The Incredible, Unbelievable, Phantasmagorical Origin of Vine & Fig Tree University

You're not going to believe this.

Nor should you.

Late last year, I was contacted by a group of Harvard graduates and administration, asking for my help in creating a new Harvard University which would eventually become more influential in this world than the current Harvard University. I was delighted at such a vision, seeing the great need, but astonished by the audacity of the vision, considering the historic and contemporary influence of Harvard, and also Harvard's endowment, which is larger than the total economic output of many nations. But I'm a Christian, and these men were Christians, and were saddened by Harvard's abandonment of its original Christian ideals.

After a great deal of thought, we agreed to begin as a 100% digital "online" university.

I was encouraged to pursue this goal by these facts:

  1. The first graduating class of Harvard in 1642 consisted of nine (9) students who had been taught by a single "master." I'm confident that out of 7 billion people on planet earth, a few strategically-placed Facebook ads can ensure that our first graduating class can have at least ten (10) students. Year One, and we're already ahead of Harvard's growth!
  2. Harvard was named after a clergyman who donated his library of 400 volumes. I'm donating my library of 10,000 volumes, even though "hard copy" books are something of an albatross in a digital world. But still a better start than the original Harvard had. Plus we have the Internet.
  3. Harvard's curriculum from 1636-1805 was Christian. The ideas that went into Harvard made America the most prosperous and admired nation in history. But Harvard eventually repudiated its Christian roots. The seeds of Harvard's destruction were sown right from the start. These seeds were brought over from Europe, took root immediately, and eventually turned America's prosperity into bankruptcy and admiration into loathing and ridicule. I know what those seeds of destruction were. I was confident I could convince these Harvard men to avoid these errors.

The men who contacted me did not approach me because I have experience as an educator creating college curricula. They did not ask for my help because I have a track record as a successful entrepreneur creating profitable businesses. They asked me for help because nobody else would help them.

The men who contacted me were

Apparently these men were caught in some kind of "wormhole" in the space-time continuum, and had been transported 300 and 400 years into the future. We were all equally shocked when they suddenly appeared in my living room. We both dressed funny.

I saw this as an amazing opportunity:

So imagine the thrill of being able to teach American history to these men, and to show them how the university they created and the nation they formed has turned out over the last 200-400 years.

Believe me, their eyes bugged out, and their jaw dropped to the floor.

They were shocked, horrified, angry, apoplectic over what had been done to what they fought for.

They were very interested in the radical changes I proposed for the new university they wanted to create. Given the problems they saw, the changes seemed obvious.

It was a good thing they traveled through time to my day. Had I traveled back to their day, they would have put me to death or exiled me to Rhode Island for my suggested curriculum. They never would have believed me if I simply described the future to them. But being able to see the future with their own eyes made it real obvious to them that they had a serious problem. That WE have a serious problem.

We were able to tour the campus of Harvard University. Harvard's Founders were appalled to listen to today's Harvard students in classrooms, and said they were all victims of educational malpractice. None of today's students could have been admitted to Harvard when Samuel Adams was admitted in 1736 at age 14. I hope when we're done, you'll agree with their assessment, and reading this website was not a waste of your time. It might even be a life-changing experience.  

You won't believe it.
You won't agree.

You know that time travel is not a reality. You know I made this whole thing up. Total fiction.

So why should you keep reading?

Well, what I said above is not total fiction. The biographical and historical information above is true. We don't have to have America's Founders travel through time to know what they would think about today's America and today's Harvard. We have volumes of their writings, speeches, letters, and policies for university and nation. I won't again suggest that I had actual conversations with Harvard graduates or Harvard Administration in our day. But I will make reference to their biographical details, current or historical events, government laws, court cases, economic statistics, etc., which are true and accurate to the best of my knowledge. Click links for more information, or request footnotes and references, which will be happily provided to you.

You are going to be shocked to hear some things I'm about to tell you related to history, government, economics, and education. Things you didn't hear about in your "public school" education.

You're also going to be shocked by some things I'm going to tell you about the Bible and Christianity. Things you didn't hear about from your church pulpit or Sunday School.

Here are four reasons why you should hear my case, from four important Bible verses:

Acts 17:10-12:

Now these [The Bereans] were more noble than those in Thessalonica,
in that they received the Word with all readiness of the mind,
searching the Scriptures daily, whether these things were so.

The Bereans appeared to be like modern libertarians, with their bumper-sticker that says "QUESTION AUTHORITY." The Apostles gave them the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but the Bereans didn't just take the Apostles' word for it, but checked what they were told by "clergy" against a higher authority, the Scriptures. The Bereans are more dogmatic authoritarians than those who mindlessly accept the word of clergy or creeds. Clergy don't often appreciate uppity laymen in their pews.

Additionally, the Bereans studied the Bible "daily." The verses on that link show that daily engagement with the Bible is an imperative.

Second text:

Proverbs 18:17
"The first to state his case seems right until another comes forward and examines him."

What you learned in "public school" seems right to you.
What you learned in church seems right to you.
Wait until you compare it with what the Bible says.

There are over 30,000 verses in the Bible. Most church-goers know John 3:16. The rest of the Bible hasn't been dusted off in years, or is just a fog. It's a good thing to question what you know by learning more about the Bible. Even if you're already right in what you know, you'll know it better when you examine it.

Third Text:

Mark 8:15
And Jesus cautioned them, saying, “Watch out; beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.”

The Pharisees were "the church"; Herod was "the State." Beware. See also the quote from the "church father" Tertullian, below. Beware "the Academy." "A little leaven leavens the whole lump" (Galatians 5:9). I hope to show you a new leaven, and give you the ability to discern the difference for yourself. "Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth" (1 Corinthians 5:8).

This attitude of cautious inquiry makes one a better Christian, as seen in our Fourth Text.

Just as iron sharpens iron,
friends sharpen the minds of each other.
Proverbs 27:17

My goal in this article is to be your "friend." I hope you'll be my friend as well, and challenge my thinking in a loving way.

I often criticize clergy, politicians, and professors, but I am not against "authorities" or "experts." If they know more about a certain subject than I do, I rely on them and quote them, even if they disagree with the “Vine & Fig Tree” worldview. An "expert" can be your friend and sharpen you, but you might have to pay the expert ("mentor," "professor" "seminary"). This article is free. May you be sharpened. May we be friends.

You can get a four-year
Harvard Education
for less than $5,000

Even if the highest grade you got in High School
was a B-

"Baloney!" you say.

I don't blame you for being skeptical about that claim. The Harvard University website says tuition, fees, and room and board in Cambridge, MA is almost $80,813 per year. Per year.

And admission is limited to the brightest straight-A students.

But it isn't your grades that would keep you from getting a Harvard education. Or the fact that your parents aren't millionaires and can't afford to pop for $320,000.00 for 4 years at Harvard.

Here is the more important point -- something nobody else is going to tell you.

If the Founders of Harvard could travel through time from their day (in 1636) to our day (in 2024) they would see immediately that the college they founded no longer exists.

The Founders of Harvard would say you cannot get a "Harvard Education" at Harvard.

The Founders of Harvard would say NOBODY can get a "Harvard Education" at any university on planet earth.  Not in 2024.

The University that still bears the name "Harvard" is at war with everything the Rev. John Harvard and the Puritan church-state in Massachusetts stood for.

These are the things that made America the most prosperous and admired nation in history.

These were the very things that were stripped from your K-12 education.

How would the Founders of Harvard advise you if they were here today?

This is the only place in the world where you can get the answer to that question.

But your education thus far has brainwashed you to reject their answer.

So your first semester at VFTU is free. It will take an entire semester to show you what you don't know, and why you need to know it.

During the first semester we'll show you "scenes from coming attractions," namely, the first full year (the next two semesters).

The first full year is designed to re-create 12 years of "public education" as you would have received it had your K-12 schooling been designed by Harvard's Founders instead of by atheists. This first year will also buttress the “Vine & Fig Tree” worldview. A synopsis of that worldview follows the syllabus for the first semester.

The Vine & Fig Tree Worldview

Vine & Fig Tree is a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization.
Our mission is to help bring about the fulfillment of Micah's "Vine & Fig Tree" prophecy (Micah 4:1-7).

Supporting: love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, sobriety
Opposing: Secularism, Humanism, Anti-Family Sex, Hedonism, Autonomy, Totalitarianism, and Mass Death

The name "Vine & Fig Tree" comes from the fourth chapter of the prophet Micah, and is set forth here. You've probably heard Micah's words before -- we beat our "swords into plowshares" and everyone dwells safely under their own "Vine & Fig Tree." 

America's Founding Fathers were familiar with this vision: "Vine & Fig Tree" is the worldview that made America "the greatest nation on God's green earth." It  could be called "The Original American Dream."
Our Goal for the Planet:

The message of the angels to the shepherds on the first Christmas:

And this is the sign unto you: Ye shall find a Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, and lying in a manger.
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
Glory to God in the highest,
And peace on earth
among men in whom He is well pleased.

 Our Goal for You:

To be one in whom God is well pleased:

His lord said unto him, `Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Thou hast been faithful over a few things; I will make thee ruler over many things. Enter thou into the joy of thy lord.' Matthew 25:21

Our programs are designed to transform you into:

  • An Extraordinary American
  • An Extraordinary Christian
  • An Extraordinary Human Being

These were the three goals of Harvard graduate Samuel Adams, "The Father of the American Revolution."

  “Vine & Fig Tree”  in American History

Two centuries ago, the “Vine & Fig Tree” vision transformed America into the most prosperous and admired nation in human history. Tragically, we then experienced The Paradox of Deuteronomy 8: God blessed us, but we forgot God and said, "My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth” (Deuteronomy 8:17), and then God judged our pride by turning our prosperity into bankruptcy and admiration into ridicule and hate. The United States is now despised around the world as a self-centered post-Christian bully.

George Washington's Diaries are available online at the Library of Congress. At one time, the LOC.GOV website introduced Washington's writings with these words:

No theme appears more frequently in the writings of Washington than his love for his land. The diaries are a monument to that concern. In his letters he referred often, as an expression of this devotion and its resulting contentment, to an Old Testament passage. After the Revolution, when he had returned to Mount Vernon, he wrote the Marquis de Lafayette on Feb. 1, 1784:

"At length my Dear Marquis I am become a private citizen on the banks of the Potomac, & under the shadow of my own Vine & my own Fig-tree."

This phrase occurs at least 11 times in Washington's letters.

"And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and under his fig tree" (2 Kings 18:31).

"Under My Own Vine and Fig Tree, 1798" by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris, Lora Robins Collection of Virginia Art, Virginia Historical Society
Under My Own Vine and Fig Tree, 1798
Jean Leon Gerome Ferris
Virginia Historical Society
Lora Robins Collection of Virginia Art
      Peter Lillback, author of a 1,000-page study of Washington's life and thought, has found more than 40 references to the  “Vine and Fig Tree” vision in Washington's Papers. Other scholars keep finding more, it seems.
      Many other American Founders wrote of this ideal.
      "Vine & Fig Tree" is the original "American Dream."
      The phrase occurs a number of times in Scripture. These references are visual reminders of the Hebrew word for salvation, which means
• peace,
• wholeness,
• health,
• welfare, and
• private property free from pirates and princes.
When today's Americans hear the word "salvation," they usually think about going to heaven when they die. When the writers of the Bible used the word "salvation," they wanted you to be thinking about dwelling safely under your own Vine & Fig Tree during this life -- much more often than they wanted you to be thinking about what you'll be doing in the afterlife.

Page Smith was a historian, winner of the Bancroft Prize, earning his M.A. degree in 1948, and Ph.D. degree in 1951 from Harvard. In his book Religious Origins of the American Revolution (Scholars Press, 1976), Smith writes about graduates from the older Harvard, like Samuel Adams (class of 1740), John Hancock (class of 1754), and John Adams (class of 1755). He says the passage in the book of Micah about “every man…under his vine and under his fig tree” was

the most potent expression of the colonist’s determination to be independent whatever the cost,…having substantial control over his own affairs. No theme was more constantly reiterated by writers and speakers in the era of the Revolution.

Here's a few examples, including some post-Revolution writers looking back.

In 1892, the Supreme Court of the United States proudly boasted that America was legally, technically, officially, Constitutionally, and organically a "Christian nation." Looking at the "organic utterances" the Court referred to, we see that America was not just generically Christian, but a Protestant nation. Smith says,

The American Revolution might thus be said to have started, in a sense, when Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the church door at Wittenberg. It received a substantial part of its theological and philosophical underpinnings from John Calvin’s Institutes Of The Christian Religion and much of its social history from the Puritan Revolution of 1640-1660, and, perhaps, less obviously, from the Glorious Revolution of 1689.

Indeed, Smith adds, in early America, the Reformation

left its mark on every aspect of the personal and social life of the faithful. In the family, in education, in business activity, in work, in community and, ultimately, in politics, the consequences of the Reformation were determinative for American history.

Put another way, the American Revolution is inconceivable in the absence of that context of ideas which have constituted radical Christianity. The leaders of the Revolution in every colony were imbued with the precepts of the Reformed faith.

By "radical" Christianity, Smith refers to the Bible. "Radical" comes from the Latin word for "root," and the Bible was the root and foundation of protestant Christianity in colonial America.
By "Reformed faith," Smith draws a distinction between Calvinism and Lutheranism. America was not just a Protestant nation, but a Calvinist nation.

The Westminster Standards are the highest expression of "the Reformed Faith."

Christian Philosopher Cornelius Van Til said "There is no alternative but that of theonomy and autonomy." The Law of God and the law of man. When society is governed by the Law of God in the Bible, it is free from the tyrannical rule of Autonomous Man. As remote or repugnant as Puritanism may be to some, Smith says “it is essential that we understand that the Reformation in its full power was one of the great emancipations of history.”

It is unfortunate that Calvin and his progeny were not consistent Christian Theocrats. As we will see, they tried to combine "Jerusalem and Athens." Instead of a pure "Theocracy," which literally means "God governs," they wanted clergymen -- or clergy-approved men -- to govern. This is not pure "Theocracy." Rule by clergy is "Ecclesiocracy."

Warning!
You Are About to be Offended

America became the most prosperous and admired nation in history because it was a Calvinist Theocracy.

You were trained by your government-approved teachers to be offended and appalled at that claim. Yesterday's secular clergymen stripped public schools of Calvinism and the Bible. Today's clergymen are the CEO's of the Military-Industrial Complex and Wall St., who oscillate between corporate boardrooms and "smoke-filled rooms" in Washington D.C. A secular ecclesiocracy is just an "oligarchy." The United States -- the woke/neo-conservative regime in Washington D.C. -- is an oligarchy. It is still a "theocracy," with every man his own god, and the State as the apotheosis of Autonomous Man. "The Government," as Hegel put it, is "god walking on the earth."

"Theocracy" is an inescapable concept. Even "democracy" is a theocracy: "vox populi, vox dei" -- “The voice of the people is the voice of god.”

Pity the nation whose gods are Joe Biden and Donald Trump.

As we noted above, Calvinism made America the most prosperous and admired nation in history. Removing Calvinism transformed America's prosperity into bankruptcy and admiration into ridicule and hate.

Vine & Fig Tree University

I'm working to create an online "university" which can be put on a hand-held electronic device for billions of Muslims and billions of "Christians" around the world. It will give the student the Bible-based education that America's Founding Fathers received when they were children.

At Vine & Fig Tree University we're trying to duplicate the now-extinct Harvard University -- a Bible-based Christian university founded by the New England Puritans to promote the Christianity of the Protestant Reformation in the New World -- which is now an atheistic university at war with the original goals of Harvard.

The Founders of Harvard University (the church-state of Massachusetts) also created the first public school system. It was based on the Bible, and created Bible-literate students qualified to enter Harvard University.

Graduates of today's government-run "public" schools have been brainwashed into believing that Harvard's original Christian worldview is not as good as today's secular worldview. Nobody wants an education approved by the Protestant Reformers and the New England Puritans. Nobody is searching in Google to find a university that teaches what Harvard's Founders wanted students to learn in 1636 -- and nobody knows as much about the Bible and social virtues as Harvard expected high school applicants to know before their first college class.

But at Vine & Fig Tree University we believe that Harvard's Founders were not perfectly consistent with the teachings of the Bible. So we seek to reform the reformers. We want to be more pure than the Puritans. But our reforms are viewed as heretical, and we only incur additional wrath from those who already oppose the original Founders of Harvard.

Vine & Fig Tree University takes its name from the Bible verse which historians claim was the most popular Bible verse in America from 1600 to the American Revolution. (That's saying something significant, because America's public school system was designed primarily to teach everyone the Bible. If you were to ask today's Americans who their favorite opera singer is, they would draw a blank, because they can't name a single opera singer. Likewise if you asked today's Americans what their favorite Bible verse is. Some may have heard of "John 3:16," but otherwise know as much about the Bible as they do about opera singers. This was not the case in early America.)

Here is the foundational text for Vine & Fig Tree University:

Micah 4:1-7

1 But it shall come to pass,
in the last days
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 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 pruninghooks:
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 Although all people will walk
every one in the name of his god,
we will walk in the name of the LORD our God
for ever and ever.

6 In that day, saith the LORD,
will I assemble her that halteth,
and I will gather her that is driven out,
and her that I have afflicted;
7 And I will make her that halted a remnant,
and her that was cast far off a strong nation:
and the LORD shall reign over them in mount Zion
from henceforth, even for ever.

This is the foundational Bible passage for America, a land of "Liberty Under God." This is the original "American Dream."

But Americans from 1600-1800 only scratched the surface of this passage. And from 1800 to today, this passage has been flushed down the Orwellian "Memory Hole." Out of 300,000 churches in America, the number of churches that take this passage seriously (and agree with the perspective advanced here) can be counted on your right hand. This passage does not fit into the popular "prophecy charts" of most churches.

Let's look at some details in Micah 4:1-7.

Micah says

1 it shall come to pass,

Q.: How does Micah know what will come to pass?

A.: God told him. This is seen in verse 4:

4 for the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken it.

Q.: How does God know what will come to pass?

A.: God is in control.

Q.: When will this come to pass?

A.:

in the last days

Perhaps Micah meant "in the distant future." But the writers of the New Testament consistently affirmed that they were living in "the last days," and the best interpretation of this phrase is that they were living in the last days of the Old Covenant.

that the mountain

The original "mountain" was the Garden of Eden, from which flowed four rivers (downhill). The temple on Mt. Zion was a model of the Garden.

the house of the LORD

The temple of the LORD: Where is it today? It was destroyed in A.D. 70 by the Romans. The New Testament writers say that the new temple is made up of God's People.

shall be established

This has already happened. The new temple (God's People) was being built even before the old temple had been destroyed. The virgin-born Jesus of Nazareth was seated in His new temple as the Messiah of Israel (Acts 2:36).

in the top of the mountains,
and it shall be exalted above the hills;

The nations around Israel built their own "high places" in an attempt to imitate God's Garden. The neo-conservative woke regime in Washington D.C., as well as the "former" USSR, UK, UN, NWO, WEF, etc. are all rival "mountains." Christ has a superior jurisdiction over them all.

and people shall flow unto it.
2 And many nations shall come, and say,

This began happening in Acts 2, and has continued since, with ups and downs through history.

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.

Too many Christians today think there is a conflict between "Law" and "Gospel." Micah didn't think so.

3 And He shall judge among many people,
and rebuke strong nations afar off;
Who is "He?" It is clearly Jesus the Messiah. The first nation He judged was the nation of Israel, who murdered their King. This took place in "the last days" of the Old Covenant. Perhaps Jesus is about to judge the U.S.A., a once-Christian nation.
and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruninghooks:
nation shall not lift up a sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more.

Many (if not most) Christians today claim that wars must increase until the "Second Coming" of Christ, sometime in our future. This is based on an erroneous interpretation of Matthew 24:6. There are fewer wars today than there were in Micah's day. Christians have enough financial and electoral power to end all the wars currently taking place in the world today.

