The Final American Revolution

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newjerusalemtimes's picture

Yeah, I watched this after a FB friend posted it, as it was topic before Kokesh was to lead an armed march/protest on the District of Columbia, and I recently included these comments on that FB thread:

Christian Livingstone: OK, I'm watching this one now Pippi, as you know that I was suggesting beforehand that Kokesh was making a weak case for arguing 2nd Ammendment rights in the District of Columbia, since the US Constitution doesn't technically or legally apply there.

Sure, Natural or Common Law suggests that where there is no victim (including property damage), there is no crime. But, cops will say that Common Law doesn't exist anymore, and I've even asked them, "Why did you swear an oath to uphold it then?" Since they swear to uphold the US Constitution which mentions Common Law two or three times, and includes no Ammendment to abolish it for US purposes.

Of course, the US Constitution is an arbitrary edict by a handful of long-dead Statist Idolators, but it's good to know an opponents frame of reference, especially if it's an organization of people with a history of using force, violence, extortion, and mass murder.

I don't say these things to poke fun a Kokesh, as I was once a zealous, and still am, but not so naive, person in the battle against the State over the Property Tax Issue, in which I chose to be arrested and jailed three times after the initial raid and ejection of several of us on the Embassy of Heaven property in Jan. 1997.

But, as a Christian Anarchist, I was willing to fight a losing battle, in which I could have of evaded each arrest. And I don't recommend that an activist or martyr whine or complain about fairly poor, but typical treatment by jail staff.

Of course, like the Vietnamese people, who lost virtually every battle against a hostile, imperial invasion and occupation by the US Government Organization, which had a history of dropping nuclear bombs on defenseless Orientals who were currently suing for peace, still, the Vietnamese People won that carnal War!

Jim Davies's picture

Very interesting comment. I see that the Kingdom of Heaven maintained its property was a nation separate from the USA; by what reasoning did Pastor Revere support that claim?
 
The contrary FedGov position would be that King George claimed it with the stroke of a pen and subsequently by force of arms, then those successors defeated his at Yorktown and subsequently granted statehood to Oregon, out of the goodness of their hearts. If that's so, then the Kingdom must either have negotiated its acquisition in some contract of transfer, or expelled the State's agents by force... or what?
 
 
 

newjerusalemtimes's picture

Thanks for the feedback, Jim. I’ve seen and found many of your STR articles interesting, too.

Well, the Embassy of Heaven grounds were considered to be, by Revere and others, to be an embassy of ecclesiastical nature, not the Nation or Christ’s Kingdom, itself. But, I suppose it was hoped that the Embassy of Heaven grounds would be considered to be a portion of the “home country, Heaven” with a boundary at the property line, like is the worldly diplomatic custom amongst hostile nation-states. Interestingly, Revere didn’t think a raid was really coming, as Marion County "officials" had been threatening to do. But I was sure it was going to happen. So, it wasn't a battle against US/FedGov, per se.

Besides, FedGov and the District of Columbia didn't exist when the Peace Treaty of Paris (1783) was done, in which George III recognized the 13 former colonies to each be free and independent states, i.e., The United States Federal Government as a 14th Government didn’t exist. So, the Several States organizations are the ones claiming some sovereign right to impose a property tax on private homes or other lands, mostly through their political subdivisions or franchises (Counties). I believe the area known as Alaska still has no State-imposed property taxes in most parts of it, though.

You may have implied that since the political fiction known as “Oregon” was admitted into the Union after the US Government’s formation, that it has a lower status than the original 13 States, which through their representatives created the US Government/State itself. But that doesn’t really follow, as the admitting document states that new States are on “equal footing” with the original 13 in a legal or contractual sense. But, maybe though intimidation, later States do have a lower perceived status in the so-called eyes of Washington DC controllers. I mean, the area of Nevada is about 85% BLM-controlled land. Either way, the Embassy of Heaven grounds were seized and auctioned off by the Country, for a failure to pay about $16,000 in “back taxes”, in which the County sold the property for around $120,000, and kept all of the proceeds.

