You are probably familiar with the story in the Babylonian Talmud (Yoma 39b), where four extraordinary signs are listed as having begun 40 years before the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. The lot for the Lord ceased coming up in the high priest's right hand; the scarlet thread associated with the scapegoat no longer turned white; the western lamp of the Temple no longer burned continually; and the doors of the Temple began opening by themselves. This was brought about by Christ's death and resurrection. The Old Covenant waxed old (Hebrews 8:13) before it was brought an end to by Titus and his Roman soldiers. What is lesser known, however, is what was happening in the Gentile world. For centuries, the pagan nations had consulted oracles: supposedly supernatural voices that communicated through priests and priestesses at temples dedicated to Apollo and other false gods. Demonic power seemed to reign supreme. Kings consulted these oracles before going to war, cities sought their guidance in times of calamity, and the common people lived in fear of their pronouncements. Yet now the ancient oracles began falling silent. The Roman writer Cicero openly questioned why the famous oracle at Delphi had ceased delivering its former prophecies. The Greek geographer Strabo likewise observed that the once-celebrated oracle of Ammon had become almost deserted. Plutarch, himself a pagan Greek philosopher and priest at Delphi, devoted an entire treatise to this extraordinary phenomenon, entitled On the Cessation of Oracles (Περὶ τῶν ἐκλελοιπότων χρηστηρίων). He observed that places once renowned for their supernatural pronouncements had become utterly silent. In some regions, nearly every oracle had disappeared. The pagans were perplexed, and various explanations were proposed for this remarkable decline. But perhaps the most astonishing account preserved by Plutarch concerns an event during the reign of Emperor Tiberius—the very emperor under whom our Lord Jesus Christ was crucified. A ship was sailing through the Mediterranean when, near the island of Paxi, a mysterious voice called out to an Egyptian pilot named Thamus. After calling him three times, the voice commanded: “When you come to Palodes, announce that Great Pan is dead.” Pan was one of the deities worshiped by the ancient Greeks. The passengers were terrified; Thamus nevertheless resolved to deliver the message if the sea remained calm. When the ship approached Palodes, he turned toward the shore and cried out: “GREAT PAN IS DEAD!” Plutarch records a tremendous groaning was heard, not from one voice, but from many, accompanied by cries of astonishment. When Emperor Tiberius heard about this in Rome, he ordered an investigation into the matter. This matters theologically, of course. The prophets had expressly foretold that the coming of the Messiah would bring about the overthrow of idolatry. Isaiah 2:18 declares: “And the idols he shall utterly abolish.” And Zechariah 13:2: “I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered.” Throughout His earthly ministry, Jesus Christ demonstrated His absolute authority over the powers of darkness. The demons trembled at His presence, confessed His divine identity, and obeyed His commands. But His victory did not end at Jerusalem; it went beyond Judaea and Samaria to the ends of the earth. Following His death, resurrection, and ascension, the Gospel began spreading throughout the nations. The strongholds of pagan superstition were shaken. Ancient temples were deserted. The worship of idols was overthrown, and those who had formerly lived in darkness were brought to the knowledge of the true and living God. In the Jewish world, the signs of the Temple were changing. In the Gentile world, the ancient oracles were being silenced. The pagan philosophers recognized that something extraordinary was happening, but they could not explain its true cause. By God's grace however, we Christians can. The crucified and risen Christ had triumphed over the principalities and powers of darkness. The nations that had so long been held captive by idolatry were now being summoned to worship the Son of God. As we read in Psalm 2:8: “Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.” The coming of Jesus Christ marked the beginning of the overthrow of paganism and the gathering of the Gentile nations into His kingdom. The oracles of the false gods fell silent, while the Gospel of the risen Christ went forth into all the earth.

My @BerithPress order arrived. I’m pretty excited but will show pics later. Looking forward to diving into Wendelin and Voetius!

More theological and sociopolitical horsepower than the average seminary can handle.

Psalm 72 is a prayer for the Davidic king; Solomon in history, and Christ in fullness. The Spirit puts on the king’s lips what righteous rule looks like under God: “May he judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice!…May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the children of the needy, and crush the oppressor” (Ps 72:2, 4)! Solomon prayed that, and then failed. The Psalm points beyond him to the greater Solomon: “May he have dominion from sea to sea…May all nations serve him…May his name endure forever” (Ps 72:8, 11, 17). Jesus is the Messiah-King, Who will judge the world in righteousness and crush every oppressor under His feet. What’s more, the moral pattern doesn’t evaporate because Christ fulfills it. Earthly magistrates still bear the sword as God’s servants (Rom 13:3-4). Their God-appointed duty of office is to protect the needy and crush their oppressors. Psalm 2 tells kings to kiss the Son. Psalm 72 shows what that kiss looks like for a man in office: justice for the weak, wrath for those who crush them. So, yes, that was Solomon’s charge, it is Christ’s glory, and it remains the magistrate’s duty until He comes.