Q.: What would happen if Christians never voted for any politician who promised "Peace through Strength," that is, "peace" through killing millions of innocent people?
Q.: What would happen if Christians never voted for any politician who promised to use the power of the sword (the State) to engage in extortion ("taxation") to fund mass murder by the military?
Q.: What would happen if "the Law shall go forth" out of the New Temple of God's People, and they never voted for any politician who promised to violate the commands against murder and theft?

A.: All of today's politicians would have to resign from "the public sector" and get jobs in "the private sector."
The "Public Sector" ("the sword") would be abolished.
"Public Schools" exist to brainwash you into believing that would be a terrible thing.

4 But they shall sit every man under
his vine and under his fig tree;
and none shall make them afraid:

This was the original "American Dream."

2 for the Law shall go forth of Zion,
and the Word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

5 Although all people will walk
every one in the name of his god,
we will walk in the name of the LORD our God
for ever and ever.

The early church father Tertullian (c. 155 AD – c. 220 AD) asked:

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). 

Perhaps in his day Christians were being told to "Listen to the Academy!" just as Christians in our day are told "Listen to the Science!" But Micah says the temple of the living God will not be corrupted by the temple of man the would-be god.

Augustine wrote about the conflict between "The City of God" and the city of man. Where is your "citizenship?"

6 In that day, saith the LORD,
will I assemble her that halteth,
and I will gather her that is driven out,
and her that I have afflicted;
7 And I will make her that halted a remnant,
and her that was cast far off a strong nation:

God rebukes unbelieving nations, but then restores them and gives them faithful obedience.

God's People are part of that process, by extending mercy to those God has rebuked (Matthew 25:31-46).

and the LORD shall reign over them in mount Zion
from henceforth, even for ever.

 The Kingdom that Christ inaugurated in "the last days" of the Old Covenant lasts forever.

Of the increase of His government and peace
There will be no end
Isaiah 9:6-7

Most people find something controversial or objectionable in these verses. Perhaps the most controversial claim we are making about this passage can be stated in four words:

Jesus is the Christ

Your local church probably does not believe that. The phrase sounds unobjectionable, but only because nobody thinks very deeply about it.

Jews have thought about it. They deny that the virgin-born Jew from Nazareth is Israel's Christ (a Greek word which is equivalent to the Hebrew word "Messiah"). Jesus is not their King.

But surprisingly, most people who call themselves "Christians" don't really believe these four words. They don't believe Jesus is -- in our day, right now -- fulfilling all the "Messianic Prophecies" of the Bible, prophecies which are relegated to a time often called "The Millennium."

The two most controversial words in that statement are the words "IS" and "THE."

  IS  

Most church-going Christians believe that Jesus will become the Messiah at a future Christmas, a future advent, a future "Second Coming." But the word "IS" -- present tense -- is the wrong word to use about Jesus being the Messiah. To say that Jesus "is" the Messiah is to say that He already became the Messiah and began ruling in the past. Theologians use the word "preterism" to describe an event that happened in the past. Nearly all churches believe "preterism" is a heresy.
THE

The word "Christ" has many meanings. The basic meaning is "anointed," as in "king" (Matthew 21:5 ), e.g., "King of Israel" (John 1:49). Jesus is also called a "Ruler" (Micah 5:2), a "Potentate" (1 Timothy 6:15 ), a "Governor" (Matthew 2:6 ), a "Captain" (Hebrews 2:10 ), a "Prince" (Isaiah 9:6 ), and many other words (some of which we aren't familiar with in our day, like "Horn" [Luke 1:69 ]) which are political in nature.

Many political terms can be inferred:
  • Jesus is a "servant," which is another word for "minister," and Jesus is surely the "Prime Minister."
  • In his inaugural address, George Washington spoke of "that Almighty Being who rules over the universe, who presides in the councils of nations." The one who "presides" is the "president."
  • Jesus is our King, our Lawgiver, and our Judge (Isaiah 33:22) -- all three "branches" of government under the U.S. Constitution.

Our point is that Jesus is the -- THE -- the ONLY -- legitimate "king," "prince," "ruler," "president," "prime minister," "governor," "legislator," "judge," and "potentate." If we simply practice what we preach -- by obeying His commandments -- we will have a peaceful, orderly, and prosperous society. All other earthly kings, princes, rulers, presidents, prime ministers, governors, legislators, judges, and potentates are illegitimate usurpers and anti-Christ. The desire for a creature to be our king "like all the nations" (or "gentiles") (1 Samuel 8:5,20) is the rejection of the Creator as King (1 Samuel 8:7; Isaiah 33:22; Romans 1:25). Jesus said His followers are not to be like these gentiles and their false rulers (Mark 10:42-45). The word "ruler" is the Greek word from which we derive the English word "anarchist." We are not to have any "archist" but Christ.

Most people who call themselves "Christians" today believe that Micah's prophecy will not begin to see fulfillment until Jesus returns to earth a second time. 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," and the world is more obedient to God's Commandments today than it was before Jesus was born. The world is more peaceful. The mainstream media and secular academia of the "Boomers" do not want you to understand this.

Nor do most clergymen. The more perceptive clergy will say that our belief that Jesus has already begun reigning as the Christ/Messiah of Israel, that Micah's prophecy is already being fulfilled, 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:

  1. 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.
  2. This position is not "ancient." I just made up the term "anarcho-preterism" last Thursday.

Here are some more controversial terms that can be found in Micah's prophecy. We have found 20 "core values" in the passage, and each one can set off a firestorm of controversy. But when fully understood, each one is a source of great comfort, optimism, and "good news" ("gospel").

Micah 4:1-7

Key Controversies
1 But it shall come to pass, 1: Calvinism/predestination: "It shall come to pass"
4 for the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken it. 0. Bibliolatry: God speaks, we worship the Word
in the last days 2: Preterism: "in the last days" of the Old Covenant
that the mountain 3: Creationism: The "mountain" = Eden
the house of the LORD The temple of the LORD: Where is it today?
Is the "institutional church" a part of the Kingdom of God?
shall be established This has already happened (Acts 2:36)
in the top of the mountains,
and it shall be exalted above the hills;		 USA/USSR/UK/NWO/WEF etc. are all rival "mountains"
and people shall flow unto it.
2 And many nations shall come, and say,		 4. Optimillennialism: "Peoples will stream; nations will come"
                               This is currently happening.
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.		 5: Theonomy: "the Law of God"

4 for the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken it.
3 And He shall judge among many people,
and rebuke strong nations afar off;		 8: Theocracy / Christocracy: "He shall judge"
and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruninghooks:
nation shall not lift up a sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more.		 6: Pacifism: "swords into plowshares"
  7: Archistlessness: no "sword" = no "Government" or "State"
Jesus is the One True Archist
4 But they shall sit every man under
his vine and under his fig tree;
and none shall make them afraid:		 "dwell safely" - "none afraid" || verses

Vine & Fig Tree
Daily Life

Family Education Family Business
14: Patriarchy: "His Vine"

15: Education: Family does the teaching of God's Law
                      Family businesses teach God's Law

16: Character: We teach God's Law because
                       ethics is more important than "genius"

 17: Agrarianism: Vine & Fig Tree

18: Property/Communism: Sharing is Christian, but compulsory "sharing" is theft.

19. "Socialism" - The home as community center, home for the homeless.

 

5 Although all people will walk
every one in the name of his god,
we will walk in the name of the LORD our God
for ever and ever.		 13. Jerusalem vs. Athens

16: Character vs. "Mass Formation Psychosis"
standing alone against public lawlessness and unbelief
6 In that day, saith the LORD,
will I assemble her that halteth,
and I will gather her that is driven out,
and her that I have afflicted;
7 And I will make her that halted a remnant,
and her that was cast far off a strong nation:		 19. Socialism/Community: the ones "God has afflicted"
People who invest time and money in "marginalized" groups
are sometimes called "socialists," in contrast to "capitalists" who
invest only in themselves. The labels are wrong, but the concept
is valid. The Bible says these people must not be ignored.
and the LORD shall reign over them in mount Zion
from henceforth, even for ever.		 20: Eternity: "forever"
                    The Kingdom that Christ inaugurated in
                    "the last days" of the Old Covenant
                    lasts forever.

During the typical 15-week semester, we will always come back to 20 Core Values found in Micah's the “Vine & Fig Tree” prophecy.

Issue 0. Bibliolatry
Issue 1. Calvinism/Predestination
Issue 2. Preterism
Issue 3. Creationism
Issue 4. Optimillennialism
Issue 5. Theonomy
Issue 6. Pacifism
Issue 7. Capitalism
Issue 8. Theocracy
|  Issue 9. Sin and the Fall of Man
|  Issue 10. Justification
|  Issue 11. Salvation
|  Issue 12. Jerusalem v. Athens: James 1:27; 4:4 world
|  Issue 13. Church (House of the Lord) - false justification
How to create salvation:
Issue 14. Patriarchy: Patria v. Polis/EconomicManPolitical
Issue 15. Education: Theonomic/Jerusalem
Issue 16. Character
Issue 17. Agrarianism
Issue 18. Property/Community
Issue 19. Socialism
Issue 20. Eternity

The Vine & Fig Tree Semester
Vine & Fig Tree University

If you're thinking about going to college, enroll in Vine & Fig Tree University for one semester and we will blow your mind. You'll re-think the entire idea of attending a typical 4-year college and you'll enroll in Vine & Fig Tree University instead.

Or maybe you'll go ahead and enroll in a typical 4-year college, but with eyes wide open. It will be completely different experience for you.

The Vine & Fig Tree University curriculum revolves around the “Vine & Fig Tree” worldview, which is found throughout the Bible, and especially in the 4th chapter of the prophet Micah.

We believe God breathed-out the Bible through human penmen. We believe the Bible is the primary textbook for every academic subject and the foundational blueprint for every field of human action. In 2024, no accredited college begins education with that assumption. Four hundred years ago, in 1624, everybody believed that. A hundred years later, in 1724, every college in America was a Bible-based Christian college. You will not hear that Christian philosophy in any history, economics, sociology, law, political science, or any other class in any other accredited university today.

During this first semester at Vine & Fig Tree University, you'll learn five things:

Thing #1: The Three Subjects Banned From Your Government-Approved Education
-- and why you must access them.
Why you're a victim of educational malpractice.
 
Thing #2: The Three Goals for You from Samuel Adams
-- and why you must achieve them.
Why America was once prosperous and admired, and why the U.S. is now bankrupt and despised.
 
Thing #3: The Three Huge Mistakes America's Founding Fathers Made
-- and why you must avoid them.
Not a single person who signed the Constitution was a "deist" or an atheist. But they didn't see the full implications of their Christian faith.
 
Thing #4: The Three Most Hated Words in Politics Today
-- and why you must adopt them.
If you try to become a consistent Christian, and avoid the mistakes made by America's Founders, you will be attacked.
 
Thing #5: The Three Things You Need to Become Extraordinary
-- and why you must activate them.
You won't find these three things in any other university.
This is the curriculum and the philosophy of education that America's Founders said was "necessary for good government and the happiness of mankind."
[Do you know where the Founders said this? It's in a document that is classified as part of our nation's "organic law" -- right next to the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.]
Because this philosophy has been banished from the nation's schools, we now have bad government and skyrocketing rates of depression and suicide. We're more than victims of educational malpractice. We suffer from a form of political and cultural PTSD.

In your first semester, you'll be introduced to some uncomfortable facts:

  1. One year of a typical public school education costs taxpayers $11,392 per student. In some states it's over $20,000 per year.
  2. That means a K-12 education costs $148,096, or over $260,000 in the states with the strongest teachers' unions.
  3. All of these students are victims of educational malpractice.
  4. They did not receive the most important things that schools were originally intended to provide, according to America's Founders, who created schools primarily as a way to make sure that every citizen in every town could read the Bible, which was the foundation and blueprint for the most prosperous and admired nation in history.
  5. Some people then go on to pay $169,000 -- or more -- for an additional 4 years of educational malpractice -- in college.

If you've already graduated from college, I'd like to invite you to experience a massive transformation into

  • An Extraordinary American,
  • An Extraordinary Christian,
  • An Extraordinary Human Being.

Those were the three challenges Samuel Adams made in the first letter he wrote to Americans through a network of communication known as "The Committees of Correspondence." Here's another fact to think about:

  1. The overwhelming majority of government-educated Americans today cannot read and understand that letter.
  2. Nearly 50% of those who enroll in college this year will not get a degree. That's about 2 million people.
  3. If each one of these 2 million people spends just $1,000 on their "college experience," that's a total of 2 Billion dollars down the drain.
Dropping out of college doesn't mean you're stupid, any more than getting out of a boxing ring makes you "stupid" when you find yourself enrolled in a school for amateur boxers who want to win a medal at the Olympics. If that's not what you want to do, the sooner you get out, the smarter you are.

Vine & Fig Tree University exists to promote the Vine & Fig Tree worldview. Everybody in America in 1776 would have known what that meant. If you don't know what that means, that doesn't mean you're stupid, it just means you're a victim of educational malpractice. [Click here to learn about the Vine & Fig Tree worldview.]

The Federal Government says public schools cannot endorse or promote the Vine & Fig Tree worldview. The Federal Government also says public schools cannot teach students that the Declaration of Independence (1776) is really true. If a student asks a teacher if the Declaration of Independence is really true, the teacher must say "I don't know," or "Some people a long time ago used to believe it was true," or something like that. The Federal Government says public schools cannot teach the Bible the way the writers of the Bible would teach the Bible, even though the original reason public schools were formed was to make sure that everyone in town could read the Bible, since the Bible was a revelation from God and the blueprint for our society.

Before you enroll in a college that has the government's approval, and spend tens of thousands of dollars, enroll for one semester in a college that does not have the government's approval. We guarantee you will experience

the most profound, beneficial, 
massive, and lasting
personal transformation
of your entire life ...

or we will refund 100% of your tuition back to you.

No other college or university comes close to saying this. All other universities are all about getting your money, or exploiting you as a tool to get a hundred grand from taxpayers.

Vine & Fig Tree University isn't about money. Those other universities will say Vine & Fig Tree University is about "brainwashing" you into the Vine & Fig Tree cult. And that's true. Just as all the other universities are all about brainwashing you into believing that a Vine & Fig Tree world is a "utopian" impossibility. [The now-atheistic United States has all the classic earmarks of a dangerous authoritarian cult.]

Listen to a 95-minute tour
of the 95-Day First Semester Orientation Program.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
First Semester Syllabus
5 Things You Need to Know
5 Books You Need to Read

Foundational Admission:
You are a Victim of Educational Malpractice

Overview:
Five Things You Need to Know

Thing #1: The Three Subjects Banned From Your Government-Approved Education
-- and why you must access them.
 
Thing #2: The Three Goals for You from Samuel Adams
-- and why you must achieve them.
 
Thing #3: The Three Huge Mistakes America's Founding Fathers Made
-- and why you must avoid them.
 
Thing #4: The Three Most Hated Words in Politics Today
-- and why you must adopt them.
 
Thing #5: The Three Things You Need to Become Extraordinary
-- and why you must activate them.

Thing #1:     
Three Subjects Banned From Your 
Government-Approved Education
You are a Victim of Educational Malpractice.

 details

Public Schools in America were originally created to teach everyone the Bible

 proof

Religion, Morality, Knowledge - America's "Organic Law"
    Day 26:  "Necessary for Good Government and the Happiness of Mankind" - Not an elective, but the common core of a decent education in every public school in America, 1776. details
  Religion of Jesus Christ details
    Day 27: - Vertical Relationship - The Horror of Atheism • atheists banned: the importance of our relationship to God once pervaded society. A nation "Under God" is a religious nation. details
    Day 28: Creator-Creature Distinction - Man is not God - The State is not God details
    Day 29: Man is Broken - "The Fall" details
    Day 30: Atonement: The Politics of Guilt and Pity - Sado-Masochism - Scapegoating details
    Day 31: The One and the Many - Unity and Diversity details
  Morality  
    Day 32:  Horizontal: relations with others              source of liberty, "rights"       details
    Day 33: "national morality" details
  Knowledge  
    Day 34: -- Not just the "3 R's" (literacy) - knowledge of how the world works
            Providence + Capitalism vs. Mercantilism/Socialist Central Planning		 details
    Day 35: • knowledge vs. "self-esteem"
          the prosperous discharge of a lawful calling (work) brings self-esteem		 details
       

Thing #2:     
The Three Challenges of Samuel Adams

 details
    

1st Goal: Be A REAL American

 details
          Day 1:  A Real American believes in "the American Dream": Vine & Fig Tree  details
    Day 2:  A Real American believes that the Declaration of Independence is really true. details
    Day 3:  A Real American Opposes Tyranny. (Americans today demand it.) details
    Day 4:  A Real American isn't afraid to be called an "alarmist" details
    Day 5:  A Real American Prefers Liberty Under God, over "Security under Man" (or you deserve neither liberty nor security) details
    Day 6:  A Real American is willing to Risk something to protect "Liberty Under God" details
    Day 8:  A True American is also a Christian. details
    Day 7:  "How do you know?" | audio answer | details
        

Samuel Adams' 2nd Goal: Be A GENUINE Christian

 details
    Day   9:   A True Christian is a Follower of Christ (Messiah), the Prince of Peace. details
    Day 10:  Berean: "People of the Book" -  The Bible details
    Day 11:  Berean: Daily questions human authority in light of the Bible details
    Day 12:  A Genuine Christian  is not afraid to be called a "Creationist" details
    Day 13:  A Genuine Christian  is not afraid to be called a "Pacifist" details
    Day 14:  A Genuine Christian  is not afraid to be called an "Extremist" details
    Day 15:  A True Christian is not afraid to be called a "Theocrat" details
    Day 16:  A True Christian is not afraid to be called a "Utopian" details
    Day 17:  Forgiven by Imputation, not ecclesiastical works details
    Day 18:  Performs "works of mercy" | audio details
    Day 19:  Justification by Allegiance: How to Become a Christian [pdf] details
    Day 20:  Judges one religion to be true, and all others to be false. details
     

3rd Goal: Be TRULY Human

 details
           "What is the chief end of man?" A question every child in America could answer in 1776.
    Day 21: Glorify God - Humility - You are not God. details
    Day 22: Enjoy Him forever - Gratitude details
    Day 23: Exercise Dominion over the earth. Not worship the earth. details
    Day 24: God Created Human Beings Male and Female: BE FRUITFUL AND MULTIPLY (impossible for homosexuals) details
    Day 25: Pleasing to God -- "Well done, thou good and faithful businessman." details
       
     

Iron Sharpens Iron
Daily
 		  

Thing #3:     
 Three Huge Mistakes America's Founders Made
-- and why you must avoid them

 details
    Day 36: We don't worship the Founding Fathers. details
Huge Mistake Number One: "Rights"
    Day 37: The Myth of "Human Rights." Humanistic attack on moral duty. details
    Day 38: "Entitlements" are destroying this nation details
Huge Mistake Number Two: Revolution
They took up arms to abolish the government by force and violence, murdering Christians from Britain
    Day 39: Just plain wrong. Romans 13 -- Sermon on the Mount details
    Day 40:  U.S. Overthrowing Governments Today.
              Global Revolution: War, Imperialism, CIA Overthrow,
              "National Defense," Foreign Policy,  Blowback.
              Trillions of dollars diverted, millions of lives lost		 details
Huge Mistake Number Three: Restoration of Representative Regulation
    Day 41: Who has the right to steal, coerce, torture, or delegate these sins to someone else? details
    Day 42: Bonus Non-Mistake: no “Rapture.” Novus Ordo Seclorum. details
 
Each and every day, as you read the Bible and the other important texts in the Samuel Adams Coaching Program,, you should reflect on these three huge mistakes and ask three questions:
1. Rights:
  • Am I here to get or to give?
  • Am I here to demand my rights or to obey my duties?
  • Am I entitled or am I obligated?
  • Am I owed or do I owe?