Regardless, much like worldly embassies and government ministries do, Heaven Passports, Heaven Driver Licenses, Vehicle Plates were produced and distributed from the grounds. And those things are still being produced. But this activity was certainly never welcomed by the State, even though the US FedGov had decided that a guy named Fox, I believe, who produced the first Church or Kingdom Passports was not involved in counterfeiting State documents. I’ve carried a Heaven Passport and DL since 1996, having renounced all former State documents, allegiances, vested PERS or other benefits, and even a State-incorporated name, all of which have remained in a status of what might approximate a Civil Death. Of course, Church ID is rarely accepted by hostile State enforcers an par as they do with State documents, even State documents from other continents, as the State is still everywhere hostile to Christ, His jurisdiction, and His Body of believers.

Of course, for us, carrying our own documents is not a hostile requirement like it is for State Residents, but are rather a witnessing tools about Christ’s Kingdom and jurisdiction as a present reality. We are ambassadors and representatives of Heaven, which is, of course, a spiritual dimension that we believe can be manifested “on Earth, as it (apparently) is in Heaven”, when people voluntarily exit hostile worldly systems and enter into their non-hostile position within Christ’s Kingdom, on Earth, which can undoubtedly include things like functioning as a plumber, too.

Revere might not agree that my perception of his position at the time was spot-on, but I was there, and lived with the Reveres for about 18 months throughout the period, before, during, and after the property battle and physical expulsion of us from the Embassy grounds, which was prompted by Marion County, Oregon attorneys. So, the Embassy of Heaven’s position and most associated people associated with it was rooted in Bible Scripture, in Medieval concepts about ecclesiastical jurisdiction, maybe some ideas about Natural Law, Common Law, and just plain Reason, with a logic or justification that burden of proof is on the State to first prove an obligation to pay it a tax on Church property or its functions, since the State is the moving or hostile party in its demand against Church officeholders, who are distinctly separate from State officeholders, citizens, and residents.

This was the basic “reasoning” or “support” of Revere’s claim, Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction. This is still somewhat of a precedent in portions of Europe and Asia, I think, but was probably lost here in North America when most churches and those people on their church rolls became State-corporations and also US federally-regulated IRS 501 (c) 3 organizations. This was also about the time that the States started issuing Marriage Licenses, Birth Certificates, Permission To Travel Licenses, Nation-State Passports, and also imposing a horde of new direct and indirect taxes (property taxes, sales taxes, labor taxes).

Of course, the Embassy/Church position is also that we pay for what we actually use. So, placing any children in a collectivized Public School (financed by extorted property taxes) while making an assertion of being excluded or exempt from property taxes that pay for those communized institutions would be hypocritical.

And so, Revere had a long-standing battle, via exchanges and written correspondence with the personnel of the Marion County Tax Assessor/Collector. He informed them repeatedly over some years that the property was thereby transferred out of his personal possession, though he’d still perform his ministerial office, produce ecclesiastical tracts and other documents, hold gatherings, perform baptisms (I was baptized there), hold annual retreats, and other functions, much like all of the other “State-incorporated churches” would do and which were granted property tax “exemptions” by that political subdivision of their State.

But Embassy of Heaven was not State-incorporated, i.e., Caesar is NOT Lord over the Earth or The Body of Christ, and preached as much in writing, in verbal speeches, at Expos, etc. And, this was still in the time of the Patriot Movement, Common Law Jural Society’s, and Militia Movement. Embassy was clearly identified as "anti-government, although we certainly espoused the non-hostile government of Christ's Kingdom. But it followed, logically, from a Statist point of view that the State/County would certainly crush the Embassy of Heaven ministry, as harmless and small as it was, when it became practical for them to do so, as the Branch Davidian compound at Waco was snuffed out by the US BATF/FBI jus a few years earlier over a pretext of firearm technicalities.

Now, the Embassy/Revere position may sound like mere semantics, but it was one of being “excluded” from taxation rather than being “exempted” from property taxes due to the higher authority of God and Christ being the Creator of “all things” (John, 1, Col. 1, Heb. 1), and having had Christ call out His Ecclesia/The Body of Christ from the rest of His Creation for His own purposes, at His Great Commission statement, and elsewhere.

