UTOPIA AND PARADISE - Part 3 of 3

 

Paradise is where mankind came into being, and where mankind will forever exist… with one exception — each person must be righteous. Paradise is for those who perform to three standards: (1) glorify God by being servile to His authority, (2) love God for His graciousness, and (3) obey God in gratitude. The reward is great! God is permissive in Paradise because those chosen are only the righteous. Few will go to Paradise for few walk the narrow Way of Christ through the straight gate (Mat 7:14) on the Way to the Tree of Life (Gen 3:24). The Tree of Life remains in the midst of the Garden at the River of God (Rev 22:1-2). Those who are allowed entry have the seal of God on their foreheads (Rev 22:4), to wit: “Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity” (2 Tim 2:19).

What is the “password” to get past the cherubim to go the Way of the Tree of Life? He or she must  name the Name of Christ. What is that Name? “Jesus” (Ya saves) and only Yahweh! By no other Name can Paradise be entered (Acts 4:12).

It seems that there is a “hedge” around Paradise so that entry cannot be but by one Way, and that is the Name of Christ. Over the Garden, it was a dome that “hedged” them in. That “dome” is the heavens; what we call the celestial sphere which appears as both a dome from anywhere on Earth and as a “sea of glass” when viewed as a curtain between the world and God (Rev 4:6).

Paradise does have walls around but not within. Only the righteous can enter in, but once in, liberty is there for all the citizens of God. God does not rule in Paradise for only the willingly obedient are there. Finally, some will have that “autonomous zone,” but not the mob, but only those who are of one accord (Acts 2).

Paradise is libertarian as the Law cannot be broken when there is no Law! There all things are lawful, but the righteous are above the Law as they have endured the world. That is what Utopians seek, but they go wrong. It is by their own works that Utopia is built, just like the Tower of Babel. Utopians do not truly want the Light, but the power to decide who gets the light. Just as the Tower of Babel was merely for those who would make a name for themselves, Utopia is for those who esteem their own name. Hence, Maslows’s Pyramid is to the peak by few, and once on top, the peak experience is that they have found God. Guess who they find? Themselves as God! That is their peak experience and they have reached euphoria through self-actualization.

“Euphoria” is a feeling of well-being and elation (Merriam-Webster). In other words, those self-actualized have reached Utopia! Where is God? He is not there; only the self-actualized are! It seems that most of the common people are trapped on level one. They get “needs” but the elite get Utopia. Those who climb Maslow’s Pyramid as well climb the Tower of Babel because in the end only those who climb all the way enjoy euphoria! Socialism is the same climb. A few autocrats reach Utopia while the commoners enjoy at the bottom all that is needed for the “common good.” They get stuck on the first plateau of the “tower” and can climb no further.

They can never self-actualize because every movement they make to climb is controlled. Socialism always has those who have climbed higher who step on the fingers of those who climb. A great example of that was Russian Halodomor… as the peasants climbed from poverty, the socialist autocrats where there to step, not only on their fingers, but their souls! Seven million souls were shoved off the socialist pyramid, and only one at a time peaked. What happens to those who near the peak in socialism? Like the man who worked for the common good, Leon Trotsky, socialists kill their opposition. Only one can peak under socialism, and that is the survival of the fittest who will not hesitate to shoot their opposition.

Self-actualization is reaching one’s full potential. Their egoist ideas have been achieved. They achieve how they think of themselves. Adam and Eve self-actualized. “Ego” is the “pride of life” (1 John 2:16). They thought of themselves “as God” (Gen 3:5). That was their full potential and even Satan never has self-actualized and never will because He knows the reality of God. Yet, even with that knowledge, Satan still wants grandeur, to wit: “Thou (Lucifer) hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation” (Isa 14:13).

Lucifer (aka Satan) desires to be the Egoist; to self-actualize and sit above God. He tried that with Jesus, and Jesus showed him who was at the pinnacle at the peak of the Temple (Mat 4:5).

Mankind’s problem is self-esteem. Jesus is the solution! Rather than self-actualize, God actualizes. When Moses lifted the lifeless brazen serpent on the pole, all those who had been bitten by vipers were healed. That was “euphoria.” No one climbed any pyramid, yet they were healed by God! Think of the elation of those who would have died but knowing that Jesus took care of the vipers was joyous!

You see, euphoria is never achieved by the works of men, but by the Face of God. What did the Hebrews see that made them euphoric? They saw Satan limp in the body of Judas Iscariot, hanging from his tree, while the blood and water flowed from Jesus to heal all who desire it to be euphoric!

The works of men never obtain euphoria nor even Utopia. No one climbs the ladder by themselves. Satan pushes egoists off the Maslovian Pyramid, and Jesus must send His angels for the righteous to climb Jacob’s ladder. Paradise is up there, but Utopia is nowhere. Why has it not been found? Paradise cannot exist without God in its midst. Each person must walk toward the Tree of Life to even be allowed entry by the gate.

