The Friendly Fire Room Presents

The Kingdom of God:Who is the Supreme Hegemon?

Mary Craig Ministries, Inc.

Series: “The Kingdom of God”

Teaching Sermon: “Who is the Supreme Hegemon?”
Dr. Mary Craig

Live Tele-service, February 7, 2021

Recently I woke up hearing the word “hegemony” loud and clear in my mind. The Lord has done things like this before, so I looked up “hegemony” and started to do research. A “thank you” to those who also got interested and sent articles, etc.

The word “hegemony” refers to: leadership, dominance, dominion, supremacy, ascendancy, authority of one group over another, dominance of one political or cultural group over another, dominance of one nation over another, etc.

In the OT, we have the instance of David smiting and defeating Hadadezer, the son of Rehob, king of Zobah, as he went to restore his rule at the river. 2 Samuel 8:3; cf. 1 Chronicles 18:3. Various translations speak of this event as David going to recover his border at the River Euphrates; going to restore his control; attempting to restore his hegemony over the Euphrates River; going to recover his dominion; going to restore his power and make it seen; coming to regain his authority over the River… The Euphrates River was the eastern limit of the kingdom of Israel at the time.

In 2 Kings 8:20 we have: During Jehoram's lifetime, Edom rebelled from Judah's hegemony and appointed a king to rule over themselves. ISV Edom revolted against the rule of Judah over them. They were “under the hand of Judah,” and the result of the revolt was that Edom appointed a king to rule over themselves.

In the NT, we have the Greek word “hegemon.” It means leader, governor, a commander. Thayer’s Greek Lexicon: a leader of any kind, a guide, ruler, prefect, president, chief, general, commander, sovereign. The word occurs some 20 times in the NT, especially as referring to the ruling governor.

In Matthew 2:6 the word G2232 is used to refer to the coming of Christ:

“And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers (hegemosin) of Judah, for out of you will go forth One leading (hegoumenos), who will shepherd the people of Me.” (cf. Micah 5:2 Hebrew to English interlinear)

But you, in Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you to Me shall come forth the One to be Ruler [mashal H4910] in Israel and whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting. Micah 5:2 OT

Jesus will hold the highest rank, the highest place and authority, a sovereign savior, King of kings and Lord of lords, Ruler over the kings of this earth.
Even when using the word “archon,” when it refers to those who in the present age (see αἰών, 3) by nobility of birth, learning and wisdom, power and authority, wield the greatest influence, whether among Jews or Gentles, (Thayer’s Greek Lexicon G758), we have this from the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 2:6, 7a:

Wisdom, however, we speak among the mature; wisdom, however, not of this age, nor of the rulers (archonton) of this age, who are coming to naught, but we speak of God’s wisdom…

So, with this in mind, let’s see just what is “coming to naught” in our present time, namely the cultural hegemony commonly called “cancel culture.” Consider this opposition research, if you will. First, a little timeline:

October 1917: The Russian Bolshevik Revolution. Karl Max thought Communism would replace capitalism; it was “scientifically” inevitable. The revolution of workers/ employees called the Proletariat was giving some proof of success in taking control of the means of production. Could it also succeed in Europe and throughout the world?
Early 1920’s: Communism wasn’t doing as well as hoped in Western Europe.
1926-1937: Enter Antonio Gramsci of Italy (1891-1937). He explored “cultural Marxism.” He wrote about “cultural hegemony.” The challenge to Communism in Western Europe was the strength of civil society there. Cultural hegemony was keeping the proletariat from overthrowing the bourgeoisie. According to Gramsci, the dominant class established the history, language, stories, etc. of a people and doing that maintained the dominance without the necessity of force. The proletariat were just too complacent.

The cultural hegemony of the Bourgeoisie had to be dismantled and subordinated. Alternate cultures needed to be developed and promoted. The proletariat class revolt need to move forward unhindered. Cultural icons of society had to be attacked. The current dominant culture needed sustained demeaning. Language needed to be changed along with what had been considered “common sense.” Change definitions. Change the narrative. Change perceptions. Remove, replace, redefine, dismantle, revolt, burn, tear down, destroy—all for the cause.

The Marxist admonition that “the present must control the past” needed to be part of daily proclamations. Destroy and replace historical icons, like monuments, names of streets, cities, schools, and other reminders.

Christianity was a primary enemy of the Communist Revolution in the opinion of Marx and Gramsci. The Christian faith claims absolute truth. Yes? Or is it just “relative?” Submit to authority. But how will the proletariat rise up and stop their complacency? Tear down the nuclear family, particularly fatherhood. Destroy hegemonic culture, especially Christian cultural norms, by encouraging thoughts, actions, and behaviors deemed “taboo” in the common understanding of Biblical principles. Remove God and reminders of a Creator, a Redeemer, a substantive hope. Burn Bibles. Categorize people in terms abhorrent to the majority; stigmatize them. Use repression, subdue by force, use suppression, applaud destructive behaviors, and generate fear and anxiety. Silence voices of opposing opinions. Stir up hate. Overturn cultural hegemony by all means. https://www.christianpost.com/voices/antonio-gramsci-and-cancel-culture-in-america.html

