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| Are we to follow whatever the government leaders say in everything and not speak or disobey ? Rom. 13:1-4 “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. “Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. For he is God's minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.” This is what government over man was set up to do, to restrain evil, sin, and to punish evil doers. But not all governments make laws that uphold or promote freedom, and restrain evil. In fact most of them throughout the worlds history have hindered it. The point Paul is making is that we should not rebel against authority lest we find ourselves on the side of those who do evil and be judged. Christ never directly addressed the government his people were under, His only mention of Caesar was in response to the question of their paying taxes: "Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's" (Mt 22:21) which coincides with what Paul wrote in Romans 13. In the first century Rome was a corrupt and abusive government that both Jews and later Christians had to abide under. On and off Roman persecution was toward the early Christians. All the citizens of the Rome’s Empire were required to bow down to an image of the current Caesar and worship him as god. Those who did not were killed. There are a number of times recorded in Scripture where saints disobeyed the law of the land, to save a life. We start with the women in Exodus. Pharaoh ordered to kill the Jewish male children when they were born, the midwives did not and because of this Moses was born and delivered his people. Exod. 1:16-18 and he said, "When you do the duties of a midwife for the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstools, if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live." But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the male children alive . So the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them, "Why have you done this thing, and saved the male children alive?" V:21-22 “And so it was, because the midwives feared God, that He provided households for them.” So Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, "Every son who is born you shall cast into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive." Obviously God blessed the midwives for disobeying the governing authority because it had to do with life and death. Later after Moses fled Egypt he did not obey the law of the land and challenged Pharaoh, (Exod.4). If he hadn’t, Israel would not have been released. Moses was under God’s instructions and guidance to have his people released. At times saints used the laws to their advantage, such as Mordecai and Ether (Esther 2:10), at other times they went against the law of the land. We find the same In Joshua 2:1-14 in the example of Rahab saving the lives of two Hebrew spies by hiding them from soldiers who were searching for them. She was then blessed by God for lying to save their lives. Nathan rebuked King David to his face about his sin (2 Sam.12). There is nothing that prevents us to speak or to refuse to obey laws that are against our conscience and God. Here is the example of siding with God instead of the government. Luke 21:12-13 “they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons. You will be brought before kings and rulers for My name's sake.” Luke 22:25 Jesus specifically said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called 'benefactors.'T his is what they called but we know those who rule by evil are not. And Jesus told the disciples not to lead the same way. Eph. 5:11 “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them .” When the wise men came to find Jesus they checked with Herod. Matt 2:7-8 “ Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search diligently for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also." Did not return to Herod to tell him where he was, they disobeyed the leader. Herod lied he wanted to rid anyone who may be a candidate for the savior Mary and Joseph, “Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way. Matt 2:12) John the baptizer spoke out against the leader Herod, even from jail, calling him out Luke 3:19 “But Herod the tetrarch, being rebuked by him concerning Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done.” Hosea 8:4 speaking of Israel "They set up kings, but not by Me; They made princes, but I did not acknowledge them.” It’s no different today. Certainly Hitler was not appointed by God to destroy his own people? The many communist governments over the last century certainly are not on Gods side. Governments are more a problem not a solution. The Sanhedrin told the apostles to stop preaching Jesus. Acts 4:17-19 "Let us severely threaten them, that from now on they speak to no man in this name." And they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.” and Peter and John’s response in should resonate with us today. “But Peter and John answered and said to them, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge.” And that is point, we are to obey God over man. Rom 12:9 “Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good, expose the evil works of darkness.” The Bible permits Christians to disobey the law only when they are commanded to do evil or to turn from doing good (Acts 5:28-29). We find in the latter days Ps 2:2 The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the LORD and against His Anointed” A leader of a future world government is prophesied in Scripture as with it a world religious system, any separation between church and state will be gone. In the end times we read of a totalitarian government that is vicious, unlike any that came before it. Daniel 7:7 “I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong. It had huge iron teeth; it was devouring, breaking in pieces, and trampling the residue with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns” Dan 8:23-25 " And in the latter time of their kingdom, When the transgressors have reached their fullness, A king shall arise, Having fierce features, Who understands sinister schemes. His power shall be mighty, but not by his own power; He shall destroy fearfully, And shall prosper and thrive; He shall destroy the mighty, and also the holy people. "Through his cunning He shall cause deceit to prosper under his rule; And he shall exalt himself in his heart. He shall destroy many in their prosperity. He shall even rise against the Prince of princes; But he shall be broken without human means.” A growing partnership between government and religion is preparing the world for a coming political/religious leader, the Antichrist. "Christianity" will along with other world religion partner with this Antichrist's world government, a false Christ that will deceive the world. In Rev. 13:1-4 John sees a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns … The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. V3 he sees, one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and is healed. And all the world is amazed and follows the beast. they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?" Dan. 11:27 the other “kings' hearts shall be bent on evil” Rev. 13:7-8 “And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation.” We read of the end of his rule Rev. 19:19 “And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army.” To obey leaders and the government at this time would mean that are against Christ as those who will be gathered at Armageddon as the antichrist who heads up the governments with the nations of the world tries to stop Jesus coming. Zech. 14:16-17 “And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. And it shall be that whichever of the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, on them there will be no rain.” It is under Christ's kingship that the world is to eventually obey, for now we must discern what side the leaders are on, of good or bad. We do not obey godless leaders that are trying to prohibit us from worship or control us. |
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