When you speak about God's Commandments rather than "the rights of man," are you prepared to be called a "theocrat?"
2. Revolution:
  • Is "Rebellion Against Tyrants Obedience to God?" Really?
  • Should we preach to tyrants until they are converted, or should we assassinate them?
  • What is the Christ-like way to move sheeple and their wolf-tyrants to "Liberty Under God" and the Vine & Fig Tree society?
  • "Tyranny" and "liberty" are abstractions. The Bible says "Honor the king." You honor the king by not treating him as an abstraction or a conspiracy theory, and treating him as a human being created in the Image of God. Do you know a tyrant? Witness to him. Do you know someone who profits from tyranny? Witness to her. Are you prepared with an anti-tyranny apologetic?

When you speak about being "subject" to tyrants rather than asserting your "Second Amendment Rights," or assassinating tyrants, are you prepared to be called a "pacifist?"
3. "Representation":
  • Is it legitimate for me to grab my entitlements by "voting" for a "representative" to get them for me?
  • Is it legitimate for me to overthrow a foreign government so I can increase my corporate profits or lower my gas prices by "voting" for a "representative" to send the CIA or the Marines?
  • Is it legitimate for me to take money from my neighbor by "voting" for a "representative" to "tax" him?
  • Would the world be worse off or better off without any "archists" (people who believe they have the right to impose their will on others by force) at all?
  • Would the world be better off or worse off if all archists resigned and got jobs in the private sector?

When you speak about the superiority of Free Enterprise over socialism, and when you dream about markets freed from archists, are you prepared to be called an "anarchist?"

 Thing #4:     
 The Three Most Hated Words in Politics Today
-- and why you must embrace them
These three words all stem from the Three Huge Mistakes  
that America's Founders made.
These three hated concepts are the only way to reverse those three huge mistakes.

 details
Most Hated Word #1 - THEOCRACY!
    Day 43: God Rules - Isaiah 33:22 | 
               Not "Government by Ayatollahs" - Priestly Police State		 details
Most Hated Word #2 - PACIFISM
    Day 44:  The opposite of violent revolution against tyrannical invaders: 
                no "national defense."		 details
Most Hated Word #3 - ANARCHISM
    Day 45:  Jesus prohibits His followers from being "archists." Case closed. details
    Day 46: Bonus Word: Preterism - optimilllennialism, not pessimillennialism details
       

Thing #5:     
The Three Things You Need to Become Extraordinary
-- and why you must activate them

 details
  • A Curriculum - Content
  • A Coach - Accountability
  • A Community - Support
1st Extraordinary Thing: An Extraordinary Curriculum
       

Our Curriculum: Five Books to Read

Five Books - Five Classes

Read Five of the Most Important Works
in the History of Western Civilization
in 365 Days
  Substitute one hour of our program for one hour of the Mainstream Media
Each book and accompanying resources is the equivalent of one college-level class.
Weekly live webinar "office hours." Email. All your questions answered.
Our 365-day Coaching Program is the equivalent of two years of college.
No exams -  just profound personal transformation. 
We assume you know "the 3 R's" -- You made it to this website
We assume you don't know "the 3 R's" - We provide audio in case you can't read.
 		 details
    Day 47: The Importance of Ideas -Foundation: Ideas Have Consequences
             inevitability: Islam, Marxism		 details
    Day 48  • The Importance of History - Avoiding mistakes - Lay a Foundation for the Future
                Ask Three Questions		 details
    Day 49  • Daily Devotion -- Not just Sunday. Doing "religion, morality, and knowledge" every day of the week will transform your entire life. No day is secular. details
    Day 50  • Lifelong Learner -- wait 'til you see Year Two of the Program. And Year Three. Etc. Your education is not over. No matter how many degrees you have. details
  Why We Chose These Five Books to Read  
    Day 51:  1. The Bible: The Most Important Book in the History of the Human Race details
    Day 52:  2. The Westminster Standards details
    Day 53:  3. Theocracy vs. "Separation of Church and State" details
    Day 54:  4. Capitalism vs. Archism -- The Wealth of Nations details
    Day 55:  5. Optimillennialism vs. Pessimillennialism -- Hope for this planet details
  How to Read These Five Books  
    Day 56: The Bible is Our Textbook in Every Discipline details
    Day 57: Read Prayerfully  details
    Day 58: Bible: Christmas details
    Day 59: Bible: History/Chronology details
    Day 60: Bible: Psalms details
    Day 61: Bible: Proverbs details
    Day 62: Bible: Law details
    Day 63: Westminster: Theology details
    Day 64: Westminster: Duty details
    Day 65: Capitalism: Gratitude details
    Day 66: Theocracy: Character - The Rule of God in our Lives - Shapes Society details
2nd Extraordinary Thing: An Extraordinary Coach
    Day 67  Life = Race details
    Day 68: What is Coaching? details
    Day 69: The Coach as Elder details
    Day 70: Your duty to find experts details
    Day 71: Mentor/Elder/Pastor details
    Day 72: Grandfather in Deut 4, 6 | no grandkids? Adopt/Mentor details
    Day 73: FellowTraveller/Friend/Companion/Kindred Spirit details
    Day 74: About Me - Your Coach (no expert, no clergy) details
3rd Extraordinary Thing: An Extraordinary Community
    Day 75: “One Another”· | We like it details
    Day 76: Iron Sharpens Iron | We don't like it | sparks may fly details
    Day 77: Priesthood of All Believers details
    Day 78: "Cloud of Witnesses" | History | Heroes details
    Day 79: “Nouthetic Coaching”  — You are "competent to counsel" (Romans 15:14) details
  How to Be A Coach  
    Day 80: Passing on this Program to Others details
  Current Events, Recent Podcasts  
    Day 81: Contemporary Application details
  How Much Does This Program Cost?  
    Day 82: Different Costs: Price/value/opportunity details
    Day 83: Production Costs: Do it Yourself - Minimum Wage details
  How Much Should You Pay? [You should pay something]
Jesus says, "The laborer is worthy of his hire."		  
    Day 84: Aristotle and Alexander the Great details
    Day 85: College Tuition details
    Day 86: Pastor = double honor/labor in word details
    Day 87: Tithe to God details
  Other Alternatives: Our Competition:  
    Day 88: Centurions details
    Day 89: LibertyClassroom | Tom Woods | Ron Paul Homeschool details
  The Fine Print  
    Day 90: Money-Back Guarantee details
    Day 91: Double Your Money Back Guarantee: We will buy your blog details
    Day 92: Double, Triple, Quadruple Your Money: Affiliate Marketing details
    Day 93: Weekly Webinars -- Some weeks daily details
    Day 94: Office Hours - Email - Laser Coaching

details
    Day 95: Final Pitch - Fine Print details

Why 95 days?

On each day of our 95-day Orientation Program:

 

Micah 4:1-7

 

Vine & Fig Tree University - Review of Themes
And it will come about in the last days
That the mountain of the House of the LORD
Will be established as the chief of the mountains
And it will be raised above the hills		   "Bibliolatry" - We teach students that the Bible is the Word of God. Micah can predict what "will come about" because God revealed it to him.

Predestination -- God knows what "will come about" because He predestined it.

"Creationism" -- We teach students that the "mountain" of Eden actually existed. We teach students that "Evolution" is the religion of archists.
And the peoples will stream to it.
And many nations will come and say,
"Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD
And to the House of the God of Jacob,		 Preterism -- We are not in "the last days" of the Old Covenant. The "second coming" and establishment of the "mountain" -- the reign of the Messiah -- took place in the past.

"Optimillennialism" - A majority of church-going Christians in the last century believed that the world would get worse and worse until a "rapture" took place, leading to a "Great Tribulation," the "Antichrist," and Armageddon, followed by a "Second Coming" of Christ. This was called "premillennialism." Gary North called it "pessimillennialism."
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.		   "Theonomy" --  "God's Law" -- A controversial position that sees the Bible as a blueprint for a reconstructed society.
And He will judge between many peoples
And render decisions for 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.		 Pacifism -- Elimination of the Department of Defense and the Military-Industrial Complex.

Anarchism -- Conversion of those who believe they have the right to impose their will on the rest of the planet by violent force and threats of nuclear annihilation.
And each of them will sit under his   "Patriarchy"
"Homophobia"
Vine and under his  fig tree,
With no one to make them afraid.
For the LORD of hosts has spoken.		 Agrarianism
Though all the peoples walk
Each in the name of his god,
As for us, we will walk
In the Name of the LORD our God
forever and ever.		   Character -- Sometimes described as the actions you take when nobody is watching, but today describes the actions you take when Big Brother is watching you, and social media is denouncing you.
In that day, saith the LORD,
will I assemble her that halteth,
and I will gather her that is driven out,
and her that I have afflicted;
And I will make her that halted a remnant,
and her that was cast far off a strong nation:
and the LORD shall reign over them in mount Zion
from henceforth, even for ever.		 "Socialism"/"Communism"

The first "anarchists" called themselves "socialists," because they fought not only for individual rights, but for social deficiencies among those who could not fight for themselves.

The first ("native") Americans did not hold land under Lockean "homesteading" theory, and the land they lived on was stolen from them by archists.

After 1647, students wishing to enroll in Harvard were required to give their assent to the Westminster Standards in order to be admitted as a student. Probably nobody who will be starting as a Freshman at Harvard this Fall has studied the Westminster Standards, much less agrees with them. Applicants to Harvard in the early 1600's had a much higher level of academic attainment than graduates of atheistic public schools -- victims of educational malpractice -- in the early 2000's. And high school students in the 1600's already had a Biblical worldview before their first day of college. 

The Westminster Standards

WCFThe Westminster Confession of Faith and the Larger and Shorter Catechisms were written in the 1640's. They reflect the growth of Protestant theology that began in 1517 with Luther's "95 Theses" and continued under men like John Calvin.

John Frame says

The assembly’s Confession of Faith, completed in December, 1646, is the last of the classic Reformed confessions and by far the most influential in the English-speaking world. Though it governed the Church of England only briefly, it has been widely adopted (sometimes with amendments) by British and American Presbyterian bodies as well as by many Congregational and Baptist churches.

B.B. Warfield, professor at Princeton in the late 1800's, wrote of the Westminster Standards,

[T]hey are the final crystallization of the elements of evangelical religion, after the conflicts of sixteen hundred years. . . . [T]hey are the richest and most precise and best guarded statement ever penned of all that enters into evangelical religion . . . .

Richard Gardiner, in his impressive collection of "Primary Source Documents Pertaining to Early American History," lists many sources which introduce the average Secular Humanist to the now-unknown religious foundations of American Revolution and Government. Among these sources are the Westminster Standards. Gardiner says of them:

indent.gif (90 bytes)The Westminster Confession of Faith (1646) In addition to being the decree of Parliament as the standard for Christian doctrine in the British Kingdom, it was adopted as the official statement of belief for the colonies of Massachusetts and Connecticut. Although slightly altered and called by different names, it was the creed of Congregationalist, Baptist, and Presbyterian Churches throughout the English speaking world. Assent to the Westminster Confession was officially required at Harvard, Yale, and Princeton. Princeton scholar, Benjamin Warfield wrote: "It was impossible for any body of Christians in the [English] Kingdoms to avoid attending to it."
indent.gif (90 bytes)The Westminster Catechism (1646) Second only to the Bible, the "Shorter Catechism" of the Westminster Confession was the most widely published piece of literature in the pre-revolutionary era in America. It is estimated that some five million copies were available in the colonies. With a total population of only four million people in America at the time of the Revolution, the number is staggering. The Westminster Catechism was not only a central part of the colonial educational curriculum, learning it was required by law. Each town employed an officer whose duty was to visit homes to hear the children recite the Catechism. The primary schoolbook for children, the New England Primer, included the Catechism.  Daily recitations of it were required at these schools. Their curriculum included memorization of the Westminster Confession and the Westminster Larger Catechism. There was not a person at Independence Hall in 1776 who had not been exposed to it, and most of them had it spoon fed to them before they could walk.

The Shorter Catechism begins with this notice:

Agreed upon by the Assembly of Divines at Westminster, with the Assistance of Commissioners from the Church of Scotland, as a Part of the Covenanted Uniformity in Religion Betwixt the Churches of Christ in the Kingdoms of Scotland, England, and Ireland.

and Approved Anno 1648, by the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, to Be a Directory for Catechising Such as Are of Weaker Capacity,

"Weaker capacity." Like 5-year olds.

The "Larger Catechism" is described as "a Directory for catechising such as have made some proficiency in the knowledge of the grounds of religion." Like 12-year olds. A Protestant Bar-Mitzvah.

90% of the "Pastors" of today's churches do not know as much about theology as the average 8th-grade American in 1776.

Many people are rightly disturbed by the idea of a government official entering a home and dictating what children should learn when it comes to religion.
But they are also offended by the idea of God Himself entering a home and dictating what children should learn when it comes to religion . . . or any other subject.

The word "Theocracy" is a frightening boogeyman in our day. Harvard University and the Westminster Standards were both designed to promote a Christian Theocracy. Neither one embraced the modern concept of "separation of church and state," which more accurately means "separation of God (religion, Christianity) and Government." Harvard/Westminster stood for the proposition that both Church and State must be "under God." Vine & Fig Tree University questions whether "the State" -- which is a Monopoly of Violence -- can ever truly be "under God," that is, obedient to God's Commandments. Similarly concerning the institution called "the church." The Westminster Assembly, predominantly Presbyterian, was strongly opposed to Roman Catholicism, yet in many ways is still very similar to Roman Catholicism in structure and power-dynamics. John Milton said "New Presbyter is but Old Priest writ large."

The Bible says all believers are priests and kings:

Revelation 1:6 
Jesus Christ has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Revelation 5:9-10
And have redeemed us to God by Your blood And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth.

Roman Catholics claimed to have priests; Harvard and Westminster denied this.
Harvard's most notable graduates in its first 200 years -- Samuel Adams, John Hancock, John Adams, etc. -- denied the claim of "the divine right of kings."
Vine & Fig Tree University contends that we are all priests and kings, and nobody is a priest or a king.
Vine & Fig Tree University denies the modern concept of "separation of church and state." We believe in "the abolition of church and state," that is, abolition of monopoly priesthoods and political oligarchy. We believe in an orderly self-governing society, and a truly religious (James 1:27) society, without the institutions of "church" and "state."

Both Harvard and Westminster believed in the institutions of "church" and "state" because "the church fathers" did. Not everything "the church fathers" believed came from the Bible. "The church fathers" believed many things because Aristotle and Greco-Roman humanism taught them to believe these things. One of the primary purposes of Vine & Fig Tree University is to strip away Greco-Roman humanism and go back to the Scriptures. At many points the Protestant Reformers and the New England Puritans wanted to "reform" and "purify" in this way, but they were products of their time.

Vine & Fig Tree University and "The Great Commission" is not about promoting any particular church or denomination, nor any particular nation. The only legitimate "church" is the Body of Christ, and the only legitimate nation is "the holy nation" spoken of in 1 Peter 2:9.

Here are the chapters of the Westminster Confession, with links to the section below where we compare the Westminster Standards with the core values of Vine & Fig Tree University:

Westminster Confession of Faith

 Vine & Fig Tree University
Chapter 1 — Of the Holy Scripture Substantial agreement.
Chapter 2 — Of God, and of the Holy Trinity Substantial agreement.
Chapter 3 — Of God’s Eternal Decree Substantial agreement.
Chapter 4 — Of Creation Substantial agreement.
Chapter 5 — Of Providence Substantial agreement.
Chapter 6 — Of the Fall of Man, of Sin, and of the Punishment Thereof Substantial agreement.
Chapter 7 — Of God’s Covenant with Man Substantial agreement.
Chapter 8 — Of Christ the Mediator Substantial agreement.
Chapter 9 — Of Free Will Substantial agreement.
Chapter 10 — Of Effectual Calling Substantial agreement.
Chapter 11 — Of Justification Chapters 10-18 are referred to as "The Ordo Salutis," or "the Order of Salvation." Without disagreeing with anything in these chapters, we find two deficiencies.
  • In the Bible, "salvation," "save," or "savior" refers to Christian Civilization, not just avoiding hell when you die.
  • Can a person be saved who says, "I believe God will impute the righteousness of Christ to my account, and I will go to heaven when I die, even though I refuse to repent of my sins."

We avoid these deficiencies by promoting a more Theonomic doctrine of "Justification" which we call "Justification by Allegiance" (as opposed to "Justification by Faith," where "faith" means "mere belief" or presumption).
Chapter 12 — Of Adoption Substantial agreement.
Chapter 13 — Of Sanctification Substantial agreement.
Chapter 14 — Of Saving Faith Substantial agreement.
Chapter 15 — Of Repentance unto Life Substantial agreement.
Chapter 16 — Of Good Works Substantial agreement.
Chapter 17 — Of the Perseverance of the Saints Substantial agreement.
Chapter 18 — Of the Assurance of Grace and Salvation Substantial agreement.
Chapter 19 — Of the Law of God This chapter is confused. It tries to embrace both Biblical Law and "natural law."
Chapter 20 — Of Christian Liberty, and Liberty of Conscience Substantial agreement.
Chapter 21 — Of Religious Worship, and the Sabbath Day || work six days This chapter is confused. The "sabbath," or seventh day of rest, is not the same thing as the commemoration of the resurrection of Christ on the first day of the week.
Chapter 22 — Of Lawful Oaths and Vows Substantial agreement.
Chapter 23 — Of the Civil Magistrate Substantial disagreement. No human being on planet earth in 2024 can credibly claim that God gives him permission to call himself "the civil magistrate" and hurt people and take their stuff, or attempt to impose his own will on others by force or threats of violence.
Chapter 24 — Of Marriage and Divorce General agreement.
Chapter 25 — Of the Church "The Church" is an imitation of the State.
Chapter 26 — Of the Communion of Saints General agreement.
Chapter 27 — Of the Sacraments In general, Vine & Fig Tree University rejects the claims of "the Institutional Church."
Chapter 28 — Of Baptism  
Chapter 29 — Of the Lord’s Supper  
Chapter 30 — Of Church Censures  
Chapter 31 — Of Synods and Councils  
Chapter 32 — Of the State of Men after Death, and of the Resurrection of the Dead In general, Vine & Fig Tree University rejects the claims of "futurists" and agrees with the claims of "preterists." The Westminster Standards reject preterism at many points, without agreeing with "premillennialism."
Chapter 33 — Of the Last Judgment

The typical graduate from Vine & Fig Tree University can assent to the following doctrines:

  1. I believe in God.
  2. I believe the Bible is the Word of God.
  3. I love the Lord with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength.
  4. I enthusiastically agree with the first 22 chapters of the Westminster Confession of faith. The Larger Catechism asks, 
         Q. 5. What do the Scriptures principally teach?
         A. The Scriptures principally teach what man is to believe concerning God, and what duty God requires of man.
    What the Scriptures require as the duty of man is found in the exposition of the Ten Commandments in questions 91ff. I enthusiastically agree with most of this section of the Catechism, as the links in the next two points will attest:
  5. I believe God says "Thou shalt not kill."
  6. I believe God says "Thou shalt not steal"
  7. I believe God says that if someone hurts you or takes your stuff, you should leave vengeance to God
  8. I believe what the New Testament authors believed about the Second Coming of Christ.
  9. I support Capitalism, not Socialism.
  10. I believe "the Gospel"

These propositions might seem at first glance to be perfectly reasonable and perfectly acceptable to any church.

But Vine & Fig Tree University pursues these doctrines with relentless logical and Biblical consistency.

If you think about these doctrines, and practice or meditate on them with logical consistency, they are astonishing, and then they are offensive. Most pastors don't want their congregations thinking about these things too much. They want their congregations to feel good.

If you take these doctrines seriously, you will be considered a "heretic." I've been told by many people that I'm not even a Christian because I believe these things.

The Puritan Church-State of Massachusetts created Harvard in 1636, and in 1647 created "public schools." The purpose of both was to promote widespread understanding of the Bible. Bible-educated citizens would then help create and maintain a Christian Theocracy. The Founders of Harvard believed that it was necessary to create a "civil government" to promote religion and civic order. They did not understand how religion and social order could be promoted by a Market Freed from threats of government force. Vine & Fig Tree University exists to promote this "paradigm shift." It will not take thick textbooks and long classroom lectures to do this. It simply requires taking the most basic precepts of the Bible seriously and consistently. This is not complicated or "tricky." It doesn't require high levels of intelligence. It takes high levels of ethics. Just be a consistently moral person, and ignore the "experts" who say the Bible is outdated or "utopian."

