"When we grasp the intended “bottom-up” model, we take personal responsibility to select from among us worthy representatives. We entrust stewardship and leadership to them according to Exodus 18:21. That scripture lays out how we are to elect our servant leaders. It requires three quarters character and one quarter competence. The Biblical form of government is a Constitutional Republic, but we can smell the decay and rot that sweeps over our nation. It is caused by the universal downfall of man—the unquenchable thirst for power and self-promotion. Exodus 18:21 has been ignored."
#1) In Exodus 18:21, Moses' father-in-law, Jethro, is giving him advice on how to establish a hierarchy of authority and a distribution of responsibility. According to Jethro, Moses was supposed to appoint men from among the people who could lead and adjudicate disputes. These men were not political hacks who dispensed justice for personal gain. They were not elected by the people, but chosen by Moses. Nothing in this verse says anything at all about today's comedy show of voting for a particular person because he (or she) promised you the most. In fact, since we are discussing Scripture as references to our political system, let's look at 1 Samuel 8, in which the people demanded a king. God, through the prophet Samuel told them it was a bad mistake, but in the end, "We, the People" got what they wanted--and paid dearly for it.
#2) Where in Scripture does it teach that the ideal, preferred, and God-ordained form of government is a constitutional republic? Or is that something made up out of whole cloth because America's experiment "seemed" to work for a long time--until it didn't. In fact, America's constitutional republic has been eroding ever since the ink began drying on the scrap of parchment on which the Constitution was written. In fact, referring again to 1 Samuel 8, we learn that the people had no king, everyone was his own sovereign, and God Himself said that the people had rejected Him when they decided to set up a centralized government under a monarch.
Sounds to me like God said the best form of government was individual, personal self-control and that even though "every man did what seemed right in his own eyes", it was still better than giving power to a despot, a tyrant, a tin-horn in a democracy.
If that was true 4000 years ago, it is still true today.
"There is only so much land, commodity, assets, and intellectual property that can be sold off before Americans can no longer do as God commanded."
Would you mind explaining what God commanded that Americans will no longer be able to do IF they sell off their land, commodities, assets, and intellectual property? Where is it written that Americans MUST have these items to do what God has commanded them?
Your argument is false. Contrast it with this well-known bit of Scripture.
"Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, 'Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?' Jesus said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these hang all the Law and the Prophets.'" --(Matthew 22:35-40)
Obviously, these are direct commands from the mouth of the Christ, the #1 and #2 commands of all, the greatest and the one equal to it, and Jesus says that ALL others are dependent on these. These commands are not conditional on the "ownership" of property of any kind. They apply whether or not a person has great possessions or none at all. In fact, Jesus advised the Rich, Young Ruler to sell his property and give the proceeds to the poor so that he could follow the Master, which advice was rejected.
Anyone can obey the commands of God IF THEY WANT TO. It does not matter if they have property. It does not matter if they sell their property. It does not matter if their property is stolen from them. All that matters is that a person love God completely AND love their neighbor as they do themselves.
The ONLY form of Biblical government, which is indestructible, is a Theocratic kingdom. Many over the centuries have been attempted and spectacularly failed because the wrong king was on the throne. After 2,000 years that will soon change. Hallelujah.
And what makes you think that The King is not ruling over His kingdom even now?
Theocracy is an unavoidable, inescapable concept. It is made up of two Greek words, theos (God) and kratia, kratos (rule). In other words, God rules. If you use the term at all, for whatever reason, you are claiming that God rules. Even atheists, who state there is no god, make the claim for God when they mention theocracy.
That being said, what is usually referred to as a theocracy is always something else--men and/or women who claim to rule in God's Name. Governments have been enacted and built on this. For instance, consider the Mayflower Compact which begins with these words, "In the Name of God, Amen."
It is true that every so-called attempt at theocracy has failed AND will continue to fail because it is based on a false premise, namely that some people are qualified to rule over everyone else as if they alone spoke God's Word and were therefore righteous in it. This has never happened and as long as men create governments which are criminal (opposed to the two Great Commandments I mentioned above), they will always fall short.