So, again, the Embassy position, or the Historic Ecclesiastical position, or the Biblical position, or my position, is about authority; where it comes from, how is it exercised, who has it, how did they get it, what if any obligation is there to hostile dictators and extortion schemes, etc.

Of course, for The Body of Christ, we cannot rightly serve two master, i.e. Caesar vs Christ. For us, Christ is the non-hostile King, right now, and not just in Heaven. As He said:

“All authority (“polituma”, which is the same Greek word as at Romans 13) is given unto Me in Heaven AND ON EARTH earth. Go therefore, teach all peoples (not nations, which if translated as such seems a tacit endorsement of same)…” Matt. 28:18

So, if State-incorporated churchgoing Christians really believe the New Testaments writings, which I think contain a good record of Christ’s teachings that testify to a proposed fact He has “all authority” upon the Earth for those who believe, how is it that they’ll also agree with a bunch of dead guys who stated that the organization that they proposed is “the supreme law of the land”? Or, how can a pervert like Nero Caesar have any authority from God, when the Bible tells us that Christ has ALL of the legitimate political authority on Earth? Obviously Nero, George III, Bush, Obama, et al are all tyrants without any ordination from God, only fitting condemnation.

And that’s a large part of the evangelizing mission of the Embassy of Heaven AND THE BODY OF CHRIST AT LARGE, to exhort people who are in spiritual Darkness and who are committing spiritual high treason against the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. But, don’t worry, Christ doesn’t want to chop their heads off like an earthly ruler or hostile potentate undoubtedly would. And while exhorting them, we also share with them them the Good News, that Christ’s Kingdom is a present reality, as an alternative to the World Systems, for those who believe, and are willing to suffer some persecution from interloping carnal rulers and their extortion-funded employees.

Like Christ said, about His Kingdom, versus Worldly Kingdoms:

“The kings of the Gentiles EXERCISE lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are CALLED benefactors. But it shall not be so among you…” Luke 22:25 & 26

The Disciples were pretty slow, until after the Resurrection, and Christ obviously thought that their statist minds needed to hear the obvious truth about how the State was a SHAKEDOWN and a SCAM, and how He didn’t want them to carry out their offices in His Kingdom using the same tactics of FORCE and EXTORTION while making a false claim that it is being done in their own interests.

Now, Jim, you seem to believe that jurisdiction can only be derived by FORCE or by PERMISSION/CONTRACT from hostile earthly rulers, or that you are asking a really great question at the same time, as you say, “If that's so, then the Kingdom must either have negotiated its acquisition in some contract of transfer, or expelled the State's agents by force... or what?”

I’m suggesting that Christ is the Supreme Authority on Earth, not only because He was none other than the pre-incarnate Creator, but also by by His superior example as a Man, at the Incarnation and throughout His Ministry.

I’m suggesting that those that following Him and His teachings, by first repenting of their sins and renouncing their idolatry to Hostile World Systems, are then delegated some of His authority, not to rule over or exercise lordship on others, but to demonstrate a superior example, like Christ Himself did.

I’m suggesting that that the interlopers (the State) ACQUIRED their position and authority illegitimately, by force, and some fallacy about a divine right of kings, much in the same way the early Israelites who had been enjoying a 400+ year period of theocratic anarchy, which God was quite happy with, but who then sought after an earthly king to rule over them “like the others kingdoms” around the landscape. Of course, God warned them, through Samuel the prophet, about what would happen. Of course, God let them have their way, and all of the statist calamities and heavy taxations that God warned them about did happen quite quickly, and the Congregation of Israel also soon split up, only to then joined with former enemies, to oppose their own kinsmen.

I’m also suggesting that The Body of Christ ACQUIRED a somewhat recognized status and “exclusion” from property taxes by the INTERLOPERS (Caesar and the State), not by “negotiation” with the interlopers, nor by a flimsy paper contract, nor by carnal battles, but by the very act of SEPARATION from the State. That’s the secret, stupid-simple weapon that the early Church had wielded against a hostile and militaristic Roman Empire, maybe without fully comprehending it. And they took their knocks from the State, just like others did, and still do today. But the Christians then, and those today too, weren’t traumatized by the State, largely speaking. They knew the nature of the Beast. They counted the cost. Most of them were poor, but many knew they would be sacrificing positions, careers, or even their own lives if they dared to refuse to bow to Caesar and his image, and instead confess openly that “Jesus Christ is Lord” and not Caesar.

I’m further suggesting that, previous to the the Edict of Milan, in 312 A.D., which “legalized” Christianity and invited “The Church” to become a State Corporation, with Caesar Constantine presiding over future Church Councils, that The Body of Christ had nearly destroyed the foundation of the Roman Empire, without violence, by NOT mingling itself with the State nor fighting its battles nor holding offices in the State. But Constantine was a saavy guy, who feigned being a Christian as he coaxed the Church into an elevated and incorporated position of the State, thereby causing most of the Church of that time and place to lose its birthright in Christ’s Kingdom. And, much like the ancient Israelites, the Church (excepting pockets or remnants of Christian groups) was quickly corrupted and began using it’s elevated State position to direct the same State Power and persecution than had been directed at them for about 250 years, at others who refused to be “Christianized”.

You see, the State needed bodies for taxes and for soldiers, and the Christians weren’t going for that, for about 250 years. But, at about the same time as the State recognized The Church, The Church then recognized The State, and even mingled itself into the State. And, like I suggested, it was a grotesque thing to behold, historically and spiritually speaking. So, much like ancient Jerusalem, carnally speaking at 70 AD, and the State-incorporated churches today, spiritually and functionally speaking, both have “rode a Beast” to their own destruction.

However, it seems that the English Book of Doom concept of property taxes didn’t exist in North America until more recently, so since the American States hadn’t started taxing private property/land in early Anglo-America, there was had no BASIS or precedence of taxing any church property or the property of its members, either. There is still no State “reasoning”, rationale, or basis that I’ve ever heard articulated for why or how the State authorized itself in holding the homes of people hostage with a demand of a ransom in property taxes. I mean, I think in the Texas constitution it mentions property taxes as being “donations”, as if they are voluntary. Of course, try not to volunteer, and you;ll undoubtedly see what a failure to “donate” to the State can do.

So, early American churches or those on the Church Roll didn’t need to incorporate to to be excluded or exempted. And churches didn’t become State-incorporated until fairly recently, anyway. Roman Catholic parishes started to be so in the 1950s, I think. (But, anyone, feel free to chime in on some of these finer points, as I’m not a real estate or historical expert.)

Also, most any State has no demand that a Church must be a State corporation, as it claims to leave establishments of Religion alone (so long as they pay and collect taxes). I’m pretty sure that most American States have no specific requirement that a Church must be a State corporation in order to be excluded or exempted from property taxation, either. But in practice, nearly all church-like properties that are not taxed are non-profit corporations, and there are State forms to “apply” for an exemption, either, as if the State was the rightful owner of the planet it might then be able to be disputed. But, of course, the Revere/Embassy of Heaven only “informed” the County of its changed status and new function, repeatedly. And it seems that nearly all hostile State organizations do expect any group to be State-incorporated before any exemption is granted, even if it is not required. So, again, it’s just a matter of the State officeholders EXERCISING lordship however they want, because they can by virtue of the fact that they feel secure in having a superior force to use, against you, and me.

Interestingly, the State of Virginia organization does not allow churches to incorporate UNDER the State of Virginia, as it seems to recognize (or somebody 200 years ago did) that for a church to a be State-incorporated would be a conflict of interest for the Church, at the least. Imagine that, the Virginia State, at some point knew better than the Church itself what was good for churches. And the Virginia State was actually morse spiritually intuitive than the churchgoers of today, as nowadays, nearly all of the “churches” there apparently are often lobbying the Virginia State to allow them to become a State corporation, too, “like all of the other State-incorporated churches” around the landscape.

I have heard of one Christian-family ministry that would not become a State corporation in order to be excluded or exempted from Missouri State property taxes, but did somehow achieve that goal. Sadly, I recall that it was a Christian Identity type ministry or family property, which is rooted in White racism, just like genetic and geographic Zionism is rooted in Jewish racism.