1970’s to now: Gramsci’s writings were translated and published in the U.S. His ideas permeate what we call the progressive left. And now we have “cancel culture” with a goal of having a new hegemony and culture rule.
For example, USA TODAY ran an article entitled Christian nationalists like Hawley and Cruz are embedded in US government and one on Christian nationalism is a threat, and not just from Capitol attackers invoking Jesus, by Rachel S. Mikva, January 31, 2021. She maintains that “Hawley wants all to live by his values.” Christian nationalism is defined as being a collection of myths, traditions, symbols, narratives, and value systems—that idealizes and advocates a fusion of Christianity with American civic life… (Andrew Whitehead and Samuel Perry).
The Christian nationalism agenda is not explicit, but advocates Bible-based social, political, and religious order seen as dangerous business. Watch out for things like white supremacy, patriarchy, and heteronormativity. America needs to protect American democracy. Some Christians are mobilizing to stop a Christian takeover and Christian Nationalism. More should do so. And so forth… https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2021/01/31/christian-nationalism-josh-hawley-ted-cruz-capitol-attack-column/4292193001/

Those really in danger are white heterosexual Christian males, those deemed white supremacists, home-grown/domestic terrorists, terrorist extremists, and those who pose a threat to the agenda of the ones seeking to up seat one hegemony, cancel current culture, and replace it with their own.

And then there’s the “equity agenda.” You’re probably hearing that “equity” is not the same as “equality.” Here’s a good summary by Stuart Reges.

“The equity agenda refers to a social justice campaign to right the wrongs of the past by increasing the representation of traditionally marginalized groups in various aspects of society. This is sometimes referred to as the DIE religion because the key terms are diversity, inclusion, and equity. It is based on an ideology that denies biological differences between men and women and that ignores cultural differences between different communities. All differences are seen as the result of power relationships and oppression. The equity agenda seeks to dismantle the patriarchy and to restructure society to eliminate structural racism. Their vision of equity requires equal outcomes for women and a particular set of minority groups that they approve of (based on, for example, gender, race, sexual orientation, and disability). Oddly enough, they rarely talk about class differences. Diversity sounds like a desire for more variety and inclusion sounds like an expansive approach to building community, but the equity agenda often silences opposing viewpoints because their notion of inclusion involves changing the culture to create safe spaces for the favored groups. As a result, they are actually opposed to viewpoint diversity, labeling opposing viewpoints as harassment or hate speech.” (Stuart Reges)

We must remember that this going on now is a spiritual war between God’s truth and vain philosophies, imaginations, and deceptions. God is. He is self-existent. There is no one greater. He cannot NOT BE. What is God? The WCF answer is: God is a Spirit,1 infinite, eternal, and unchangeable, in his being,2 wisdom,3 power,4 holiness,5 justice,6 goodness,7 and truth.8 https://www.shortercatechism.com/resources/wsc/wsc_004.html

See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, which are based on human tradition and the spiritual forces of the world rather than on Christ. For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity dwells in bodily form. And you have been made complete in Christ, who is the head over every ruler [over all rule, Greek 746(e)] and authority.…Colossians 2:8-10 Berean

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers [Greek 746], against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12 ESV

So Christians ask what they are to be doing.
Blaise Pascal (1623-1662), a French mathematician, is famous for his wager. Simplified, it is this: reason and intellect cannot decide the question of whether God exists or not; therefore, it makes sense to choose the option that would benefit us most should we be right. ...

Accordingly, the options would be as follows:

1. You may live a religious and moral life and be rewarded by eternal happiness.

2. You may live a pleasure-seeking life and be denied eternal happiness.

3. You may live a holy life but there is actually no God or eternal life.

4. You may live a pleasure-seeking life but it makes no difference because there is no God.

For Pascal, the first of these options is the most important one because it represents the maximum gain and loss. Even if it should turn out that there is no God, the sheer risk of deciding against such a possibility warrants that we should take that option.

https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pascal%27s_Wager

Pascal said, “Either Christianity is true or it is false. If you bet that it's true, and you believe in God and submit to Him, then if it IS true, you've gained God, heaven, and everything else. If it's false, you've lost nothing, but you've had a good life marked by peace and the illusion that ultimately, everything makes sense.” Blaise Pascal
He also said, “Truth is so obscure in these times, and falsehood so established, that unless we love the truth, we cannot know it.” “Not only do we know God by Jesus Christ alone, but we know ourselves only by Jesus Christ. We know life and death only through Jesus Christ. Apart from Jesus Christ, we do not know what is our life, nor our death, nor God, nor ourselves.”

Who is the Supreme Hegemon?

Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world [kosmos] has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever. Revelation 11:15

Something to pray:

18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. Ephesians 1:18-23 NASB

Bibliography:
www.biblehub.com
Connor, Bill. “Antonio Gramsci and ‘cancel culture’ in America, www.christianpost.com/by/bill-connor (Bill Connor, an Army infantry colonel, has deployed multiple times to the Middle East. He was the senior U.S. military adviser to Afghan forces in Helmand Province, where he received the Bronze Star. He graduated from the citadel with a JD from USC and is also a Distinguished Graduate of the U.S. Army War College. He authored Articles from War.)
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2021/01/31/christian-nationalism-josh-hawley-ted-cruz-capitol-attack-column/4292193001/
http://www.stuartreges.com/equity.shtml
https://www.shortercatechism.com/resources/wsc/wsc_004.html
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pascal%27s_Wager
Jesus said, “The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom Of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:14, 15) To see this kingdom, you will need to be born again. To enter this kingdom, you will need to be born again. John 3. To repent, you will need God to change your heart first. To believe you must belong. You must be one who is a born-out-of-God one. This takes the Holy Spirit. If He plants in you the seed of life, He is planting in your heart the Life of Jesus. That Life will sprout and grow and live into the ages of the ages, eternal life. It is only in Christ. Do you want it?
Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: Matthew 25:34 KJV
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