Day 7: Kingmas: Christ = King

On the Seventh Day of Christmas . . . let's consider a conflict of power.

Imagine the Republicans come to their collective sanity and nominate Ron Paul, who faces Hillary Clinton in November. The clash is between Republicans who want liberty, and Democrats who want dependence ("security"); between Americans who want peace and those who profit from war; between candidates like Ron Paul who really don't want to be President, and those like Hillary, who really, really do.

Now imagine that the U.S. Supreme Court declares Hillary to be the President, after a 2000-like election debacle.

Now imagine that all Americans who voted for Ron Paul refuse to acknowledge that Hillary is legally the President. Hillary gives the orders, but half the nation refuses to obey them (except conventional things like stopping for stop signs, even if the stop sign was personally installed by a relative of Hillary).

Hillary goes ballistic. She starts throwing things at cabinet members and Supreme Court justices, accusing them of not taking sufficient steps to protect her authority. Even Democrats are embarrassed, and her popularity plummets. Impeachment proceedings begin, but just like in her husband's case, the old-guard elite of the Republican Party comes to her defense and prevents her from being removed from office.

In 2009, an immensely popular rock star writes a book explaining why he (or she) is a libertarian. It becomes a huge best-seller. The rock star goes on tour, promoting the book and singing about the libertarian philosophy. A national sensation becomes a national phenomenon, and a political movement emerges. There is no doubt that this rock star is going to run against Hillary in 2012, and will probably win.

Hillary attempts to have the rock star assassinated. The attempt fails, and the rock star flees to China, where the growing libertarian movement shelters the prospective candidate from the Clinton machine. The time comes for the rock star to return to officially become a candidate. Travelling incognito, the exact airplane carrying the star is not disclosed. Hillary orders the Clinton machine to use surface-to-air missiles to take out every plane arriving at U.S. airports from the far East, blaming "terrroists" for the attacks. Dozens of planes are downed, killing thousands of innocent people.

Sound crazy? It's insane.

But so are many emperors.

King Herod was insane at that first Christmas, when he ordered all infant boys Jesus' age to be killed. The insane acts of politicians should never surprise us.

Because politicians are really quite logical:

Herod's goal was to retain power.
Jesus threatened Herod's power.
Jesus must die.
Q.E.D.

Jesus is the only legitimate King. "Christ" is a title, not a name. "Jesus Christ" is not like "John Smith." "Christ Jesus" means "King Jesus."

Politicians (if logical) will kill Christians (if consistent) for this belief.

There have always been theologians who say that Christians are no threat to any government. Unfortunately, they have too often been correct.

But Christians should "threaten" power not with violence, but with conversion. When people "convert" from one king to another King, this threatens the power of the abandoned king.

"The Great Commission" is the label given by many to Christ's final words:

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.
Matthew 28:18-20

It's more than a commission given to the disciples. It's also a statement of authority on Christ's part. If Jesus has all authority, than anyone claiming authority which is not delegated by Jesus is deluded or a liar. Jesus did not delegate to me or anyone else the authority to draw an arbitrary line in the sand and say to you, "If you cross this line, I have the divine right to confiscate your property or kill you." If someone who is delusional tells you to stop your car at his "STOP" sign or he will confiscate your car, it might be prudent to stop, even if no lives or property would be threatened by not doing so. (If lives are threatened, then Jesus says to STOP to preserve the life and the property of others.) If Osama bin Laden and ten million jihadists invade America, nuke all U.S. military bases and police stations, and declare America to be under "sharia law" with Osama the supreme leader, consistent Christians will "obey" Osama's law not to steal, but will not admit the moral legitimacy of Osama's cutting off of offenders' hands.

A consistent Christian will not believe that Osama has legitimate authority. Even if his invasion of America should be ratified by majority vote of Americans, his authority is still morally illegitimate by Christian standards. It has no more moral legitimacy than the Roman Caesar's occupation of Israel at the first Christmas. Jesus said we are to go along with Caesar's centurions and Hitler's Gestapo. King Jesus said we are not to resist evil in a vengeful sense, but we are to resist in the spiritual sense of not accepting their evil deeds as normal or acceptable.

Caesar, Hitler, the CFR, Bush-Clinton: The Christmas King stands in opposition to their works of death. Whatever social benefits they provide, or whatever monuments remain for archaeologists to admire, do not legitimize their authority or get them off the hook as far as their duty to acknowledge King Jesus goes.

Those who truly celebrate Christmas deny the moral legitimacy of Herod's pretended authority.

But they also affirm something, working positively for a goal beyond simply eliminating tyranny and darkness.

Q: If every nation were Christianized, and everyone were observing Christ’s commandments, what kind of world would we have?

A: A capitalist world.

As we have seen, capitalism is the social system based on the absence of the initiation of force or violence. If everyone were obeying the commandments of the Prince of Peace, nobody would be initiating force or violence against others. And that would be a state of global capitalism.

The next question is, How does this come to pass? How is the Great Commission fulfilled? How does Christ turn a world of socialists, thieves and extortioners, into a world of productive capitalists?

If America's Puritan forefathers could travel through time to 2008, the first thing that would notice about the people they meet is how uneducated and contemptuous they are. The authority of parents and elders in local schools and businesses is not respected, but the authority of atheistic tyrants in Washington D.C. is. The men who signed the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were schooled under the Puritan educational philosophy exemplified by "The New England Primer." The children's catechism questions could not be comprehended, much less answered, by today's functionally illiterate secular Americans.

Q. 23. What offices doth Christ execute as our Redeemer ?
A. Christ as our Redeemer executes the office of a prophet, of a priest, & of a king, both in his estate of humiliation and exaltation.

When elementary-aged children finished the New England Primer, they went on to the Larger Catechism, a catechism which 90% of today's seminary graduates and televangelists could not pass. That catechism asks,

Q. 43. How doth Christ execute the office of a prophet?
A. Christ executeth the office of a prophet, in his revealing to the church, in all ages, by his Spirit and Word, in divers ways of administration, the whole will of God, in all things concerning their edification and salvation.


Q. 44. How doth Christ execute the office of a priest?
A. Christ executeth the office of a priest, in his once offering himself a sacrifice without spot to God, to be reconciliation for the sins of his people; and in making continual intercession for them.