But, again, the presumption of the State in most areas seems to be that to be exempt for property taxes, a religious organization (church), hospital, sports organization, Wiccan coven, Masonic Lodge, Trade Guild, and others not-for-profit groups, that they must first form as a non-profit State corporation, via Articles of Incorporation or Articles of Unincorporated Association (a rose by any other name…) under the State, usually with an expressed statement or agreement of obedience to the State, its current laws, policy, and future policy or laws (even without knowing what they might become). And the State grants these exemptions from taxes to OBEDIENT organizations within The Body of the State to further the health of the Body of the State, much as a Parasite seeks to keep its Host’s depressed health from dropping off too much, too soon.

So, much in the same manner that Caesar Constantine lured a persecuted Body of Christ into serving and preserving the State and Roman Empire from collapse, the State and its churches are the same today.

That cycle is not much different from that of early American revolutionary fighters against the State of their day, who carnally fought off the British Central Power over them, only to later be duped into accepting a new Central Power over them, headquartered, not in London, but instead in a new District of Columbia, created by land donations from Maryland and Virginia State organizations.

Of course, I’m not arguing for “States rights”, as smaller States without any federal overlay can be just a tyrannical as other statist examples of illegitimate lordship, control, and extortion from others. But, less is more, so to speak. And if the US Government were to suddenly dissolve or be made obsolete, that would be a good thing for most people on the North American continent and around the globe.

But I think Kokesh is pretty naive to run for US president, so as to abolish the US Government. I appreciate his wanting to do something that has more seeming immediacy in reducing State coercion, but also think Molyneux’s fostering the next generation with better pedagogy can help a lot, now and in the future, too. A multi-pronged effort by true liberty loving groups may finally cause the current status quo to be recognized as illegitimate and terribly destructive to the creative and brotherly human Spirit that resides within humanity. Positive change and State withdrawal or shrinkage is certainly a possibility. And that would be nice for most everybody. But, for the Body of Christ right now, a little less idolatry, or even 50% less idolatry is not a solution. But I’m not the Holy Spirit, and God leads people out of idolatry at different speeds, undoubtedly.

I was never perfectly happy with the Embassy of Heaven so-called “stand” that if it looked like a church, acted like a church, and talked like a church, that it might be recognized as being excluded from property taxes like the other (State-incorporated) churches. And I recommend that any ecclesiastical group or church congregation that is now forming somehow, that it forgoes any talk of State-incorporation and also NOT seeking to get a piece of “church property” off the County tax roll, and instead just use a borrowed or rented space, without any debts or mortgages incurred, either, so as to direct or search for more Church solutions in the area of ecclesiastical Labor, outside of the purview of the State, where that’s still possible.

As far as the Bible and I are concerned, The Body of Christ is the whole body of believers, apart from The Body of the State, and not just its the priests and pastors, i.e., there’s no upper class in God’s Kingdom, or in the words of the Master, the least are the greatest. So, a property tax exemption granted to only a tiny strata of the Church is hypocrisy and a sell-out. I mean, is it any wonder that State-incorporated churches don’t preach against the evils of a State-imposed property tax? No, of course not, because they get the exemption, so long as they keep their big, fat mouths shut about the State extortion scheme and other crimes. So, Revere was pretty naive to think that he might be excluded from property taxation on the property that he paid for as an individual and then began a ministry that was anti-statist to the core. Maybe I was too, to a lessor degree, was naive. But at the time I figured that if a non-State-incorporated Church property can set a precedence, then maybe others could follow, including the members own home properties that might be recorded on a Church Roll somewhere, and whose lives were not entangled in Statist citizenship and residency enrollment. Silly, I know, as the freedoms surrendered to a State are virtually never returned. And so we’ll all probably have to see the State destroy or exhaust the the Great Herd of the populous, or see the populous rebel in a violent way against the parasitic predations of the State.