The only exception to this is the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. This is a true theocracy and it cannot and will not ever fail, no matter what comes against it, because it is based on truth. Furthermore, it does not have to have a physical presence on Earth, but is being administered from Heaven, even as I write these words.
"...The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever." -- Rev. 11:15
Roger. Just saw your reply. Theocracy. Jesus was born king. But today He is not exercising that kingly role. Presently He is in the heavenly tabernacle. His blood is on the mercy seat and He ministers to the new man in Christ, the Church, to those who are about to inherit salvation. That’s the “so great salvation” of Hebrews. There is an inheritance out ahead for those who qualify to reign with Christ on His throne as His Bride. The issues and determinations at the Judgement Seat will reveal the overcomers spoken of in Revelation.
Today the scepter of the government of the earth is possessed by Satan. He is a son of God. A created being. He wears a crown and rules the earth from the heavens through men. The heavens do rule in them affairs of men. But the day soon upon us will see Christ put down Satan and all the rebellious angelic host. Christ will take Satans crown by force and the title deed to the earth which is the scroll in the hand of Him Who sits on the throne surrounded by 24 elders.
Power over the earth from the heavens will have been removed from angels and given to men. That is a Theocracy worth living in.
You appear to be afflicted with the disease which Gary North termed "pessimillennialism". Pessimillennialism holds that evil will continue to increasingly reign until Jesus comes back soon, real soon, ALWAYS really, really soon, to wrest power away from Satan and give it to His followers, who cannot exercise it NOW through the power of the Holy Spirit living within them. How do you explain 1 Peter 2:9?
"But you are [present tense] a chosen generation, a ROYAL priesthood,..."
If we are sons of God, if Christ is our King, and if we are royalty now, then how in the name of heaven can you say that He is not currently acting as a king? Do we follow His example or not? Are our hands tied and are we unable to compel Satan to bow before us? Are you saying that He has abdicated His throne and refused to exercise His power for the last 2000 years while the world is going to Hell in a handbasket? How do you explain Hebrews 10: 12-13?
"But this Man [Jesus the Christ], after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down [past tense] at the right hand of God, from that time waiting [present tense] till His enemies are made His footstool."
In other words, Christ is seated with God in Heaven waging war on His enemies and He will stay there until they are conquered completely, so completely that He will be able to prop His feet on them and they will cravenly submit to it.
This spiritual war we are in is a proxy war between two great powers--good and evil. We are the "boots on the ground", so to speak, and the tide of the war goes according to our actions in it. If we act like losers, our side will give ground. On the other hand, if we act like "more than conquerors", we will be victorious, not only spiritually, but also in every area of life. Victory is guaranteed to us IF we do what we are supposed to.
------------------------------------------------
From the very beginning of this thread, I have posed numerous questions, both to you and to Rebecca Yarborough Cheney, which have never been answered. Cheney has been completely silent. Crickets. I take that to mean she cannot refute what I say and knows it. You, on the other hand, do not directly answer my questions but beat around the bush and muddy the waters, as in your comment above. So I ask again, "And what makes you think that The King is not ruling over His kingdom even now?"
Where exactly in the Bible does it say that Christ is NOT CURRENTLY RULING His Kingdom as the King of Kings? Chapter and verse, please, if you don't mind. Don't give me some clap made up out of whole cloth. If you cannot expostulate a consistent argument by referring to Scripture, then it would be better if you kept quiet.
We have a difference of opinion in our eschatology and beliefs, therefore I will say this. As far as your prediction about the return of Christ, soon, very soon, you are completely and totally wrong on this and that you will leave Earth in the usual way BEFORE this happens. As will all of us now living, including myself.
One or the other of us is wrong. Both of us might be, but both of us cannot be right. The next decade or two will probably see which of us is correct.
Copeland? Hagee? No, I despise them and any of their ilk. I think they will have a lot to answer for when they are "raptured" out of here. Naturally, that is.
I also disagree with this.
