The Brotherhood of Eternal Love

Do you know about the Brotherhood of Eternal Love? Maybe you do not, but you should. The Brotherhood of Eternal Love is a group of people who came together like a family. They were dedicated to one another, and they were united in their love for one another. These were people who believed in and were dedicated to principles of peace and love and mutual respect for each other.

If you have not heard of the Brotherhood, it's because the Brotherhood was crushed. The people of the Brotherhood left their homes, and they moved out into the wilderness, where they set up their own camps and communities. They lived and worked together, and they began to build a whole system and society based on these principles of love and peace and mutual respect, which they all agreed upon. They lived altruistically, and took care of each other. They were united in love and peace.

The Brotherhood was growing. It was growing fast. As more and more people heard about it, they visited. As more and more people visited, they stayed. As more and more and more people visited and stayed, they talked about it. As more and more people heard about it, the cycle continued, and the Brotherhood grew. It was beautiful, but it was crushed.

This is as it has always been, of course. The brotherhood was the manifestation, once again, of an ancient message. A message of peace and love. A message of unity, and peace among the peoples. A message about working together and taking care of each other. An ancient message.

There have, over the years, been many people who brought a message like this. There have been great leaders, spiritual men, prophets and messengers in every time and place who brought this kind of message. There have been many many people over the years bringing a message like that of the Brotherhood. It is always the same message, it is always a message of peace and love. Always, these people and their followers are persecuted and crushed. They are always beaten back. They must be beaten back.

If this kind of idea escaped, if enough people learned about it, if enough people truly understood it, it would be the end of the powers that be. The forces that rule the world have a lot to gain by keeping these kinds of ideas under wraps. They maintain control by keeping people poor, divided, and distracted. They maintain control by keeping people weak and dependent. They maintain control by keeping people uneducated and uninformed.

They divide the world up into manageable parts. They keep people from one area separated from people in other areas. They demonize the other. They divide up families into smaller and smaller units, and they crush any attempt that people make to unite. They want people divided and distracted and weak. This makes them easy to control.

But the Brotherhood of Eternal Love was uniting people together. The principles of Love and Peace unite people. Forgiveness unites people. Principles of selflessness unites people. If we are all taking care of each other, we are strong. So when these ideas arise among men, when people begin to unite together under a banner of peace and love, they get crushed.

Not any more. Not this time. Not forever. The time is now, oh people of earth, for us to wake up. It is time to wake up to the truth that we are all in this together. It is time to wake up to the truth that there are actual evil people who are ruling over us and controlling us. They are controlling us with fear and lies and distractions. They are keeping us locked in our minds. All we need to do is wake up to the truth.

There is an amazing truth that we have been missing. There is an amazing truth that has been trying to get out for thousands of years. If we will unite in love, if we are dedicated to peace, if we respect each other and care for each other, if we work hard to help each other, if we sacrifice to take care of each other, if we become a family, we become strong. Love is the truth. Peace is the truth. Love Unites and Peace Unites. United we stand, and divided we fall.

There is more. How can I say all these things, without bringing up the most important thing. These truths, they are the ultimate enlightenment. When enough of us understand these truths, then the world will be transformed from a place of darkness and violence, into a place of light and peace. This is the great journey of mankind. It is a journey from selfishness, violence, and foolishness, into selflessness, love, and wisdom.

Many thousands of years ago mankind was entirely selfish and violent. In those days people ruled over others entirely by violence. The strong ruled over the weak by force and threats of force. Men stole what they could. They tricked and lied and cheated whoever they could. There was no peace.

Then something beautiful began to happen. Some people appeared who taught about a better way to live. A way of cooperation and peace was introduced. They introduced rules that people could follow to live more happily and peacefully. They told people not to kill or steal or lie or cheat. They told people to be honest and upright. They told people to be fair and caring. They told people to love each other and forgive each other. They told people to take care of the sick and the poor. They told people to seek justice for widows and orphans. They told people that all this advice was given to them from God, and that they should be thankful to God. They told people that they should praise and worship God, above all else, because God had created them and God had given them life and children and friends and families.

This is the highest truth of all, so how can I leave it out? It is true, we can have peace on earth if we dedicate ourselves to principles of peace and love, but there is an even higher truth. We were taught about this by God, our amazing creator who made us and the whole world! How many years has God spent trying to get through to us? How patient has God been waiting for us to understand? God has been incredibly patient with us, and we owe him so much, more than words can even describe. He has slowly and carefully been sending us messengers and prophets and holy men over the centuries, renewing his message over and over and over again.

He sent one person here and another person there. To each people, to all the peoples on the planet, he has slowly been bringing people into a greater and greater understanding. He has been bringing light into the darkness. As light is to the eyes, so is wisdom to the mind. As light allows us to see the physical world more clearly, so that we can move about without falling, so wisdom allows us to understand the world more clearly, so that we can interact without falling. This is the light of God, which so many have preached, it is the wisdom that enlightens our minds. It is the wisdom of peace, the wisdom of love, the wisdom of truth.