Let's think about these simple propositions like Bereans (Acts 17:11). You'll see why no pastor wants a Vine & Fig Tree University graduate anywhere near his church.

Issue 0. Bibliolatry
Issue 1. Calvinism/Predestination
Issue 2. Preterism
Issue 3. Creationism
Issue 4. Optimillennialism
Issue 5. Theonomy
Issue 6. Pacifism
Issue 7. Capitalism
Issue 8. Theocracy
|  Issue 9. Sin, Fall of Man
|  Issue 10. Justification by Allegiance
|  Issue 11. Salvation? Offer from God
|  Issue 12. Jerusalem v. Athens: James 1:27; 4:4 world
|  Issue 13. Church (House of the Lord) - false justification
How to create salvation:
Issue 14. Patriarchy: Patria v. Polis/EconomicManPolitical
Issue 15. Education: Theonomic/Jerusalem
Issue 16. Character
Issue 17. Agrarianism
Issue 18. Property/Community
Issue 19. Socialism
Issue 20. Eternity

Let's combine these themes from Micah's prophecy with the chapters of the Westminster Standards.

Micah's Prophecy

Westminster Standards

Vine & Fig Tree University
  The Westminster Shorter Catechism famously begins:

Q. 1: What is the chief end of man?
A. 1: Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.

I say "famously" because 300 years ago, every literate human being in North America and the entire English-speaking world could have answered that question from memory.

Satan's temptation in Genesis 3:5 is "Ye shall be as gods," determining good and evil for yourselves. History shows that when man obeys God, life is heavenly; when man is his own god, as John Adams put it, “this world would be something not fit to be mentioned in public company — I mean hell.”

John Milton, in his work Paradise Lost, put these words in Satan's mouth:

To reign is worth ambition, though in Hell:
Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven.

In other words, I choose to be my own god,
even if I have to live in dark poverty, suffering, and chaos,
rather than obediently admit that God is God,
even if that leads to enjoying paradise and utopia.

1. The Sovereignty of God - Calvinism/Predestination

Micah's Prophecy Westminster Standards Vine & Fig Tree University
"It shall come to pass" Chapter 3 - God’s Eternal Decree How does Micah know what will "come to pass?"
Answer: God told him (see "Bibliolatry" below).
How does God know what will "come to pass?"
Answer: He predestined it.

God is omniscient, and knows the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10), because the future has already been created.

In his work The Praise of Folly, first printed in 1511, Renaissance humanist Erasmus asks, "For what else is the life of man but a kind of play in which men in various costumes perform until the director motions them off the stage." In his The Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare had one of his main characters, Antonio, compare the world to a stage:

I hold the world but as the world, Gratiano;
A stage where every man must play a part,
And mine a sad one.

A few years later, in his comedy As You Like It, one of his characters says,

All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely Players;
They have their exits and their entrances,

This can reflect a cynical outlook. But it can also reflect the Bible, and be much more optimistic.
Is life a play, with God as the Screenwriter and Director, who creates actors to play the parts in His drama, all for His Glory?

Some would say a "yes" answer "violates" man's "free will." But the Bible says that when God calls an actor off the stage, the actor will confess that God was a great screenwriter, and was not unfair in creating the actor to play his part, which was written for him before he was born.

When is your birthday? Why did you choose to be born on that day? Did God ask your permission to be born on that day? Or did the Director decide when you would "enter the stage?"
There is no such thing as "free will." Darwinists will be the first to tell you this. Your DNA tells you what to do. Billions of years of evolution tell you what to do.
So you must face this question:
Were you brought into existence by the meaningless, impersonal "laws of physics," or were you brought into existence by a personal God who is Love?

Some say that predestination "makes man a robot." But you and I both know that we are not robots. We were created in the Image of God. We have the capacity for reason, to plan for the future, to compose and appreciate symphonies. We understand God's Commandments, and we have a moral obligation to obey them. We know that as we get in the car and drive to the prostitute's house, that we should turn the car around. We know that God is just to hold us responsible for our actions. In the end of God's Play, "every knee will bow and every tongue will confess" that we made the choice to sin and God is just and fair to hold us accountable (Isaiah 45:23; Romans 14:11; Philippians 2:10-11). These things cannot be said about the other animals. They can't appreciate God's Play the way His image-bearers do.

Omnipotence is the basis for omniscience. God knew what every atom in the universe would do before He created them, because He created everything that way. There was no other god or being co-existing with God to force God to create the world in a way God did not want it to be. God knew what He was doing. He created everything the way He wanted.

All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing;
He does according to His will in the army of heaven
And among the inhabitants of the earth.
No one can restrain His hand
Or say to Him, “What have You done?”
Daniel 4:35

Evolution is an impersonal "struggle for survival."
God is Sovereign, but God is also Love.
This has tremendous implications for our actions in history.

Calvinism: "Liberty Under God"

Providence
The Declaration of Independence (1776) says that those who conform their lives to "The Laws of Nature and of Nature's God" can have "a firm reliance on the Protection of Divine Providence."
Protection is a personal act of love.
"Providence" is the opposite of "deism."
Prayer = anti-deism

Futurists say that "prophecy" reveals a grim future. War, Great Tribulation, the Antichrist, and Armageddon are all predestined (though not all futurists would use that word -- but what's the difference between "prophesied" and "predestined?").

Micah does not say that tribulation and annihilation has been predestined, but a Vine & Fig Tree world has.

PredestinationOnline.com

Audio
  Chapter 2 - God, and of the Holy Trinity

The Sovereignty of God

I believe in God. There are a lot of people in churches on Sunday morning who say "I believe in God," but what evidence is there of this on Monday through Saturday?

I believe God is the creator. The Bible says God created everything there is, probably no more than 10,000 years ago. (Yikes! A "creationist!" A "fundamentalist!")

There is an unbridgeable gap between the Creator and the creature (Romans 1:25).

The Westminster Confession and Catechisms set forth a "Calvinist" doctrine of God. Many people hate that term. I believe in "the Five Points of Calvinism." Calvin would not have let me in his church. Calvin would have put me to death.

If I were to describe what I think God is like, most people would say they don't believe in that kind of God. And they're even more offended that I try to impress this "Calvinist" theology into every area of my life, even "secular" areas, including Monday through Saturday.

Predestination

Before the Creator created all that is, the Creator knew the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10; Revelation 1:8; Revelation 21:6, 13). God knows the future because God created it. The future has already been created. This is called "predestination," meaning the the destination of the creation was designed and set in motion before ("pre") it was even created. The path of every molecule and sub-atomic particle in the universe was set in motion, and is carefully and lovingly conducted by God through history to its predestined end. The thoughts I think and the feelings I feel are wave-particles of energy and chemicals that travel across the synapses of my brain and through my heart and "reins." All predestined by God. Some say my belief makes man a "robot." But God did not create man as a robot. You and I both know that we are not "robots." God created man in His Image. That means when I think and plan, when I paint a picture or compose a symphony, when I build a log cabin or a skyscraper that can house 25,000 people, I am engaged in the wonder-filled task of exercising dominion over the earth (Genesis 1:26-28), something animals do not do.

No matter how glorious I think man is, by virtue of his being created in the Image of God, there are those who feel that my conception of God "violates" human "free will."

"Arminians" call me a "Calvinist." They don't want me in their churches.
Conventional "Calvinists" call me other terms, but join the Arminians in ordering me far from their churches.
  Chapter 9 Free Will The Myth of "Free Will"

Jesus Wrote the Bible Using Human Penmen
    That's a place to transition to the second of my propositions. I believe that if you believe in "free will," you do not believe that the Bible is the Word of God.

I say that not on the grounds that the Bible teaches something other than "free will," but because if God cannot "violate" man's "free will," there cannot be a Bible at all.

So let's consider what the Bible says about the Bible.

0. Bibliolatry

Micah's Prophecy Westminster Standards Vine & Fig Tree University
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,

 Chapter 1 - the Holy Scripture I have numbered this theme "0" (zero) because it undergirds all the other themes.

The Westminster Confession of Faith begins with a chapter on the Bible. And rightly so. Everything taught at Vine & Fig Tree University is grounded in the Bible because the Bible is the Word of God.

The Bible is the Word of God, written by the will of God

If you believe in "free will," or that God cannot "violate" man's "free will," then you cannot logically believe that the Bible is the Word of God.

The words in the Bible were written by the hands of human beings, but I believe the Bible is the Word of God. God speaks through those human words. This says something
    • about the words,
    • something about the human authors of the words,
    • as well as something about the God of the Bible.

God wrote the Bible using "human pens." God made their hands move the way He wanted them to move. In the Bible, the will of God is sovereign over the will of man. 1 Peter 1:21 says

For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Of course, it was the "will" of Moses and Isaiah and Paul and other authors to write down words. Moses wrote what God told him to write, but perhaps Moses would say he wrote those words "of my own free will." Nobody pointed a gun at Moses' head and forced him to write. But what Peter says is controversial. Even though Moses and other Biblical authors freely wrote the words they intended to write, God was doing something through them and the words they wrote. They did not write those words solely by their own "free will." Their hands moved the way God willed them to move.

It's true, we can tell the differences between the words Moses wrote, the words Luke wrote, the words John wrote, and the words Paul wrote. They all had their own individual personalities and writing styles. But the men who wrote the words of Scripture had their lives — their parents, training, and life experiences — all orchestrated by God so that — guided by the Holy Spirit — they would write the exact words that God wanted to be written so that God could communicate exactly what He wanted to communicate to the human race. Their words are God's words. God's will trumps their will. Paul told Timothy that God "breathed out" His words through these human authors (2 Timothy 3:16, [theópneustos (Strong's #2315, from 2316 /theós, "God" and 4154 /pnéō, "breathe out"]).

To say that the Bible is the Word of God is to say that God's will is sovereign over the will of man. Some people find this deeply offensive.  God made the mouths of Moses, David, and Isaiah speak the words God wanted spoken. God made the hands of Matthew, Paul, and John write the words God wanted written. If God did not overrule the "free" and fallible will of man, how did their will to speak and write beget the infallible Word of God?

I don't use the term "free will," because secular philosophers use that term to suggest that if there is a god, such a god doesn't know what's going on, and is constantly being surprised at what the will of man does. So I would never say that I have "free will" and can do something that will catch God off-guard. God knows what I think and what I feel and what I will do because He predestined it all. But I am not a rock, or an insect, or an animal, or a robot. I am a human being created in the Image of God. Amazing.

Some will say that since God predestines even sin, and then punishes sinners for the sin God predestined them to commit, it would be better if sinners had never been born. They had no "free will." They had no choice. "That's not fair." And if it's not "fair," it can't be true. This claim is logical. If a man has no free will, and gets punished for what God predestined him to to, it would be better for him if he had never been born. But Mark 14:21 says exactly that: God predestined Jesus to be sinfully put to death:

"The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had never been born.”

That's pretty scary. Judas had no choice in whether he would be born. God created Judas without asking Judas for permission, and predestined Judas to commit a terrible sin (John 19:11).

But Judas was created in the Image of God. All sinners are created in the Image of God. And in the end, every knee will bow and every sinner will admit that God's Judgment is fair (Isaiah 45:23; Romans 14:11; Philippians 2:10-11). All sinners will say "I admit. I sinned." All sinners will admit that God is just. Even though He predestined them to sin (Romans 9; Isaiah 10).

Christians who oppose the Sovereignty of God and uphold the "free will" of man claim that predestination "makes man a puppet." But as I said, man is clearly not a puppet; man is created in the Image of God, and we all know this. But the Bible agrees that God's sovereignty makes man a "puppet" of God's decree. The Bible describes man not as a "puppet," however, but as a bucket of water.

Well, not a bucket, but a river of water.

Proverbs 21:1
The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, 
Like the rivers of water;
He turns it wherever He wishes.

How is this not like being "a puppet?"
Is a meandering river created in the Image of God?
How is the opponent of God's Sovereignty not making an accusation against God?

"Bibliolatry"

I believe the Bible is the Word of God.
Jesus is the Word of God incarnate; the Bible is the Word of God inscriptured.
Some people call this "Bibliolatry." I worship the Bible. That alarms nearly every church I know.

  • This claim (the Bible is the Word of God) is either true or false.
    • If true, it demands your full and immediate attention.
    • If false, then the prophets are liars and the Bible is evil.
    • But if false, there is no such thing as "evil." The universe is meaningless, impersonal, and without moral values. One man's "child molestation" is another man's "sexual orientation."
  • If you accept the values of Vine & Fig Tree rather than the values of Harvard-educated dictators around the world, then it is clear that the Bible has been the most important book in the history of the human race. It has been the blueprint for "civilization." Governments that ban the Bible have been savage tyrannies, their people impoverished and uneducated.
  • The Bible is a textbook for every subject of human thought and action.
  • The Bible: The Word of God

The Bible claims to be the Word of God. It claims that God speaks to human beings. It claims that God used human beings the way I am using a keyboard as I write this.

Let's consider first the claim that God speaks, and the Bible is God speaking to us.

  • If this claim is false, and the universe is just a meaningless, accidental result of molecules bumping into each other for endless eons, then there is no difference between a nurse and a serial rapist. Both are doing what they like, and both enjoy whatever their DNA makes them enjoy.
  • If this claim is true -- if the Bible is God Himself speaking to us -- it doesn't seem like very many church-goers are listening very seriously.

Imagine that a UFO lands on the White House lawn, and an extraterrestrial being hands the President a Peace Treaty. The ET says, "Read this Treaty. It tells you how to cure cancer, end war, obtain free energy, eliminate the threat of global warming, and extend lifespans by hundreds of years. If you agree to abide by its terms, our race will help your race. If you do not agree, we will destroy you. We will wait right here for your answer."

Network television will have their cameras at the White House 24/7. Commentators will be speculating endlessly about what the extraterrestrial Treaty says, and whether or not the President will accept their terms. People will cancel vacations and having children, breathlessly waiting for the decision, knowing their entire future hangs in the balance.

If there are any ET's in the universe, they were created by the God of the Bible. His Word is more important than the word of any ET.  But we spend more time watching CNN or FoxNews than we spend listening to the Bible, even though the news channels aren't covering anything as interesting as a UFO on the White House lawn. For some, "news" doesn't get our attention as much as sports, soaps, or celebrities.

All the while, we have a book from the Creator of the universe sitting un-read on a shelf next to the Flat Screen TV.

What the heck is wrong with us?
  Chapter 7 God’s Covenant with Man The Bible is a Peace Treaty -- a Covenant -- that God is willing to enter into with those who have been in rebellion against Him. The Treaty calls for unconditional surrender on our part. The Treaty promises blessing -- "salvation" -- on God's part.

Covenant as Treaty of Unconditional Surrender

How to Become a Christian by Signing God's Treaty of Unconditional Surrender

Justification by Allegiance

The Myth of "Covenant Theology" - "Covenant Theology" and Pacifism
   

The "Berean" Spirit

Here is perhaps the #1 reason no church wants to be infiltrated by someone who believes the Bible was actually written by God.

Acts 17
11Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, in that they received the Word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.

The Bereans are commended for questioning the church. They heard a message from the Apostles and checked what they heard with the Scriptures. There is no entity on planet earth who wants their members questioning what the church has taught and comparing church doctrine with the Bible.

Especially regarding the "heretical" ideas I'll be raising below.

Even though Protestant churches champion "sola Scriptura" and the "priesthood of all believers." They don't really mean it. They don't like Bereans.

audio

The Bible is our starting point

I am a "Bible-believing" Christian. Feel free to accuse me of engaging in bibliolatry, fundamentalism, extremism, creationism, Calvinism, Theonomy, etc. Guilty as charged.

Acts 17:10-12 is one of three texts worth studying:

Now these [The Bereans] were more noble than those in Thessalonica,
in that they received the Word with all readiness of the mind,
searching the Scriptures daily, whether these things were so.

The Bereans appeared to be like modern libertarians, with their bumper-sticker that says "QUESTION AUTHORITY." The Apostles gave them the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but the Bereans didn't just take the Apostles' word for it, but checked what they were told against a higher authority, the Scripture. The Bereans are more dogmatic authoritarians than those who mindlessly accept the word of clergy or creeds.

Additionally, the Bereans studied the Bible "daily." The verses on that link show that daily engagement with the Bible is an imperative.

This attitude makes one a better Christian, as seen in our second text.

Just as iron sharpens iron,
friends sharpen the minds of each other.
Proverbs 27:17

My goal in this article is to be your "friend." I hope you'll be my friend as well, and challenge my thinking in a loving way.

I am not against "authorities" or "experts." I rely on them and quote them. An "expert" can be your friend and sharpen you, but you might have to pay the expert ("mentor," "professor" "seminary"). This article is free. May you be sharpened. May we be friends.

Third text:

Proverbs 18:17
"The first to state his case seems right until another comes forward and examines him."

What you learned in church seems right to you. Wait until you compare it with what the Bible says.
   

Extremism

I love the Lord with all my heart, mind, soul, and strength. Not just part-way. That makes me an "extremist." People tell me I take the Bible to an extreme. I think I just take it consistently. At least I try.

If you disagree with this -- if you want to avoid "extremes" -- then you want to be at point "M" on the chart below:

Extreme Middle of the Road Extreme
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Capitalism Apathy Tyranny
Theocracy Lukewarm Atheism
Love Indifference Hate

Do you want to be a Grade "A" Christian? Then you had better avoid being a Grade "Z" Christian with  all  your heart, mind, soul and strength.

"It's a sign of mediocrity when you
demonstrate gratitude with moderation."
~ Roberto Benigni

If you are not an extremist in defense of the Bible, what is the guiding principle that prevents you from being a defender of tyranny, atheism and hate? Is "moderation" the Grand Principle that you believe will keep America from collapsing into chaos and lawlessness? When Jesus said "Love your neighbor," was He really just telling us not to hate our neighbor, to avoid extremes, and have an attitude of "moderation" toward our neighbor? Can Lukewarm Indifference ever be Christlike?

Even if my goal were no more than "moderation," if you are at point "Z," I must be an "extremist" in the opposite direction, and advocate "A" in order to get you to point "M,"  because if I only advocate "Moderation,"  "Z + M" only brings you to point "T." Life is a tug-of-war. If you don't pull the rope with every ounce of strength you have, you're in the mud. Jesus said the struggle to overcome the world is "agonizing."

I advocate "A" on the scale above. I'm trying to get you to adopt "A" as your position as well. If you're a Moderate and I move you toward "A" to any degree, I've succeeded. For now.

If you follow some of what the Bible says, you are not following anything the Bible says. If you pick and choose, you are your own god.

Even if you choose to follow Jesus 99% of the time (using your "free will"), it is still YOU who are choosing, you who approve of 99% of Jesus' commands, you who put yourself in the place of God and judge some of what Christ said to be wrong,  you who are acting as lord of your life. You view religion as a Smörgåsbord. You pick and choose depending on what YOU like, but do not view the Word of God as an absolutely binding package deal. Everybody agrees with something Jesus said, even some real sickos. A Christian is someone who believes everything Jesus said. Nothing less than full submission counts for anything.

2. Preterist Eschatology

Micah's Prophecy Westminster Standards Vine & Fig Tree University
"in the last days"

And it will come about in the last days
That the mountain of the House of the LORD
Will be established as the chief of the mountains
And it will be raised above the hills

 Chapter 32 - the State of Men after Death, and of the Resurrection of the Dead

Chapter 33 - the Last Judgment

Eschatology

One of the most important issues in the last 100 years is "futurism" vs. "preterism," or "pessimillennialism" vs. "optimillennialism."

