If This Isn't Heaven, I Don't Know What Is

Biblical Reasons Why We Should
And Practical Suggestions on How We Can
Create Heaven on Earth

Anarchy in Heaven?

The English word "anarchy" comes from two Greek words and means the absence of "archists."

But what are "archists?"

Jesus told his followers that there would be no archists in the Kingdom of Heaven. Does this mean there will be "anarchy" in heaven?

Matthew 18:1 At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?
2 And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,
3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
5 And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.

Matthew 19:14 but Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs."

(Matthew 20:20-28) Then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him. {21} And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom. {22} But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able. {23} And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father. {24} And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation against the two brethren. {25} But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. {26} But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; {27} And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: {28} Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

1. Jesus Forbids His Followers to be "Archists."

The classic passage in which Jesus forbids us 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 not to be "archists."  In fact, God hates archists.

2. God Hates Archism

Who Are "Archists?"

You're bound to find the word "archist" from time to time in Vine & Fig Tree web pages. But it's not a word you're likely to find in any dictionary. It was a word that was created to make a point.

People sometimes criticize Vine & Fig Tree for being "anarchist." What they fail to realize is that Jesus commanded His followers to be "anarchists." He did this when He told them not to be "archists" ("anarchist" = "a" [not] + "archist" [opposite of "servant"]) but since no one knows what an "archist" is, they don't understand why true Christians are "an-archists."

The idea that "archists" are good and "anarchists" are bad is THE BIGGEST LIE of the 20th century.

Here are some more verses which use the word "archist." Do YOU want to be an archist?

Ephesians 2:2   in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,

1 Corinthians 2:6-8 However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. {7} But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, {8} which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

Romans 13:1-3 Let every soul be subject unto the higher exousiai [pl.]. For there is no exousia but of God: the exousiai that be are ordained of God. {2} Whosoever therefore resisteth the exousia, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. {3} For archists are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the exousia? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: Ephesians 6:12
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against exousiai, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Colossians 2:15
And having spoiled archists and exousiai, He made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in Him.

Acts 4:26   The kings of the earth stood up, and the archists were gathered together against the Lord, and against His Christ.

John 12:31   Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the archist of this world be cast out.

What Do "Archists" Do?

Archists attempt to convince us that when things don't go the way we would like them to go, we can resort to violence to change matters. Even if nothing will be changed by violence, that's OK, because making them suffer who made us suffer is called "justice." Archists thus believe in institutionalized vengeance.

Archists believe in force and conquest rather than mere persuasion. When preaching fails to gain a convert, the archist resorts to violence or intimidation (threats of force).

The Bible clearly links violence and rulership. The Bible says Israel rejected God when they opted for archism (1 Samuel 8). Much of the Old Testament Scriptures describe this archist rebellion, denounce the violence and death it caused, and record the prophets' message of judgment from an anti-archist God. Whole books in the Bible chronicle the violence of the kings. God hates this violence-archism nexus, and when His patience is crossed, He will destroy all those involved in this "patriotism."

Genesis 6 Now it came to pass, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose. {4} There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown. {5} Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. {11} The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. {12} So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. {13} And God said to Noah, "The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

Above all previous centuries, the 20th century was characterized by:

But most Christians don't care about violence. Most Christians don't care about archism. They only care about "personal peace and affluence." They're just waiting around for the rapture, and if they can skim a little pork off the top of the archist barrel before they go, all the better. Their archist apathy makes God puke (Revelation 3:16).

Death by Government: The Chilling Statistics of Archist Democide in the 20th Century

Since Christ is the Prince of Peace, it follows that Christians are Pacifists (from the Latin word for "peace"). And since the State is institutionalized violence, it follows that Christians are going to be accused by the State of being "anarchists."

The most important reason for not being an Archist is not merely to point a finger at the bad things archists do, like killing, stealing, kidnapping, and committing other acts of violence. The most important reason for avoiding archism is the effect archism has on us. We hear the philosophers and theologians praise Jesus as a "great teacher," and everyone gives lip-service to the Sermon on the Mount. But when a pagan dictator threatens to raise our gas prices, Jesus takes a backseat to realpolitik. And everyone learns a subtle lesson: loving your enemies and forgiving one another is all well and good for our "private lives," but for public matters -- the "really important stuff" in "the real world" -- "national security" takes precedence over "the Great Teacher." Thus when someone wrongs us, we don't think twice before saying "I'll sue his pants off!" (See 1 Corinthians 6.)

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.

Your success at treating the most despised members of society with love and compassion is a divine indicator of your allegiance to the Lord Jesus Christ. If you treat the "marginalized" and your "enemies" with contempt, those acts will be imputed to your account as though you had personally treated Christ that way (Matthew 25:31ff.).

For this reason, it is absolutely vital that you remain "unspotted" by the agenda, mythology, and weltänschauüng of the world of 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 Christ. It is the refusal to love even your enemy, and to follow Jesus to the Cross. It is the religion of Secular Humanism. 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."

The Christian Anarchist Homepage picks up where this page leaves off. Continue reading here.

Interrogatory in Federal Court by Christian Anarchist

For Further Study

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