Most Christians agree (in a vague, uneducated sense) that Christ is already a prophet and a priest. The Hebrews at the time of the first Christmas were told:

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed the Heir of all things, through whom also He created the world. (Hebrews 1:1-2)

"Speaking" is the prophetic function. And of course the rest of the book of Hebrews tells about Christ’s priestly work.

There is a sense in which all of the promises of Christmas have already been inaugurated, and are now blossoming like a flower. The Book of Hebrews makes clear that many events and figures of the Old Testament were types and foreshadows of events that would later take place. They in fact took place during the period of time recorded in the New Testament. For example, the work of the high priest in the holy of holies in the tabernacle prefigured the work of Christ, the great High Priest. That work has been done; Christ has already finished His sacrificial work and has already been to the true Holy of Holies (Hebrews 9:12). Another promise of Christmas was to extend to all nations the promises made to Abraham. This invitation was made in the first century.

So Christ executes the office of a Prophet and Priest in our day. But is Christ a King? Today? Or will Jesus only be the Christ (the Messiah, the King) tomorrow, after His future Second Coming? Remember the warning of 1 John 2:22 : “Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son.” The next question in the Catechism completes the discussion of the work Christ has completed.

Q. 45. How doth Christ execute the office of a king?
A. Christ executeth the office of a king, in calling out of the world a people to himself,[174] and giving them officers,[175] laws,[176] and censures, by which he visibly governs them;[177] in bestowing saving grace upon his elect,[178] rewarding their obedience,[179] and correcting them for their sins,[180] preserving and supporting them under all their temptations and sufferings,[181] restraining and overcoming all their enemies,[182] and powerfully ordering all things for his own glory,[183] and their good;[184] and also in taking vengeance on the rest, who know not God, and obey not the gospel.[185]

On the Ninth Day of Christmas, we'll break this answer down and learn more about the true meaning of Christmas.

Tomorrow: "Let's Keep Christmas Commercialized!"

McCain Leads in Rasmussen Poll

Not that I'm taking my prediction at all seriously, but I got a chuckle on Drudge just now when he posted a link to the Rasmussen Reports™: The most comprehensive public opinion coverage ever provided for a mid-term election, putting McCain at the top of their poll.

McCain is not a Nazi, of course ("nazi" meaning "national socialist"); McCain is an international socialist. I'm confident I'll notice the difference immediately when I'm put in jail for somehow violating McCain's campaign finance laws. (Even though I'm not accepting any campaign contributions.)

Day 6: Peace on Earth, Goodwill Toward Capitalists

We're halfway through "The 12 Days of Liberty." We could have called it "The 12 Days of Capitalism." Today we'll explain why capitalism is the path of peace, and why the angel announced to the shepherds, “Peace on Earth, Goodwill Toward Capitalists.”

When people think of a “capitalist” they think of an unethical, rich exploiter of others. But if the opposite of a “capitalist” is a “socialist,” then a Christian must be a “capitalist,” because a Christian cannot be a socialist. (See 1 Corinthians 6:10 – “thieves,” and “extortioners” “cannot inherit the Kingdom of God.”)

Let’s run through Zacharias’ prophecy in Luke 1 one more time (I don’t see how anyone can read this prophecy too many times!). After John the Baptist was born,

⁶⁷ his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying,
⁶⁸ “Blessed is the Lord God of Israel,
For He has visited and redeemed His people,
⁶⁹ And has raised up a horn of salvation for us
In the house of His servant David,

We saw that the New Testament repeatedly claims that Jesus is this "horn of salvation," resurrected into the throne of David (Acts 2:29-36)

⁷⁰ As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets,
Who have been since the world began,
⁷¹ That we should be saved from our enemies
And from the hand of all who hate us,

We saw that the reference here (“enemies”) was not only to the occupation forces of the Roman Empire (which was historically supplanted by Christendom), but––to the surprise of the Jews who put Jesus to death––those Jews themselves, who became the enemies of those with the faith of Abraham.

⁷² To perform the mercy promised to our fathers
And to remember His holy covenant,
⁷³ The oath which He swore to our father Abraham:

Even before apostate Israel was destroyed in A.D. 70, the New Testament writers made clear that it was the Body of Christ, the “new man” created out of believing Jews and Gentiles (Ephesians 2) who were the rightful heirs of the promises made “to Abraham and his seed.”

⁷⁴ To grant us that we,
Being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
Might serve Him without fear,

Again, it turns out that the final reference here is to Christ’s enemies, those who murdered Him and persecuted His Church. The two references to “enemies” should not be interpreted the way the religious leaders of Jesus' day smugly interpreted them (destruction/suppression of non-Jews).

There is a much bigger picture here and throughout Scripture, and we’ll look at it today.

⁷⁵ In holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life.
⁷⁶ “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest;
For you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways,
⁷⁷ To give knowledge of salvation to His people
By the remission of their sins,
⁷⁸ Through the tender mercy of our God,
With which the Dayspring from on high has visited us;
⁷⁹ To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death,
To guide our feet into the way of peace.”

We’ve been looking at the meaning of “salvation” in the Christmas narratives. Jesus’ name comes from the Hebrew word for “salvation,” yasha. We looked at a scholarly definition of the Hebrew word for salvation and compared it with the more popular definition of "I go to heaven when I die":

Yasha and its derivatives are used 353 times. The root meaning . . . is “make wide” or make sufficient: this root is in contrast to sarar, “narrow,” which means “be restricted” or “cause distress.” To move from distress to safety requires deliverance. [T]he majority of references to salvation speak of Yahweh granting deliverance from real enemies and outof real catastrophes. That which is wide connotes freedom from distress and the ability to pursue one’s own objectives. Thus salvation is not merely a momentary victory on the battlefield; it is also the safety and security necessary to maintain life unafraid of numerous dangers.
John E. Hartley, “yasha,” Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament. Vol 1, pp. 414-15

The Biblical definition of “salvation” is much bigger than that of the televangelists. Perhaps you’ve noticed that in the Christmas narratives (the first 2 chapters of Matthew and Luke) there is almost no mention whatsoever about "justification by faith" and going to heaven after death. The narratives are almost entirely political. And there is no indication that the political language of Christmas was meant to be interpreted “figuratively” or metaphorically. “Salvation” in the Christmas story (and as expounded in the New Testament history of the early church) turns out mainly to be salvation from those who persecuted the Christians. Zacharias’ son John the Baptist began his ministry with that theme:

7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath about to come? 8 Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, 9 and do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. 10 And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” (Matthew 3)

The fiery “wrath about to come” came in A.D. 70 when Jerusalem was burned to the ground. But as Prof. Hartley notes in the definition of yasha above,

salvation is not merely a momentary victory on the battlefield; it is also the safety and security necessary to maintain life unafraid of numerous dangers.