The Westminster Confession relegates eschatology to the last two chapters of the Confession. But we believe the subject is extremely important in our day, because the subject is plagued by errors, and these errors are popularly believed and have a global impact. Millions of copies of books speculating about "the last days" have been sold in this generation. Everything about Micah's “Vine & Fig Tree” prophecy is undermined by today's erroneous eschatologies. They all deny that it is even possible -- much less mandatory -- for us to beat our "swords into plowshares" and pursue the fulfillment of Micah's “Vine & Fig Tree” prophecy. Eschatology is critical. (We wouldn't necessarily place the subject at the very top of the list, but it occurs right off the bat in Micah's prophecy, so here it is. But it deserves higher placement than the last two chapters of the Confession.) 

Micah says his prophecy will be fulfilled in "the last days." What does this mean? Commentators suggest two meanings:

  1. "The latter days" means "days in the distant future."
  2. The Apostles, writing in the New Testament, repeatedly state that they are living in "the last days." Prophecies like Micah's (e.g., Joel's prophecy in Acts 2) which said they would be fulfilled in "the last days" are said by the Apostles to be seeing fulfillment in their day. Many scholars believe they are referring to "the last days" of the Old Covenant. The Apostles were living in "the last days" of the Old Covenant and the first days of the New Covenant.

I believe "the last days" of the Old Covenant are now in our past. We are not now living in "the last days" of the Old Covenant. The Old Covenant came to a definitive end in AD 70 when the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed. As a result, Jesus is reigning as the Christ today.

3. Creationism

Micah's Prophecy Westminster Standards Vine & Fig Tree University
That the mountain of the House of the LORD
Will be established as the chief of the mountains
And it will be raised above the hills		 Chapter 4 Creation

Creationism

Under the discussion of God's sovereignty (above), we discussed the concept of being created by impersonal forces of "nature" vs. being created by a personal and loving God.

But many Christians say God "used" evolution to create man.

The Bible says four rivers flowed out of (downhill from) Eden, indicating that Eden was on a "mountain" or elevated plateau. Ever since then, and throughout the Bible, the mountain has been a reminder of Eden. The Garden of Eden is a major theme in the Bible.

Was there actually a Garden of Eden in history? Are the first few chapters of Genesis a chronicle of history, or a "religious" poem of some kind? How would Jesus answer that question?

Jesus treated Genesis as actual history. See Matthew 19 for an example. For centuries, Christians believed in creation four thousand years before the birth of Jesus. If you can believe that Jesus rose from the dead, in violation of "scientific law," why can't you believe God created all things a few thousand years ago?

Under this label of "Creationism" we have four intersecting themes:

Politicians who feel threatened by the Bible, seeing it as an "anarchist manifesto" want you to believe the Bible is "pre-scientific" and cannot be trusted. Karl Marx said his "scientific socialism" was grounded in history. Jesus grounded His teachings in the history in Genesis. Marxists and Christians have very different views of history.

One of the biggest tests of Biblical character is the ability to stand against "the science" of evolution. "Listen to the science" we are constantly told. Is your faith informed and able to stand against the crowd?

Evolutionism is not science; it is a religion; it is the religion of archism. Like covid hysteria and tyranny, it is one example of a "Mass Formation Psychosis." ("Archism" is the belief that members of a ruling class have the right to impose their will on others by force or threats of violence. Jesus said His followers are not to be archists "like the kings of the gentiles" (Mark 10:42-45).

Jesus is the One True Archist

The New Jerusalem is a New Creation.

Micah 4:1-2 says Jerusalem (Mt. Zion, the mountain of the House [temple] of the Lord) will be "established." This is actually the creation of a New Jerusalem. This is the restoration of the conditions that originally existed in the Garden of Eden.

Evolutionary premillennialism sees a vast past and no future. It's all going to end in our day.
Creationist preterism sees creation in a recent past, re-creation in Christ "the Last Adam," and a vast future building of the Kingdom of God (the New Jerusalem) ahead of us.

Planet earth is a miracle, not an accident. Supernatural design, supernatural creation, supernatural administration. There is no such thing as "nature."
Creating/Building the New Jerusalem will be a supernatural act, but we (you, I, and all God's Image-Bearers who make up His Temple) still have moral obligations to expend energy on behalf of this work of edification. We cannot be passive. But in the end, Christ gets all the credit and glory.

Isaiah 65:17-18
17 “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth;
And the former shall not be remembered or come to mind.
18 But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create;
For behold, I create Jerusalem as a rejoicing,
And her people a joy.
Hebrews 12
22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, 23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, 24 to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.

4. Optimillennialism: Global Hospitality and Conversion

Micah's Prophecy Westminster Standards Vine & Fig Tree University
And the peoples will stream to it.
And many nations will come and say,
"Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD
And to the House of the God of Jacob		 The Westminster Catechisms contain more on this them than the Confession: 

Day 150: The Lord's Prayer, part 3 - "Thy Kingdom Come"

Day 151: The Lord's Prayer, part 4 - "Thy Will Be Done"

Many scholars have argued that the Westminster Standards embody an optimistic eschatology called "post-millennialism, but there isn't a separate section in the Westminster Standards on "Post-Millennialism," or as we call it, "Optimillennialism."

 We have often heard that all religions are equal; we're all headed up to the top of the same mountain, just climbing along different paths. But in the last few decades, it has become obvious that one religion is not like the others, and one religion is superior to the others. Our attention has been caught by the religion of Jihadism. This religion is not going up the same mountain as those who say all religions are equal. The religion of Jihadism wants to blow-up the entire mountain with everyone on it; even if this kills the suicide bombers themselves. They don't believe in converting others to their religion by persuasion/reason, but by force. There are false religions and only one true religion.

The World must be Christianized. | "All nations, all peoples"

The Universal Spread of Christ's Kingdom

"Diversity" vs. Civilization
  • God's Creation is a universe, not a multiverse.
  • True "diversity" means all ethnic groups are invited to become Christian
  • Not "European," or "American," but Christian.
  • This has been happening for two millennia.
  • The world is not getting worse and worse. Proof: "civilization" -- the "City of God" -- Civitas Dei -- is taking over, replacing the "City of Man."
  • No Bible College in America will admit that the world is dramatically more Christian today than it was 2,000 years ago.
  • No Bible College in America confidently believes that the best is yet to come.

Statist "Globalism"

Conversion of the Gentiles

Optimillennialism is optimism about the future progress of the Kingdom of God on earth. It defies entropy, and is not evolutionary. Therefore Optimillennialism depends on Creationism.

There has been a dramatic shift: the most dramatic shift in human history. Those who worshiped the God of Abraham were a tiny minority before Christ; today a majority of the human race claims to worship the God of Abraham. That includes Muslims with their Muhammad, but it also includes Catholics with their Pope. It includes your local church, an antichrist that denies that Jesus is the Christ, just as liberal churches do. False religions will be replaced by the True Religion. We're in the infancy of "church history." The Body of Christ is just beginning to learn how to walk.

Audio

5. Theonomy

Micah's Prophecy Westminster Standards Vine & Fig Tree University
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 render decisions for mighty, distant nations.		 Chapter 19 the Law of God 

Continued below

 The word "Theonomy" comes from two Greek words meaning "God's Law."
It stands for the proposition that the entire Bible is the Word of God and we are to be governed by it.
This is controversial because many Christians do not believe they have to obey any of God's Laws if they are recorded in the pages of what New Testament writers called "The Scriptures" and what we today call "the Old Testament."
"Theonomy" stands for the proposition that the Bible is a blueprint for the creation of Global Christian Civilization.
It stands for the proposition that God is our ultimate Authority, and He has the right to command us.
This is controversial because many Christians in our day do not believe they are obligated to obey God's commands during the work-week, in businesses or the "public square," but only on Sunday mornings in a "church" or in their "spiritual life."
  • We are to bring every area of life under His jurisdiction, under His Law.
  • Isaiah 33:22 -- Jesus alone is the Christ, the Lord, the King, the Lawgiver, the Judge | "His path, the Law-Word"
  • "Theonomy" ("God's Law") is a forbidden subject in every Bible College in America.

When Americans learned the Bible in public schools (and public schools were Bible schools), America was the most prosperous, most admired nation on earth. America sent missionaries around the globe. Now the U.S. exports weapons and pornography. Americans are increasingly lawless.

• The God who gave you life deserves your respect
• Every Word this God speaks deserves your attention/obedience
• Bible is not just for "private" religion, "down in your heart"
• Also for public policy
• Textbook for every area

Being "judgmental" vs. Hitler
"Those who will not be governed by God condemn themselves to be governed by tyrants" -- William Penn

More on Theonomy

Audio

Micah says the law of God must be taught, and people will stream to learn God's Law. Therefore Theonomy leads to Education (#15 below).

When we obey God's Law, God Governs us

Theocracy = God Governs

Theonomy leads to Theocracy

Our moral obligation to obey God's Commandment counters those who complain that our advocacy of predestination leaves man without "free will." You are morally obligated to choose to obey God's Law. I don't know whether you have been predestined to be obedient or not. But you know what you must do, and you will eventually admit that you chose to do what you wanted to do. Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that our Sovereign God is perfectly fair (Philippians 2:10; Romans 14:11).

The Westminster Catechism contains an exposition of the Law of God under the category of the Ten Commandments. This exposition is, on the whole, wonderful. If we take these three commands seriously:

the implications are astounding.

Nobody disagrees with these views in the abstract, but if I make them too practical, or apply them to the wrong people, then these views become heretical and offensive. Together these views lead me to a conclusion that everyone rejects. Passionately rejects. I used to reject it myself when I was younger. We'll consider it below.

"Swords into plowshares" is highlighted by Micah as essential element of "optimillennialism" (global conversion and "Christian Reconstruction") and Theonomy (God's blueprint). But no Christian Reconstructionist advocates "swords into plowshare" for fear of being accused of being a "pacifist" (covered below)

God's Law plainly says "Thou shalt not steal/Thou shalt not kill" and this rules out the "monopoly of violence" known as "civil government," but "Reconstructionists" are not "abolitionists," because they fear being labeled as "anarchists!"

Opposition to "civil government" is based on the superiority of self-government. That is, each individual obeying God's Law.

6. Peace / Non-Violence / Pacifism

Micah's Prophecy Westminster Standards Vine & Fig Tree University
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.		 I believe that God says "Thou shalt not kill." "Everybody knows" that Jesus commanded His disciples to be "pacifists," but most churches say we can't take that to an "extreme."  Most churches defend some killing. If someone personally insults you, you might be a "pacifist." It's OK to be "super spiritual" in your "private" life. But if some foreigner publicly insults your secular government, you'll "support the troops" as they drop bombs and kill children. "Spiritual" in the private sector, "responsible" and "practical" and "realistic" in the public sector.

During the 20th century, hundreds of millions of human beings were murdered by atheists, many of whom attended churches regularly. During my lifetime, "Christians" who worked for "my" government killed, crippled, or made homeless tens of millions of innocent non-combatant civilians around the world. I think the United States is the enemy of God and humanity. I guess other Christians think it's OK to inflict mass suffering and terror in order to keep gas prices down. "U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!" "I Pledge Allegiance...."

The Bible says we should beat our "swords into plowshares" (Micah 4). Most churches disagree. They cheer their members when they don the uniform of a soldier for a "New World Order."

Jesus commands us to

  1. Love our enemies (Matthew 5:44)
  2. Forgive enemies (Matthew 6:14-15)
  3. Bless enemies (Romans 12:14)
  4. Pray for enemies (Luke 6:27-28)
  5. Give gifts to enemies (Romans 12:20; Matthew 5:42; Luke 6:30)
  6. Resist not evil (Matthew 5:39)
  7. Turn the other cheek (Matthew 5:39)
  8. These commands are not just for "personal relationships." They apply to enemy governments as well.
    • Pay your taxes; don't take up arms against the Red Coats ("Render unto Caesar," Matthew 22:15-22; Mark 12:13-17; Luke 20:20-26).
    • When the enemy government enslaves you for one mile, Go a second mile (Matthew 5:41). If you take this verse seriously, it means "national defense" is a sin. In short, to follow "in His steps" (1 Peter 2:21), you have a moral obligation to "be subject" (Romans 13) to sinful acts which the defendant/perpetrators/invaders have a moral obligation to repent of (cease and desist).
  9. Christians should believe that it is always sinful to kill a human being ("Thou shalt not kill." Mark 10:19, quoting Exodus 20:13). (Link goes to an exposition of the 6th Commandment by the Westminster Larger Catechism, which in many ways is a pacifist manifesto.) Better to be killed than to kill.
  10. Patrick Henry famously said, "Give me Liberty or give me Death." That's stupid and unBiblical. The Bible says slaves are to serve their masters the way they should serve Christ, not commit suicide so that they don't have to serve anyone. But then, Patrick Henry didn't really mean "give ME death." He meant "Give Death to anyone who threatens to take my Liberty." His famous speech is called "A Call to Arms." It was delivered in a church.
  11. During the "Cold War" against Communism, we often heard the slogan, "Better dead than Red." This is a re-branding of Patrick Henry. The Christian should say, "Better Red than dead." Or, "Better to live under the domination of Reds than to turn the Reds into Dead Reds."
  12. Christians are commanded to leave vengeance to God (Romans 12:14-21)
  13. If you preached a sermon in defense of pacifism, and told members of your congregation not to enlist in the armed services, you would lose most of your members. That's the sermon I would preach.
  14. In short, even if I get snubbed as a "pacifist" (a demeaning epithet, an insult), I will take Jesus seriously and follow Him. [more in-depth: The Case for Pacifism]

Pacifism

I was born in the year of "Sputnik," the Russian satellite that inaugurated "the Space Race" which was a part of "the Cold War." I wasn't yet in high school when the Vietnam War raged, and when the nation was divided by anti-war protesters. I was raised to believe that socialism was evil and capitalism was good. I believed that the anti-war protesters were a bunch of anti-American commies. (They may well have been incited by Communists and used by Communists as tools or pawns in Moscow's attempt to bring down the American/capitalist system. But they were on the right side of an immoral war.*)
During my lifetime, "my" government has killed, crippled, or made homeless TENS OF MILLIONS of innocent, non-combatant, non-white civilians. The United States drops a bomb somewhere in the world every 12 minutes, on average. Barack Obama, who won the Nobel Prize for Peace, maintained U.S. military bases in nearly 100 nations around the world, and dropped thousands of bombs on homes, schools, hospitals, factories, and weddings around the world.

I always believed the U.S. military was a force for good.
It was only when I became a fundamentalist Bible-believing Christian that I began to question all this.

The message of this sermon is that a person is not a real Christian if that person is not a pacifist. You may not agree with the conclusion, but following the argument will stimulate thought. You will be glad you gave the argument some attention.

Most people would agree that a person who says we should hammer our "swords into plowshares" and "never again train for war" (Micah 4:3) is a "pacifist." Is this a "fringe" belief or is it central to the Christian faith?

Consider James 1:27

Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

Wounded Iraqi Child - Click Photo for Video
Victim of U.S. Bombing
"It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones."
Luke 17:2
.

If it's wrong to fail to "visit" or "watch over" widows, it is certainly wrong to create widows by killing their husbands.

The United States is the greatest Widow-Maker on earth. This makes the United States the enemy of pure religion.

But I had been raised to believe that all good Christians were to "support the troops."

In the last section of Matthew 25, Jesus says the way you treat widows and orphans and the sick and homeless and illegal aliens and those in prison is a measure of how Christian you are. People who traumatize widows and orphans and cause them to cry themselves to sleep at night are probably "goats," not "sheep."

Take an American child who has not yet entered government-run schooling and show the American child a photo of a child in Yemen or Iraq who has had her arms blown off by a U.S. bomb. That American child will know that something is wrong. Show that same photo to that same child after the child has graduated from Harvard University and has a prestigious job in the U.S. State Department. Watch the five-dollar words start flying: "Collateral Damage." "Realpolitik." "U.S. Partners and Allies." "National Security Interests."

Pacifism and Enemies

Some might say that we are not commanded to take care of women and children if their husbands and fathers are our "enemies." That is, if those poor men have been conscripted at gunpoint by a tyrannical dictatorship and forced to fight against "U.S. armed forces" invading their homeland. After all, they are our "enemies." "Kill the commies." "Support our troops."

But Jesus commands His followers to love their enemies.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,”
Matthew 5:43-44

Jesus sacrificed Himself to save His enemies.

Christ died for the ungodly
God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son,
much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by His life.
Romans 5:6,8,10

The heartfelt desire of every true Christian is the
Regeneration,
Repentance,
Restitution,
Reconciliation, and
Redemption
of "the enemy."
Not the destruction of the enemy.
In short: "Love your enemy." (Matthew 5:43)
"Thou shalt not kill." (Exodus 20:13).
You cannot love your enemy after you kill him.

It is better to be killed than to kill. Jesus chose to be killed rather than to kill.
1 Peter 2:21 commands us to follow "in His steps" at precisely the point where physical violence is unrighteously threatened against us. Whether by a home invader or a nation invader.

All of this is obvious to a child, but we adults don't buy this nonsense.

"Pacifism" Defined by Christ

The word "pacifism" comes from the Latin word for "peace." It does not come from the English word "passive." Supporters of the Vine & Fig Tree worldview are active in beating swords into plowshares.

The dictionaries usually give two definitions for "pacifist." First, an opponent of war. Second, an opponent of self-defense. That second definition is inaccurate. I know of no pacifist who would say that if you have a shield and someone comes after you with a sword, you cannot defend yourself against aggression with your shield.

The real issue is lethal "self-defense." If your sword-bearing attacker gets tired of whacking his sword against your shield, and lies down to take a nap, the pacifist would say you should defend yourself against further attacks by running away, not by cracking your attacker's skull open with your shield.

Our definition of "pacifist" is "one who keeps the commandments of Christ."

Here's what "swords into plowshares" pacifism means:

Jesus said ("Thou shalt not kill." Mark 10:19, quoting Exodus 20:13).  John Calvin recognized that

"The sum of this Commandment is, that we should not unjustly do violence to any one. Under the word 'kill' is included by synecdoche all violence, smiting, and aggression."[1]

Jesus also said "Thou shalt not steal," (Matthew 19:18; Exodus 20:13-16; Deuteronomy 5:17-20), meaning, Thou shalt not confiscate someone else's property.

So can we all agree that basic Christian morality includes this:

  • "Don't Hurt People and Don't Take Their Stuff"

But Jesus goes further.
He says we are not to hurt our enemy. Even if our enemy hurts us first.
We are not allowed to confiscate the stuff belonging to our enemy, even if he's our enemy because he did not join us in voting for the winning candidate. So how does the world get to the “Vine & Fig Tree” world? According to the Bible, just follow basic Christian morality:

  • "Don't Hurt People and Don't Take Their Stuff"

Then if someone else decides to hurt you or take your stuff.

  • Exhort your enemy to repent (Matthew 18:15-17)
  • And if this fails to bring repentance, restitution, and reconciliation with your enemy,
    • Leave vengeance to God (Romans 12:19-21; quoting Deuteronomy 32:35)

That means that if someone hurts you or takes your stuff, and you seek reconciliation, but you're rebuffed, then you cannot hire a Mafia "hit-man" to take vengeance against your unrepentant enemy.

Most Christians will agree with that.

But here's the kicker:

If someone hurts you or takes your stuff, and you seek reconciliation, but you're rebuffed, then you cannot "vote" for a "representative" to tax your neighbor and build a "military-industrial complex" to take vengeance against your unrepentant enemy. You will vote such politicians out of office. If you vote all non-pacifists out of office, you will no longer have a "government."

All pacifists are anarchists.

Anarcho-pacifism

How to Love Your Enemy

Myth:

  • OT = violence, slavery
  • Jesus = irrelevant utopian hippie pacifist; not "practical" or "realistic."

Fact:

  • Bible = “Vine & Fig Tree”  
    utopia

Peace through Peace, not through "Strength." | "Swords into Plowshares"

  • Most universities are extensions of the Military-Industrial Complex.
  • Jesus is our Savior, not the Pentagon
  • Vengeance belongs to God
  • "Archism" is sinful.
  • 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."

Pacifism leads to Anarcho-Theocracy

Peace is possible
Peace is inevitable

Peace is the opposite of Violence. The State is a monopoly of violence. Therefore pacifism produces anarchism or archistlessness.

