28 Then Jesus said to them, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things. 29 And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.” 30 As He spoke these words,
many believed in Him.
31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him,
“If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
33 They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone.*  How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?”
34 Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. 35 And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. 36 Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.
37 “I know that you are Abraham’s descendants, but
you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.
John 8:28-37 

The Bible says Jesus was killed by people who "believed" Him. But they didn't know the truth, and they were slaves to sin, and His Word had "no place in them."

Can you be a "believer" and not know the truth?
Can you be a "believer" and be a slave to sin?
Can you be a "believer" and have no place for God's Word?

Do you want to be this kind of "believer?"
If so, then you want to be the kind of "believer" who seeks to kill Christ.

* Note: Israel had been conquered by the Roman Empire in 63 B.C., and put under tribute. Roman soldiers could conscript any Jew and force him to carry the soldier's backpack for up to one mile. But the Jews still thought of themselves as "free," having "never been in bondage to anyone." They refused to see the truth about their situation.

The purpose of this website is to help you

• know the truth
• and help you become free

                • free from sin;

                • free from occupation governments.

These goals are accomplished by making sure God's Word has "a place in you."

• a central place

• a place of affection

• a place of total authority

We will also help you see that you are a slave, that you have been taken captive, not just by sin, but by political slavemasters. 

You are a Victim of Educational Malpractice.

If you're like me, he would say you're a lousy Christian and a stinking rotten American.

Ouch!

Why would Sam Adams say that?

Compared to colonial Americans, you are an ignorant barbarian. The average teenager in 1776 knew more about what it means to be a great American, a great Christian, and a great Human Being than you do. Sure, you know how to use your Blackberry and the microwave. But bring a 9-year-old into the 21st century from 1776, and the colonial kid would be able to figure out how to use your computer and remote control in a matter of days. But it would take you months, maybe years, to learn as much about geography, morality, history, religion, political science, virtue, and develop the habits of character which the average American possessed in 1776.
Colonial Americans could read the Federalist Papers and debate the issues intelligently.
You can't.
They had the moral courage to fight against tyranny.
You don't.

There were three things that America's Founding Fathers believed schools should teach, and you were deprived of all three. Two of these three things were made illegal by the U.S. Supreme Court. The third was gradually eliminated as a logical consequence of that Supreme Court ruling.

Do you know what three things were deemed the essential purposes of schools? These three things are still listed in several state constitutions, such as Nebraska, Ohio, and Michigan. But the federal government has banned them.

These three things are listed in our nation's "organic law."
Of course, you don't know what the "organic law" is.
The "organic law" is the most fundamental legal charters of our nation.
Go to a law library and ask the librarian for the "organic law."
It's in the first volume of most editions of the U.S. Code.
It says these three things are

“necessary for good government and the happiness of mankind.”

Because you have been deprived of these three things,

You think you are free,

but you are a slave.

You think you are wealthy,

but your possessions are "disposable," lacking the craftsmanship that will make them valuable for generations.

You think you're sophisticated, intelligent, high-tech;

but you lack the three things that make us all truly human.

We will tell you what these three things are. Then we'll tell you how you can get them.

The philosophy of the Declaration of Independence can be summed up in three words, encompassing two ideas.

Liberty Under God

1. America Appreciated Liberty

The Liberty Bell is inscribed with a verse from the Bible:

proclaim liberty throughout all the land to all its inhabitants.
Leviticus 25:10

Colonial preachers have been credited with rallying Americans into the Revolution, often relying on texts like this one:

Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
2 Corinthians 3:17

The American colonists so prized liberty that when the red-coated tax collectors demanded tribute, the Americans were willing to kill them.

Big mistake.

The Bible is clear: Pay your Taxes. Honor the King. Violent revolution is un-Christian.

A lot of people in our day talk about the Second Amendment (the "right to bear arms"), but the Second Amendment is saying the same thing the Declaration of Independence says: we have not only the right, but the duty to abolish any government that becomes tyrannical. That's what the Second Amendment is for. Not for hunters, gun collectors, or even self-defense against robbers. If George III was a tyrant, then Bush-Obama is a mega-tyrant. We should be seeing armed revolution by the Second Amendment crowd.

But they are slaves. The government promises them something for nothing. Washington D.C. tempts us with the Keynesian miracle of "stones into bread." When Americans see a ponzi scheme, they want to get on board before the suckers do. Everyone knows this can't last, but they want their piece of the action before it collapses.

But the Bible is also clear: taxation is theft. Modern "liberals" have transformed the 8th Commandment: "Thou shalt not steal . . . except by majority vote."

So America's Founding Fathers were right to criticize colonial taxes, but wrong to use violence against the State.

Here's where the sparks start to fly: The Bible opposes violence and affirms pacifism.

Pacifism means beating "swords into plowshares," and the total disarmament of the State means the Bible affirms anarchism. Maximum political liberty.

I can see you disagree.

But the sparks are just beginning to fly.

2. Americans Trusted in God.

The modern doctrine of "the Separation of Church and State" is a myth. Technically, legally, officially, constitutionally, organically, America is a Christian Theocracy.