In the Bible, Salvation is thus social and cultural more than individual. It is in fact global. It is not just “momentary victory,” but long-term stability. This point is often grasped, but not accurately. There are many passages in the New Testament which describe a momentary deliverance from persecution, but which are inaccurately placed in the category of long-term salvation in the afterlife, while many verses (particularly in the Old Testament) which do speak of long-term salvation (in this life) are ignored.

Let’s look at some more evidence that the first-century Christians experienced momentary deliverance from the tribulations and persecutions inflicted on her by her enemies. Paul reminded the Thessalonians:

14 For ye, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God which are in Judaea in Christ Jesus: for ye also suffered the same things of your own countrymen, even as they did of the Jews; 15 who both killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove out us, and pleased not God, and are contrary to all men; 16 forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they may be saved; to fill up their sins always: but the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost. (1 Thessalonians 2, referring to Jesus’ indictment in Matthew 23:31-32: Wherefore ye witness to yourselves, that ye are sons of them that slew the prophets. 32 Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers!)

Paul sent Timothy to Thessolonica,

our brother and God’s minister in the gospel of Christ, to establish you, and to comfort you concerning your faith; 3 that no man be moved by these afflictions; for yourselves know that hereunto we are appointed. 4 For verily, when we were with you, we told you beforehand that we are to suffer affliction; even as it came to pass, and ye know.

Paul had told the Thessalonians about the persecution and tribulation that was about to come, and it was already coming to pass. In his next letter, Paul promised them deliverance from their enemies:

we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure, 5 which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer; 6 since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, 7 and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, 8 in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, 10 when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed.

“That Day” is the Day spoken of by Malachi (3-4), which spoke of and was inaugurated by John the Baptist, and was happening just as Jesus said it would: in their lifetime:

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

This was a momentary deliverance promised to those who were then suffering, not a promise for the yet unborn thousands of years later, a promise which would have been no comfort to those who were then suffering.

The enemies of the Church were identified––as they had always been––as “wolves”:

Ezekiel 22:27
Her princes in her midst are like wolves tearing the prey, to shed blood, to destroy people, and to get dishonest gain.

Zephaniah 3:3
Her princes in her midst are roaring lions; Her judges are evening wolves That leave not a bone till morning.

Matthew 7:15
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.

Matthew 10:16
“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.

Luke 10:3
Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves.

Acts 20:29
For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.

But the wolves were destroyed and the Church delivered from these enemies.

The New Testament emphasizes this momentary deliverance, but the rest of the Bible also speaks of a long-term cultural salvation, beginning in the Garden of Eden. “Capitalism,” the absence of the initiation of force, is the natural state of unfallen humanity. The Bible repeatedly states that the human ideal is to dwell “safely,” without fear of the initiation of force by others. This long-term salvation is “capitalism.” Long-term salvation is the state of being able to “exercise dominion over the earth” (Gen. 1:26-28) and “serve the Lord without fear in holiness and righteousness” (Luke 1:74-75).

Prof. Hartley’s definition of “salvation” above is pretty much the definition of “capitalism” as propounded by advocates of capitalism. Of course, opponents of capitalism define the word as something quite different.

The name “capitalism” was coined by Karl Marx, a Satanic opponent of long-term social salvation on Christ's terms. Capitalists have adopted Marx’s term as their own (without accepting Marx’s content, of course). One of the most comprehensive defenses of "capitalism" is George Reisman’s treatise on Capitalism. It is a huge book, but easy reading, and full of insights. (Reisman studied with Ayn Rand and Ludwig von Mises, and translated some of Mises’ works into English.)

Here is how capitalism is defined by the greatest defenders of capitalism:

Capitalism is the social system based on the rejection of the initiation of force or violence against others.

This definition will surprise many who attack capitalism. Ask a critic of capitalism to define “capitalism” and the critic’s definition will not even be close to this definition. Most definitions in mainstream economics texts or encyclopedias are not only inconsistent with this definition, they are nearly incomprehensible. They usually have something to do with corporations using the power of the State to gain an advantage over consumers and workers which could not be obtained by persuasion alone. In her essay “What is Capitalism?” Ayn Rand dissects these definitions, notably the entry from the Encyclopedia Britannica, and shows how they are not only self-contradictory, but subtly designed to advance a socialist agenda. They are not “neutral” or “objective.” I do not know a single self-described defender of capitalism who would disagree with the definition above. In fact, most would agree it gets to the very heart and soul of the dispute between capitalism and socialism. For the benefit of those who doubt, I would be happy to supply the quotations and footnotes from the writings of self-conscious defenders of capitalism to buttress my claim. The quotes would be many and lengthy. I would quote Ayn Rand,[1] George Reisman, Milton Friedman,[2] Ludwig von Mises,[3] F.A. Hayek,[4] and many other defenders of capitalism.
[1] Ayn Rand, Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal, with additional articles by Nathaniel Branden, Alan Greenspan, and Robert Hessen, New York: Signet Books, 1967
[2] Milton Friedman, Capitalism and Freedom, University of Chicago Press, 1962. Friedman was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics in 1976.
[3] Ludwig von Mises, Human Action, Yale University Press, 1949. See also the Mises Institute, http://www.mises.org/
[4] Friedrich A. Hayek, The Constitution of Liberty, University of Chicago Press, 1960. Hayek was a student of Mises, and was awarded the Nobel Prize in economics in 1974.
As an example, the Libertarian Party, a Party formed by a group of pro-capitalists, and unquestionably the political party most vigorously committed to capitalism, requires its members to sign this pledge in order to join the party:

I do not believe in or advocate the initiation of force as a means of achieving political or social goals.

That is the full extent of the Libertarian Party membership pledge. It is widely viewed as the sine qua non of capitalism.[5] It is often referred to by defenders of capitalism as “the principle of non-aggression.”[6]
[5] “Sine qua non” is Latin for “without which not,” meaning here, according to defenders of capitalism, without this commitment to non-aggression, you do not have capitalism. Period.
[6] A google.com search for “capitalism” and “non-aggression” will bring up hundreds of relevant pages.