Audio
   

Capitalism is Economic Pacifism

Walmart does not threaten to drop a bomb on your home if you cross "the red line" and shop at another store. That's what "the government" does. Capitalists use persuasion rather than violence.

Jesus commands us to love our enemies, but also to try to win them back to faithfulness. But sometimes persuasion does not bring instant success. We mentioned Matthew 18 above. Jesus lays out steps to follow to win back an erring brother. But if these steps fail, the church must "excommunicate" the sinner. This should be the basis for a capitalist economy.

A free market economy depends on Godly character. This in turn requires Godly education. We will see below what John Adams says in this regard:

We have no Government armed with Power capable of contending with human Passions unbridled by  morality and Religion. Avarice, Ambition  Revenge or Galantry, would break the strongest Cords of our Constitution as a Whale goes through a Net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious People. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other

Substitute "free market" for "Constitution."
   

Vengeance

Nobody can read the Bible and avoid the conclusion that the institution we call "the State" is institutionalized vengeance.

If someone does something you don't like, you are prohibited from taking vengeance, from confiscating his property, or depriving him of his life.

You are also prohibited from hiring a "contract killer" to kill him. Wouldn't you agree? You personally didn't do the killing -- the "hit-man" you hired actually did the killing -- but you share in the guilt.

You are also prohibited from "voting" for someone to be your "representative" and kill people you don't like.

Every political science professor in every university on planet earth will agree that the essential nature of "the State" is violence. It claims a "monopoly on violence."

So
   • if you oppose violence,
   • if you oppose theft, and
   • if you oppose vengeance,
every political science professor in every university on planet earth, and every seminary professor, and every pastor of every entity calling itself a "church" is going to say you are an "anarchist."

7. A Stateless Economy: “Anarchism”

Micah's Prophecy Westminster Standards Vine & Fig Tree University
Focus text: "swords into plowshares, never again train for war"

Micah 4:3

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.

 Chapter 23 the Civil Magistrate

Capitalism vs. Socialism
Free Markets vs. Coercive Central Planning.

People like you and me
who are willing to beat swords into plowshares
are opposed to violence-based empires and systems of "government"
like socialism, fascism, and totalitarianism of every label.

We support 100% pure laissez-faire capitalism. We almost had this back in America's “Vine & Fig Tree” days. Jacob Hornberger describes those days:

Our ancestors brought into existence a society in which there was no income tax or IRS, one where people could keep everything they earned and decide for themselves what to do with it. There was no Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, farm subsidies, education grants, food stamps, public housing, or FDIC. Indeed, there was no welfare state or mandatory, coercive charity. There were no drug laws. There were very few economic regulations, especially at the federal level. No minimum-wage laws. No occupational-licensure laws. No Federal Reserve. No fiat money: the official U.S. money consisted of coins made out of precious metals. No immigration controls. No public (i.e., government) schooling. No national-security state. America had a relatively small army that was nothing like the enormous military establishment and military-industrial complex that exist today. No foreign military bases. No regime-change operations, coups, foreign interventions, foreign aid, or alliances with foreign regimes. No CIA. No NSA. No official programs for mass surveillance, torture, and assassination.

That is the most remarkable political and economic achievement in history. Never in history has there existed such a society. It was the closest that people have ever come to what libertarians envision as a genuinely free society. Notwithstanding the exceptions (e.g., slavery and tariffs), the result was the freest and most prosperous nation in history and certainly among the most peaceful and harmonious for most of the time (the Civil War, the Mexican War, slavery, and the war against American Indians being notable exceptions).

Today the exceptions have become the rule.

A 100% pure laissez-faire capitalist society depends on people being committed to obeying God's Law, particularly laws that require families to take care of their own, and neighbors to take care of families that cannot. Getting rid of tyrannical government requires a great moral elevation in society. It requires extreme Biblicism among "We, the People."

So what is the result of extreme Biblicism? Where will that lead?

I call it the “Vine & Fig Tree” worldview. I created a non-profit organization to promote this worldview.

www.VineandFigTree.org

People tell me that my extremism is "unrealistic," "impractical," and "utopian."

In his diary on February 22, 1756, John Adams, later second President of the United States, wrote this:
Suppose a nation in some distant region should take the Bible for their only law book, and every member should regulate his conduct by the precepts there exhibited! Every member would be obliged in conscience,
     • to temperance, frugality, and industry,
     • to justice, kindness, and charity towards his fellow men; and
     • to piety, love and reverence towards Almighty God.
What a Utopia, what a Paradise would this region be.

I believe the only law book we need is the Bible. I'll say more about this in just a minute. The Bible is a textbook for every subject, not just religion. In our day, that's one of the most offensive things anyone can say.

I know my way around a law library. I've spent hundreds of hours in law libraries studying the law books of civil government. I passed the California Bar Exam, but was denied a license to practice law because America -- once a Christian nation -- is now a secular nation, and Christians cannot become attorneys, according to the Supreme Court of the United States, because their allegiance to God's Law Book trumps their allegiance to Washington D.C.'s law books. Details.

Not everyone is going to take the Bible as their only law book, and behave like Jesus commands all men to behave. What should we do about these people? Jesus gave us a step-by-step blueprint to follow in Matthew 18. Here's how that could work out. The Bible never commanded human beings to form "governments" to deal with criminals by taking vengeance against them. In fact, it is a sin to create a government. Creating a government is a rejection of God (1 Samuel 8). The cost to society of a government is greater than the cost to society of criminals under anarcho-pacifism. We'll return to this below.

When the people become more moral, and reject violence and coercion, they reject socialism, fascism, and what we call "civil government." And those who get a paycheck from "the government" will denounce the absence of coercion as "anarchy!" So the Marketing Dept. says we should call it "Archistlessness."

Archistlessness

The word "anarchist" comes from two Greek words meaning "not an archist."
Q.: What is an archist?
A.: A bad person. A person who lacks Godly character. Seeks to be god, impose vengeance, regulation by threats of violence.

Beating "swords into plowshares" implies a theory of government, as well as a theory of eschatology.

  • Political Philosophy: What kind of "government" has no "defense department?" Isn't that the whole purpose for forming a "government?"
  • Eschatology: When will governments go out of business? Which nation will be the first nation to abolish their armies?
    • Can a purportedly Christian nation like the U.S. wait for evil nations like North Korea and Iran to be the first to do the right (Godly) thing and beat their swords into plowshares, and then -- only after the bad guys obey God -- the good guys can obey God? Are the good guys supposed to lead, or follow?

Anarcho-Preterism

Even more offensive to modern Christians than the belief that Jesus  IS  the Christ (today) (and we shouldn't be waiting around for a second advent of Jesus) is the claim that Jesus is THE Christ today; that in our day there is no other legitimate Christ, no other legitimate king.

Nobody believes in "kings" anymore. So let's update our language.

  • Jesus is the only legitimate President, Governor, Prime Minister, Premier, Chief Executive, or Emir.
  • Jesus is also the only legitimate Legislator. Jesus is a One-Man Legislature.
  • Jesus is "the Supreme Judge of the World" (to quote the Declaration of Independence); the only legitimate Judge or Justice.
  • Jesus is the only legitimate Department of Homeland Security and Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Isaiah 33:22 confirms this:

For the Lord is our Judge,
The Lord is our Lawgiver,
The Lord is our King;
He will save us

Some conservatives, like David Barton, have seen this verse as a justification for three "branches" of government. But these functions are interchangeable. "Judges" in the Bible "ruled" as kings do. Jesus is a "unitary" Savior who discharges all the responsibilities which human "government" wants to monopolize.

 As we will see below, it was a mistake for Israel to want an earthly king to replace God (1 Samuel 8).

And as we will see below, Jesus prohibits His followers from aspiring to rule over others. Jesus said a Christian must not be an "archist."

Nor can a Christian "vote" for archists.
If God prohibits you from stealing, you cannot "vote" for someone to steal for you.
If God says you cannot hurt other people, you cannot "vote" for someone to hurt other people for you.

An "archist" is a "ruler." We here at Vine & Fig Tree invented the word "archist," deriving it from a Greek word found in Mark 10:42-45, from which the English word "anarchist" is derived. 

In the Gospel of Mark, chapter 10 (see more below), Jesus discovers His disciples arguing about who is going to be the "greatest" in the Kingdom of God. Their concept of the Messiah was someone who would use force and violence to vanquish the Roman occupation army that held Israel under tribute. They looked forward to the coming of a Messiah who would enlist them into a Messianic Israeli Army which would "stick it to" the Romans. But just as Micah said we should beat "swords into plowshares," Jesus said His disciples should "love your enemies," and if their soldiers conscript you to carry their provisions for one mile, you should go with the occupation forces two. (This form of pacifism completely refutes the legitimacy of "national defense.") The disciples didn't understand that Jesus' Messianic Kingdom was quite unlike the kingdoms of the world.

But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, "You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. {43} Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. {44} And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. {45} "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

The word translated "rulers" comes from the Greek word from which we derive our English word "anarchist" ("a + archist" -- the first "a" is the Greek letter "alpha," known as the "alpha privative," meaning "not"  --     a[n]archist  -- the letter "n" bridges the "alpha privative" and the word "archist").

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

An "archist" believes he has the right to impose his will on other people by force. He need not rely solely on persuasion. He need not give others anything of value in exchange for what he wants from others. He can threaten violence, and carry out those threats if he doesn't get what he wants. It would be sinful for others to engage in such violent extortion or vengeance, but the "archist" claims a "legal" and moral right to do what others must not do.

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

A Christian society is an archist-free society.

We have been brainwashed in "public" schools (run by archists) to believe that an "anarchist" is:

  • a bomb-throwing
  • assassin
  • who rejects the doctrine of private property,
  • seeks to foment disorder, chaos and riots in order to overthrow the government by force and violence
  • and establish some dreadful political ideal like "the dictatorship of the proletariat," where everyone is his own god and criminals run wild.

Anyone can be called an "anarchist" by someone who wants to vilify an opponent, but most of those who call themselves "anarchist" have reached their position by their opposition to violence. I am a pacifist, therefore I am opposed to any institution of systematic violence and coercion (e.g., "the Mafia," "the State," etc.).

By etymological definition, the opposite of an "anarchist" is an "archist." By being trained to believe that "anarchists" are bad, we've been subtly inculcated with the belief that those who protect us against "anarchists" (logically, "archists") are good.

But the Bible says archists are bad, and explicitly prohibits us from being archists.

Jesus says His followers are not to be archists. Connect the dots.

www.HowToBecomeAChristianAnarchist.com

Mark 10:42-45 (and other passages we're going to be considering in a moment) teaches that

  • Christians are prohibited from aspiring to be "archists."
  • Christians are prohibited from trying to elect an "archist" to any public office.
  • There should not be any "public offices" at all.
  • Eliminating "public offices" would dramatically raise our standard of living (if we obey all the commands of Jesus the Christ).

All Pacifists are Anarchists

If you oppose violence, you cannot be an "archist."

A logically consistent Christian pacifist is also an anarchist, for two reasons:
     • First, a pacifist is against violence, and "the State" is institutionalized, systematic violence;
     • Second, Jesus prohibits His followers from being "archists"
An "archist" is one who believes he has a right to impose his own will on others by force or threats of violence. Chiefly, the "archist" imposes his will on others through the machinery of "the State," whose tactics include
   • fines,
   • prisons,
   • torture,
   • executions,
   • armed invasions, and
   • terrorism.
The Christian, on the contrary, believes 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?" Aren't "anarchists" bad people?

As I read the Bible,  the bad guys are the "archists." Chapter after chapter in the Bible says "archists" are false gods.

Only Jesus is a legitimate Archist.

People who don't see earthly "archists" as bad guys are themselves guilty of idolatry.

The Bible is an "Anarchist Manifesto." From cover to cover, the Bible condemns archists -- violent people, like Cain, Lamech, violent men that provoked the flood in Noah's day, Nimrod, and so on. These evil, violent people are the ones who created "civil governments."

The Origin of "the State" ("Civil Government") - Political Philosophy 101 According to the Bible

Christians who strongly oppose "anarchism" (I used to be one of them) believe the Bible prescribes (not just describes) civil governments. They believe God's Law contains laws for "governments."

The Myth of "The Civil Law"

Every political science professor in every university on planet earth will agree that the essential nature of "the State" is violence. It claims a "monopoly on violence." Wikipedia || Encyclopedia Britannica || Oxford || More: The State as Monopoly of Violence

Using the Greek word from which we derived the English word "anarchist," Jesus plainly says His followers are not to be "archists." Mark 10:42-45. We are to be servants, not "archists." "Not" + "archist" = "anarchist"

Only Jesus is a legitimate Archist.

People who don't see earthly "archists" as bad guys are themselves guilty of idolatry.

God says "Thou shalt not steal."
You would never go up to your next-door neighbor, put a gun to his head, and say "give me some of your money."
But you vote for people who promise to do this on your behalf, and give the money to you or people you approve of.

There is no ethical difference between "taxes" and "extortion."

Here's an example of me butting-in on someone's blog and promoting my views: Godwords.

"What about Romans 13?" I'm always asked this question when I say I'm an "anarcho-pacifist."

Romans 12 and 13 are a unit on not resisting evil. "Bless those who persecute you" (Romans 12:14) does not mean that persecutors have God's ethical approval. They need to repent. We are not to resist evil (Romans 12:19), but to overcome evil with good gifts (Romans 12:21), even (turn the page) the most evil entity on the planet: The State (Romans 13:1ff). Paul refers to the Empire as "the Powers." Everywhere that Greek word is used in the New Testament, it means "demonic." Even the Romans believed that demons (daimones, daimoneV) guided the Empire.

The message of Romans 13 is "be subject to evil." The message of Romans 13 is not "evil is good."

Yes, "all things work together for good" (Romans 13:4; 8:28), even evil things, like "principalities and powers" (Romans 8:38) and their sword (Romans 8:35).

But evil people have a moral obligation to repent of things that pacifists have a moral obligation to submit to.

www.Romans13.com

8. Theocracy / Christocracy

Micah's Prophecy Westminster Standards Vine & Fig Tree University
Focus text: "He shall judge"

He will teach us of His ways,
and we will walk in His paths:
And He will judge between many peoples
And rebuke mighty, distant nations.

 The Law (con't) The "He" in this passage is Jesus the Messiah.

"Theonomy" = "Theocracy"

He will teach us of His ways,
and we will walk in His paths:

3 And He shall judge among many people,
and rebuke strong nations afar off;

The Law-Giver is our Judge and King (Isaiah 33:22). If you don't believe in Theonomy, then you don't believe Jesus is a Christ-King. He's just a homeless story-teller. He has nothing to say to Pharaoh, Caesar, Hitler, Stalin, Trump, or Biden. Jesus cannot command them to repent if there is no Theonomy.

Micah is prophesying a global Theocracy.

The word "Theocracy" comes from two Greek words meaning "God Governs."

God "governs" us when we obey His commandments.

America was originally a Theocracy.

James Madison, "the Father of the Constitution," is reported to have said,

We have staked the whole future of American civilization, not upon the power of government, far from it. We have staked the future of all of our political institutions upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves ... according to the Ten Commandments of God.

America was originally a Christocracy.

Benjamin Rush signed the Declaration of Independence 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?

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. [An Eulogium Upon Benjamin Rush, M.D. - Google Books ]

Only our Creator and Redeemer should be our Ruler (Romans 1:25).

America was originally a Trinitarian Christocracy.

On March 6, 1799, President John Adams proclaimed a national day of prayer in which Americans would

  • call to mind our numerous offenses against the Most High God, confess them before Him with the sincerest penitence,
  • implore His pardoning mercy, through the Great Mediator and Redeemer, for our past transgressions,
  • and that through the grace of His Holy Spirit we may be disposed and enabled to yield a more suitable obedience to His righteous requisitions in time to come;

Everyone lives in a theocracy. Either the God of the Bible governs us, or some other god, or everyone gets to be his own god.

Daniel 2 is a prophecy of global Christocracy. In the days of the Roman Empire, Daniel predicted, Christ would be born. He would crush the ancient Demonic Imperial Paradigm and begin spreading His own Kingdom over the earth. Historians have documented the on-going fulfillment of this prophecy, which continues today (though not without local and temporary ups-and-downs):

The entire world of human action can be governed by Jesus the Christ without Pharaohs, Caesars, Führers, and Political Technocrats. This government is called "Providence." In the centuries after the fall of Rome, merchants set commercial standards and resolved disputes without politicians. This was the world of the Lex Mercatoria. Lex Mercatoria is a legal phrase which has come to signify the power of a stateless society to prevent most disputes and in a peaceful, harmonious and orderly way resolve those disputes that arise -- without dependence upon tax-funded political institutions such as monarch, crown, parliament or congress.

The prophet Micah speaks of the universal reign of God's Law over the earth.

Here again is John Adams, inviting us to think about a world where human law-makers are put out of business, and God's Theonomy replaces man's law-books and creates God's Theocracy. R. J. Rushdoony wrote the following:

This is what John Adams, later second President of the U.S., wrote in his diary on February 22, 1756:

Suppose a nation in some distant region should take the Bible for their only law book,
and every member should regulate his conduct by the precepts there exhibited!
Every member would be obliged in conscience,
     to temperance, frugality, and industry,
     to justice, kindness, and charity towards his fellow men;
     and to piety, love and reverence towards Almighty God.
What a Utopia, what a Paradise would this region be.

Like others of his day, Adams was a theonomist!

In principle, Adams is advocating "Theocracy." Adams is saying we should be governed by God and His Law Book, the Bible. "God governs" is the literal meaning of "Theocracy." Rushdoony says "Theocracy" is anarcho-capitalism.

Preterism claims that Jesus became the Christ/King in the past, and now IS the Christ.

But to say "Jesus is the Christ" is to say that Jesus alone is the Christ/King.

The "kings of the gentiles" (Mark 10:42-45) bitterly resent this claim. They say that John Adams, in principle, is advocating "anarchy."

No, he wasn't advocating "anarchy" directly. Adams' purpose was just to praise the Bible.

But nobody in government today would ever say what Adams said: We should take the Bible for our only law book.

That's too "radical." It's "homophobic." Or something. Only a "domestic terrorist" would say something like this.

Taking Jesus as our Messiah and the Bible as our only lawbook puts "the kings of the gentiles" out of business.

Jesus can rule the nations because the Word of God is the Sword of the Lord, and is more powerful than the military sword of man:

Matthew 26:52
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.

Micah 4:3
and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruninghooks:
nation shall not lift up a sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more.

Hebrews 4:12
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
3 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,

Ephesians 6:17
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;

Isaiah 11:4
4 But with righteousness He shall judge the poor,
And decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth,
And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.

Isaiah 49:2
2 And He has made My mouth like a sharp sword;
In the shadow of His hand He has hidden Me,
And made Me a polished shaft;
In His quiver He has hidden Me.”

Hosea 6:5
5 Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets,
I have slain them by the words of My mouth;
And your judgments are like light that goes forth.

2 Thessalonians 2:8
8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.

Revelation 1:16
16 He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength.

Revelation 2:16
16 Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth.

Revelation 19:15
15 Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

Revelation 19:21
21 And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh.

A global Christocracy is possible because God uses His Sword-Word to change hearts and bring world peace through global obedience.

So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:14-17)

This is why we are commanded to read, study, and meditate on God's Word daily. My case for the “Vine & Fig Tree” worldview will only be persuasive if you read the verses of Scripture and let them change your mind.
  Chapter 22 Lawful Oaths and Vows I studied law and passed the California Bar Exam. I was completely qualified to become an attorney, but the Supreme Court of the United States has ruled that Christians -- whose allegiance to God trumps their allegiance to the government (Acts 5:29) -- cannot be permitted to take the oath required of all attorneys. Details.

An oath is an act of religious worship, not a secular formality.