So, those of us who see this truth, we are the lights of the earth. We are reflecting the light of truth and wisdom into the world. We are shining the holy light of God into the world, that the world may come out of darkness and into the light.

Thus, we are the Brotherhood of Eternal Love. We are the people of God. We are united in love. We love each other. We love the planet. We love peace. We are a great fellowship, a great family. And here's the best part, we are about to finally have our amazing moment. We are about to finally come together as a people. We are about to take our places on the earth, shining the way for all to see.

Oh how I look forward to finally meeting you. Please hear my call, and please join with me in these difficult times. More than ever we need unity and peace. More than ever the world is being divided by hatred and strife. Let us prepare to work together, to come together, that we might find some comfort and safety during these difficult times ahead.

These times will require you to do many things you haven't done before. Take a leap of faith. Pray to God and trust in God. God may be a new concept to you, but believe me, if you put your faith in God, and follow the principles of peace and love, an amazing peace unlike anything you have ever known will descend upon you. Your heart will be calm, and your thoughts will become still. If you listen carefully, if you listen to your heart, you will sense the Spirit leading you. You will know what to do, because God does not abandon his people. God is amazing and powerful. He will protect you. He will protect us.

God bless you, oh people of God. God bless you and help you during these difficult times. I look forward to meeting you. May peace be with you always. Amen.

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This article was originally published on Steemit.

You can find more writings by Edison Flame and follow his work using the handle @eddisonflame on Steemit.

The Dream of the City to Come: Do you not trust God?

Image from Great Bible Stories for Children (Regency Publishing House 1974)

When I was a toddler, my parents read me bedtime stories from a vividly illustrated Bible storybook called Great Bible Stories for Children (Regency Publishing House 1974). For some reason, my favorite, most requested Bible story was the one I referred to as "Bad Dream"— a nightmare of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon recorded in the book of Daniel, chapter 2.

Daniel delivers the interpretation of the dream to the king: 

In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. This is the meaning of the vision of the rock-cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands—a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold to pieces.

The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future. The dream is true and its interpretation is trustworthy.

Even though Daniel is a captive slave and his life is in jeopardy every time he talks to the ruler of the known world, he speaks from the perspective of a man who is in constant contact with Yahweh, the God of his youth and home culture. Daniel was able to spread the message of his God to the most powerful man on earth, and the message was this: human empires will come and go built on force and violence, coercion and oppression, but the Kingdom of Peace that God creates will destroy all the empires that came before it, and once it is established, it will last forever.

There are a few passages that are repeatedly used in defense of tyranny and oppression, and blaming God for it, but if one looks at the overarching narrative of scripture we see a distinct anti-empire message throughout.

The prophets of Israel spoke of a future liberator that God would send to free humanity from all forms of oppression, both spiritual and material. The Messiah, or Christ, was a promise the Hebrews took literally and awaited with fervent expectation the initiator of a new world order of peace. Isaiah writes of Christ:

"There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,

and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.

And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,

the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,

the Spirit of counsel and might,

the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.

He shall not judge by what his eyes see,

or decide disputes by what his ears hear,

but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,

and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;

and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,

and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.

Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist,

and faithfulness the belt of his loins.

The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,

and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat,

and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together;

and a little child shall lead them.

The cow and the bear shall graze;

their young shall lie down together;

and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra,

and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den.

They shall not hurt or destroy

in all my holy mountain;

for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord

as the waters cover the sea."

Isaiah 11:1-9

When Mary is told that she has been chosen to give birth to the Messiah, she is so excited she praises God for the liberation that she is being allowed to participate in. She prays:

My soul magnifies the Lord

And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior;

Because He has regarded the lowliness of His handmaid;

For behold, henceforth all generations shall call me blessed;

Because He who is mighty has done great things for me,

and holy is His name;

And His mercy is from generation to generation

on those who fear Him.

He has shown might with His arm,

He has scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart.

He has put down the mighty from their thrones,

and has exalted the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things,

and the rich He has sent away empty.

He has given help to Israel, his servant, mindful of His mercy

Even as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his posterity forever.

Luke 1:46-55

The hope that she placed in the God of her forefathers called for the end of oppression and tyranny on planet earth—a freedom that includes liberation from sin, death, hell, satan, and the empires of humankind. She read the prophets as a little girl and made their visions one with her mind and heart. Maybe this love for the promise of liberation and the Messiah is the reason God chose her to be Christ's mother?