To live in a “capitalist” society is therefore to live in a state of being “saved from our enemies” (Luke 1:71) and

⁷⁴ that we,
Being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
Might serve Him without fear,

“Enemies” (in this broader sense of “being placed in a wide open space”) are those who seek to violate God’s commandments against us. “Enemies” are those who seek to steal our property, our liberty, or our life.

We have seen this several times in our quotation of Micah 4, the promise of living safely under your “Vine & Fig Tree.” Keep Prof. Hartley's definition of long-term salvation in mind:

That which is wide connotes freedom from distress and the ability to pursue one’s own objectives. Thus salvation is not merely a momentary victory on the battlefield; it is also the safety and security necessary to maintain life unafraid of numerous dangers.

There’s more:

Leviticus 25:18-19 Wherefore ye shall do my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them; and ye shall dwell in the land in safety. And the land shall yield her fruit, and ye shall eat your fill, and dwell therein in safety.

Leviticus 26:5 And your threshing shall reach unto the vintage, and the vintage shall reach unto the sowing time: and ye shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely.

Deuteronomy 12:10 But when ye go over Jordan, and dwell in the land which the Lord your God giveth you to inherit, and when he giveth you rest from all your enemies round about, so that ye dwell in safety;

Deuteronomy 33:12 And of Benjamin he said, The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by him; and the Lord shall cover him all the day long, and he shall dwell between his shoulders.

Deuteronomy 33:28 Israel then shall dwell in safety alone: the fountain of Jacob shall be upon a land of corn and wine; also his heavens shall drop down dew.

1 Samuel 12:11 And the Lord sent Jerubbaal, and Bedan, and Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side, and ye dwelled safe.

Job 11:18 And thou shalt be secure, because there is hope; yea, thou shalt dig about thee, and thou shalt take thy rest in safety.

Psalm 4:8 I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.

Psalm 16:9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.

Psalm 78:53 And he led them on safely, so that they feared not: but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.

Proverbs 1:33 But whoso hearkeneth unto Me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.

Proverbs 3:23 Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble.

Proverbs 3:29 Devise not evil against thy neighbour, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee.

Proverbs 10:9 He that walketh uprightly walketh surely: but he that perverteth his ways shall be known.

Isaiah 14:30 And the firstborn of the poor shall feed, and the needy shall lie down in safety: and I will kill thy root with famine, and he shall slay thy remnant.

Isaiah 32:17-18 And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever. And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places;

Jeremiah 23:6 In His days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is His Name whereby He shall be called, The Lord Our Righteousness.

Jeremiah 32:37 Behold, I will gather them out of all countries, whither I have driven them in Mine anger, and in My fury, and in great wrath; and I will bring them again unto this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely:

Jeremiah 33:16 In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, The Lord our righteousness.

Ezekiel 28:26 And they shall dwell safely therein, and shall build houses, and plant vineyards; yea, they shall dwell with confidence, when I have executed judgments upon all those that despise them round about them; and they shall know that I am the Lord their God.

Ezekiel 34:25 And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods.

Ezekiel 34:27 And the tree of the field shall yield her fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase, and they shall be safe in their land, and shall know that I am the Lord, when I have broken the bands of their yoke, and delivered them out of the hand of those that served themselves of them.

Ezekiel 34:28 And they shall no more be a prey to the heathen, neither shall the beast of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and none shall make them afraid.

Ezekiel 38:8 After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.

Ezekiel 39:26 After that they have borne their shame, and all their trespasses whereby they have trespassed against me, when they dwelt safely in their land, and none made them afraid.

Hosea 2:18 And in that day will I make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven, and with the creeping things of the ground: and I will break the bow and the sword and the battle out of the earth, and will make them to lie down safely.

Zechariah 14:11 And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited.

The opposite of “salvation,” of dwelling “safely,” is living under socialism:

Ezekiel 12:19 And say to the people of the land, “Thus says the Lord God to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the land of Israel: ‘They shall eat their bread with anxiety, and drink their water with dread, so that her land may be emptied of all who are in it, because of the violence of all those who dwell in it.’”

The socialist, who rejects the core principle of capitalism––non-aggression–– says,

“I will go up against a land of unwalled villages; I will go to a peaceful people, who dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates’— 12 to take plunder and to take booty, to stretch out your hand against the waste places that are again inhabited, and against a people gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and goods, who dwell in the midst of the land.” 13 Sheba, Dedan, the merchants of Tarshish, and all their young lions will say to you, “Have you come to take plunder? Have you gathered your army to take booty, to carry away silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods, to take great plunder?” Ezekiel 38:11-13

In order to establish a capitalist society, we must first desire a capitalist society. In order to be saved, we must want to be saved. Many people do not want holistic Biblical “salvation.” They prefer socialism. Most of us have been trained to prefer socialism, and most of us are ignorant about the very existence or possibility of a Biblical capitalist society.

“Socialism” used to be defined by economists of all stripes as “a command economy.” Economic decisions under socialism are not made voluntarily by free people, but by the commands of government, enforced by the police or military. The “free market” becomes “the black market,” and capitalists are sentenced to the Prison Camps. We don’t hear the phrase “command society” that often any more. Instead, we are being brainwashed. We are being held in darkness, deprived of the light, diverted away from the paths of peace (Luke 1:79). Here’s an example:

A website called “InvestorWords.com” defines “command economy” like this:

command economy

Definition

An economy where supply and price are regulated by the government rather than market forces. Government planners decide which goods and services are produced and how they are distributed. The former Soviet Union was an example of a command economy. Also called a centrally planned economy.
Related Terms
socialism

Not a bad definition.

Let’s see how “InvestorWords.com” defines “capitalism.” Let’s see if there is an appropriate emphasis on “non-aggression” or, in Biblical terms, "the way of peace." Let’s see if it says anything about a society where we have been delivered from those who would confiscate our property, our liberty or our life:

capitalism

Definition

Economic system characterized by the following: private property ownership exists; individuals and companies are allowed to compete for their own economic gain; and free market forces determine the prices of goods and services. Such a system is based on the premise of separating the state and business activities. Capitalists believe that markets are efficient and should thus function without interference, and the role of the state is to regulate and protect.