Just what is this elusive “Utopia?” They are Utopian socialists’ “visions of imaginary futuristic ideal societies” (Wikipedia, “Utopia”). They are a fantasy, but voters expect their fantasies to become reality. The hindrance is the nature of men. Everyone is “shapen in iniquity” (Psalm 51:5), therefore nobody can be an ideal citizen. “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23). The “glory of God” is with God in Paradise. Nobody deserves Paradise and none shall obtain it by their own endeavors. Only the meek, not those self-actualized with a high estimation of themselves, can enter in.

Nobody can get into Utopia because it is fantastical. If a gate to Utopia existed, after even one man stepped in, it would no longer be Utopia because of the evil nature of men. Do you not see that in innocent (sic) children, in their estimation of themselves is as gods? Imagine a bunch of children in Utopia. Each would be king, and if not, they would take their things and go home. That’s what Adam and Eve even did in Paradise. They took what belonged to God as their own and were cast out for their egoism! That’s why Paradise is only for the spiritually mature. That’s why Utopia is a non-existent vision!

Why are so many deceived that Utopian socialism is achievable? Because they are not pragmatic. Robert Owen abandoned New Harmony, Indiana, after two years in his experiment in socialism. Why did he do that? Because he knew Utopia was non-existent and nobody, but God, could create Paradise. Peter Stuyvesant abandoned his vision of Utopia in New Amsterdam when the future motto even failed, to wit: “From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs” (Karl Marx). What went wrong there? Maslow’s Pyramid collapsed as people identified egoistic ideas as needs. None with the ability wanted to work for those with needs, because egos confused needs and wants! Maslow’s is not a hierarchy of needs but a Ponzi Scheme where the first in obtain the gifts at the peak and the last in obtain the basics, if even that, at the bottom of the pyramid.

Karl Marx was more pragmatic; he admitted that there is no Utopia, and Utopia died as a model in the mid-1800s. What then would Marx copy? The American Plantation economy. He duplicated American slavery in Europe but camouflaged it as “communism.” Whereas, socialism has the dream of a Utopian paradise, communism is the reality of a living Hell! It recognized Maslow’s Hierarchy as the model. If it worked for the slaves in America, Maslow’s theory would work in Europe. Of course, slavery preceded Maslow, yet the premise remains the same. It always has. Even the fall from Paradise was the failure of socialism!

What happened in Paradise? “From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.” Everything in Paradise was because of God’s ability. God supplied all the needs of the two human beings. After their needs were met, they wanted more. They became Epicureans as they confused “desires” with “needs.”

They wanted fruit from the beautiful tree even though God supplied! The Serpent deceived them as quickly as Democrat-socialists depend on “The stupidity of the American voter” (Jonathan Gruber). At that moment, Paradise was lost, and what was on the other side of the hedge? “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread” (Gen 3:19). Right then, communism became the government of two “socialists.” They became the ones who had the ability, and they were required to satisfy the needs of all who were to come. Socialism got hard because Satan reshaped them in iniquity!

When men had to work for their needs, suddenly a thought occurred, I can get others to work in my place, not only for my needs but my desires! With that thought, slavery became an institution, and as much as Marx hated institutions, he found that one much to his liking! Why work, when if we organize, others can do our work for us?

Work is the labor for capitalism. Whereas as Adam and Eve had free capital thanks to God, soon Adam made the capital; first for Eve and himself but soon for his family, and finally for the multitude of his seed. God helped Adam from his toil. Abel and Cain would also work by the sweat of their faces to supply their needs and to glorify God. Abel did both, but Cain saw no reason to glorify God; he insulted God by selfishness. Cain was worried, not about the common good, but his own good! Communism was the government of Cain, and since then the world has had tribulation!

Soon righteous Seth’s line saw the sons of Cain doing what they willed. When they looked from the Holy Mountain and its austerity, to the “Utopia” on the plain, they wanted what Cain had! It seemed to be all pleasure and decadence, but soon they found out that life is tribulation. The economy of the world has henceforth been communism, but God by grace, gives Christians a hope for tomorrow. Not what Cain had but a plan and a future for us in Paradise (Jer 29:11).

Christians know God’s Plan and they prepare a like living on Earth. The Jews got Israel, and failed, but by the grace of God 144,000 will have their “land of milk and honey.” Until then, many have experimented with socialism, not relying on God but man.

Socialism prevails in the minds of Jews. It always has! But what happens when the Jews are no longer needed for their knowledge and productivity? They get shoved off the Maslow Pyramid and shot off the socialist hierarchy! When will they learn? Only after Jesus comes again with Paradise on His Mind!

Why seek Utopia when it is nowhere? Why seek it when Paradise is in sight? Christians have the hope of salvation, but those seeking social justice only a clouded view of reality. They actually think that Utopia can be achieved in the world when it is only a vision. Visions do not nurture people, but God does! Why depend on Marx for his theories when God has the experience of creating Paradise already?

(picture credit: eyeofthefish.org:"Metropolis")

Review of Paradise from Sibylline Oracles: