Warning this post is long, please read in entirety.
There are three types of people who will read this post:
- Those who read this and quickly become angry then refuse to try to understand what I am saying. They wont care what I’m saying and will say “I am throwing my vote away and thereby supporting the other side.”
- Those who do not read blog posts and will not read much beyond a few words and frankly don’t care, and will not be able to understand.
- Those who read and understand and conclude that there is a good chance they have embraced an entirely different gospel from that of the new testament, and this see that election is exposing that.
Most Christians have not heard and therefore have not embraced the gospel of the kingdom of Jesus Christ. They’ve embraced the gospel of salvation only. They’ve embraced a gospel that has little to do with earth. They have allowed the state to manage the earth. They’ve bought into the idea that the state always controls things here on earth and that Jesus just rules heaven. But the gospel that John the Baptist and Jesus Christ preached does not teach that. The earth is the Lords! and he will have it once again.
If you are reading this then please don’t stop, please keep reading. God may be using this election to expose something and this post will explain it.
When John the Baptist and Jesus Christ began to preach the gospel of the kingdom of Jesus Christ. Part of their message was that the religious and governmental systems that the people were loyal to and cooperative members of, including their political systems, were not loyal to God. That is a very big deal and nothing to wink at. These systems were essentially branches of the domain of darkness (Colossians 1:13), or the kingdom of Satan. These systems were not only not loyal to God but they were openly hostile to God and were loyal to Satan without understanding it. John taught his followers to repent of sin but also to repent of loyalty to Satan and his principalities and powers. Principalities that ruled through both the Jewish religious and the Roman civic authorities.
Looking back through history it is not hard to see now, the blatant evil in the Jewish and Roman governments of the first century. That is true of most history, governments almost always are evil, and if not just wait a generation or so, for Satan to impose himself.
But if we were living back then I might imagine it was not so easy to accept John’s call to come out from among both the Pharisees and the Romans and be separate (2 Cor 6:17).
Human government apart from Jesus Christ is a branch of the government of Satan. Of that I am sure, that is the most consistent reality that can be seen throughout history. Human government is the biggest threat to human safety and well being. Some of the best and brightest and well intentioned men have been corrupted during their pursuit of power. George Washington’s greatest accomplishment was walking away from power when he could have been king.
When I became a Christian 28 years ago I heard the gospel of salvation. I think my experience is average of most Christians of today. I decided to follow Christ, to accept him and to begin to attend church and try to live for him and free of sin. I did not however hear the gospel of the kingdom of Jesus Christ articulated until decades later. Which is the entire story, the gospel of salvation is true but it is incomplete, there is much more to the story. I have attempted to share this gospel in other posts.
The gospel of the kingdom brings Jesus and God out of heaven and sets them right here on earth. Right here in the midst of Satan’s dominion, right under his nose and right where he doesn’t want Jesus to be. Another way of saying this is that Jesus Christ is re-claiming the earth through his followers. His followers make up what is called his ecclesia, his called out ones who gather in his name, his government on earth. Additionally, his method for advancing himself into the earth is through the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom.
The gospel that John and Jesus preached does not and did not keep God in heaven and man on earth. But the gospel that evangelicals and many denominations preach today keeps God in heaven. And that we are to tolerate, cooperate with, and even pursue control of human government (apart from him) here on earth.
The gospel of the kingdom merged man and God into a new kingdom, a new and alternative system of government. That alternative system of government that represented Jesus Christ to the rest of fallen humanity enslaved by the world system is called the ecclesia (poorly translated church).
The ecclesia of Jesus Christ was and is a place and a people where God is in charge. And he is in charge as a life-giving spirit through and by each member. He rules through a people who are to die daily to the world system and to their own fallen nature.
So that Jesus Christ can live through his followers, who are also referred to as his ambassadors (2 Cor 5:20).
We all know that Jesus is high and exalted and seated far above all principality and powers. But he also is the creator of the earth, He made it and he owns it and he deserves it. And He is setting out to reclaim it from Satan. Will we cooperate with him in that? or will we will be forced into forever cooperating with Satan?
Today…Where Is Jesus Lord?
Fast forward to here and now. Here and now being late October 2020 days before the presidential election in the USA. Trump v. Biden, one of the most contentious and tumultuous political seasons that I can remember.
Many on each side pressure others to be sure to vote, be sure to weigh in and decide who should rule the human government which imposes itself over the American nation.
Many teach that it is our duty to vote because people fought wars against evil people to give us that right to vote.
Many believe that the human government as defined by the founding fathers and the constitution is an extension of the will of Jesus Christ.
Many believe that Jesus is for one candidate over and against the other, and if his followers will just vote for the right one. Then Gods will will be done and we will be blessed for it.
Many believe that Jesus is up there guiding his people to support certain candidates and to oppose others.
John MacArthur whom I have respect for has come out saying it is impossible to be a Christian and vote for Joe Biden and his Democrat ticket.
I tend to agree for a number of reasons. Where I may differ from MacArthur is that he aligns himself with Trump. MacArthur gives the two main reasons for this being abortion and the homosexual and transgender agenda imposing itself on society. However, a thoughtful person sees that Trump does support abortion in several cases.