Related Terms

invisible hand, socialism.

Even where the dry, academic language is accurate, this is a completely amoral definition. It is therefore unethical and unChristian. The conflict between socialism and capitalism is the biggest moral/social issue of our day, involving the theft of trillions, the liberty of billions and the murder of millions. A truly educational definition is evangelistic, in the sense that it leads us out of darkness and into the paths of peace. The definition above is dry and “neutral.” It does not fulfill its Godly responsibility. This is why nobody is energized and passionate about spreading “capitalism.”

Now let’s compare the dry, “neutral,” definition of capitalism with the evangelistic definition of “socialism”:

socialism

Definition

Economic system which is based on cooperation rather than competition and which utilizes centralized planning and distribution.

Related Terms

capitalism, command economy.

“Cooperation.” Isn’t that adorable.

This is pure socialist propaganda. The author is an evangelist for socialism (though he would never think of himself that way). If words like “Gestapo,” “Gulag,” “KGB,” and “prison camp” are your idea of “cooperation,” then this definition is perfectly accurate.

And the opposite of (socialist) "cooperation" is (capitalist) "competition," a misleading contrast. Under the non-aggression axiom of capitalism, the way of peace, "competition" means the freedom for me to shop at the store of my choice. "Competition" is rooted in peaceful, voluntary, persuasion. Socialist "cooperation" is forced at the barrel of a gun.
This definition is designed in a subtle way to encourage support for socialism, and the definition of “capitalism” has been stripped of anything that might encourage emotional support for capitalism. And this, in a nutshell, is America’s entire educational system, as well as the mainstream media (TV, magazines, radio, Hollywood, music, etc.).

To say “I am not a capitalist” is to say “I support the use of government violence to get what I want.”

It is capitalism, not socialism, that is consistent with the Christmas promise, “Peace on earth.” Ayn Rand writes:

The overwhelming majority of mankind – the people who die on the battlefields or starve and perish among the ruins – do not want war. They never wanted it. Yet wars have kept erupting throughout the centuries, like a long trail of blood underscoring mankind’s history.

Men are afraid that war might come because they know, consciously or subconsciously, that they have never rejected the doctrine which causes wars, which has caused the wars of the past and can do it again – the doctrine that it is right or practical or necessary for men to achieve their goals by means of physical force (by initiating the use of force against other men) and that some sort of “good” can justify it. It is the doctrine that force is a proper or unavoidable part of human existence and human societies.

Observe one of the ugliest characteristics of today’s world: the mixture of frantic war preparations with hysterical peace propaganda, and the fact that both come from the same source—from the same political philosophy. The bankrupt, yet still dominant, political philosophy of our age is statism.

Observe the nature of today’s alleged peace movements. Professing love and concern for the survival of mankind, they keep screaming that the nuclear-weapons race should be stopped, that armed force should be abolished as a means of settling disputes among nations, and that war should be outlawed in the name of humanity. Yet these same peace movements do not oppose dictatorships; the political views of their members range through all shades of the statist spectrum, from welfare statism to socialism and fascism to communism. This means that they are opposed to the use of coercion by one nation against another, but not by the government of a nation against its own citizens; it means that they are opposed to the use of force against armed adversaries, but not against the disarmed.

Consider the plunder, the destruction, the starvation, the brutality, the slave-labor camps, the torture chambers, the wholesale slaughter perpetrated by dictatorships. Yet this is what today’s alleged peace-lovers are willing to advocate or tolerate . . . .

Ayn Rand, “The Roots of War,” in Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal, pp. 35-36

Capitalists are a force for life and peace; socialists are a force for slavery and violence. During the 20th century, on average, non-capitalist governments killed more than 10,000 people per day. [This does not include abortions. There are approximately 137,000 babies killed each and every day, worldwide.] War makes up only about a third of that total. The rest are killed by pogroms, gulags, “the rule of law,” etc.

The Welfare State is far more deadly than The Warfare State.

Recall the questions found in the New England Primer, a school text book that completely dominated American schools around the time the U.S. Constitution was ratified:

“What offices does Christ execute as our Redeemer?”

“How does Christ execute the office of a prophet?”

“How does Christ execute the office of a priest?”

“How does Christ execute the office of a king?”

Tomorrow:

How Christ executes the office of a King, and orchestrates

The Christmas Conspiracy for Global Capitalism.

Day 5: Peace on Earth

On the Fifth Day of Christmas we continue to look at the connections between Christmas and Liberty. We're focusing on the prophecy of Zecharias made at the birth of John the Baptist, who heralded the coming of the Messiah. That prophecy is found here. The name "Jesus" comes from the Hebrew word yasha, which means much more than "going to heaven when I die." We started exploring some of the depth of the concept on the Second Day of Christmas.

We’ve looked at the first several themes in Zechariah’s prophecy.

• The House of David
• His Holy Prophets
• Saved from our Enemies
• His Holy Covenant to Abraham

We’re trying to understand exactly how Jesus is the Messiah prophesied by the Old Testament prophets and by Zacharias. Jesus certainly did not meet the expectations of many Jews in his day. They expected a conquering emperor who would overthrow the occupation forces of the Roman Empire, and leave Israel standing safely as an independent nation. Instead, Jesus said the Jews themselves were the enemies of God’s Kingdom, and that the Roman army would destroy Israel in judgment. This was definitely not what Israel expected on that first Christmas morning!

So were the prophets wrong, or was Israel mistaken in their expectations? Zacharias and the Old Testament prophets were not wrong to say that Christmas would mean that God’s people would be

• Delivered from our enemies
• Serving in Holiness and Righteousness
• Liberated from sin
• Guided in the Way of Peace

Consider this claim: If Zacharias, Joseph, and Mary, were to join you right now, where you are, and if you were to describe the progress of Christianity throughout the world, and compare our world today with the world under the Roman Caesars, Zacharias and all believing Jews of the first century would say that all the promises of Christmas have come to pass. Nobody alive on the first Christmas could have imagined the addition of 6 billion people to the planet without causing widespread violence, war, chaos, and conflict as all these people attempted to survive on what was being produced in the world when B.C. became A.D.

The influence of Christianity and the way of peace now pervades the globe, with hundreds of millions of people claiming to be Christians. The loaf has been leavened, and is still rising.

A History of Force by James L. Payne shows how a greater percentage of human beings died a violent death before the birth of Christ than after. Other writers have noted the same thing.

