Godly habits of character, and we must warn the next generations against the myths of Zidonism. We must not only make all nations sons of Abraham and disciples of Christ (Matthew 28:18-20), we must keep them from reverting back to disciples of Plato, Machiavelli, and Locke.  [Return to text]

(6) A dozen dozen is 144. Most people who claim to be Christian have yet to take in their first dozen. They let the State take care of others. Genesis 14:14 tells us that Abraham adopted dozens of dozens of people. Patriarchy is household evangelism and dominion by household. Polls suggest that over 80 million people in America claim to be Christians, heirs of the promise to Abraham (Galatians 3:29). But Jesus says to such people, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham" (John 8:39). What would our nation be like if only one percent of the "Christians" were Patriarchs like Abraham? How would their example affect others? (Proverbs 14:19; Psalm 66:3) National Security begins with Patriarchal Dominion. The first dozen begins with the first one.  [Return to text]

(7) That means we are to be "anarchists." Christians are to be "anarchists?" Yes, though it sounds strange. When we think of "anarchists" we think of lawless, bomb-thowing sexual libertines. Christ said His followers must uphold the law (Matthew 5:17-20), and this very passage (Mark 10:42-45) utterly rules out throwing bombs. So how can a Christian be an "anarchist?" Our concept of an "anarchist" is actually one given to us by the State. The man who assassinates a "dictator" is a man who wants to be dictator himself. The man who throws a bomb is a man who wants the power to impose his rule on others. A man who sexually conquers one woman after another is not a "servant." But Christ says a true Christian "anarchist" is a servant, not a conqueror. What upsets politicians about such servants is that servants do not play the politicians' game. They do not legitimize mass-destruction in the name of "national security" nor the vengeful killing of millions in the name of "justice." Servants call the political lifestyle into question. Servants show others a new way of life. This prompts politicians to fear for the security of their lifestyle, and they cry out, "Anarchists!" Then the fearful get back in line and keep quiet.  [Return to text]

(8) In the Old Covenant, God did give us a priesthood, and told us that certain crimes polluted the land and angered God, and that His wrath could only be expiated by the shedding of blood. But the book of Hebrews makes clear that Jesus is the Lamb of God, and no other priest, and no other blood, can cleanse our land of bloodguiltiness. Classic texts such as Genesis 9:4-6 and Numbers 35:29-34, which are used to support the idea that God requires a State after Calvary, have been analyzed in our paper on Capital Punishment.  [Return to text]

(9) This is the word "careless" as in the days in Zidon when there was no state. All of these verses are talking about "safety," but not the State.  [Return to text]

(10) R. J. Rummel, "Megamurders," Society, Sept.-Oct. 1992, p. 47.  [Return to text]

(11) See any of the works of Charles Levinson, or of Antony Sutton, Research Fellow at the prestigious Hoover Institution at Stanford University. Start with The Best Enemy Money Can Buy (1986) or National Suicide: Military Aid to the Soviet Union (1973). See also Joseph Finder, Red Carpet (1983).  [Return to text]

(12) R. J. Rummel, Death by Government, Transaction Books, 1994. G. Elliot, Twentieth Century Book of the Dead, Scribner's, 1972.  [Return to text]

(13) See Gary North's Article, "The Danger is Defeat, not Destruction," Remnant Review (Aug. 17, 1979).  [Return to text]