As I considered Casey's post, the question occurred to me, "Does Western Civ have a redoubt?" A redoubt is a fortified position that one can retreat to for defense when overwhelmed by advancing forces. Think Game Of Thrones or The Lord Of The Rings. Domestically, as Casey pointed out, we have the advantage of numbers, 330 million America…
As I considered Casey's post, the question occurred to me, "Does Western Civ have a redoubt?" A redoubt is a fortified position that one can retreat to for defense when overwhelmed by advancing forces. Think Game Of Thrones or The Lord Of The Rings. Domestically, as Casey pointed out, we have the advantage of numbers, 330 million Americans as opposed to the 10 to 20+ million migrants, and the geography of the huge land mass of the US. But that could essentially turn the whole country into a guerrilla war zone. The cities will be lost to the anti-American Marxists.
But internationally, I thought of the Tucker interviews with the American family that has been living in Russia off and on for decades. It occurs to me that Russia is in a unique position to become the "redoubt" for the West. Having suffered nearly a century of totalitarianism and chaos, Russia's Christian culture has re-asserted itself and is in the process of rebuilding a healthy Christian society after having finally rejected Marxism and the rule of a God-hating elite.
Russia's position internationally makes her a natural redoubt. With a huge land mass, unlimited resources and a society that now rejects tyranny of any kind, Russia will not be hospitable to any mass migration from the third world even if they wanted to migrate to such a cold climate. With a small population (about 150 M) as compared to the size of her land mass, Putin's message promoting sanctuary to Westerners wanting to leave the woke/liberal West is understandable. Like America of an earlier age, Russia needs to attract the best, the brightest and entrepreneurial of the Christian West to help develop and prosper Russia. In truth, culturally we have almost complete compatibility with the Russian people as compared to the cultural incompatibility with the migrants streaming across our border who hate what we stand for.
I perked up when I read "Does Western Civ have a redoubt?" My great, great, great grandparents were settlers to New Zealand in the middle 19th century, and set up as farmers in the wilds south of Auckland. They built redoubts, and when Maori rose up to fight the settlers or raided farms, they retreated to the redoubts until things settled down. It's not a word I've heard used in the US.
Maybe if they gave away land like Texas did. “Ride as far as you can in one day and stake off 4 corners.” I just don’t see many people moving to USSR from USA. Things would have to get extremely bad here first. It’s not that bad here yet.
For sure! Just as emigrants to the US from Europe during our growth phase, these people were strongly motivated by their circumstances and personal drive. The vast majority of Europeans remained in Europe.
I can understand the appeal to such an idea Phil, but it would be a foolish mistake to embrace it. In what basis do I say so? Simply on the basis of Biblical Prophecies that clearly identified Russia’s
I’m well aware of the differences in how various groups interpret/interact with the Bible. There are indeed many differing views, but only one constitutes ‘rightly dividing the Word of Truth’ (2 Timothy 2:15). I have no interest in debating the matter, but would encourage anyone interested to first of all, be sure you are truly ‘born again’, as the Holy Spirit is the indispensable source of all guidance and instruction for a Christian’s life, and secondly, prayerfully seek wisdom and understanding from God, as you read His Word… Be careful; there are many agendas in play in today’s world, including within Christendom.
I was going to say I think you should develop your understanding of the "Biblical Prophecies" in a comment here so we can understand what you understand. But then I read your disavowal of any interest to do this... So... I would simply point out by way of example that St. Paul never tired of explaining his understanding of Scripture to anyone that would listen.
I agree. In fact the entirety of God's Revelation is focused on the incarnation of God the Son, His life, sacrifice and ascension to the right hand of the Father to sit on the throne as the Son of Man. Like Scripture, our sole focus should be on Christ Jesus as revealed by the Holy Spirit in His Word.
This debate revolves around a question that continually goes unstated that is at the very heart of the meaning of Christ's incarnation and ascension. When Christ ascended to the throne of God, was He not given all dominion, power and authority over the earth thus establishing His kingdom whose rule would have no end? Is not the militant church the Body of Christ on earth filled with the power of the Holy Spirit which no evil spirit can prevail against? And did He not see Satan fall from heaven to earth like lightening thus establishing that Satan is no more than a squatter to be evicted by His Body on earth?
This is the central debate within the American church today that needs to be explicitly stated and answered. This is the central question that eschatology attempts to answer. Psalm 2 gives a very clear answer to that question:
Why do the heathen rage, and the people murmur in vain.
The kings of the earth band themselves, and the Princes are assembled together against the Lord, and against his Christ.
Let us break their bands, and cast their cords from us.
But he that dwelleth in the heaven shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.
Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure, saying,
Even I have set my King upon Zion mine holy mountain.
I will declare the decree: that is, the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my son; this day have I begotten thee.
Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the ends of the earth for thy possession.
Thou shalt crush them with a scepter of iron, and break them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.