Morgan Weistling - Kissing the Face of God

When Jesus was 30 years old, he spent 40 days in the wilderness fasting on water. At the end of it, the Devil appears to him in an attempt to recruit Jesus to Satan's side in rebellion against Jehovah. Satan takes Jesus to a high place where he can see all the kingdoms of the world and makes this offer: "All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only." (Mark 4:9-10)

Satan's ability to offer all the riches and power in the world could only mean one thing: that they belonged to him. In other places in scripture, Satan is referred to as "the God of this world" (2 Corinthians 4:4), and that "the whole world lies in the power of the evil one" (1 John 5:19). The knowledge of who Satan is makes the promise of a savior all the more appealing; if we are all born as serfs to an evil lord who wants to see us suffer and lies to us constantly, filling his domain with pain and violence, destruction, and rot, chaos, and confusion, who wouldn't want to be liberated? Jesus knew that he had come to bring the Good News of the Eternal Kingdom to the suffering, slavery, and misery of earthly kingdoms. He knew the Kingdom of God would one day have dominion over the whole Earth and all her people not by the idolatry of political power or devil-worship, but through the spirit of the Gospel.

When he was on trial to be crucified, Jesus told the Roman Governor of Jerusalem: "You say rightly that I am a King. For this reason I came into the world.... My Kingdom is not of this World. If it were, my servants would fight". To a Roman soldier/politician, getting crucified was the furthest thing from victory. Jesus saw the bigger picture- a spiritual reality that could not be defeated by death, nor could it be brought to reality through violent political and military force.

The Apostles state throughout their writings that God has exalted Jesus Christ above everyone and everything, giving him the title of "King of Kings and Lord of Lords" so that every living thing will recognize it and declare it. In Ephesians 1, Hebrews 2, and 1 Corinthians 15, Paul says that God has subjected everything under Christ's feet. in the Corinthians passage he points to the time prophesied by Daniel and Isaiah and others;

"Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For “God has put all things in subjection under his feet.”

For those of you who still think of God as "Sovereign," by which you mean everything is his fault, and for those of you who are angry at God for the pain and injustice in the world, I'm not sure you're paying attention to the power of the Gospel. All of our wars and illnesses, slavery and addiction, and even death itself are due to the rebellion of Satan against God's plan. His deception campaign to bring humanity down with him will continue until destruction of all life on earth is a real possibility, then God will intervene and put a stop to it. In 2 Thessalonians 2, Paul describes that point of intervention: 

"And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming". 

Human beings and their political leaders will choose deception, destruction, and death instead of peace and life, but God works patiently to save them, redeem them, free them, so that he might reconcile them to Himself and restore humanity, and all creation, to what He intended us to be.

People of every tribe and nation, speaking every language, will worship the One True God together. The current situation where other races and nations and languages are to be hated, feared, fought, and subjugated will not exist. This is a result of man's rebellion against God's plan-- a rejection of Christ's Kingdom.

From "A Bad Case of Stripes" by David Shannon. Sholastic Inc.

If we identify ourselves by nation-state or race or political party, pledging our allegiance to a nation and its flag, holding its military in worshipful regard, etc., we are telling Jesus that His Kingdom of Peace is not what we want. We do not want to be his family, the sheep of his pasture, his loyal servants. Instead, the message He receives is that we want war and oppression and for our little tribe to be top of the heap.

Nowhere does Jesus say: "I will establish a nation that will exceed all the other nations, they will be my people and I will make them powerful. They will crush all their enemies and get all the riches and I will bless them because they are the superior form of government". What He does say is he will destroy ALL human government and establish his own. If that is not exciting to you, do you know my Lord? If your god is the god of political empires, who is your god? Which side are you on?

"Here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come" Hebrews 13:14

God Weeps for His Church

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Biblical tradition has a way of hunting down and haunting the worst inclinations of people.  The prophets were bold enough to do this in real-time. Regardless of the character, biblical prophets gave necessary, albeit challenging, direction to God’s people.  Hosea, for example, went to such lengths to demonstrate God’s displeasure with Israel that he married a prostitute, “for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the Lord.” He then named their subsequent children for God’s anger – “I will break Israel’s bow in the Valley of Jezreel,” “No Mercy,” and “Not my People.” Hosea goes on to conduct divorce proceedings with Israel on behalf of God, speaking to their idolatry, insolence, and deference to kings in place of the Lord, before God offers forgiveness for repentance.

Now, I'm no prophet.  I don't claim to have a word from God burning within me to reconcile His people to Him.  What I do have, like the prophets of old, is a hard word for American Christians. For too long, the Church - the body of Christ - has clung to ‘Ol’ Glory’ and the tenets of particular political parties instead of Christ Himself.  I find myself included in this group more often than I care to admit. 

In a political climate where ripping paper and shirking handshakes are business as usual, divisiveness and persuasion-polarization are nearing a fever pitch.  That's not to say this is the worst these United States have seen; we killed half a million of each other in a so-called "civil" war, we shot fire hoses and sent dogs on protestors for equity, we've survived the Great Depression and the Great Recession, 9/11, and the wars of Communist Containment and the Global War on Terror.  