When Mary gave birth to Jesus, every third baby died before reaching age five. Today less than one out of a hundred does not reach that age. Up until the century in which the Westminster Confession was written, the vast majority of all human beings lived on less than one dollar a day. Today, in countries where the governments acknowledge themselves to be “under God,” hundreds of millions of people live without fear of foreign invasion.

A typical concern of people living in Christian nations today –– who would passionately deny any claim that Christ will bring "peace on earth" in this age, before His second coming –– is something like, “Will I have enough money to make the mortgage payment on my 3 bedroom home with central climate control that heats my home without my having to chop wood and appliances that cook my food in just a few minutes and also make the payments on an automobile that can transport me and a week’s worth of food 50 miles in just one hour, instead of one whole day?” This kind of “financial precarity” is called a “crisis.” Earlier generations would love to face such a “crisis.”

The range of “problems” we have today would utterly astonish every human being alive at the first Christmas––even the most wealthy handful of individuals on the entire planet at that time would find the level of wealth enjoyed by average citizens today to be breathtaking.

Jesus’ command to “go with him a second mile” is almost meaningless in our day, as we are not under military occupation by ruthless thugs who serve a totalitarian Caesar. Before Christ most human beings were conquered.

America is the most powerful nation on earth. That means 300 million Americans are the most powerful people on earth. At least 200 million out of 300 million Americans claim to be Christian, and they have the power to end most wars that still exist today.

And yet most of us worry incessantly about our material standard of living, forgetting that Zacharias’ concern was that God would

grant us that we,
Being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
Might serve Him without fear,
In holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life.
Luke 1:74-75

Serving in Holiness and Righteousness
We have a tremendous opportunity to serve the Lord without fear. Do we take effective advantage of these opportunities?

It is in fact the presence of those who are salt and light in a culture that raises the standard of living in that culture. They continually remind us all of the higher standard that God holds us to. Not everyone wants to actually live in Calcutta with the poor like Mother Teresa, but the presence of people who are more committed to serving God has a way of tempering the temptation to use fraud or violence against our neighbor to get what we want. When we come in contact with people who remind us of God’s standard of holiness and righteousness, we pause. “Oh yeah,” we say; “I better not do that.” This is how, historically and culturally, we are delivered from our enemies: they see the prosperity that exists in Christian nations and they pretend to be Christian. Notice these verses from Young’s Literal Translation, with King David reflecting on his influence over unbelievers:

2 Samuel 22:45
Sons of a stranger feign obedience to me,
At the hearing of the ear they hearken to me.

Psalm 18:44
At the hearing of the ear they hearken to me,
Sons of a stranger feign obedience to me,

Psalm 66:3
Say to God, `How fearful [are] Thy works,
By the abundance of Thy strength,
Thine enemies feign obedience to Thee.

Psalm 81:15
Those hating Jehovah feign obedience to Him,
But their time is –– to the age.

Deuteronomy 33:29
O thy happiness, O Israel! who is like thee?
A people saved by Jehovah,
The shield of thy help,
And He who [is] the sword of thine excellency:
And thine enemies are subdued for thee,
And thou on their high places dost tread.’

Proverbs 14:19
The evil have bowed down before the good,
And the wicked at the gates of the righteous.

This was in the Old Testament, before the Advent of the Messiah.
Atheists cower, not Christians. Compared with those who are truly converted, however, these cowards will be a minority,[2] for genuine conversion is the Lord’s will[3] and His will shall be done.[4]
[2] Revelation 7:9; Matthew 8:11; Zephaniah 3:9; Acts 14:27; 15:9; Romans 11:12,25; 15:12; Ephesians 3:6; Matthew 13:32
[3] Psalm 17:1; 1 Timothy 1:5; 2:5
[4] Matthew 6:10; Isaiah 44:21-28; Malachi 1:11; Mark 10:42-45; Matthew 9:9-13.

This is why our goal is to serve God by observing His commandments, the standard of holiness and righteousness. It is by following in Christ’s footsteps that we fulfill the terms of the Covenant, and God brings peace.

Proverbs 16:7 When a man’s ways please the Lord, He maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.

Remission of Sins
Who are our “enemies?” How can we best be delivered from them?

“Enemies” are those who do not serve the Lord in holiness and righteousness. “Enemies” are those who are willing to use violence against us to get what they want. They are willing to steal and kill to advance their agenda. “Enemies” are socialists of every stripe.

On a deeper level, our enemies are our enemies because they are the enemies of God.

John 7:7
The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.

John 15:18
“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.

1 John 3:13
Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you.

If we reflect the Image of God, or are more and more achieving “the stature of Christ,” (Eph. 4:13), those who hate Christ will hate us.

But those who hate Christ hate everybody, not just Christians. Here’s why.

True peace in the deepest, spiritual sense, eternal peace, it should go without saying, is only a result of the justification which Christ secured on the Cross. Ultimately, horizontal peace between men can be built only on the vertical peace we must have with God.

Colossians 1:20-22
And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. {21} And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled {22} In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:

Those who do not have peace with God attempt to create peace in two ways:

• masochism, or self-atonement, punishing oneself for one’s sins, or
• sadism, trying to punish others to bring about a sense of atonement.

If everyone makes his neighbor a scapegoat for his own sins or for sin in general, you do not have a cooperative society. See the studies in R.J. Rushdoony, Politics of Guilt and Pity. The opening paragraph sums up a volume with many profound insights:

The fact of guilt is one of the major realities of man’s existence. Both personally and socially, it is a vast drain on human energies and a mainspring of human action.
The human race, in apostasy from God, is deeply involved in a rebellious claim to autonomy and in the guilt which follows that claim. As a result of this omnipresent sense of guilt, there is an omnipresent demand for justification. A sense of guilt leaves a man feeling like a leaky, sinking ship: the energies must all be resolved to the repair of that breach.

Social and cultural peace, harmony, and cooperation are rooted in (1) justification by imputed righteousness (2) the influence of God’s Law. Very few historical or sociological studies have been done to show the connection between evangelism and capitalism, between justification and social harmony. A Christian should have no doubt that capitalism arose in societies that had already dealt with the sin question: countries influenced by the Protestant Reformation and the Protestant Work Ethic. This question is not studied because of the myth of the “separation of church and state.” Modern scholarship wants to obliterate from the collective memory the fact that Western Civilization is Christian Civilization, and America in particular was a distinctly Christian nation. Let’s remind ourselves of this again with a paragraph from the Journals of the Continental Congress ––Saturday, November 1, 1777, pulled out at random from the website of the Library of Congress by searching for “Jesus Christ.”