In 2009, America is an apostate Theocracy, but still legally a Theocracy.

Many of America's Founding Fathers were libertarians, hence critical of religion being imposed by the coercive machinery of the State. But that's not because they were atheists. Not a single atheist or deist signed the Constitution.

The word "theocracy" simply means "God governs."

A nation like America -- which claims to be "under God," whose national motto is "In God We Trust" -- is claiming that God is our Lord and Ruler, and is irrebuttably claiming to be a nation where "God governs" -- a Theocracy.

But a libertarian Theocracy.

Not rule by priests, or rule by mullahs, or rule by a police state, but rule by the "Invisible Hand" of Providence. A completely different kind of "Theocracy" than the mainstream media has conditioned us to think of.

If you are living your life "under God," you are not taking vengeance on your enemies, killing people who are in your way, stealing from people to get what you want, or in any other way being what Jesus called an "archist." This is why Christianity has been the foundation of Liberty in the western world.

Jesus Forbids His Followers to be "Archists."

You've never heard the word "archist." It's the opposite of an "an-archist." The Biggest Government Lie in all of human history is the lie that "anarchists" are bad. The opposite is true: archists are bad. The "archist" is someone who believes he has the moral right to initiate force against you, to compel you to do what he wants done by threats of violence. We here at IronSharpensIron believe in persuasion, not compulsion.

The clearest passage in which Jesus forbids His followers to be "archists" is Mark 10:42-45

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 word "anarchist." Jesus clearly says His followers are to be servants,  not to be "archists."

From a Christian perspective, two things characterize pure religion. They can be summed up in the words of the Apostle James:

Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this,
To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and
to keep oneself unspotted from the world.
James 1:27

Christian non-archism is the "one pure religion." If you want to be the kind of person who spontaneously and from the heart has the compassion of Jesus, and visits the weak and afflicted, you must keep yourself unspotted from archism.

The world-and-life view of archist culture is summed up in these phrases:

• "Survival of the fittest,"
• "Looking out for number one,"
• "I'm not going to let him get away with that!"
• "You can't tell me what to do!"
• "Take this job and shove it!"
• "I'll sue his pants off."

It is an impure religion of the worship of self, and the denial of the executed Christ.

As a product of government media and schools, this religion has left your spirit spotted and impure. You must get these ideas out of your head if you are to find yourself at Christ's right hand (Matthew 25:34). You must become "unspotted." You must become "a Christian anarchist."

Political science nerds say that the Vine & Fig Tree model of society and the idea of "Liberty Under God," applied with logical consistency and Biblical rigor, results in something called "anarcho-theocracy."

You've never heard of that before.

Phancy phrase. Technical term. Sounds controversial. Ignore it. Think about  "Vine & Fig Tree." Think about "pure religion." Think about being a servant of God and man.

Thinking about being a servant will make you sharp.

It will -- ironically -- make you free.

What were the three things that America's Founding Fathers believed were the primary purposes of public schools?

Religion, Morality, and Knowledge

One of the Justices who concurred in the decision of the United States Supreme Court to remove religion from public schools, admitted:

Religion was once deemed to be a function of the public school system. The Northwest Ordinance, which antedated the First Amendment, provided in Article III that

Religion, morality, and knowledge being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged.

Engel v. Vitale, 370 US 421 at 443.

 After the First Amendment, Congress repeatedly required all territories that petitioned to become admitted to the Union as states to promise that they would encourage education in religion and morality, consistent with the requirements of the Northwest Ordinance. Many state Constitutions added these very words.

Teaching "religion and morality" in schools is now prohibited by law. Teaching "knowledge" is prohibited by custom, because without true religion in schools, every student becomes his own god, and the "self-esteem" of a student without knowledge can be bruised by the student who possesses knowledge. Finite gods always demand that other gods be brought down to their level.

Even if you attended a religious private school, if it was "accredited" by the State, you were deprived of religion, morality and knowledge. That's what anyone who signed the Constitution would say.

During the next 365 days, you'll spend 11 minutes a day reading the Bible from cover to cover. Adding just a few additional minutes per day will enable you to read four of the most important works in the history of Western Civilization.

Our unique function is to ask troubling questions. We will cast doubt on things you believe, like

• the idea that shooting muskets at British Red Coats can be Biblically justified.
• the idea that governments have God's permission to levy taxes
• the idea that there can be such a things as a "just war."
• the idea that Christ is "coming soon."
• and many other ideas that will stretch your mental muscles, making you sharp and, ultimately, free.

You won't agree with everything we say or imply. But Iron will Sharpen Iron. If you actively engage us, wrestle with the ideas, and don't just sit there passively, you will benefit even if you end up still disagreeing with us.

This is like a "contact sport."

Sharpening only comes with contact.

Our "Hidden" Agenda

There is no such thing as a "neutral" or "objective" Bible Study Program. Everybody has presuppositions, biases, or an axe to grind. Every Bible Teacher is pushing an agenda.

We're up front about our agenda. We'll set it out starkly, even "in your face." We know nobody is going to agree with the whole enchilada. The point is, by wrestling with the ideas like the Bereans did, you become a better version of you.