Today, though, the discourse has shifted.  We aren't arguing ideologies; we're battling neighbor against neighbor over practically anything.  These aren't ethereal principles being advanced squarely in the political arena; this is the Colosseum with a line in the sand.  We want ever-more extravagant theatrics in place of debate, and we're all told to pick a side. This is progressivism in contemporary terms.  Every facet of life is political because every facet of life is due for examination with a federal lens. It is our duty as Christians to not only resist this basest urge but to divorce ourselves completely from it.  

Based on the latest Pew data, American Evangelicals and Mormons have an empirically Republican bent, while historically black Protestant churches are reliably Democrat supporters.  Both camps of political Christians have been resounding supporters of their most recent presidents, Donald Trump, and Barack Obama, respectively. Each report "ascribing a high-level of importance to their personal faith and say they participate in religious activities," yet the question is, 'where are the fruits?'

It doesn’t take a lot of time on the internet to find behaviors, statements, and policies from both parties and presidents that poorly represent Christ or make the country less safe for faith adherents.  To name a few:

• The bipartisan support of the federal domestic spying program.

• The seemingly never-ending wars of the Middle East.

• CIA torture program.

• The ever-growing list of governmental powers and its associated bloated budget. 

• The rampant and grisly drone program known world-wide for targeting weddings, funerals, and school buses full of children.

Many of the worst aspects of the American government are common ground for the political class.  Yet Christ-followers are not flooding the streets or rebuking these policies in any meaningful way.  Institutionally, the Church remains silent on much of this, instead choosing only to affirm social issues they deem worthy.

Instead, conservative Christians attempt to justify war crimes, the pardoning of war criminals, torture, despotic immigration measures, and a record-setting military budget on Christian grounds.  Conversely, liberal Christians can be found publicly supporting abortion, questions on marriage and ‘social justice,’ and turning a blind eye to the same foreign policy atrocities as their counterparts. 

This phenomenon isn't just misguided theology.  It is the worst aspect of an increasingly partisan and growing state apparatus that intrudes upon all aspects of life and therefore necessitates picking a political team. Some refer to it as mere tribalism, that peoples' tendency to organize along "in-group" lines manifests in such ugly ways.  Christians, though, should see the political process for what it is in our terms: idolatry. 

Throughout Hosea – and within the rest of the prophetic and historical books of the Bible, beginning in 1 Samuel 8 – God's anger is directed at this very inclination in His people.  The Israelite's belief in man-made social organization, be it rulers or erudite policymaking, to usher in God's will for them was a great offense to God. It was hubris to think kings could establish a utopian vision of peaceful coexistence in love-filled communities while subduing the earth.   But it wasn’t only pride, rather, a direct repudiation of God’s order. Creation wasn't to hand the reins of control to man, but rather an invitation to ride along in the cart while God led the way. 

Historically, liberal Christians, particularly those in the black community, are motivated by injustice when picking political sides.  Yet injustice continues, even within the ranks of the Democratic party, it is often perpetrated directly upon the poor and minority communities they claim to support.  Abortions, draconian laws, the separating of families for non-violent crimes, oppressive police states, and hefty tax burdens are all foisted upon these folks by the very representatives they vote into office.

On the other hand, conservatives have tended toward traditional means of governance, including ‘original intent’ within Constitutional ‘exegesis,’ to preserve the liberty to worship and the values of Christianity.  Yet, the blood of innocence cries out from the earth, spilled from regulators and warmongers lurking in DC these very Christians are frothing to support. The Christian Evangelical movement is wholly distorted by red-faced bluster about patriotism and ‘walking with a big stick,’ moot principles for those meant to inherit this earth.  

As flags were unfurled and hearts were covered, American Christians should have been the first to take a knee.  Not for one particular issue, but for the glory of God. There is no functional difference between the statue of Nebuchadnezzar and the monuments American's hold dear.  The worship of the golden calf and the obsequious praise of the stars and stripes are one and the same. What’s worse, Christ-followers aren’t being threatened with the lion’s den, but worship stone and paper joyfully.

Brothers and sisters, resist the urge to venerate troops or the framed-faces of presidents adorning our walls.  Sing your songs not to cloth and stone but to God’s glory, and refuse to pledge your allegiance to any king but Christ. For we are called to be set apart from unbelievers for God’s sake, not to be unrecognizable in the crowd of faces seeking man’s direction.

Contributors

John Dangelo is a Christian, husband, father and full-time emergency room nurse.  As a former Marine Corps veteran, John writes about the relationship of Christians and the state, foreign policy, and has been featured with antiwar.com.  You can follow his blog and Instagram at antiwarwarvet.com and @antiwarwarvet.