"When we grasp the intended “bottom-up” model, we take personal responsibility to select from among us worthy representatives. We entrust stewardship and leadership to them according to Exodus 18:21. That scripture lays out how we are to elect our servant leaders. It requires three quarters character and one quarter competence. The Biblical form of government is a Constitutional Republic, but we can smell the decay and rot that sweeps over our nation. It is caused by the universal downfall of man—the unquenchable thirst for power and self-promotion. Exodus 18:21 has been ignored."
#1) In Exodus 18:21, Moses' father-in-law, Jethro, is giving him advice on how to establish a hierarchy of authority and a distribution of responsibility. According to Jethro, Moses was supposed to appoint men from among the people who could lead and adjudicate disputes. These men were not political hacks who dispensed justice for personal gain. They were not elected by the people, but chosen by Moses. Nothing in this verse says anything at all about today's comedy show of voting for a particular person because he (or she) promised you the most. In fact, since we are discussing Scripture as references to our political system, let's look at 1 Samuel 8, in which the people demanded a king. God, through the prophet Samuel told them it was a bad mistake, but in the end, "We, the People" got what they wanted--and paid dearly for it.
#2) Where in Scripture does it teach that the ideal, preferred, and God-ordained form of government is a constitutional republic? Or is that something made up out of whole cloth because America's experiment "seemed" to work for a long time--until it didn't. In fact, America's constitutional republic has been eroding ever since the ink began drying on the scrap of parchment on which the Constitution was written. In fact, referring again to 1 Samuel 8, we learn that the people had no king, everyone was his own sovereign, and God Himself said that the people had rejected Him when they decided to set up a centralized government under a monarch.
Sounds to me like God said the best form of government was individual, personal self-control and that even though "every man did what seemed right in his own eyes", it was still better than giving power to a despot, a tyrant, a tin-horn in a democracy.
If that was true 4000 years ago, it is still true today.
"There is only so much land, commodity, assets, and intellectual property that can be sold off before Americans can no longer do as God commanded."
Would you mind explaining what God commanded that Americans will no longer be able to do IF they sell off their land, commodities, assets, and intellectual property? Where is it written that Americans MUST have these items to do what God has commanded them?
Your argument is false. Contrast it with this well-known bit of Scripture.
"Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, 'Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?' Jesus said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these hang all the Law and the Prophets.'" --(Matthew 22:35-40)
Obviously, these are direct commands from the mouth of the Christ, the #1 and #2 commands of all, the greatest and the one equal to it, and Jesus says that ALL others are dependent on these. These commands are not conditional on the "ownership" of property of any kind. They apply whether or not a person has great possessions or none at all. In fact, Jesus advised the Rich, Young Ruler to sell his property and give the proceeds to the poor so that he could follow the Master, which advice was rejected.
Anyone can obey the commands of God IF THEY WANT TO. It does not matter if they have property. It does not matter if they sell their property. It does not matter if their property is stolen from them. All that matters is that a person love God completely AND love their neighbor as they do themselves.
We prefer to accumulate property.
The ONLY form of Biblical government, which is indestructible, is a Theocratic kingdom. Many over the centuries have been attempted and spectacularly failed because the wrong king was on the throne. After 2,000 years that will soon change. Hallelujah.
And what makes you think that The King is not ruling over His kingdom even now?
Theocracy is an unavoidable, inescapable concept. It is made up of two Greek words, theos (God) and kratia, kratos (rule). In other words, God rules. If you use the term at all, for whatever reason, you are claiming that God rules. Even atheists, who state there is no god, make the claim for God when they mention theocracy.
That being said, what is usually referred to as a theocracy is always something else--men and/or women who claim to rule in God's Name. Governments have been enacted and built on this. For instance, consider the Mayflower Compact which begins with these words, "In the Name of God, Amen."
It is true that every so-called attempt at theocracy has failed AND will continue to fail because it is based on a false premise, namely that some people are qualified to rule over everyone else as if they alone spoke God's Word and were therefore righteous in it. This has never happened and as long as men create governments which are criminal (opposed to the two Great Commandments I mentioned above), they will always fall short.
The only exception to this is the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. This is a true theocracy and it cannot and will not ever fail, no matter what comes against it, because it is based on truth. Furthermore, it does not have to have a physical presence on Earth, but is being administered from Heaven, even as I write these words.