You 2.0

We may not like the fact that when you finish our program, you don't turn out to be our clone, parroting our every word, and a tithing member of our cult. You will make choices, you will come to conclusions, and you will agree that you have a better understanding of the Bible than you did when you started.

And a better understanding of yourself.

And the world around you.

The "Vine & Fig Tree" society -- the original "American Dream."

This website is sponsored by a non-profit educational organization called "Vine & Fig Tree."

The name "Vine & Fig Tree" comes from the fourth chapter of the prophet Micah. It's possible you've heard Micah's words before -- we beat our "swords into plowshares" and everyone dwells safely under their own "Vine & Fig Tree." Here's the passage:

More details are set forth below.

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."

You are a victim of educational malpractice. Your schools systematically deprived you of access to the "Vine & Fig Tree" worldview. You can play no conscious part in creating a Vine & Fig Tree society if you've never heard of it. Micah's goal was to create a global Christian Theocracy. This was America's goal. And in order for you to become

• an extraordinary American
• an extraordinary Christian
• an extraordinary Human Being

this must be your goal as well.

Nobody in 2009 likes that word "Theocracy." (It means "God governs." It does not mean "priests govern." You can have a "Theocracy" with no priests or clergy whatsoever.) A nation "under God" is, by definition, a Theocracy. The "Vine & Fig Tree" society is a Christian Theocracy, where everyone believes that God says "Thou shalt not steal" and "Thou shalt not kill." When this happens, your life, liberty, and property are safe.

It will take you 3 minutes to read the next few paragraphs, a survey of America's Theocratic history.

In the 1600's, the Puritans created America as a "City Upon a Hill." Their first goal was to convert the natives to Christianity, and then transform the entire planet into a Christian Theocracy.

The first Virginia Charter, 1606, issued by King James I, recited the purposes of the colony:

"To make Habitation . . . and to deduce a colony of sundry of our People into that part of America commonly called Virginia . . . in propagating of Christian religion to such People, as yet live in Darkness . . . [to] bring . . . a settled and quiet Government."

Every subsequent charter for every other colony had the same purpose: propagate the Christian religion.

Massachusetts Charter, 1629: "Our said People. . . may be soe religiously, peaceablie, and civilly governed, as their good Life and orderlie Conversacon maie wynn and incite the Natives of [that] Country, to the Knowledge and Obedience of the onlie true god and Sauior of Mankinde, and the Christian fayth, which in our Royall Intencon . . . is the principall Ende of this Plantacon."

New England Confederation, 1643: [Composed of Mass., Conn., New Plymouth, and New Haven] "We all came into these parts of America, with one and the same end and aim, namely, to advance the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ."

In 1775, America consisted of 13 Christian Theocracies. This is an indisputable fact.

The Declaration of Independence (1776) is a Theocratic document. It says things that cannot be said in nations which claim to be "secular."

In our day the federal government makes it illegal for a school teacher in a government-run school to teach students that the Declaration of Independence really is true.

that the existence of God is a "self-evident truth" that our rights are the product of intelligent design (not the government) that all Americans are obligated to conform their lives to "the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God" that our actions must one day pass judgment with "the Supreme Judge of the world" that all Americans should have "a firm reliance on the Protection of Divine Providence." The Federal Government says that teachers in government-operated schools paid for by your property taxes cannot "endorse" or "promote" these ideas. Students can be taught that a long time ago some dead white guys wearing powdered wigs believed the Declaration of Independence was true, but teachers cannot say it really is objectively true (regardless of what anyone believes about it), and that students should stand up and risk their lives, their fortunes and the sacred honor in defense of those unchanging true principles.

In 1776, America consisted of 13 Christian Theocracies.

James Madison, "the Father of the Constitution," told his fellow Virginia legislators in 1785 that they should keep in mind the original purposes of Virginia, and vote against any proposed legislation if

the policy of the bill is adverse to the diffusion of the light of Christianity. The first wish of those who enjoy this precious gift, ought to be that it may be imparted to the whole race of mankind. Compare the number of those who have as yet received it with the number still remaining under the dominion of false Religions; and how small is the former! Does the policy of the Bill tend to lessen the disproportion? No; it at once discourages those who are strangers to the light of (revelation) from coming into the Region of it; and countenances, by example the nations who continue in darkness, in shutting out those who might convey it to them. Instead of levelling as far as possible, every obstacle to the victorious progress of truth, the Bill with an ignoble and unchristian timidity would circumscribe it, with a wall of defence, against the encroachments of error.
Memorial and Remonstrance, 1785

When 13 Christian Theocracies ratified a new Constitution in 1789, not one of them believed they were ratifying a secular Constitution which empowered the federal government to impose atheism (the absence of true religion) on the 13 Christian Theocracies, including their schools and all public buildings.

In 1844, the U.S. Supreme Court decided the case of Vidal v. Girard's Executors, 43 U.S. 127 (1844), which said that government-funded schools must teach "the Bible, and especially the New Testament" "as a divine revelation," and that a secular school "is not to be presumed to exist in a Christian country."