Be wise now therefore, ye kings: be learned ye judges of the earth.
Serve the Lord in fear, and rejoice in trembling.
Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish in the way, when his wrath shall suddenly burn. Blessed are all that trust in Him.
Psalm 2 from the 1599 Geneva Bible
Then in Matthew 21, Jesus - The Chief Cornerstone - said:
43 “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. 44 And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.”
I was born again in 1990. Been studying the Word and walking with the Lord ever since. Deacon in a PCA Presbyterian church. I love Jesus. That said, your view of eschatology is pre-millenial dispensationalism (of which I once was) which was brought to America by Clarence Darby and popularized by CH Scholfield is a novel concept never held by the Church before and thankfully after more than a 100 years is dying out and mainly held (tightly) by boomers. Russia is not Gog or Magog as your pastor may have told you. Also, it's likely we're in the early church and the Lord won't return for a long time although I'm dogmatic about that.
2) Believing in the Rapture is NOT a prerequisite to BE raptured. If you are a born again believer, you'll still go when Christ calls us up:
"Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth." Rev 3:10
And: 1Thes 4:16-18, Luke 17:34-37, and many others.
Exactly. In my case, I was raised and have always been a Christian but my Holy Spirit filled journey with the Lord's Word truly began in 1980 and, like you, quickly moved to the Reformed understanding of the Word and a post-millennial understanding of eschatology. This was particularly driven home after a prayerful, in-depth consideration of Christ's words in the NT.
You are wrong on that. There was no Russia then. It was the north like what is Turkey today..the land of the Ottomans and the Ukraine area. The Kazakhstan mafia..the Rothschild lineage from the Ottomans
As I considered Casey's post, the question occurred to me, "Does Western Civ have a redoubt?" A redoubt is a fortified position that one can retreat to for defense when overwhelmed by advancing forces. Think Game Of Thrones or The Lord Of The Rings. Domestically, as Casey pointed out, we have the advantage of numbers, 330 million Americans as opposed to the 10 to 20+ million migrants, and the geography of the huge land mass of the US. But that could essentially turn the whole country into a guerrilla war zone. The cities will be lost to the anti-American Marxists.
But internationally, I thought of the Tucker interviews with the American family that has been living in Russia off and on for decades. It occurs to me that Russia is in a unique position to become the "redoubt" for the West. Having suffered nearly a century of totalitarianism and chaos, Russia's Christian culture has re-asserted itself and is in the process of rebuilding a healthy Christian society after having finally rejected Marxism and the rule of a God-hating elite.
Russia's position internationally makes her a natural redoubt. With a huge land mass, unlimited resources and a society that now rejects tyranny of any kind, Russia will not be hospitable to any mass migration from the third world even if they wanted to migrate to such a cold climate. With a small population (about 150 M) as compared to the size of her land mass, Putin's message promoting sanctuary to Westerners wanting to leave the woke/liberal West is understandable. Like America of an earlier age, Russia needs to attract the best, the brightest and entrepreneurial of the Christian West to help develop and prosper Russia. In truth, culturally we have almost complete compatibility with the Russian people as compared to the cultural incompatibility with the migrants streaming across our border who hate what we stand for.
https://bioclandestine.substack.com/p/putin-offers-sanctuary-to-westerns
I perked up when I read "Does Western Civ have a redoubt?" My great, great, great grandparents were settlers to New Zealand in the middle 19th century, and set up as farmers in the wilds south of Auckland. They built redoubts, and when Maori rose up to fight the settlers or raided farms, they retreated to the redoubts until things settled down. It's not a word I've heard used in the US.
I've known "redoubt" only from Caesar, de Bello Gallico.
Maybe if they gave away land like Texas did. “Ride as far as you can in one day and stake off 4 corners.” I just don’t see many people moving to USSR from USA. Things would have to get extremely bad here first. It’s not that bad here yet.
That, I understand, was the mindset of a lot of German Jews, too. And then, it became "too late".
For sure! Just as emigrants to the US from Europe during our growth phase, these people were strongly motivated by their circumstances and personal drive. The vast majority of Europeans remained in Europe.
The USSR ceased to exist in 1991.
Really? No kidding? How about we just go with the fun way to write a comment using USA and USSR?
How about you post something understandable?
Really kids?
If they act like kids, they should be assumed to be such.
Uh... you were included in that comment.
Are you registered as a foreign agent?
LOL... you prolly already are.
I'm looking into whether doing so when one is not one is legal.
I didn't see my name.
I can understand the appeal to such an idea Phil, but it would be a foolish mistake to embrace it. In what basis do I say so? Simply on the basis of Biblical Prophecies that clearly identified Russia’s
I’m well aware of the differences in how various groups interpret/interact with the Bible. There are indeed many differing views, but only one constitutes ‘rightly dividing the Word of Truth’ (2 Timothy 2:15). I have no interest in debating the matter, but would encourage anyone interested to first of all, be sure you are truly ‘born again’, as the Holy Spirit is the indispensable source of all guidance and instruction for a Christian’s life, and secondly, prayerfully seek wisdom and understanding from God, as you read His Word… Be careful; there are many agendas in play in today’s world, including within Christendom.