"...The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever." -- Rev. 11:15
Roger. Just saw your reply. Theocracy. Jesus was born king. But today He is not exercising that kingly role. Presently He is in the heavenly tabernacle. His blood is on the mercy seat and He ministers to the new man in Christ, the Church, to those who are about to inherit salvation. That’s the “so great salvation” of Hebrews. There is an inheritance out ahead for those who qualify to reign with Christ on His throne as His Bride. The issues and determinations at the Judgement Seat will reveal the overcomers spoken of in Revelation.
Today the scepter of the government of the earth is possessed by Satan. He is a son of God. A created being. He wears a crown and rules the earth from the heavens through men. The heavens do rule in them affairs of men. But the day soon upon us will see Christ put down Satan and all the rebellious angelic host. Christ will take Satans crown by force and the title deed to the earth which is the scroll in the hand of Him Who sits on the throne surrounded by 24 elders.
Power over the earth from the heavens will have been removed from angels and given to men. That is a Theocracy worth living in.
William,
You appear to be afflicted with the disease which Gary North termed "pessimillennialism". Pessimillennialism holds that evil will continue to increasingly reign until Jesus comes back soon, real soon, ALWAYS really, really soon, to wrest power away from Satan and give it to His followers, who cannot exercise it NOW through the power of the Holy Spirit living within them. How do you explain 1 Peter 2:9?
"But you are [present tense] a chosen generation, a ROYAL priesthood,..."
If we are sons of God, if Christ is our King, and if we are royalty now, then how in the name of heaven can you say that He is not currently acting as a king? Do we follow His example or not? Are our hands tied and are we unable to compel Satan to bow before us? Are you saying that He has abdicated His throne and refused to exercise His power for the last 2000 years while the world is going to Hell in a handbasket? How do you explain Hebrews 10: 12-13?
"But this Man [Jesus the Christ], after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down [past tense] at the right hand of God, from that time waiting [present tense] till His enemies are made His footstool."
In other words, Christ is seated with God in Heaven waging war on His enemies and He will stay there until they are conquered completely, so completely that He will be able to prop His feet on them and they will cravenly submit to it.
This spiritual war we are in is a proxy war between two great powers--good and evil. We are the "boots on the ground", so to speak, and the tide of the war goes according to our actions in it. If we act like losers, our side will give ground. On the other hand, if we act like "more than conquerors", we will be victorious, not only spiritually, but also in every area of life. Victory is guaranteed to us IF we do what we are supposed to.
------------------------------------------------
From the very beginning of this thread, I have posed numerous questions, both to you and to Rebecca Yarborough Cheney, which have never been answered. Cheney has been completely silent. Crickets. I take that to mean she cannot refute what I say and knows it. You, on the other hand, do not directly answer my questions but beat around the bush and muddy the waters, as in your comment above. So I ask again, "And what makes you think that The King is not ruling over His kingdom even now?"
Where exactly in the Bible does it say that Christ is NOT CURRENTLY RULING His Kingdom as the King of Kings? Chapter and verse, please, if you don't mind. Don't give me some clap made up out of whole cloth. If you cannot expostulate a consistent argument by referring to Scripture, then it would be better if you kept quiet.
We have a difference of opinion in our eschatology and beliefs, therefore I will say this. As far as your prediction about the return of Christ, soon, very soon, you are completely and totally wrong on this and that you will leave Earth in the usual way BEFORE this happens. As will all of us now living, including myself.
One or the other of us is wrong. Both of us might be, but both of us cannot be right. The next decade or two will probably see which of us is correct.
RM. Yikes. You sure reamed me out there cowboy. Are you a Kenneth Copeland disciple or even a Hagin clan fan? Lol.
At any rate, you have not answered my questions. Are you going to?
Copeland? Hagee? No, I despise them and any of their ilk. I think they will have a lot to answer for when they are "raptured" out of here. Naturally, that is.
Awesome and critical “Paul Revere” information.
Thanks Rebecca!
Thank you sincerely for reading! Blessings!