A Root out of Dry Ground

Page 6 — Twelve Tribes

Dry Bones

Just as they had never intended to become a worldwide movement, the Community had also never imagined themselves to be the fulfillment of Biblical prophecy. But over the years it had gradually become clear that a restoration was taking place, and that they were living at a very significant time in history.

In the 1970's the disciples had sensed in their guts that there was more to following the Savior than going to church. As they tried to pursue their desire to live a life pleasing to their Savior, they began to see things in the Bible that confirmed them. The accounts they read of the early Church portrayed people who lived a radical life of self-sacrificing love for one another and were different from the society around them. It was all too obvious that such a life was missing from the Christian Churches of the twentieth century. The reason was fairly obvious, too. There was no radical difference between churchgoers and non-churchgoers because there was no authoritative message being proclaimed that told people what God wanted them to do. The message that the first disciples had heard called them to abandon their fishing nets and tax booths and give away their personal possessions. They had been commanded to sever their ties with any family members who opposed their devotion to the cause. The apostle Paul had even renounced his training as a Biblical scholar. But modern Christianity did not preach such "hard sayings." Instead, it intellectually dissected the words of Messiah and rationalized away the need to obey them.

It wasn't hard for the Communities in Tennessee and Vermont to see why that authoritative message was missing in modern times. A person would have to consistently live that life of self-sacrifice and care himself before he would have the authority to call others to obey. This, then, became a major focus for the Community in the 1970's: being obedient to the message they had received, "cleaning up their own back yard," so to speak, before trying to preach to the world around them.

During the 1980's the Community continued to be fascinated with the Biblical record of the early disciples. Gradually it dawned on them what the first Church had been — not just a religion, but a nation (1 Peter 2:9). That nation had been known as the Commonwealth of Israel (Ephesians 2:12). It had been made up of priests (each one a representative of God on earth) and had possessed a culture. Piece by piece, the puzzle began to take shape. There had been a radical separation between the Church and the world in the first century and there had been a very good reason for it. The nations of the world functioned on the basis of Natural Law — the things that all men knew in their consciences to be true and right — but the priesthood had a higher law and greater accountability. As the Community studied the history and prophecies of the Old Testament, passages from the New Testament became much clearer. Living according to Natural Law was not bad, and God had an eternal reward for all who struggled to do right. But good morals alone could not accomplish the purpose of God on earth. Before Messiah would be able to return to the earth to establish His kingdom, there would have to be a people, separate from the nations of the world, who would live their lives obeying His commands. Matthew 24:14 and 21:43 were very clear on this point.

By the close of the 1980's, though, it became obvious that this holy nation would not even be able to exist on the earth apart from the influence of righteous men in government — men who would uphold freedom of religion and other basic human rights.

As the Communities entered the 1990's they began gathering every morning and evening to pray for the rulers of the nations in which they dwelt. At the same time, their message became much more sharply focused. They gained more understanding about the ways in which society was violating Natural Law — to the point of calling evil good and good evil. It was becoming obvious that the time-honored ideals of the hard-working man, the submissive wife, and respectful children were under attack. Men were striving for positions where they could make the most money with the least sweat possible. Women were demanding at least a 50-50 partnership where there was no acknowledged head. Children were increasingly being left to themselves to choose their own course and form their own values. The concept of family was being re-defined to the point that homosexual partnerships were being given the same legal status as marriage.

Community members felt a growing urgency to let people know about the good, clean life their Savior had given them. In addition to passing out literature at public events and backpacking in pairs across the countryside to share their message, the Communities established a toll-free number and later a website where people with questions could find answers. They stepped up production of literature, calling their main publication "The Twelve Tribes Freepaper," and adding two special interest periodicals, "The Common Sense Chronicle," concerning health and nutrition, and "The Common Sense Sentry," addressing current events issues.

At the same time, their culture as a priesthood was becoming more clearly defined. Representatives from the various communities gathered for meetings to discuss such issues as health, nutrition, music, and dance. Regular workshops were established to share new songs and dances created by Community members. Gifted writers and teachers spent countless hours producing stories and developing curriculum to boost the education of children in the Community. Various dramatic productions were written and staged locally, and several communities cooperated in taking plays on tour to numerous towns throughout the northeast, as well as Washington, DC. Individual communities began holding weekly festivals, with plans for monthly regional festivals and seasonal festivals in the future.

As the twentieth century drew to a close, various Biblical prophecies stood out to the disciples. Isaiah 49:6 spoke of the "raising up of the tribes of Jacob to be a light to the nations so that salvation could reach to the ends of the earth." It was becoming clear that salvation reaching the ends of the earth (which Matthew 24:14 said must happen in order for Messiah to return and bring about the end of the age) depended on a nation composed of tribes. These tribes, they understood, would not be the natural descendants of Jacob, but a spiritual Commonwealth of Israel, such as Ephesians 2:12 spoke of, each tribe being the disciples in a geographical area, responsible to live a life that would be a light to the people around them. It would be restored gradually, like the vision of dry bones in Ezekiel 37, the resurrection of a spiritual nation whose hope had dried up at the end of the first century, member by member becoming united together and fleshed out into a host of communities.

This was their future, the disciples realized, if they proved worthy of it, but many movements had come and gone in the last nineteen centuries, and none had recaptured the fervor of the first century disciples, much less spread it to the ends of the earth. Always there had been selfish motives, factions, corruption, and compromise. Never had there been a people such as Daniel 2:34,44 described — like a stone hewn from the mountain of the world without human hands. Always fleshly human effort had been involved, in the form of political intrigue, military force, or persuasive propaganda. But the Stone Kingdom of Daniel's prophecy could only be established through love, bonded together by a deep affection based on the sacrifices that they made for each other.

And so the history of the Twelve Tribes or Commonwealth of Israel as a modern movement has reached a critical point. There are communities being raised up in twelve geographical areas and responsible people who have been disciples for decades. A rich culture is emerging in their midst. They have a clear vision of the future and their children, for the most part, are following them. But they face a supreme test. Will they remain true to the original revelation that Gene Spriggs had concerning John 15:5 — "Apart from Me you can do nothing"? The challenge is to rely on the Spirit of Love, and not on their own natural abilities, so that they will not fall prey to the pride, selfish desires, and compromise that have caused every movement of the last two millennia to fail. Everything, quite literally everything, depends on this…

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