Finished.

.@MikeWingerii has asked for a mandate from Scripture, not a thin principle that Christians are left to stretch over a whole nation. That's a fair request of anyone claiming that God requires something. Psalm 2 gives one, addressing rulers directly: “Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him” (Psa 2:10-12). This is a command to civil authorities. The Holy Spirit addresses men in their public office and commands them to serve the LORD and kiss His Son. If magistrates are commanded to serve Christ, then political authority cannot be religiously neutral, and the nation they govern already stands under that command. The question that remains is how a nation can faithfully obey Christ in its laws, courts, schools, and protection of life in the womb. That is a conversation worth having carefully and charitably among brothers. It begins under the same warning and resting in the same mercy: "Blessed are all who take refuge in Him."

good summary!

Nearly every political question in Reformed Protestantism today boils down to how you distinguish nature/grace, covenant/nature, theology/politics, and the formal objects of church/state; and whether you consistently apply those distinctions. In the end, the disputes are over political prolegomena and method.

"He well makes haste to his sin's remission who is displeased with himself. For with the Just & Merciful Judge, he excuses [the man] who accuses himself. " English Annotation on Luke 18.13

What drives a pastor to take the gospel beyond the walls of the church? For Ryan Denton, it began with a burden to reach those who don't know Jesus. While serving on a Navajo reservation, Ryan found himself drawn to sharing the gospel in jails and prisons. That passion eventually led him to preach on college campuses, street corners, and in homeless shelters. His goal? To reach people outside the church with the hope of Christ and, by God's grace, bring them into the church. Is the Holy Spirit convicting you to go and preach the gospel to the lost? Then don't miss this episode!

Biblical defense of Christian princes:

This work is a defense of Christian government. It’s not primarily exegetical but philosophical, theological, historical, & confessional. But still interacts with the Bible and makes important theological points grounding the argument (such as in R2K chapter). berithpress.com/bookstore/p/…

"Virgins fly to their veil, as the buckler of their chastity; which though it seem but a weak fence, yet it is strong enough to bear off the fiery darts of unchaste glances from youth." Tertullian On the Veiling of Virgins (Quoted by the English Annotations on 1 Cor. 11.10)

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Use our 1657 Annotations as a Study Bible: free on our website, free app, and a print edition. Here's the note on 1 Cor. 10.11: "{power on her head} That is, a veil or covering, in token of her husband’s power and authority over her; or a kind of warrant or pass to go abroad with credit and honesty: for there was no necessity of veiling or covering their head within doors, but if they went abroad without their veil, they were counted light and wanderers, like unto runaway servants, or soldiers, that have no pass to show from their masters or captains. In which regard Rebecca, Gen. 24.65. when she lighted off her camel, and her servant told her that it was his master Isaac that was walking in the field to meet her, she took a veil and covered herself; for lust, as Clemens Alexandrinus teaches, Pedag. l. 3. δι’ ὀφθαλμῶν τοξοβολίζεται, casts darts as it were from the eyes; and as Tertullian elegantly expresses it, virgins fly to their veil, as the buckler of their chastity; which though it seem but a weak fence, yet it is strong enough to bear off the fiery darts of unchaste glances from youth; Virginitas semper timida oculos fugit, confugit ad velamen capitis, quasi ad galeam contra ictus tentationum, contra jacula scandalorum, contra suspiciones & susurros: Tertul. de veland. virgini."

Appreciate the openness. Earlier you asked for a robust theological defense of CN from Scripture w/thorough passage analysis, interpretation and application. Fair ask. Just now you told @PerfInjust you’d follow truth even if it weren’t explicitly taught in Scripture, so long as the premises hold. Those are two different claims, but both should lead to the same conclusion. >All moral entities ought to acknowledge and obey God. >The nation is a moral entity. >Therefore, the nation ought to acknowledge and obey God. If you mean what you said to Stephen, the question isn’t whether this arrives as a study Bible, but whether your premises lead here and if they do, whether you’ll follow them.

I wrote “A ministry of defense” to protect Christians from radicals. We must protect life and we must repudiate this nonsense.

Remember: a number of Big-Name Evangelicals defended Lindsay as a worthy co-belligerent.

Modern Protestants (and their pop bible teachers) make it difficult to be a political philosopher, because they can't process any argument besides scriptural exegesis. No one thought like this before the 20th century, largely because they were thoroughly educated.

Thomas Watson on the lack of self-control. “Many dig their graves with their teeth!” “A Christian must deny his appetite. What has God given conscience for but to be a golden bridle to check the inordinancy of the appetite?”

The OP from Lindsay is inexcusable in any context, but especially in the light of Charlie Kirk's assassination, which is still in very recent memory.