Vows are an important tool in developing character according to God's Law. Understanding Vows
  Chapter 21 Religious Worship, and the Sabbath Day

The Fourth Commandment in American History

 The Day of Rest is the seventh day. "The Lord's Day" is the first day/eighth day, commemorating Christ's resurrection on the first day of the week. The two concepts are distinct, but too often confused. The fourth of the ten commandments is to work six days and rest on the seventh. The fourth commandment does not say to work five days, rest on the seventh, and "go to church" on the eighth day. Clergymen emphasize the importance of "going to church" on Sunday, emphasizing "worship" as a series of rituals in "church," and ignore the importance of worship as service/work in every area of life Monday-through-Saturday, as the main source of prosperity and government. Businesses create government because they foster habits and character which undergird order, which make profit possible.

The Business Covenant

Christ governs our lives not just on Sunday morning, but all during the week, including our business lives.
   

Work, not Theft || Service, not "Public Service"

A Jewish scholar named Franz Oppenheimer divided people into two groups.

The first group he called "Economic Man." "Economic Man" engages in work, produces things of value (or provides valuable services) and gets paid, then trades that money for things other people produce.

The second group he called "Political Man." These people do not produce, they confiscate.

Because Christians are "pacifists," they believe in overcoming evil with good. In Romans 12, we respond to evil with food or drink, and in Romans 13 we respond to evil with gifts of money, hoping in these cases that God will grant repentance to those who do evil to us.

Taxation is extortion, a form of theft. There isn't a single verse in the Bible to which any human being alive today can point to and say, "This verse assures me that if I declare myself to be the king, I can threaten you with violence if you do not give me the money I demand, and God will not hold me guilty of sin."

If someone sins against you, and you do everything Jesus says to do in order to help that person repent and right his wrongs, Jesus says to "excommunicate" him (our modern terminology, not His), and treat him like someone who cannot possibly be a genuine Christian: "a tax collector" (Matthew 18:17).

If there is no theft, there is no "State." "Civil Governments" do not exist without "taxation," which is theft. "Civil government" is distinguished from businesses and charities by its claim to have a right to steal.

“Public Sector” “Private Sector”
“Government” Sector Non-“Government” Sector
Monopoly Sector Competitive Sector
Coercive Sector Persuasive Sector
Violent Sector Peaceful Sector
Parasite Sector Productive Sector
"Political Man" "Economic Man"
We are to "serve" (worship) God, and we are to serve others (Mark 10:42-45). We serve others in businesses and charities. We do not serve others by ruling over them in "governments."

Private Service Creates Public Order

"Public Service" Creates Disorder
  Let's consider next the commandment, "Thou shalt not kill." (Exodus 20:13, quoted by Jesus, Mark 10:19) That link contains the exposition of the 6th Commandment in the Westminster Larger Catechism. It is "a pacifist manifesto."

9. The Fall of Man and Sin

Micah's Prophecy Westminster Standards Vine & Fig Tree University
 

 

 Chapter 6 the Fall of Man, of Sin, and of the Punishment Thereof

Thesis 13: The Fall of Man

The Depravity of Man

The Fall of Man -- the Desire to "“To Be As Gods” -- “Knowing Good and Evil” 
To build the Kingdom of Man without working (playing God, oppressing others)

Thesis 12: The Fall Of The Angels

10 Justification

Micah's Prophecy Westminster Standards Vine & Fig Tree University
  Chapter 8 Christ the Mediator

Chapter 10 Effectual Calling

Chapter 11 Justification

Chapter 12 Adoption

Chapter 13 Sanctification

Chapter 14 Saving Faith

Chapter 15 Repentance unto Life

Chapter 16 Good Works

Chapter 17 the Perseverance of the Saints

Chapter 18 the Assurance of Grace and Salvation

The "Ordo Salutis" in the Westminster Standards

 Much of the Westminster Confession is taken up with a very narrow examination of "salvation" or "justification." It is generally related to what happens to you after you die.

At Vine & Fig Tree University we take a "Theonomic" approach to "justification."

Justification by Allegiance

Notice that chapter 8, "Of Christ the Mediator," is not complemented with a chapter on "Christ the King." The concept is in the Westminster Standards, but buried.
    Salvation in the Bible is Archistlessness. It means being governed by the Savior alone. It means "the Last Adam" restores us to the Edenic position enjoyed by the first Adam, before the Fall.

Eden and Salvation - David Chilton
    Abraham was a friend of God.

  • 2 Chronicles 20:7
    Are You not our God, who drove out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel, and gave it to the descendants of Abraham Your friend forever?

  • Isaiah 41:8
    “But you, Israel, are My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, The descendants of Abraham My friend.

  • James 2:23
    And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God.

To become a Patriarch like Abraham, one needs to become a friend of God.

A friend of archists is the enemy of God (James 4:4).

11. Salvation

Micah's Prophecy Westminster Standards Vine & Fig Tree University
     

12. Jerusalem vs. Athens

Micah's Prophecy Westminster Standards Vine & Fig Tree University
5 Although all people will walk
every one in the name of his god,
we will walk in the name of the LORD our God
for ever and ever.		   Chapter 19 of the Confession seems to endorse "Theonomy," but it actually repudiates it, and is fundamentally flawed.

Section 4 of chapter 19 says:

4. To them also, as a body politic, He gave sundry judicial laws, which expired together with the State of that people; not obliging any other now, further than the general equity thereof may require.

This statement is a serious error. This is based on Greco-Roman categories, not the categories of Hebrew Law, or Biblical Law. We must consider four key terms:

  • body politic
  • judicial laws
  • expired
  • general equity

Israel was not a "body politic" in the conventional sense of "politics." Our word "politics" comes from the Greek word polis, which can be translated "city," "city-state," or even "empire." Babylon was a city and an empire. Rome was a city and an empire. Augustine wrote a book called

This stands in contrast to "The City of Man." 

Israel was not a kingdom of politicians, but a "kingdom of priests" (Exodus 19:6). Israel did not become a "political" body until 1 Samuel 8, when Israel rejected God as her King (as the text explicitly reveals), choosing to emulate the pagan nations around her. It was not God's intention that Israel "mature" from a tribe-based kingdom of priests to a polis-based kingdom of politicians. The Patriarch Abraham is our model, and it was Moses' goal that Israel become Abrahamic patriarchs again (Numbers 11:29).

The word "economics" comes from two Greek words meaning "law of the home." For Abraham, all law was economic law, no law was political law.

Abraham's priest was Melchizedek (Genesis 14:18), just as our priest is Christ (Hebrews 7). Moses gave Israel "Levitical law." When Israel disobeyed God's "economic" law, there were laws that brought cleansing, or atonement, for violations of the "economic law." The Levitical priesthood was temporary; a kind of social "training wheels." Today the Levitical laws can only be obeyed by faith in Christ, "the Lamb of God" (John 1:29).

The "economic law" reflects the unchanging moral character of God.

We could call this social system

PATRIAGORA:
Patria | Family + Market | Agora

The Bible says Abraham obeyed My Voice, and kept My Charge, My Commandments, My Statutes, and My Torah. (Genesis 26:4-5) In this entire body of laws, none could be called "judicial laws" or "civil laws." Moses gave laws for patriarchs (heads of families) not politicians.

None of God's Law in "the Scriptures" has "expired" as the Westminster Confession erroneously claims. We still have a High Priest and a Temple to attend to. We have a King who governs us. If we don't entertain guests on the roof of our house, we don't need to build a rail around the roof, but if we do have people up there, we need to follow Deuteronomy 22:8, which some today would call a "judicial law." In generations past, when Americans understood the Bible better than we do today, American juries awarded verdicts in tort cases where safety rails were not in place, based on Deuteronomy 22:8.

To say that these "expired" laws only bind governments if the government sees some kind of "general equity" is to open the door to totalitarianism. This "general equity" theory is based on Roman law, not Biblical Law. See this:

This has very important implications. This is not just about "law." This line of argument is calling for a complete re-organization of human society. "Patriarchy" is, as Gary North describes it, a "Bottom-Up Theocracy."

The Duty of Man

Q. 5. What do the Scriptures principally teach?
A. The Scriptures principally teach what man is to believe concerning God, and what duty God requires of man.
(Westminster Larger Catechism)

We live in a culture that does not want to be reminded of its duties. It prefers to talk about its "rights." I don't believe in "human rights."  I don't believe in "Justification by mere belief." I believe in Justification by Allegiance.

Obedience (ethics) is more important than intelligence.

The word "Theocracy" comes from two Greek words meaning "God Governs." Our duty is to be governed by God. "We must obey God rather than man" (Acts 5:29). We've been trained in our secular schools to fear "Theocracy." But we're not tempted to accept an Islamic Theocracy, where Allah is our national god. We've been trained to reject a Christian Theocracy. We accept a Secular Humanist theocracy, where every man is his own god (Genesis 3:5).

As Augustine wrote, our job as Christians is to convert the entire planet from the City of Man -- autonomy -- into "The City of God" -- Theonomy -- a Christocracy.

So where did the Reformers get the concept of "judicial law?" They got it from Athens, not Jerusalem:

Jerusalem vs. Athens

13. "The House of the Lord" - Ecclesiology

Micah's Prophecy Westminster Standards Vine & Fig Tree University
That the mountain of the House of the LORD
Will be established as the chief of the mountains
And it will be raised above the hills		 Chapter 25 the Church

Chapter 26 the Communion of Saints

Chapter 30 Church Censures

Chapter 31 Synods and Councils

 In the Old Testament, "The House of the Lord" was the temple in Jerusalem. The temple was where God dwelled.

But that temple was destroyed in AD 70.

So what is "the House of the Lord" in our day?

Catholics might say "the Vatican." Protestants might say "the local church."

The Apostle Paul says Christians are the new temple of God.

Ephesians 2:19-22
Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 6:16
And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people.”

1 Corinthians 3:16-17
Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17 If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.

Most Christians reject a "preterist" eschatology because of what "the church" teaches. Martin Luther claimed that the institutional church missed a central doctrine of the Christian Faith: Justification. J. Gresham Machen claimed that liberal churches are not Christian, but an entirely different religion. If preterism is true, it puts a final nail in the coffin of traditional ecclesiology.

More on "Church"

Edifying People = Building the Kingdom
  Chapter 21 Religious Worship, and the Sabbath Day

Chapter 20 Christian Liberty, and Liberty of Conscience

 The Day of Rest is the seventh day. "The Lord's Day" is the first day/eighth day, commemorating the resurrection. The two concepts are distinct, but too often confused. The fourth of the ten commandments is to work six days and rest on the seventh. The fourth commandment does not say to work five days, rest on the seventh, and "go to church" on the eighth day. Clergymen emphasize the importance of "going to church" on Sunday, and ignore the importance of work as the main source of prosperity and government. Businesses create government because they foster habits and character which undergird order, which make profit possible.  More on "work."

What is "WORSHIP"?

The basic meaning of the word "worship" is service. To "worship" God is to serve Him by putting every area of one's life under His Law. As The New Bible Dictionary puts it, "[T]he essential concept in both the Old and New Testaments is 'service.'" John Murray writes,

[Worship in the] generic sense is the devotion we owe to God in the whole of life. God is sovereign, He is Lord, having sovereignty over us and propriety in us, and therefore in all that we do we owe subjection to him, devotion to His revealed will, obedience to His commandments. There is no area of life where the injunction does not apply (I Cor. 10:31). In view of the lordship of Christ as Mediator all of life comes under His dominion (Col. 3:23,24).

Worship in the generic sense is thus service to God in every area of life; total slavery to Him Who is Lord of all.

In the Old Testament there was also a more specific usage for "worship," namely, the observance of the ceremonial rituals given to a Spiritually juvenile pre-Pentecost people. These ritual observances typified worship in every area of life. Animal sacrifice, the burning of incense, attendance at temple, and other rigors were imposed on the slave-like people of Egyptized Israel (Galatians 3:24 - 4:9), and were but shadows of the worship of the New Covenant.

Jesus spoke of the New Covenant form of worship in John 4. The woman at the well, having been confronted with the ethical demands of the Lord Jesus (regarding her adulterous life), attempts a "doctrinal" diversion: she asks Jesus about "worship." Putting words in Jesus' mouth, she claims that worship occurs in a certain place (Jerusalem) (John 4:20). Jesus denies it:

Woman, believe me, the hour cometh when ye shall neither in this mountain nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship Him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in Truth.

Here is the "Mountain" of Micah 4, the New Zion which covers the entire globe (Daniel 2:35).

In the common, specific sense, "worship" means attending to the ceremonial requirements of the Old Covenant, going to a certain place (cf. Acts 8:27). But these acts only symbolized true "worship," and were necessary to prod a Spiritless people to that Christian worship which is obedience to God in every area of life.

Thus, the phrase "worship service" is quite redundant! Can you find one occurrence in the New Testament of "worship" in the ceremonial/specific sense being required of Christians? Or are the occurrences of "worship" speaking of obedience in every area of life? Do any of the Greek words used for "worship" occur in any sense requiring Christians to go to Jerusalem, or a specific "mountain" to "worship" God? Would we expect centralized ceremonial "worship" to be required in light of Micah's prophecy? (If you "attend church," have you been trained to search the Scriptures to find the answers to such questions as these [Acts 17:11], or do you need to ask your "pastor"?)

The New Testament is clear: the "worship" required of believers does not consist in ceremonial ritual. Colossians 2:18 says,

Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship . . . .

The Greek word translated "worship" is "religion" in James 1, where we are told,

If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one's religion is useless. {27} Pure and undefiled religion [worship] before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.
James 1:26-27; cf. Matthew 25:36

Of course, "worship" is not limited to visiting orphans and widows, but involves obedience outside the temple, outside the synagogue, outside the cathedral, in every area of life.
  Chapter 27 the Sacraments

Chapter 28 Baptism

Chapter 29 the Lord’s Supper

 Preterism and Sacraments

I don't believe in "sacraments." These Old Testament rituals were dug up and mimicked by what we call "The Roman Catholic Church." Most Protestant churches are only partially-reformed Roman churches.

What we call "the Last Supper" was Jesus observing Passover with His disciples. Jesus destroyed the temple in Jerusalem at His coming in AD 70 (see "Preterism" above).  Paul told Christians (many of whom were converts from Judaism) to continue observing Passover until Jesus comes. This made sense at the time, as Passover was closely connected with the temple.

1 Corinthians 5
6 Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? 7 Therefore  purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.  8 Therefore let us keep the feast,  not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Luke 22
13 And they went and found it just as He had told them, and they prepared the Passover.
14 And when the hour came, He reclined at table, and the apostles with Him. 15 And He said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16 For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” 17 And He took a cup, and when He had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. 18 For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”

1 Corinthians 10
23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when He was betrayed took bread, 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it, and said, “This is My body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same way also He took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes.

Matthew 16
27 For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works. 28 Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”

First-century Christians continued to observe Passover until Christ came in the power of His Kingdom, in the lifetime of those who witnessed His First Advent, to take vengeance against those Israelites who rejected Him as their Passover Lamb. Jesus the Death Angel did not pass over Israel in AD 70. The old Israel was destroyed as the new Egypt:

Revelation 11:8
And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.

Jesus came in the power of a new Kingdom. The old kingdom -- the new Egypt -- was destroyed so that the New Israel -- God's Kingdom -- could be built.

"Sacraments" were a part of the Old Covenant, but not the New. John the Baptist was an Old Testament prophet who foretold the coming of the Messiah and the New Covenant. Paul said he never baptized anyone (1 Corinthians 1:13-17). The Old Covenant and its sacraments were passing away (Hebrews 8:13).

Most Christians see the practice of their faith occurring for one hour in a "church" building on Sunday morning. But the most important aspects of our faith should be occurring the other six days of the week.

14. Patriarchy

Micah's Prophecy Westminster Standards Vine & Fig Tree University
Focus text: "His Vine"

And each of them will sit under his
Vine and under his fig tree,]

 Chapter 24 Marriage and Divorce

 

 This verse assumes "family values" taught elsewhere in the Bible in more detail. It also assumes the family history -- that is, the history of patriarchy -- discussed above.

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
  • Government: Patriarchal or Political?
    • 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 priests and no politicians.

Pierre Joseph Proudhon: Patriarchy and Agrarian Jurisprudence

The modern concept of "separation of church and state" -- which really means the "separation of God and the Public Square" -- denies the concept of Biblical Theocracy. This website not only denies "the separation of church and state," but promotes "the abolition of church and state."

The Bible uses “Vine & Fig Tree” imagery to describe a time when we beat our "swords into plowshares" and everyone dwells peacefully under his own “Vine & Fig Tree.” The New Testament describes Christians as "sons of Abraham" the Patriarch. Abraham and Sarah were not under the rule of any State or Empire. The desire to have a creaturely king is a rejection of God the Creator as King (1 Samuel 8; Romans 1:25). The real meaning of Easter is that Jesus is now -- in 2022 -- the only legitimate King. Every king on planet earth should immediately abdicate and get a real job in "the Private Sector." This is one reason why every government in the last 2000 years has eventually banned the Bible. Even the United States, where The Supreme Court has ruled that public school teachers cannot tell students that Jesus the King says "Thou shalt not steal" (Matthew 19:18; Exodus 20:13-16; Deuteronomy 5:17-20). Creaturely kings are "false gods" in the Bible, and they correctly view the Bible as a threat to their idolatrous reign: to them, The Bible is an "Anarchist Manifesto." According to the Bible, creaturely government is "The Most Dangerous Idolatry." It will take me a while to convince you that the Real Meaning of Easter is “Vine & Fig Tree.” I'll have to persuade you to read a lot of Bible verses through new eyes. 

Abraham and Sarah did not "go to church." Their priest was Melchizedek, as is ours.

Family = "undemocratic" says progressives

When families are functional, the State is unnecessary;
Archism is socially unapproved

John Adams: importance of mothers

Audio

The Family is God's central unit of society. The family is commanded to teach God's Law. Therefore next installment: Education

15: Education

Micah's Prophecy Westminster Standards Vine & Fig Tree University
Micah 4:2

"Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD
And to the House of the God of Jacob,
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.

Focus text:

That He may teach us about His ways
And that we may walk in His paths."

   Supplemental texts:

Deuteronomy 4:9f.; 6:7f., 20f.; 11:18-21, etc.
Family teaches the Law
http://bit.ly/teach-your-children
Education must be Theonomic/Theocratic: the central command is to teach God's Law

Education is something all of us must do.

  • Parents must educate children
  • Employers must educate employees
  • "The Great Commission" -- make students of all humanity -- makes us all educators under Christ the Superintendent.
    • Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
      19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
      20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
    • Teaching Christ's commands.

Law-teaching all the nations through hospitality and open borders.

Different from evangelism - Converting the existing generation vs. teaching the next generation

"Education" includes "character" by way of "apologetics" and service.

Lifelong learners / lifelong teachers

Therefore Education by Patriarchy produces character.

16: Character

Micah's Prophecy Westminster Standards Vine & Fig Tree University
Though all the peoples walk
Each in the name of his god,
As for us, we will walk
In the Name of the LORD our God
forever and ever.		   "Character" is the ability to stand against the crowd, in faith, in obedience to God.

• What you do when nobody is watching
• What you do when everybody is watching (and mocking)

Micah highlights the importance of teaching God's Law.

Ethics is more important than genius.
An ethical society with average IQ has a higher standard of living than a pervasively unethical society with many Einsteins and "geniuses." Egg-heads can spend their time slicing and dicing arcane questions in science and philosophy -- which may be "true" in some sense -- but miss "the weightier matters" of God's Law -- Justice, Mercy, and Faith (Matthew 23:23).

True education enables a Christian to stand against unbelief.
The ability to stand against the crowd, in faith, in obedience to God.

Ethics is more important to civilization than intelligence.

Character and pacifism - forgiveness, nurture vs. rule
Character and Kingdom-building/optimillennialism | leadership

Character

John Adams compared the American Revolution with the French Revolution, and concluded that the difference was character.