"I have no interest in debating the matter..."
I was going to say I think you should develop your understanding of the "Biblical Prophecies" in a comment here so we can understand what you understand. But then I read your disavowal of any interest to do this... So... I would simply point out by way of example that St. Paul never tired of explaining his understanding of Scripture to anyone that would listen.
Sometimes it's better to say, as Paul said to the Corinthians:
"For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified."
Indeed. In Paul's day, that was THE revolutionary question of the day which stood as a challenge to both the Jewish Establishment and the Roman State.
I’ve found that, far too often, online debates fail to magnify the person and divinity of Christ Jesus.
Sometimes it’s better to recuse yourself and stick to the basics.
I agree. In fact the entirety of God's Revelation is focused on the incarnation of God the Son, His life, sacrifice and ascension to the right hand of the Father to sit on the throne as the Son of Man. Like Scripture, our sole focus should be on Christ Jesus as revealed by the Holy Spirit in His Word.
This debate revolves around a question that continually goes unstated that is at the very heart of the meaning of Christ's incarnation and ascension. When Christ ascended to the throne of God, was He not given all dominion, power and authority over the earth thus establishing His kingdom whose rule would have no end? Is not the militant church the Body of Christ on earth filled with the power of the Holy Spirit which no evil spirit can prevail against? And did He not see Satan fall from heaven to earth like lightening thus establishing that Satan is no more than a squatter to be evicted by His Body on earth?
This is the central debate within the American church today that needs to be explicitly stated and answered. This is the central question that eschatology attempts to answer. Psalm 2 gives a very clear answer to that question:
Why do the heathen rage, and the people murmur in vain.
The kings of the earth band themselves, and the Princes are assembled together against the Lord, and against his Christ.
Let us break their bands, and cast their cords from us.
But he that dwelleth in the heaven shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.
Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure, saying,
Even I have set my King upon Zion mine holy mountain.
I will declare the decree: that is, the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my son; this day have I begotten thee.
Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the ends of the earth for thy possession.
Thou shalt crush them with a scepter of iron, and break them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.
Be wise now therefore, ye kings: be learned ye judges of the earth.
Serve the Lord in fear, and rejoice in trembling.
Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish in the way, when his wrath shall suddenly burn. Blessed are all that trust in Him.
Psalm 2 from the 1599 Geneva Bible
Then in Matthew 21, Jesus - The Chief Cornerstone - said:
43 “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. 44 And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.”
I was born again in 1990. Been studying the Word and walking with the Lord ever since. Deacon in a PCA Presbyterian church. I love Jesus. That said, your view of eschatology is pre-millenial dispensationalism (of which I once was) which was brought to America by Clarence Darby and popularized by CH Scholfield is a novel concept never held by the Church before and thankfully after more than a 100 years is dying out and mainly held (tightly) by boomers. Russia is not Gog or Magog as your pastor may have told you. Also, it's likely we're in the early church and the Lord won't return for a long time although I'm dogmatic about that.
None of us know when Jesus will return or how the "rapture" will occur and it isn't that important to know.
God seems to work things out in the least expected ways.
We can only study and speculate, and at the end of the day, stay united in the Lord and be ready for His return as it can happen at any moment.
1) His name is John Darby.
2) Believing in the Rapture is NOT a prerequisite to BE raptured. If you are a born again believer, you'll still go when Christ calls us up:
"Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth." Rev 3:10
And: 1Thes 4:16-18, Luke 17:34-37, and many others.
And: https://www.raptureready.com/2023/06/21/john-darby-did-not-invent-the-rapture-by-gene-lawley/
And: a great teaching on the subject by a wonderful pastor who is committed to teaching Bible truth:
https://cornerstonechapel.net/teaching/20110515/
It's sad that so many are so willing to steal the joy of others....😔
We will have to circle around back to this subject when the "rapture" does or does not happen as interpreted.
Exactly. In my case, I was raised and have always been a Christian but my Holy Spirit filled journey with the Lord's Word truly began in 1980 and, like you, quickly moved to the Reformed understanding of the Word and a post-millennial understanding of eschatology. This was particularly driven home after a prayerful, in-depth consideration of Christ's words in the NT.
You are wrong on that. There was no Russia then. It was the north like what is Turkey today..the land of the Ottomans and the Ukraine area. The Kazakhstan mafia..the Rothschild lineage from the Ottomans
Right?! "But my Scofield Bible says...."
Oops; don’t know how that happened!
….Russia’s alliance with Turkey and Iran, and the coming invasion of Israel led by those three major players, with a host of subordinates.