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"And He will judge between many peoples
And render decisions for mighty, distant nations.
And each of them will sit under his
Vine and under his Fig Tree
With no one to make them afraid."
Micah 4:3-4
Human beings are created
as familial beings. Nobody comes into existence except
through a heterosexual family. That family is either a dysfunctional family, or a Godly Patriarchy.
There was no priesthood nor State
in the Garden, only the Family. The task of exercising
dominion over the earth (Genesis 1:26-28) is given to
the family, the training ground for morality, forgiveness,
and self-discipline.
The Family is the natural conduit of the supernatural power of
Christ.
After Satan rebelled
against God, he incited man to rebel as well, attacking
the Family. Cain typifies this rebellion, violently attacking the Household of Faith in
order to build the City of Man. Although deserving death,
God permitted these pagan rebels to continue living and
to institutionalize their attack on the Family in the
form of the State, with faithless
men placed under the "guardianship" of the rebellious angels.
Foolish Israel played the harlot with these political pimps.
The Old Testament is the history of Israel's political
harlotry. Although God used this spiritual adultery for His own sovereign historical and pedagogical purposes, and though God is completely sovereign over the hardness of political hearts, rebellion
against Patriarchy is a demonic rebellion against God, and the formation and maintenance
of political systems (the State) is sinful.
Agents of Babylon continue to attempt to seduce -- or, in
failing, to attack -- the Family.
In response to the Spiritless
failure of God's Families in the Old Age, social "pedagogues"
were instituted "at the hand of angels" which
pointed to the Coming Day when the Messiah would fulfill the
promise that "all the families of the earth would be blessed." Now that the Seed has come, these pedagogical institutions
are no longer needed.
Jesus Christ, the True Man, the
Second Adam, was born into a Family. Family authority had priority over State
and church. Because of His obedience, Jesus became our sinless example.
As more and more people begin to observe the requirements of
Biblical Law (the Standard of Christ's Kingdom), emperors, politicians, and bureaucrats
will disappear (Mark 10:42-45). The Family will take upon itself the responsibilities God originally gave
it, overseeing the health, education, and welfare of itself and those in need, bringing
reconciliation to the world in the Name of Christ. The world will turn from Babylon to
Christian Patriarchies for wisdom and comfort. The reign of Christ will be extended.
Through Godly Families, the influence of the Holy Spirit will
pervade a culture and property will be secure from
thieves and bureaucrats. Obedient families will grow and prosper with a degree of autonomy
that would be called "anarchy" by a society without the Spirit; with the Spirit
there is peace and security. The generosity and fellowship of Christian Communities will
be called "socialism" by some, but will prompt others to enter the Kingdom (John
17:21).
"Patriarchy" is an obscenity in the
modern world. It is clearly the Biblical ideal. The book of Genesis reveals that Abraham's
household consisted of hundreds of people, most of whom were not related by blood. The
Bible calls Abraham, the father of the faithful, a "Patriarch." Up until our own
violent century, the term has always been one of respect and admiration. But the
"feminist" movement has made "patriarchy" a boogeyman; modernism has
made the Bible passé. And the 20th century -- the most individualist and least
"patriarchal" century in human history -- has become the most violent and tyrannical. Secular
"feminism" has been a colossal failure of archetypal proportions. And those in
our day who advocate "family values" are only scratching the surface.
By advocating Biblical "Patriarchy," Vine
& Fig Tree does not defend the oppressive domination of women by men. Vine
& Fig Tree defends the benevolent domination of human society by the love and
self-sacrifice of the "anarchist"/"pacifist" Christian family, which
educates, employs, and cares for the weak, and displaces the impersonalist bureaucratic
imperialism of the Garrison State. The conflict of the ages is not men vs. women,
but institutional religion and politics vs. patriarchy, and
"self-defense" vs. the Cross. The violent work of the Empire is always
orchestrated by secular élites and carried out by dysfunctional members of the
complacent, self-centered "nuclear family."
Micah's vision of Patriarchy is
communitarian, decentralized, contented, and non-violent.
At war with this tradition, the modern world is
atomistic, tyrannical, covetous, and destructive.
Social Order Is the Posterity of the Home
Patriarchy and National Security
The Institutional church vs. the Family
On the angels and the remedial (at best) nature of the State: See Theses 12, 17, 18, 25, 51, 35, 48. [Back]
On the sinfulness of political systems, see Theses 45, 46, 49, 75, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 95. [Back]
On the end of the need for pedagogical institutions, see Theses 65, 71, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 94. [Back]
On family priority over the State, see Matthew 2:13,22. [Back]
On family priority over the church, see Luke 2:48-51. [Back]
This is our example: Luke 2:40,52; 1 Peter 2:21; Hebrews 5:8-9. [Back]
Vine & Fig Tree
12314 Palm Dr. #107
Desert Hot Springs, CA 92240
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