In 1892, a still-conservative U.S. Supreme Court looked back on this case and the rest of American history and reminded a post-Darwinian America that she was still legally and officially a Christian nation.

Most Americans have been trained to believe that they are uncomfortable with America's Christian Theocratic past. They are relieved, therefore, when they learn that the U.S. Supreme Court threw out that 1892 case in the 20th century and swung to the opposite (secular) extreme.

A government that will not admit it is "under God" is a government that believes it IS God. Whereas America was originally conceived as a Christian "City upon a Hill," to export Christianity around the world, the United States is now a secular "City upon a Hill," exporting atheism, weapons, pornography, and fascism around the world.

The United States is now the greatest source of atheism and evil on the planet.

And most Americans are just as uncomfortable with that unpatriotic judgment as they are with the claim that the Theocratic Puritans who Christianized the New World are the source of America's prosperity and greatness.

Most Americans want to be "Mr. In-Between." They want to be "moderates." They don't want to be "extremists" like the "Vine & Fig Tree" Puritans, or "extremists" like the atheistic pro-homosexual ACLU. Unfortunately, this "middle of the road" attitude makes Jesus puke:

"I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. {16} So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth."
Revelation 3:15-16

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

Anybody who does something with all his heart, all his mind, all his soul, and all his strength is an "extremist."

Washington's Diaries are available online at the Library of Congress. That website introduces those 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 Jean Leon Gerome Ferris Virginia Historical Society Lora Robins Collection of Virginia Art

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.

The best place to see the Vine & Fig Tree ideal is in the book of Micah.

When did this establishment take place?

The Five Books You'll Read This Year

The Bible is the most important book in the history of Western Civilization. It is also the book more people own but have never read. Yet these same people have dogmatic opinions about the nature of the Bible and what it says. Because you are a victim of educational malpractice, and lack a colonial American education, you may have erroneous pre-conceived ideas about the Bible that close your mind to the conclusions to which we are trying to lead you. You may doubt our credibility and reliability to the point where you will not be persuaded by anything we say about the Bible. Therefore we will require you to read four (4) other works which are widely regarded as being among the most important in the history of Western Civilization. Reading these four works, in addition to the Bible, will re-create a colonial American education in just one year. These four credible, reliable, and time-honored works will abundantly confirm our "anarchist" and "Theocratic" interpretation of the Bible and the human condition. We will show you how to download these works for free from the Internet.

Success experts like Brian Tracy say you should read for an hour each day in your chosen field to be successful (that's more than a dozen books a year). George Washington read the Bible for an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening. Your "chosen field" was chosen for you by God: to be an extraordinary human being. If you can't read just four of the most important books in the history of Western Civilization next year, you'll never be a success in the human race.

"The Westminster Standards"
At a time when the total population of America was only four million people, it is estimated that some five million copies of the "Westminster Shorter Catechism" were available in the colonies. Historian Richard Gardiner writes:

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.

It takes approximately 11 minutes per day to read through the Bible from cover to cover. It only takes a couple of minutes to read through the Westminster Catechisms and Confession. They were written around 1645 and the drafters unequivocally opposed "anarchism." But they believed that God is God, and denied that the State is God, a necessary first step on your road to becoming a "Vine & Fig Tree" anarchist.

This is not a seminary course in the Bible. That is, it's not boring and academic. It's not about "religion" (sacraments, incense, etc.). It's about doing what God created human beings to do on this planet. Most seminary students are just as unprepared for this program as you are. The next book highlights this fact.

Capitalism
Many people today believe that the government produces wealth. Others want the government to redistribute wealth ("spread the wealth") to special interests. Such people wouldn't even entertain the idea of abolishing the government, much less actively work toward that goal. "The government can give us whatever we want if we just vote the most generous and compassionate politicians into office." Adam Smith would be appalled at such ignorance and immorality. Smith taught ethics at the University of Glasgow and wrote a Theory of Moral Sentiments. In the same year as the Declaration of Independence was written (1776), Adam Smith wrote a book entitled An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of The Wealth of Nations, widely regarded as the first treatise on capitalism. Capitalism is unquestionably one of the most important features of Western Civilization. Capitalist nations enjoy health and prosperity. Capitalism is the opposite of socialism. Socialist nations can't spread the wealth, they can only spread the poverty. Socialism -- government intervention in the economy -- is not just inefficient and wasteful, it is immoral.

Smith's book is not easy reading. A more recent treatise is:  Capitalism by Prof. George Reisman. We will assign Reisman's text. Consistent socialism is maximum government. We believe consistent capitalism is anarchism, the absence of government force. Prof. Reisman disagrees with us, but his book will help us prove our point with credibility and impeccable logic. 

Theocracy
America became the most prosperous and admired nation in history because it was a nation "Under God." In short, America was a Christian Theocracy. Today the word "theocracy" conjures up images of Islamic terrorists and mullahs. People think of "theocracy" as a police state  governed by priests. This is inaccurate. The word "theocracy" comes from two Greek words, theos, meaning "God," and a Greek word meaning "rule." A theocracy where God rules is a nation "under God." America has always been known as "one nation Under God," and therefore America has always been a Christian Theocracy.