While our Country remains untainted with the Principles and manners, which are now producing desolation in so many Parts of the World: while she continues Sincere and incapable of insidious and impious Policy: We shall have the Strongest Reason to rejoice in the local destination assigned Us by Providence. But should the People of America, once become capable of that deep simulation towards one another and towards foreign nations, which assumes the Language of Justice and moderation while it is practicing Iniquity and Extravagance; and displays in the most captivating manner the charming Pictures of Candour frankness & sincerity while it is rioting in rapine and Insolence: this Country will be the most miserable Habitation in the World. Because We have no Government armed with Power capable of contending with human Passions unbridled by  morality and Religion. Avarice, Ambition  Revenge or Galantry, would break the strongest Cords of our Constitution as a Whale goes through a Net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious People. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other

In the same way, a Free Market is made only for people with Godly character.

17: Agrarianism

Micah's Prophecy Westminster Standards Vine & Fig Tree University
Focus Text: Vine and under his  fig tree,

And each of them will sit under his
Vine and under his  fig tree,
With no one to make them afraid.
For the LORD of hosts has spoken.

   The story of the Bible is "paradise lost" and Paradise Restored.
The blessings God promises in Deuteronomy 28 are (on the surface) primarily agricultural.
Would you be willing to live for hundreds of years in the Garden of Eden with a community of sanctified people . . . but no cell phone?

Agrarianism vs. technology

"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 build the Garden into the City of God. (Revelation 21-22)
  • Is "Industrialism" possible without the sword (police and military) of "the State?"
  • What kind of industrialism would emerge in the absence of "False weights and Measures" and extortion-subsidies?
  • Will we have "agrarianism" or "technocracy?"
  • Who gets to decide for you?
  • Who gets to decide for hundreds of millions of people?

Studies in Mutualist Political Economy: Industrialism vs. Decentralism -- The Role of the State

Agrarian Man vs. Industrialist Man: Political vs. Economic Man

Pierre Joseph Proudhon: Agrarian Jurisprudence

Environmentalism

Compare first three chapters in Genesis with last three chapters in Revelation: Edenic imagery - Garden of Eden / City of God

Wilderness vs. Garden: Garden = Order

Audio

"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 build the Garden into the City of God. (Revelation 21-22)
If you grow your own food, you have safe, nutritious food even when the "supply chain" breaks down.
If you don't grow your own food, you're dependent on food that must be stripped of nutrition so that it doesn't spoil as it travels vast distances and sits on the shelf at Walmart.

Living off land depends on owning the land. Therefore Agrarianism is related to Property.

18: Property/Communism

Micah's Prophecy Westminster Standards Vine & Fig Tree University
Focus text:

Micah 4:4

Vine and under his  fig tree,

  

"Communism" is a word like "Theocracy" -- everyone hates the word.

The Bible is individualist

The Bible says "Thou shalt not steal" stuff that pertains to another. This means someone possesses something and should not be dispossessed. The world "Property" comes from the Latin proprietas, from proprius ‘one's own, particular.’ Related to the word "proper." Someone representing himself in court comes before the court "In Pro Per" or In Propria Persona. Your person is your basic property. If you turn a wilderness into a garden, the garden is your property. It was wrong for Jezebel and Ahab to steal Naboth's vine and fig tree. Naboth said to Ahab, “The Lord forbid that I should give the inheritance of my patriarchs to you!” (1 Kings 21:3)

The Bible holds out the ideal of property free from princes and pirates. See the phrases "dwell safely" and "none to make them afraid" in the Bible.

But the Bible is also communitarian (or some English word that substitutes for the Greek word κοινωνία, koinōnía). Christian fellowship is more than each man standing on his front porch with an AK-47 protecting his right to "private property."

If you turn wilderness into a garden, you "own" the garden.
But if a garden is held communally, the pirate is not permitted to say that it is not anyone's "property" because it is not held as an individual under "Lockean homesteading theory."

How some Christians practice "communism": Bruderhof – Community of Goods

America errs on the side of individualism to the neglect of "fellowship," "sharing" "community," "extended family," and other Biblical concepts.

Some opponents of archism are also opponents of private property. The French anarchist Pierre Joseph Proudhon famously said, "Property is theft." But what he meant was what Isaiah likely intended: "Woe to you who add more houses to your houses and more fields to your fields. Finally there is no room left for other people. Then you are left alone in the land" (Isaiah 5:8). Some people hire archists to prevent farmers from living off the land. Accumulation without use and productivity is not the ideal. But one individual accumulating more property than others and producing more than others and becoming richer than others need not be discouraged. See Abraham, Genesis 13:2. God's creation consists of unlimited wealth. There's more than enough property for everyone.

19. Socialism/Community

Micah's Prophecy Westminster Standards Vine & Fig Tree University
Focus text: the ones God has afflicted

In that day, saith the LORD,
will I assemble her that halteth,
and I will gather her that is driven out,
and her that I have afflicted;
And I will make her that halted a remnant,
and her that was cast far off a strong nation:
and the LORD shall reign over them in mount Zion
from henceforth, even for ever.

   I was raised to believe that "capitalism" was better than "socialism." Unquestionably, freedom is better for humanity than centralized control and planning. State "Socialism" has resulted in poverty and mass death wherever it has been tried: Soviet Union, China, Cuba, Venezuela, etc.

But in 2022, young people who are unaware of the history of State Socialism in the 20th century have been victims of "Mass Formation Psychosis" and pay lip service to "socialism" and criticize "capitalism." What they criticize under the name "capitalism" is not freedom from archists. It is not 100% pure laissez-faire capitalism with 0% socialism. They are criticizing a "mixed economy."

Before the rise of monopoly capitalism in the latter part of the 19th and early 20th century, critics of the State were also champions of the poor, the weak, and the oppressed. These anarchists have also called themselves "socialists." 19th-century anarchists and socialists were critical of economic policies like usury (interest of any amount secured by a legal privilege), which the Bible also criticizes. In addition to usury, anarchists and socialists like Benjamin Tucker were critical of

A. The Land Monopoly
B. The Money Monopoly
C. Patents
D. Tariffs

Too often, "anarcho-socialists" have been envious of the rich, regardless of whether the rich accumulated their wealth fairly in the service of others, or by state-assisted exploitation.

We can learn from "socialist" opponents of archism if we are also discerning.

"No man is an island." Community: Serving the weak rather than the powerful | The "driven out" and "afflicted"

  • First step for students: mentoring.
  • Second step: "works of mercy."
  • Third step: production. Selling something other people buy voluntarily. A Godly calling.

God "afflicts" and "drives out" using "archists."
God restores using servants.
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" using members of the Body of Christ.

Audio
  Chapter 5 Providence

 

"Capitalism," Not "Socialism"

This is the most important issue in the world today, and -- if you think about it -- it is the most important issue in the Bible.

Mass Death

It is the most important issue in the world today because hundreds of millions of human beings have been murdered by those attempting to impose "socialism," and the lives of billions have been subjected to poverty and tyranny, while billions of people have had their lives improved under capitalism -- the freedom to live free from socialists and other archists.

Idolatry and False Religion

Biblically speaking, this is evidence of whether you believe in God or not. Specifically, whether you believe in Providence. If you don't believe Jesus is the all-powerful Messiah, then you are a deist, if not an atheist, and the god of deism is a false god.

The concept of "The Invisible Hand of Divine Providence" is personal, while deism eventually sifts out as evolutionary. Evolution is the impersonal and random soil in which socialism thrives. Evolution is a religion; an archist religion; a rival to the religion of Christ.

Idolatry is the subject of the First Commandment, it is the #1 issue in the pages of the Bible, and socialism is idolatry. Human archism is a false god. "Civil government" is an idol.

The vast majority of church-going Christians cannot understand how Jesus could be reigning as the Messiah right now -- today -- without being physically present on earth, sitting on a literal throne in Jerusalem.

It is because they do not understand this that they cannot coherently explain one of the most important concepts in our world today: Why Capitalism is better than Socialism.

Because they don't understand economics, they don't understand how Jesus can reign as Messiah without creating a police state.

Most church-goers cannot explain why capitalism has created the highest standard of living in human history, while socialism leads to poverty and mass death.

Capitalism is a pacifist economic system. Capitalism is for "Economic Man." Socialism is for "Political Man."

Church-going Christians do not understand how God governs the world.

Church-going Christians do not understand how God wants the world to operate.

Church-going Christians do not understand the Kingdom-Reign of God and our role in it.

Socialism is when your life is all about "standing up for your rights." Archism.
Capitalism is when your life is all about raising the standard of living of other people. Service.

The Bible is a capitalist blueprint for healing our world.

That's "good news."

And "good news" is the meaning of the word "gospel"

The word "Capitalism"

Some people (generally on the "left") agree with us on the moral necessity of free markets, but dislike the word "capitalism." They make good points.

20: Eternity

Micah's Prophecy Westminster Standards Vine & Fig Tree University
forever

Micah 4:5

As for us, we will walk
In the Name of the LORD our God
forever and ever.

Micah 4:7

and the LORD shall reign over them in mount Zion
from henceforth, even for ever.

   When the Vine & Fig Tree world is "established" (verse 1, fulfilled in Acts 2, esp. v.36), it is said to last "forever and ever."
Isaiah 9:6-7
Of the increase of His government and peace
There will be no end,
Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,
To order it and establish it with judgment and justice
From that time forward, even forever.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
 
Luke 1
32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
 
Daniel 7:14
Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom,
That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion,
Which shall not pass away,
And His kingdom the one
Which shall not be destroyed.
 
Daniel 7:27
Then the kingdom and dominion,
And the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven,
Shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High.
His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
And all dominions shall serve and obey Him.’
 
Revelation 11:15
Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!”
 
Revelation 14:6
Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people—
(See also Ecclesiastes 1:4; Psalm 78:69; 104:5; 148:3-6)
Christ began reigning as Messiah at His Ascension. His Messianic reign is said to last "forever."

Preterism

The Latin word for "past" is praeter. The word "preterism" comes from the Latin word for past, which is brought into English words like "the preterit tense" and a school of eschatology called "preterism." Saying a prophecy was fulfilled in the past is called "Preterism."

According to Peter in Acts 2, and elsewhere in the New Testament, the Apostles were living in "the Last Days" of the Old Covenant. This is when Jesus was made the Christ: in the past.

So where does "the second coming" come in?

This may be the most controversial position in "my credo." The vast majority of Christians believe Jesus will begin reigning as the Messiah (or "Christ") at His "second coming." Until then, life on earth is going to get worse and worse.

I believe life on earth has been getting better and better because Christ began reigning in His Kingdom in the past.

I believe "the second coming of Christ" already happened. It happened exactly when the Bible said it would happen: before "that generation" died out. It happened at the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 66-70.

Jesus came a second time in judgment against those who rejected Him as the Christ. The same generation that witnessed His first coming also witnessed His second coming.

It happened in the past.

The claim that Jesus is the Messiah today (not just in the future) is the claim that Jesus was made "Lord and Christ" in the past.

This is the "good news," or "Gospel."

The Antichrist, the Great Tribulation, Armageddon, and Jesus are NotComingSoon.net 

Here are the key concepts in Micah's prophecy:

A Vision for Humanity

The Curriculum of the colonial American one-room schoolhouse 2.0 will give students a vision for a Christianized world. We are all created in the Image of God, and hard-wired to aspire to the vision described by the Old Testament Prophet Micah 4:1-7:

Click for audio
  
Micah's Prophecy

Archetype

 Controversy
And it will come about in the last days
That the mountain of the House of the LORD
Will be established as the chief of the mountains
And it will be raised above the hills
Victory:
Christ established His Kingdom at the first Christmas
 “Predestination”
“Preterism”
Audio
And the peoples will stream to it.
And many nations will come and say,
"Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD
And to the House of the God of Jacob,
Globalism:
It will continue to expand until it covers the globe
 “Optimillennialism”
Audio
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.
Law:
Biblical Law will be our standard
 “Theonomy”
Audio
And He will judge between many peoples
And render decisions for 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:
We will pursue God's "shalom"
 “Pacifism”
Audio
And each of them will sit under his
Family:
Beginning at home
 “Patriarchy”
Audio
Vine and under his fig tree,
With no one to make them afraid.
For the LORD of hosts has spoken.
Garden-Land:
Healing the Environment
 “Anarchism”
Audio
Though all the peoples walk
Each in the name of his god,
As for us, we will walk
In the Name of the LORD our God
forever and ever.
In that day, saith the LORD,
will I assemble her that halteth,
and I will gather her that is driven out,
and her that I have afflicted;
And I will make her that halted a remnant,
and her that was cast far off a strong nation:
and the LORD shall reign over them in mount Zion
from henceforth, even for ever.
Community:
Beyond the "Rugged Individual"
 “Theocracy”
Audio

You won't agree with everything in my curriculum, but you will be a better person for having wrestled with these ideas:

Just as iron sharpens iron, friends sharpen the minds of each other.
Proverbs 27:17

 Audio

Micah 4:1-7 is a representative of many “Vine & Fig Tree” verses in the Bible (left column), with some observations on how this passage is expressed in the VFTU curriculum (right column).

Micah 4:1-7

 

Vine & Fig Tree University
And it will come about in the last days
That the mountain of the House of the LORD
Will be established as the chief of the mountains
And it will be raised above the hills		   We are not in "the last days" of the Old Covenant. We are in the first days of the New Covenant.

The "mountain" of the "house of the Lord" was Jerusalem, but before that it was the Garden of Eden, an elevated plateau from which flowed four rivers.

Adam and Eve were called to transform the Garden of Eden into "The New Jerusalem," or as Augustine called it, "The City of God." The establishment of this "mountain" took place when Jesus the Christ/Messiah came, 2000 years ago. Daniel 2 predicts that this Mountain-City will spread over the entire world.
And the peoples will stream to it.
And many nations will come and say,
"Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD
And to the House of the God of Jacob,		 Today, in stark contrast to the days in which Micah delivered this prophecy, a majority of human beings on planet earth claim to worship the God of Abraham.

Galatians 3:8
And the Scripture ... preached beforehand the Gospel unto Abraham, saying, "In thee shall all nations be blessed."

The concept of "blessing" is seen in Deuteronomy 28:1-14 and Leviticus 26:3-13. Micah would be astonished to see that in 2023, billions of human beings enjoy the "blessings" that are described in those passages. Micah could not have imagined that billions -- thousands of millions -- of human beings could live on this planet at the same time without mass starvation and total war.
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.		   Jeremiah 31:33 predicts that the Torah will be written on the hearts of New Covenant believers.
And He will judge between many peoples
And render decisions for 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.		 The Protestant Reformers and the Founders of Harvard missed this point. They rejected the "pacifism" which was advocated by the "Radical Reformation" a.k.a. the "Anabaptists."
And each of them will sit under his   What is a family?
What about private property?
Vine and under his  fig tree,
With no one to make them afraid.
For the LORD of hosts has spoken.		 What about technology? What about the military? What is it that really brings "security?"
Though all the peoples walk
Each in the name of his god,
As for us, we will walk
In the Name of the LORD our God
forever and ever.		   What if all the politicians, university professors, college accreditation agencies, TV commentators, bloggers, newspaper editors, rock stars, scientists, CEO's, celebrities, athletes, authors, and think-tanks repudiate the Vine & Fig Tree vision and tell you not to believe it?
In that day, saith the LORD,
will I assemble her that halteth,
and I will gather her that is driven out,
and her that I have afflicted;
And I will make her that halted a remnant,
and her that was cast far off a strong nation:
and the LORD shall reign over them in mount Zion
from henceforth, even for ever.		 Should we strive to be on top, or to help those on the bottom? Is God on the side of those who have accomplished much by their own power and initiative, or is He on the side of those who are willing to be used by God to accomplish much to His Glory?


Galantry, gallantry, as used by John Adams in this context, is defined by Websters Dictionary, 1828 edition as

GAL'LANTRY, noun

1. Splendor of appearance; show; magnificence; ostentatious finery. [Obsolete or obsolescent.]

. . .

5. Vicious love or pretensions to love; civilities paid to females for the purpose of winning favors; hence, lewdness; debauchery.

Clergy-Approved Men

The Reformed tradition in early America was not "radical" in the sense of being totally consistent with the Hebrew-Christian Scriptures. The Reformers, Puritans, and Framers of the Constitution of 1787 brought in ideas from "classical" Greece and Rome. This was a terrible mistake, and an unBiblical mistake.

What Were the "Classical" ideas?

1. Autonomy: Rebellion Against God

The measure of all things was either individual man or collective man (the Empire). This resulted in Debauchery, Superstition, and Corruption.

Romans were less civilized than Christians. As we will show elsewhere, Romans believed in the following, and the "old men" (see below) had no effective standard by which to criticize these things:

1. 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.

2. 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. (See on Socrates, below.)

3. 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.

4. Slavery. At least one-third of Athens was enslaved. The figure was as high in Sparta. Every household owned a slave. This provided leisure for their owners, who despised physical labor as beneath them -- servile. Slavery was a universal institution in Greece.

5. 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.

6. Welfare State. At least one-third of all male Athenians were on the government's payroll in the time of Pericles.

7. 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, 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.

8. Cyclical View of Time. The Greeks did not believe in long-term progress or a final judgment -- just endless cycles forever: rise and fall, rise and fall. According to the historian of science, Stanley Jaki, this was why the Greeks never developed science, only technologies.

9. 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.

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.

2.  Government by Men rather than by God

The word "Senator" comes from the Latin word senex, meaning "old man." Old men were assumed to be wiser than the rest of us. This might generally be true -- with age comes wisdom -- but "By What Standard?" What is "wisdom?" The old men in primitive cannibalistic tribes know the best kind of human flesh to eat. They are "wiser" than young cannibals who don't yet know the difference. Will cannibalistic "senators" build a healthy and humane civilization? Who says cannibalism is wrong? Harvard's Founders knew the answer to that question; we don't.

There were in fact wise old men in Greece and Rome who could see that their "civilization" was debauched and corrupt. America's Founders often quoted these dissidents. But what standard did the dissidents use to measure Greece and Rome? Ultimately, the dissidents had no solid place to stand in order to critique their crumbling empire. They had no objective standard outside themselves and their own society. They basically had the same world-and-life-view as the most corrupt and debauched members of society.

So an important category of "classical" ideas is the idea of "government" -- the Philosopher-Kings, or the wise old men who would guide society to prosperity.

Harvard's Founders wanted America to be a Christian Republic. It has turned out to be an atheistic empire. I will say this more than once on this page: During my lifetime, "my" government has killed, crippled, or made homeless TENS OF MILLIONS of innocent, non-combatant, non-white civilians around the world. The "old men" in the House and Senate voted for this. And Americans --  victims of educational malpractice -- voted for these "old men," year after year, election after election. And the Empire of Lies and Death lumbers on. For a few years more.

If citizens are corrupt, depraved, selfish, and short-sighted, they should not be trusted to vote for "old men" to rule them. These old men are in fact no different from the rest of us: corrupt, depraved, greedy, and present-oriented.

As these words are being written, the Old Man of the U.S., Joe Biden (age 80), wants to put the Old Man of Russia, Vladimir Putin (age 70) out of office. To get Putin out of office, the old men of the U.S. have spent $113 billion. This is more than needed to prevent the starvation of 40 million people around the world. The old men are willing to use nuclear weapons, even at the cost of tens of millions of innocent lives. Even at the risk of human life on planet earth. There is nothing "wise" about these old men -- and the citizens who allow them to stay in power. The "senex" men are insane. They too are victims of educational malpractice.

But modern Secular Man has no objective and absolute moral standard by which to judge those who are destroying Christian Civilization.

Christian philosopher Cornelius Van Til gave this apt illustration of the "old men" of the past:

“Suppose we think of a man made of water in an infinitely extended ocean of water. No surface above, no bottom below. Infinite water. Desiring to get out of water, the water-man makes a ladder out of water. He sets this ladder upon the water and against the water and then attempts to climb out of the water.
So hopeless and senseless a picture must be drawn of the non-Christian man’s methodology based as it is upon the assumption that time or chance is ultimate. On his assumption his own rationality is a product of chance. On his assumption even the laws of logic which he employs are products of chance. The rationality and purpose that he may be searching for are still bound to be products of chance.”

A universe of random chance is ultimately a meaningless universe.

This is the universe of the modern university.

That claim causes many people to do a double-take. Your Sunday School teacher never put it quite like that.