30 October 2024
So far:
Right back where we started: In my Catacomb Resident persona, I am not an organizational leader. I am surely influential with the Radix Fidem community, but what I post on this blog is merely disclosing my convictions. No one else is bound by them.
And our community is tiny. It consists of everyone who interacts with the rest of the community in any way. As long as you communicate only with me individually, you are not a member of the community. Family is what family does.
My writing, and to a lesser degree, my actions will affect you if you are reading this blog. The government is watching me and watching everyone who visits this blog. Officials dislike me enough to make things a little difficult online, but not enough to take any real action -- yet. I seriously doubt they will, but you never know. They aren't happy with my blunt criticism of their actions and my pointing out their lies.
I'm not organizing anything except the academic background of thought. I don't give marching orders; I don't make plans for community activities. I speak only for myself. The rest of the community can and sometimes does object and choose something different. What binds us together is our commitments to each other as a community. It's altogether ephemeral, a mere mist. People come and go on whatever basis they choose. There is no membership list, only a matter of whether others in the community know your name and your online presence represents a real person in their hearts.
Naturally, I would want everyone in the community to know what burdens come with being a part of the community: me. I am a burden. If you embrace what I write here, you become morally responsible for standing with me when consequences become challenging. I would not blame anyone for peeling off and keeping their distance. I am structuring this teaching to absolve everyone else.
Every time I seek the Lord in my prayers and in my convictions, one thing keeps coming back to me: I will face violence soon, and must be ready to respond in kind. Even in saying that, the word "violence" is more symbolic than literal. Still, in order to fulfill my convictions and calling in the Lord, I must be ready to engage in violent resistance to some of the outcomes of social and political turmoil.
It's not as if I have a target list. The whole point is that anyone who attacks the domain God has placed in my hands becomes the enemy, because they serve the Enemy of all humanity. It's not even a question of their identity as a servant of Satan; it's simply a matter of the effects on my covenant service. That's a very Hebraic approach. There are plenty of things about which I have some doubts, but I am vividly aware of things on which I will not compromise, and the Devil knows what they are.
Thus, the issue will often be entirely tactical. What does God want me to do in this specific situation? There is an awful lot I must keep bringing before Him in advance of the day of testing. Nor is winning any fights a consideration at all; it's entirely a matter of whether God requires that I resist, and how.
But I am entirely certain it will happen. I am convinced it's coming.
Pray with me that I will be obedient, that I will see the boundaries, that I will be neither failing nor going too far. Naturally, I'll pray with you for your concerns. Tribulation is the native environment of covenant people. It's what we do; it's our nature. They hated our Savior first, so there's no surprise they hate us, too.
Given the broader context, including where I live, I don't anticipate facing federal government threats, and I'd be really surprised if my state and local government were any kind of problem. That said, "government" is not all one thing. A great many politicians would be quite willing to slaughter a bunch of Americans, given the chance. Thus, it's not so much official governments violence that concerns me, but organized violence sponsored by political figures and organizations.
We learned a lot from the recent natural disasters, and one of the biggest threats is not even criminal looters. Rather, there has been exchange of gunfire between ordinary neighbors when those who refused to prepare attempted to raid those who did. Where I live, violent defense against some criminal acts is perfectly legal; the same goes for fending off rioters. Some disasters are man-made.
These are the sorts trouble I'm expecting to face.
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