The committee appointed to prepare a recommendation to these states, to set apart a day of thanksgiving, brought in a report; which was agreed to as follows:

Forasmuch as it is the indispensable duty of all men to adore the superintending providence of Almighty God; to acknowledge with gratitude their obligation to him for benefits received, and to implore such farther blessings as they stand in need of; and it having pleased him in his abundant mercy not only to continue to us the innumerable bounties of his common providence, but also to smile upon us in the prosecution of a just and necessary war, for the defence and establishment of our unalienable rights and liberties; particularly in that he hath been pleased in so great a measure to prosper the means used for the support of our troops and to crown our arms with most signal success: It is therefore recommended to the legislative or executive powers of these United States, to set apart Thursday, the eighteenth day of December next, for solemn thanksgiving and praise; that with one heart and one voice the good people may express the grateful feelings of their hearts, and consecrate themselves to the service of their divine benefactor; and that together with their sincere acknowledgments and offerings, they may join the penitent confession of their manifold sins, whereby they had forfeited every favour, and their humble and earnest supplication that it may please God, through the merits of Jesus Christ, mercifully to forgive and blot them out of remembrance; that it may please him graciously to afford his blessing on the governments of these states respectively, and prosper the public council of the whole; to inspire our commanders both by land and sea, and all under them, with that wisdom and fortitude which may render them fit instruments, under the providence of Almighty God, to secure for these United States the greatest of all human blessings, independence and peace; that it may please him to prosper the trade and manufactures of the people and the labour of the husbandman, that our land may yet yield its increase; to take schools and seminaries of education, so necessary for cultivating the principles of true liberty, virtue and piety, under his nurturing hand, and to prosper the means of religion for the promotion and enlargement of that kingdom which consisteth “in righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.” [Romans 14:17]

And it is further recommended, that servile labour, and such recreation as, though at other times innocent, may be unbecoming the purpose of this appointment, be omitted on so solemn an occasion.

Societies that lack this Christian perspective tend toward socialism, because they do not believe that Christ is our Deliverer, who brings comprehensive salvation. All of the promises made in the opening chapters of the Gospels on that first Christmas are promises of peace and freedom from violence and theft and are rooted in justification through Christ.

The transition from military socialism under Caesar to “Liberty Under God” (capitalism) is summarized in a verse from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians:

Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. (Ephesians 4:28)

It is not the way of vengeance and “military supremacy” that brings salvation from our enemies. It is the “Way of Peace” that Zacharias spoke of.

The Way of Peace
“Peace” is not a popular word in some circles today. To say you’re for “peace” is to risk being branded as a “hippie” or an impractical “pacifist.”

One of the most important issues we face today is the conflict between the Prince of Peace and “prophets” of Jihad. Christian capitalist nations are peaceful, Jihadist nations are arming for war. (Atheistic nations are socialist, and are selling arms to Islamic nations to raise the money needed to keep up with Christian capitalist nations.)

We need to saturate our minds with the Biblical imperative of peace. We need to become Biblical “peaceniks.” We live in a world where billions of dollars’ worth of arms trade hands every single day. That’s “billion” with a “B.” That’s every single day. There are two reasons for this (beyond the obvious fact that people aren’t reconciled to God). First, we don’t fully appreciate capitalism as “the way of peace.” We think socialism is OK to some degree. Second, we poo-poo peace as “unrealistic,” “impractical,” or “idealistic.” Nothing could more clearly prove how “impractical” and “unworkable” peace is than the figure of Jesus Christ. Unwilling to allow His disciples to exercise their Second Amendment rights (Matthew 26:52), He died on the Cross at a very young age, just as He was beginning to have some impact on society. What a waste.

We need to get all traces of that kind of thinking out of our minds. The New Testament tells us we are to follow in Christ’s steps (1 Peter 2:21). We can’t do that confidently if we think the world is right, that arms trades are right, and that peace is just a fantasy.

We do well to read a few verses on PEACE. The angels announced the ideal of “Peace on Earth” as the message of Christmas (Luke 2:14). We need to get used to it. We need to be willing to walk on “the path of peace,” as Zecharias prophesied. The paths of “peace” are the paths of “justice.” These verses create an unbridgeable gap between Christianity and false religions, and between Christianity and the religion of Secular Humanism (socialism).

Psalm 85:10-13
10 Mercy and truth have met together;
Righteousness and peace have kissed.
11 Truth shall spring out of the earth,
And righteousness shall look down from heaven.
12 Yes, the Lord will give what is good;
And our land will yield its increase.
13 Righteousness will go before Him,
And shall make His footsteps our pathway.

Proverbs 3:17
17 Her ways are ways of pleasantness,
And all her paths are peace.

Proverbs 8:20
20 I traverse the way of righteousness,
In the midst of the paths of justice,

Isaiah 48:17-18
17 Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer,
The Holy One of Israel:
“ I am the Lord your God,
Who teaches you to profit,
Who leads you by the way you should go.
18 Oh, that you had heeded My commandments!
Then your peace would have been like a river,
And your righteousness like the waves of the sea.

Isaiah 48:22
22 “There is no peace,” says the Lord, “for the wicked.”

Isaiah 57:19-21
19 “I create the fruit of the lips:
Peace, peace to him who is far off and to him who is near,”
Says the Lord,
“And I will heal him.”
20 But the wicked are like the troubled sea,
When it cannot rest,
Whose waters cast up mire and dirt.
21 “There is no peace,”
Says my God, “for the wicked.”

Isaiah 59:8
8 The way of peace they have not known,
And there is no justice in their ways;
They have made themselves crooked paths;
Whoever takes that way shall not know peace. quoted Romans 3:17

Jeremiah 6:16
16 Thus says the Lord:
“Stand in the ways and see,
And ask for the old paths, where the good way is,
And walk in it;
Then you will find rest for your souls.
But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’

Matthew 5:9
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

Luke 6:27-28
But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, {28} Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.