Trump also is supportive of LGBT moral agendas around the world. Its intellectually lazy and possibly dishonest to say otherwise. This is my biggest problem with many republican and conservative politicians. They say one thing during elections but don’t lead accordingly when they have power. They seem to become (once elected) as much a part of the evil system that is our federal government as the other side. In my opinion voting Trump is voting Democrat – Lite. Voting Republican is often a lot like voting for a democrat from a few decades ago. They are still cooperating with wherever “the state” is taking society. They are cooperating and they must cooperate with wherever Satan is taking society with his human government. And where he is attempting to take humanity is in the opposite direction of Jesus Christ. Even very Godly Christians if elected, necessarily will cooperate with Satan if they want to remain in power in the government.
Where the state is taking society is not along the way of Jesus Christ. Only the ecclesia of Jesus Christ is and can do that. And the ecclesia is its own government from above. It is not to be a part of human government neither can it be. Jesus Christ himself is the head of the ecclesia and his followers cannot fit into our two party system. Cannot be a part of the principalities and powers who report to Satan (whether they realize it or not).
The founding fathers did an amazing thing, it was brilliant, it was and remains, in my opinion. The best human system of government, apart from Christ, that the world has ever seen. But it is not the ecclesia.
But you might argue yet look at the church, its almost irrelevant, almost every pastor in our land preaches a different often times nonsensical self-centered sermon. Most are about our government, during this election cycle, many are not even Christian people anymore themselves. Many have made God to be in their own image and have thrown out scripture. You might argue then “We need the federal government because the church is irrelevant.”
And to that I would say God has no back up plan to his ecclesia. The government cannot do what the ecclesia is not currently doing. The only hope for mankind is not America, it is and remains Jesus Christ. It remains God’s people following Jesus Christ alone. No human government system be it a denomination of certain types of churches, or a federal government can replace Jesus personally guiding and directing his people from within.
Separation of Church and State sounds nice but this Marxist idea puts the state in ascendancy over the church. It distorts and mutilates the church in order to make it be an obedient subset of the state.
Left, right, center terminology about politics originated in Europe in the 1830’s, among the Philosophers who were leading up to the communist philosophy of Karl Marx.
Our government is not the body of Christ.
If all the Christians were as passionate about following and obeying Jesus Christ. And about making him Lord of their lives and their Christian fellowships. Then the government and its politics would take care of itself. If we can absorb ourselves and obsess ourselves with making Jesus Christ Lord of the earth. We wouldn’t need a president to fight our battles and protect us from the devils who already hold so much power in our government.
The Gospel of the State
The American government is not of Jesus Christ. I understand how biblical and how godly most of the founding fathers were. I understand how they prayed and wanted to build a government that was not evil like what they had experienced. But the truth is, our government has almost entirely embraced what I call the gospel of the state. Most of our government today openly and blatantly ignore the constitution and the laws they don’t like and even basic sanity like not killing babies. And not enslaving black people. And not medically experimenting on the weak. And not enslaving the minorities with a cruel welfare state in exchange for votes. The constitution is only as strong as the resolve of everyone to follow it. Voting is only as good as the people being voted for. Germany voted in Hitler, if the majority is nuts then what good is voting? If Satan can control the votes then its not a system from Jesus Christ. (January 2021 update) If a minority of powerful people in swing states can manipulate the votes to nullify the will of the majority, what good is voting?
Much of our politics is Marxist already, which is atheistic. It is hostile to Jesus Christ. I know this because politicians and philosophers openly take things Jesus taught, remove him and try to implement his policies. They have a real problem with Jesus personally, have no faith he is alive today, and many don’t believe he existed (even while they plagiarize him.) I dare say that a modern American Christian with their intense support for politicians resemble atheist Marxists more than Jesus Christ this election season. Their hope is in their government and their chosen politicians. They have just replaced communism or Marx with the constitution, or more commonly with a conservative candidate for presidency. In the minds of these Christians the highest place on earth is given to the president, how many people refer to the president as the “leader of the free world” or the one who is “running the country”.
Let me be clear:
Jesus Christ is high and exalted above the free world (and unfree world).
Jesus Christ is the constitution for my government.
Jesus Christ is my founding father.
Jesus Christ is “the last best hope for mankind.”
These titles belong to Jesus Christ alone. And to deny him that and give it to Trump or Biden or some other politician I believe is idolatry for the Christian… if you care. If this angers you, why?
“For kingship belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the nations. All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, even the one who could not keep himself alive. Posterity shall serve him; it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation; they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn, that he has done it.”
Psalm 22:28-31 ESV
I believe that Jesus does not want me to vote this year. Not to slight Trump, who I’d normally vote for over the other side. Not because I’m mad at him. I tend to think that God is using him to stir up and expose things that need that.
I have heard the gospel of the kingdom, and it changes everything for me. It explains everything for me.
I want the kingdom of Jesus Christ to rule the earth. I am voting no confidence in the American government. It is too large, Trump wasn’t able to effectively drain the swamp (even if he wanted to) because the swamp worked for him. America will (maybe) thrive and continue not because we elect the right president but because the American people follow Jesus Christ. And if we won’t, then we are done for. We could elect one of the 12 apostles to run the executive branch he’d be limited in what he could do with our current situation.
For more on this topic read Tim Keller’s article below.
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