To me, again, now, all property is morally exempt or excluded from State taxes (not just for Christians or churches), unless one receives some benefits from a hostile State, like enrolling their children into communized Public Education Systems, which the property tax funds. But the State operators will never admit that it has an extortion racket that it just doesn’t want to give up, and will almost never allow a few to escape the taxes without something in return, as that would undoubtedly cause a great flood of people escaping the extortion racket, and then all of the County employees would have to look for honest work if they wanted to live, or else go somewhere else to find similar dishonest work where people were not free from their “services” and extortion.

The time may be coming around again, though, for the current State Systems of the West to suddenly collapse in their current form, much like the Soviet Union did in 1989, or much like the US Military did in Vietnam, when it fled Saigon in 1975, seemingly defeated by a bunch of poor, yet fierce people living in caves, whose generals constantly thought they were on the brink of losing their carnal war against the US invasion and occupation. But then it happened, and most everybody was surprised by it.

But, if a time like that comes for the Western World soon, and there is a political or spiritual void left to be filled, it might be filled by something just as idolatrous and tyrannical as the previous order, which will keep the statist idolatry cycle going for another time around. Maybe this is part of the speciel mind within humanity, like a fallen nature, not inherent within every individual by nature, but as a collective tendency toward statist idolatry. And maybe it is also part of God’s design that every generation deserves to learn these important lessons for itself (not necessarily the individuals), real good and hard, since IT didn’t seem to take notes from the Old Testament writings, the teaching of Christ Jesus our Lord, or even from a World History filled with examples of tyranny and human suffering committed by those operating Nation-State organizations. So, I really don’t expect all of Humanity to ever embrace Christ’s Kingdom, Voluntaryism, Freedom and Non-Aggression as a way of life that covers the Earth for all future generations. But, I do support the efforts and sentiments of those who do work towards that end. I promote all of those things, too, nonetheless.

And, as a members of the Body of Christ, we have problems that are not all the same ones as those captured by or coerced into The Body of the State. I mean, sure the State property tax issue, the State direct-tax on Labor issue, and the State travel registration issue may coincide with most libertarians and generic anarchists. But, for The Body of Christ there is no earthly SOLUTION regarding these issues, at it doesn't consider selling its birthright for a mess of pottage as a fitting solution, not does it see violent overthrow as a fitting methodology.

So, it’s a matter of LORDSHIP. And as long as we’re a obedient to Christ, who is our King and Creator, by keeping as SEPARATE as we know how from the Rule of Satan and all of his so-called works (the State extortion and bondage system, but not only just from the evils of the State) then the problem of how the State is treating us so badly as we are busy serving God, is God’s problem to solve. In the meanwhile, our Founding Fathers are Christ and the Apostles. We belong to ANOTHER, and his name is NOT Caesar or the STATE. Sure, we look forward to seeing evil thwarted, just like any Anti-Statists do, but our Kingdom, however small, is among us, right now, even if nobody else recognizes it. We accept that citizenship in our Kingdom comes with persecution. We have things in common with those in the Liberty Movement, like preferring autonomy from the State and carnal rulers. But we do have a ruler, a heavenly One, who gently guides us in our ways and in our conscience. And if we get too far out of His Way, there is only one radical method of correction in the earthly sphere that that is employed, without violence, by fellow believers, and only after a personal reconciliation is sought by the injured party, but then:

“And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.” Matt. 18:17

So, in one sense, The Body of the State does provide The Body of Christ a valuable service, indirectly, by preparing or having ready a hostile Worldly Order to send our unruly brothers or sisters into, until they come to their spiritual senses once more.

Gee, I’ve gone on way longer than I first thought that I might have. Please forgive any redundancies or obvious errors, as I want to get this out to you quickly, while it's still a bit fresh in the STR forum. And, thanks for asking, Jim. I hope I’ve responded to your inquiry in way that answers it or helps it along. I haven’t talked about this stuff at this length in a long time. A dozen or more years ago I did produce a newsletter for a while on these topics, called New Jerusalem Times, and kept a website by that name, but now l’ll just post some videos on a YouTube channel by the same name, of stuff that is a little more personal in nature.

Maybe we can chat again, as I’ll watch for new articles by you here in the future.

Peace be with you,
Christian Livingstone