Luke 1:77-79
To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins, {78} Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us, {79} To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Luke 2:14
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Hebrews 12:14
Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:

1 Peter 3:9
Do not repay evil for evil or abuse for abuse; but, on the contrary, repay with a blessing. It is for this that you were called––that you might inherit a blessing.

1 Peter 2:21-23
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:

Romans 12:17-20
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 all men. {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 thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink:

Psalm 34:14
Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.

Psalm 35:20
For they do not speak peace, but they conceive deceitful words against those who are quiet in the land.

Psalm 37:11
But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

Psalm 37:37
Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace.

Psalm 72:7
In his days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth.

Psalm 85:10
Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.

Psalm 119:165
Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.

Psalm 120:2-7
Deliver my soul, O Lord, from lying lips, and from a deceitful tongue.{5} Woe is me, {6} My soul hath long dwelt with him that hateth peace. {7} I am for peace: but when I speak, they are for war.

Psalm 122:6-8
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee. {7} peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces. {8} For my brethren and companions' sakes, I will now say, peace be within thee.

Proverbs 3:17
The ways of Wisdom are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.

Proverbs 12:20
Deceit is in the heart of them that imagine evil: but to the counsellors of peace is joy.

Proverbs 16:7
When a man's ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.

Isaiah 9:6-7
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of peace. {7} Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

Isaiah 26:12
O Lord, you will ordain peace for us, for indeed, all that we have done, you have done for us.

Isaiah 32:17-18
And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever. {18} And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places;

Isaiah 48:22
There is no peace, saith the Lord, unto the wicked.

Isaiah 52:7
How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!

Isaiah 54:13
And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord;
and great shall be the peace of thy children.

Isaiah 55:12
For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

Ephesians 2:14-17
For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; {15} Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; {16} And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: {17} And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.

Isaiah 59:8
The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in their goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace.

Isaiah 60:17
For brass I will bring gold, and for iron I will bring silver, and for wood brass, and for stones iron: I will also make thy officers peace, and thine exactors righteousness.

Isaiah 66:12
For thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream: then shall ye suck, ye shall be borne upon her sides, and be dandled upon her knees.

Ezekiel 34:25
And I will make with them a covenant of peace

Ezekiel 37:26
Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore.

Daniel 4:1
Nebuchadnezzar the king, unto all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; peace be multiplied unto you.

Daniel 6:25
Then king Darius wrote unto all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; peace be multiplied unto you.

Nahum 1:15
Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace!
O Judah, keep thy solemn feasts, perform thy vows: for the wicked shall no more pass through thee; he is utterly cut off.

Haggai 2:9
The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the Lord of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the Lord
of hosts.

Zechariah 6:13
Even he shall build the temple of the Lord; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.

Zechariah 8:16
These are the things that ye shall do; Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates:

Zechariah 8:19
Thus saith the Lord of hosts; The fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall be to the house of Judah joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts; therefore love the truth and peace.

Zechariah 9:10
And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off: and he shall speak peace unto the heathen: and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth.

Malachi 2:5-6
My covenant was with him of life and peace; and I gave them to him for the fear wherewith he feared me, and was afraid before my name. {6} The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips: he walked with me in peace and equity, and did turn many away from iniquity.

Malachi 2:6
The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips: he walked with me in peace and equity, and did turn many away from iniquity.

Romans 1:7
To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 2:10
But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile:

Romans 3:10-18
As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: {11} There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. {12} They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. {13} Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: {14} Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: {15} Their feet are swift to shed blood: {16} Destruction and misery are in their ways: {17} And the way of peace have they not known: {18} There is no fear of God before their eyes.

Romans 8:6
For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

Romans 10:15
And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

Romans 14:17-19
For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. {18} For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men. {19} Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.

Romans 15:33
Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.

Romans 16:20
And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.

1 Corinthians 1:3
Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 14:33
For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.

2 Corinthians 1:2
Grace be to you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: {4} (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) {5} Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

2 Corinthians 13:11
Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind,live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.

Galatians 1:3
Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ,

Galatians 5:22
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

Galatians 6:16
And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.

Ephesians 1:2
Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 4:3
Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Ephesians 6:15
And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

Ephesians 6:23
peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Philippians 1:2
Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Philippians 4:9
Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.

Colossians 1:2
To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Colossians 1:20
And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

Colossians 3:15
And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.

1 Thessalonians 1:1
Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Thessalonians 5:23
And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Thessalonians 1:2
Grace unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Thessalonians 3:16
Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all.

1 Timothy 1:2
Unto Timothy, my own son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.

1 Timothy 2:2
For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.

2 Timothy 1:2
To Timothy, my dearly beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

2 Timothy 2:22
Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

Titus 1:4
To Titus, mine own son after the common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour.

Philemon 1:3
Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

James 3:17-18
But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. {18} And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.

Hebrews 13:20
Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,

1 Peter 1:2
Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.

1 Peter 3:11
Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.

1 Peter 5:14
Greet ye one another with a kiss of charity. Peace be with you all that are in Christ Jesus. Amen.

2 Peter 1:2
Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,

2 Peter 3:14
Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.

2 John 1:3
Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.

3 John 1:14
But I trust I shall shortly see thee, and we shall speak face to face. Peace be to thee. Our friends salute thee. Greet the friends by name.

Jude 1:2
Mercy unto you, and peace and love, be multiplied.

Revelation 1:4
John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;

What would the world think of us if we were more like the Bible in our thirst for peace?

The way of peace is the way of God’s Commandments. If we are unwilling to steal, even by majority vote, and unwilling to kill, even if ordered to by “the government,” we will be closer to the way of peace than most of the world.

It is the way of peace, not the way of vengeance or military occupation that has created the unimaginably high standard of living we enjoy today.

Capitalism is the way of peace.

That statement strikes most people as rather odd. Such people are not able to defend the peace and prosperity which has marked the shift from B.C. to A.D. People who don’t understand that Capitalism is the way of peace tend to often to be recruited by the forces of war, violence, vengeance and military coercion. They become the “enemies” from which Christ came to save us, according to Zacharias’ prophecy.

But horizontal peace, social peace, is not magically brought to us on a silver platter, poof!, there it is. This was the expectation of the religious leaders of Jesus' day, and the "rapture"-oriented televangelists of our day. The Bible says peace comes about after generations of evangelism and education in the “way of peace.” It comes about only when there are people who are continually raising the bar, bringing light into the darkness.

Tomorrow we will find out why capitalism is the way of peace.