I found the "deep state" in the book of Romans. Who is going to tell MAGA?

[Dem4life1970]

It has been hiding in plain sight. I even listened to a preacher who began quoting Romans 13 and conveniently stopped before Romans 13:6.

Their hate for the "deep state" is antithetical to what the Apostle Paul cautioned and counseled the early church about, esp. in the face of a maniacal Roman Emperor named Tr***, excuse me, Nero.

For all of their talk about morals and "principled stands" and their Project 2025 Schedule F plans, I would love to hear how they reconcile their deep state attacks and what Paul says in Romans 13. Just for fun.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%2013%3A6-7&version=NIV

[dchill]

1. This is why they pick and choose so carefully.

[iemanja]

2. In reality what they object to is a

rational bureaucracy (Weber). That’s why they want to replace it with political appointments, as characterizes some developing countries. They are committed to the devolution of the American state and America as a whole.

[state of stupid]

3. They are true believers

When the created can recreate the creator in their image whether they believe it or not
they have made themselves God. Republican Jesus anyone?

[Karadeniz]

4. Oh, dear! Ever since the Bible has been translated into more modern languages from the Greek, this and

another of Paul's teachings have been misused by governments and institutional churches to bolster their power. In the Greek, this couldn't legitimately happen. Here, Paul uses the word "archon" for a ruler. In the other Pauline passage, he uses both "archon" and "aeon." Elaine Pagel's book, the Gnostic Paul, goes practically word for word to show all the ways Paul was teaching in a Gnostic atmosphere. So do the gospels, but it's not nearly as easy to spot as it is in Paul. I don't think anyone is saying that most of our scripture writers were full fledged Gnostics, thank goodness. Their cosmologies developed into the most off putting quagmire for understanding that one can imagine. What we can do is compare the heart of Jesus' and Paul's messaging with what was going on at the time with the two main Judaisms, the Pharisees and the Sadducees. The latter preached a legalistic/scribal approach to what would garner God's approval. The Jesus and James movement preached that God only favored soul development as expressed by good deeds. Jesus said the Sabbath was made for us; performing good deeds on the Sabbath was fine. His disdain for the P's and S's and scribes is based on their insistence that God is really impressed with how well you can read and follow a recipe.

The words Paul uses, archon and aeon, were Gnostic terms to identify the spiritual beings that had authority over the different levels of heaven. They shouldn't be translated! The Gnostics taught that there was a World of the Source (see Prodigal Son's father) which the perfect, all loving Source power never left (again, Prodigal Son). Almost all the "secret" parables deal with the soul as the mechanism by which creation brings the divine nature down to our corrupt, evil planet. We humans who house the soul are totally necessary to the divine scheme of things!!! But, we have to exhibit godly behavior and values in everything we do. So, Paul is saying that until we, like the Prodigal Son, qualify to return home, our souls will be evaluated by the archons and aeons to determine where we're falling short or if we can rise!!!!