But there are good theocracies and there are bad ones. A nation can be attempting to be a Christian Theocracy and do a very poor job of it. We do not believe that a good Christian Theocracy is a police state. We believe a good Christian Theocracy is one where all the priests and princes have resigned and gotten real jobs where they serve others.

A Christian Theocracy seeks to give God all the glory. It's hard to see that God rules when the State claims to be the Messiah.

Americans today have been misled by the myth of "the Separation of Church and State." This mythical idea -- not found anywhere in the Constitution -- has come to mean the separation of God and State, with God being separated into the private world of fantasy and imagination, and the State having omnipotent power in public, "the real world."

The great conflict in Western Civilization today is whether our world will become

•	an Islamic theocracy,
•	an atheistic theocracy (where man thinks he is his own god, but the omnipotent secular State wields total, crushing power),
•	or whether America will again be a "City upon a Hill," persuading the world to become a peaceful, global Christian Theocracy -- the kind described by the Prophet Micah.

The third reading assignment will be the history of Christian Theocracy and "Western Civilization."

Hundreds of years before Christ, the prophet Daniel spoke of the first Christmas, Christ's coming in the days of the Roman Empire. That empire was destroyed, and Christian Theocracy began growing. The Emperor Justinian began Christianizing the Eastern Roman Empire, and in the West kings like Alfred and Ethelbert made the 10 Commandments the basis of new legal systems. The "Common Law" began, with a Christian foundation, and eventually found its way into the Constitution of the United States, "a Christian nation." No one book adequately chronicles this history, so we will read from a number of books that try:

Excerpts from these books are freely available on the Internet. Only one of the authors agrees with our anarchist conclusions, but their arguments lead to our conclusions if consistently held.

There are two stories that need to be told:

The first is how Christianity destroyed the slavery and paganism of the Roman Empire and brought "Liberty Under God," the foundation of "Western Civilization" (476 A.D.- 1517 A.D.).

The second story is the story of America, and how
• Calvinism created America (1517 - 1787)
• America apostatized into an atheistic empire (1789 - 2009)
• and -- hopefully -- how America repented and became an anarchist-theocracy (2009 - ????).

To begin this second story, we will assign the reading of the Supreme Court's opinion in the 1892 Decision Holy Trinity Church vs. The United States and all the historic legal documents cited by the Court.

One of the most popular objections to undertaking the task of abolishing an atheistic dictatorship by working to persuade archists to repent (resign) is the belief that Christ is going to return "any day now," and "you don't polish brass on a sinking ship." Christians are soon going to be "raptured," it is believed, so why work against the tyranny of "The New World Order" or invest energy in a defense of "Liberty Under God?" Those voicing such objections will be assigned an 1876 book entitled The Parousia:

This book is simply a catalog of all New Testament prophecies concerning "the second coming." The result of looking at all the evidence will be a "paradigm shift."

Other objections will be prescribed an appropriate remedy on an individual basis.

• If you're in high school or college, you've been brainwashed into believing that you are now living the most important years of your life, and you shouldn't take time away from your pursuit of a secular degree, or all the activities (dating, surfing, partying, etc.) of your wonderful life to study, pray, and learn what Americans knew 200 years ago, in order to play a part in creating a Vine & Fig Tree world.
• If you're middle aged, raising kids, making ends meet, you'll think you don't have time for a Vine & Fig Tree coaching program. You'll spend the rest of your life spinning your wheels, playing your part in the New World Order, like a cog in a machine.
• If you're 64, you'll be tempted to think your life is spent. Why bother going "back to school?" The most important contributions you will make are ahead of you, and will help lay the foundation for a Vine & Fig Tree society.
• If you're going to die of cancer in 12 months, think about the concept of the "death bed conversion." A person lives his life in rebellion against God, and then "converts" moments before death. Is he going to heaven? I would say "yes," on this condition: If God were to give that person 5 additional years of life, would that person be willing to live every day of that gift-life as an "extremist," obeying God with every ounce of heart, mind, soul and strength? If yes, then it's probably a genuine conversion. If no, and the person will continue life during those five gift-years as a couch-potato, a party animal, or a political hack, then as one theologian put it, "hell will be hotter."
• Your next day is a gift.
• Your next year is a gift.
• How will you use this gift?

Type in your question. Include an email address and get an answer, or listen to the live webcast this Saturday morning.

From a Christian perspective, governments are not to be overthrown by violence. In its attempt to overthrow the government of Saddam Hussein, the U.S. Federal Government killed nearly two million innocent men, women, and children, many of whom did not like Saddam Hussein any more than we did.

In 1822, Thomas Jefferson wrote,

Killing two million people -- and more children than the total number killed by the Atomic Bombing of Japan -- will probably not be one of the acts that will be rewarded in a future state.

We have suggested that missionaries would have done a better job of bringing about the downfall of Saddam Hussein.

The government of the United States should be overthrown, but only non-violently, using persuasion, encouraging government officials to repent of their tyranny and abolish their office.

Submission to Tyranny: A Christian-Libertarian Framework

The Biblical prohibition against overthrowing tyrants by force and violence is very clear and bold. Throughout His earthly ministry, Jesus was in conflict with the Herodians (Jews who collaborated with the Roman military occupation of Israel) and the Zealots (Jews who wanted to resist the occupation using violence if necessary). Jesus did not take the side of the popular uprising, though it was clear He viewed the occupying Empire as ethically illegitimate.

Christ's apostles spoke of the reigning empire as "the powers that be," using a word that everywhere refers to demonic forces. But the teaching of the New Testament is that we are to overcome evil with good. That means overcoming statist tyranny with good, not with violence.

Let's compare New Testament principles with the American Revolution. Pardon us for taking some liberties with the text, but we think the "dynamic equivalence" is fair:

Romans 12-13 {1} I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
         {2} And be not conformed to the world of the Scottish Enlightenment: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
         {3} For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
         {10} Be kindly affectioned one to the British with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;
         {11} Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;
         {12} Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;
         {13} Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitable quartering of troops.
         {14} Bless the "Red Coats" which persecute you: bless, and curse not.
         {16} Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.
         {17} Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.
         {18} If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with the British.
         {19} Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
         {20} Therefore if an enemy soldier hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.
         {21} Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
         {13:1} Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are set in place by God.
         {2} Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, throwing tea into the harbor, or firing muskets upon them from behind trees, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
         {3} For archist red coats are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? Do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:
         {4} For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.
         {5} Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.
         {6} For for this cause pay ye taxes without representation: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing.
         {7} Render therefore to all their dues: taxes to whom taxes are due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.
         {8} Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
         {9} For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
         {10} Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

1 Peter 2:11-24 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;
         {12} Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.
         {13} Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to king George III, as supreme;
         {14} Or unto parliament, as unto them that are sent by Him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.
         {15} For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:
         {16} As free, and not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.
         {17} Honour all the British. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour king George III.
         {18} Slaves, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward.
         {19} For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully.
         {20} For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.
         {21} For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow His steps:
         {22} Who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth:
         {23} Who, when He was reviled, reviled not again; when He suffered, He threatened not; but committed Himself to Him that judgeth righteously:
         {24} Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by Whose stripes ye were healed.

Matthew 5:38-48 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
         {39} But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
         {40} And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.
         {41} And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
         {42} Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
         {43} Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
         {44} But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
         {45} That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
         {46} For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
         {47} And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?
         {48} Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Luke 17:7-10 And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, "Come at once and sit down to eat"?
         {8} But will he not rather say to him, "Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink"?
         {9} Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I think not.
         {10} So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, "We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do."

2 Peter 2:10-12/Jude 8-10 But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities.
         {9} Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.
         {12} But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;

Proverbs 24:21 My son, fear the LORD and the king; Do not associate with those given to change; for their calamity will rise suddenly, and who knows the ruin those two can bring?

Exodus 23:2 Thou shalt not follow a crowd to do evil.

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Spiritual Exercises

This is not an easy website. Not only are there more than 1,000 webpages, some of them are very controversial. They really make you think. It's like being on an athletic team and the coach ordering you to do 1,000 push-ups. It's not like the coach thinks that at the big game this weekend the teams are going to decide the championship by seeing who can do the most push-ups. The coach just knows that it will be easier to hit a ball over the wall in deep centerfield if you do your exercises before the big game.

You don't have to agree with everything on this website to benefit from it. Check everything you read here by the Scriptures; test the spirits (Acts 17:11; 1 John 4:1). But if you stretch your spiritual muscles it will be easier to carry the Cross Christ asks you to carry. There's a lot of spiritual muscle-building here, and it's more entertaining than a Jane Fonda workout video.

Examples:

Although millions of Americans go to church every Sunday, more and more Christians are disenchanted with the liturgies and rituals of only-on-Sunday religion. If you fall in love with Micah's Vine & Fig Tree vision you may be tempted to pull up stakes and leave your church. That may not be the best idea. On the other hand, if you feel that you're entitled to go to heaven just because you planted yourself in a pew every Sunday, you may be in need of some spiritual exercises:

Justification by Allegiance

Should A Christian "Attend Church"?

The Home-Church Debate

Every Christian is a priest, every Christian a pastor

A World Without Priests

 

Most Americans believe that living in America is better than living in any communist dictatorship, and most Americans believe that capitalism is better than socialism, but few can explain why. As a result, America is becoming more socialist. The Vine & Fig Tree defense of laissez-faire capitalism will make it easier for you defend the American idea of "limited government," even if you choose not to go as far as we do. Ready for some push-ups?

Laissez-faire Capitalism

Anarcho-Capitalism

A World without "The State"

The Christian Anarchist Homepage

 

America is the land of "Liberty Under God." Our official national motto is "In God We Trust." But a vocal minority of atheists have convinced the Supreme Court that America's Founding Fathers intended to create a secular nation with a wall of separation between God and Government. Anyone who says religion should be accommodated by the government is accused of trying to "impose a theocracy." You're looking kinda flabby -- time for some exercises:

America was a Theocracy

America should be a Theocracy Again

Atheists should not be allowed to hold political office

America's Laws were Based on the Ten Commandments

Court Decisions Banning the Ten Commandments Should be Resisted

 

But should we resist the increasingly anti-Christian federal government with guns and bombs? If you even thought that for a second, you need to do some spiritual sit-ups.

Christians should be Pacifists

America's War for Independence (1776) was unBiblical

 

Deciding how "realistic" or "practical" the "Vine & Fig Tree" vision is depends on how big your God is. Many Christians pay lip-service to the idea of God being "sovereign," but their God just isn't powerful enough to bring about Micah's "Vine & Fig Tree" vision without coming back to earth, destroying everything and starting over. Besides, the ACLU might be offended if God started fulfilling prophecies like Micah's. How sovereign is your God? Is there a wall of separation between God and society called "free will?" Is Man able to tell God to back off and leave us alone? Push-ups, push-ups, push-ups!!

God Interferes in Human History

God has predestined every molecule in the universe, including the electrical impulses in your brain that you call "thoughts." I dare you to use your "free will" to click here.

 

But even if God is sovereign, hasn't He predestined everything to get worse and worse before the Second Coming of Christ? If we work for the Christian Reconstruction of society, won't that just delay the Second Coming? Wouldn't it be sinful, in fact, to try to "bring in the Kingdom" by our own works?
This is going to take a lot of push-ups. Check with your Physician. Don't try all these exercises alone all at once. Please go through them in order.

The Second Coming has already taken place.

We are already in The Kingdom.

In fact, we're already in heaven.

Again, you don't have to agree that we're already in heaven, but if you work through those exercises, you'll find it a lot easier to believe what the Bible says, and you'll agree that after doing these exercises, you'll be strong enough to believe a lot more of what the Bible says than you could before.

And isn't it your goal to believe as much of the Bible as you possibly can? That's our goal as well.

But will you?

If you can, great.

But many people find a "personal coach" to be of great benefit.

The assignments are free. Here's how to hire a personal coach:

Every Great Athlete Needs a Coach

• The Bible says life is like a race.
• What is a Coach?
• Why is the IronSharpensIron Personal Coaching Program better than every other personal coaching program?

The Bible says life is like a race.

• You've all been to the stadium and seen the athletes race. Everyone runs; one wins.
  Run to win.
  All good athletes train hard. They do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and fades. You're after one that's gold eternally.
  I don't know about you, but I'm running hard for the finish line. I'm giving it everything I've got. No sloppy living for me! I'm staying alert and in top condition. I'm not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself.
  1 Corinthians 9:24-26 ("The Message")
• And in the case of an athlete, no one is crowned without competing according to the rules.
  2 Timothy 2:5 (NRSV)
• Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.
  Hebrews 12:1
• Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one serving in the army gets entangled in everyday affairs; the soldier’s aim is to please the enlisting officer.  
  2 Timothy 2:3-4 (NRSV)
• I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
  2 Timothy 4:7
• the Holy Spirit testifies that in every city chains and tribulations await me. But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.
  Acts 20:23-24;

Every Gold Medal athlete -- every one who's serious about competing and winning -- gets themselves a coach.

What is a "Personal Coach?"

Human beings are created with an exiting purpose: exercise dominion over the earth under God. But mankind has rebelled against the Creator, bringing sin and death into the world, leaving us enslaved in darkness. Those who have been saved from this darkness now need to help one another.

The Duty To Help One Another

In theory, this is what churches are for, but churches tend to be spectator sports, where we passively watch an entertaining speaker and musicians. Church members don't usually help one another. You don't get help, and you don't learn how to give help to one another.

This is why you need a "personal coach."

But because you're a victim of educational malpractice, you need to go back to school, to lay a foundation.

Your Personal Coach is not a guru, a warden, a drill sergeant, or someone whose every word you must agree with. This is inconsistent with the idea of everyone helping one another.

The reason most people hate the word "Theocracy" is because they associate it with power-wielders like priests, pastors, popes, or police. In America, Christianity took a more decentralized, libertarian form. Clergy who demanded blind obedience and tax subsidies from the State were seen as contrary to the Vine & Fig Tree ideal, where "swords" (the State) are beaten into plowshares.

Your Personal Coach is your servant, helping you become a servant.

Your coach will work with you to answer every question you have. You will not be given a low grade. You will get answers to your questions. The Bible will become a completely different book for you. In fact, you will even worship the Bible when it's all through, because you'll know the Bible is the Word of God.

In order to give yourself a fighting chance at succeeding in this education program, you must agree to give up 1 hour of "the mainstream media" each day:

• 1 hour of "American Idol," or
• a half-hour of the CBS Evening News and a half-hour reading the sports section of your favorite newspaper, or
• 2 half-hour sit-coms, or
• 1 hour of escapist fiction, romance novels, or
• 1 hour of computer games, off- or online, or
• 1 hour of Rush Limbaugh, "Opie and ____," or other "drive time" radio as you commute to and from work (MP3 downloads of this home-study program are available to burn to CD so you can listen in the car while you drive to and from work), or
• any combination of 1 hour's worth of the mainstream media each and every day. Cut it out.

You will substitute in its place 35-45 minutes of our daily reading program, 5 or 6 minutes answering no-trick questions, and a few minutes of prayerful thought.
  • 20 minutes in the morning, 20 in the evening.
  • 15 minutes for breakfast, 15 minutes at lunch, 15 minutes after dinner.
  • Any way you choose. 

Anarchist Accomplished Accurate Alert Amiable Analytical Available Bold Calm Cautious Charitable Chaste Cheerful Composed Concentration Confident Contemplative Contented Cooperative Courage Courteous Creativity Decisiveness Dependability Diligence Discernment Discretion Earnest Endurance Efficiency Emotions Energy Enthusiasm Expressiveness Faithful Flexibility Foresight Forgiveness Frankness Frugality Generosity Gentleness Goal-Directed Gratefulness Honesty Hope Hospitality Humility Industry Initiative Interest in People Kindness Love Loyalty Manners Maturity Meekness Memory Motivation of Others Music Neatness Non-violent Objectivity Organization Overcomer Parenting Patience Perfection Perseverance Persuasiveness Planning Punctuality Purposefulness Reading Relaxation Recovery Resoluteness Resourcefulness Respectfulness Responsibility Reverence Security Self-Assurance Self-Discipline Self-Education Self-Respect Self-Starting Sensitivity Sincerity Speech Success Thoroughness Thriftiness Tolerance Touch Truthfulness Virtuous Wisdom Work for Quality Property and civilization are not secure in the absence of these character traits, no matter how powerful "governments" are. Where these traits are cultivated and rewarded, "archists" are unnecessary. top

In addition to reading the assigned portion of the Bible, you must agree to spend a minimum of 90-180 seconds per day meditating on Godly character traits, using guidelines we specify, with the goal of developing these traits in your own life. A partial list of required traits appears in the box on the right. Meditating on these character traits will transform you into a Christian Extremist. No judgments will be made by us as to how successfully you develop or practice these traits in your life. You simply agree to allow us to brainwash you by listening to our audio meditations.

Your personal coach will help maintain your motivation and discipline. You will set up a weekly telephone check-in call. The check-in call will last a minimum of 5 minutes, up to 15 minutes at your pleasure, to be scheduled by you for a time convenient for you, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 

You must be willing to become the person your family, friends, and co-workers most admire by the time you finish this program, even if you don't think that's possible. 

You must be willing for your family, friends, and co-workers to see you trying to make radical improvements in your life. We will ask for two or three letters of reference prior to commencing our program from people who know you and will attest that you are undertaking a program to become the person they most admire. 

It may be that the only people you know may be people that you don't admire either -- with good reason. In this case, you must commit in advance to become the kind of American that George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Samuel Adams would have admired. If you attended a government-run school, you may not know who these men were. More specific details will be provided. (Hint: Some people called them "anarchists" because they abolished their government, and "theocrats" because they promoted Christianity.) Bottom line: We want you to make a commitment to be admired by admirable people. 

You must be willing to admit that if you are not already the most admired person that your family, friends, and co-workers know when you begin this program, that this is your own fault. (This is a requirement because many people subconsciously refuse to make a commitment to radically improve their lives because then they will have to admit that they weren't without fault all along. Better to just stick with the status quo (they think) than to admit their own shortcomings by resolving to improve them.)

You must agree in advance that you will volunteer to be a mentor or coach to at least one other person each year for as long as you are able to do so. We will show you how to make a substantial commission every time you sell our home-study program to people in your church, at work, or in your neighborhood. 

We ask that you commit in advance to donate (to religious or charitable causes) a minimum of 10% of any windfall profits that accrue to you as a result of undertaking our program.

The Bible promises that if you meditate on God's Commandments (the basis for the character traits you will be studying) you will prosper:

Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. This book of the Law shall not depart out of thy mouth: but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
Joshua 1:7-8

Therefore keep the words of this covenant, and do them, that you may prosper in all that you do.
Deuteronomy 29:9

And keep the charge of the LORD your God: to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn;
1 Kings 2:3

But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
         And in His law he meditates day and night.
He shall be like a tree
         Planted by the rivers of water,
         That brings forth its fruit in its season,
         Whose leaf also shall not wither;
         And whatever he does shall prosper.
Psalm 1:2-4

Click here for more promises.

On the other hand, you may lose everything. In our day the "Bill of Rights" means nothing. You may become the object of government surveillance. The FBI or other government intelligence agencies may open a dossier on you and members of your family. Your participation and public affiliation with an "anarchist" website may lead to IRS harassment in the form of an audit or other legal inconveniences. You may be deemed an "enemy combatant." If your job required you to take an oath or sign a statement indicating your support of the U.S. Constitution, you may lose your job because you visit "anarchist" websites. Your house or place of business may be searched and your assets "forfeited." We cannot be responsible for these eventualities. You have to make the decision: will you be approved by the government, or will you be approved by God?