Of late the circus that the American political scene has become seems to never leave town.  Politics seems to be always be on people’s minds, always be just a statement away from becoming the subject of discussion, at times ending in a negative outcome.  In the sense that breath is hot, America recently endured yet another hotly contested election, meaning that it produced an abundance of hot air.  The reason for this is that Americans believe and act as if they are in charge of who attains which political office.  The airwaves and the print medium are filled with high-sounding words and emotional outbursts with victory fingers pointing toward oneself and defeat fingers pointing in other directions.  In the end, the “truth” concerning why one person won and another person lost remains totally misunderstood.  For example, it is a “known fact” that man’s voting habits determines winners and losers.  Because of this, “everyone knows” that “every vote counts,” therefore it is the citizen’s civic duty to vote in every election.

Not surprisingly, many of these people belong to the group whose members, though divided into hundreds of conflicting, competing, contending cults, gather under one umbrella label: “Christian.”  In many cases, their leaders urge them to “go out and vote and get out the vote” to assure that the “right” people get elected to the right positions in the nation’s political system.  In this way the machinery of governance is run by man and carried out through man in accordance to man’s desires.

Jesus, church people are told from pulpit and podium, expects us to vote as He would have them vote.  However, in order to vote according to His will one must know which candidate has His blessings.  Whose side is He on?  Does He favor the Republicans or the Democrats?  When both people in a contest say they are Christian, what does one do?  People on both sides of the isle say they follow Jesus.  They go to church, wear crosses, have Bibles in their offices briefcases and purses.

Each believer is sure that he/she is affiliated with the “right” political party–the one having the Lord’s approval.  But which is it?  Each side “knows” that their side is the Lord’s side, that He is guiding them in their decision-making.  Is this true?  Is it man’s responsibility to determine who is in charge of his government?  Has the Almighty given man the responsibility for making this world a better place by electing the “right” people to govern them?  The answers are found in the Lord’s Holy Scriptures.

Let us pause to define the words “earth” and “world” in order to prevent any confusion.  BIBLICLY, “THE EARTH” REFERS TO THE BALL OF ROCK, DIRT, WATER, ETC. UPON WHICH THE WORLD SITS.  ‘THE WORLD” CONSISTS OF THE ORGANIZATIONS, GROUPS, FAMILIES, PHILOSOPHIES, SYSTEMS OF GOVERNMENT, BUSINESS, SOCIETY, ETC. THAT EXIST ON THE SURFACE OF THE EARTH.

Man, including churchman, views everything around him from a worldly perspective.  He also believes that the world he sees is God’s world, and that, if he (man) elects the right people all will be well with the part of the world he occupies.  Church people “know” that evil exists in the world, and that they must oppose it.  They see it as their Christian duty to continuously work to make the world better.  But is this the attitude God prescribes for His saints?  Is His church tasked with making the world a better place?  The Biblical answer is summarily rejected by the vast majority of church people.

The answer is “No, it is not the saint’s job to make their place on the earth a better place because that place along with the rest of the world is not of God’s making and does not belong to Him.  Therefore, God’s people are not a part of the world in general nor that part in which they live.  That world rejects them and stands in stark contrast to everything they stand for.  Be not deceived:  THIS IS SATAN’S WORLD.  HE IS THE GOD OF HIS WORLD (2 Cor. 4:4).  Concerning this Truth, HE HAS DECEIVED THE WHOLE WORLD (Rev. 12:9), INCLUDED THE CHURCH WORLD.  Satan is the author of the world’s organizations, philosophies, systems of government, businesses, societies and RELIGIONS, including that which calls itself “Christian.”  The Apostle Paul called that which occupies the earth “this present evil world” (Gal. 1:4).  God is not in charge of this world–Satan is.  With one exception–the tiny part of the world in which each of His saints lives.  As He says concerning His Very Elect, though a thousand fall at the saint’s side and ten thousand fall at his right hand, THE SAINT OF GOD WILL STAND.  The Saint’s enemies, God says, will come at him one way but will flee seven ways (Ps. 91:7/Jer. 28:7).  Note that God will send enemies to attack His people, but they will be defeated.  Why?  To show the world who are His people and who are not.  Read Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28.  Those who claim to be His but fall before their enemies (sickness, natural disasters, financial problems, wars, crime, etc.) fall just as do those who openly reject Him.  In the eyes of God, they are no different.  Recall that the Apostle Paul was bitten by a deadly viper.  Its venom had no effect on him.  Anyone else would have dropped dead immediately (Acts 28:1-10).  Note what happened following the incident.

It is true that no matter who holds what political office, evil permeates that office, the people in it and everything done by them.  Some politicians are less evil than others and some embrace more Biblical principles than others, like wearing crosses, going to church, etc.  Some even call upon the Lord to guide their governmental efforts.  However, none try to conduct their responsibilities according to God’s plainly expressed wishes.  If they did they would not be in office for long because.  Why?  Because everyone “knows” that in order to do the job correctly, we must always maintain the “SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE.”  Notice that this “truth” is not stated in the U.S. Constitution.  And as we will see, it is not mentioned in the Holy Scriptures.  Let us take a brief look at what the Lord said relative to such a separation.

The Messiah makes abundantly clear His attitude toward the church-state separation issue.  In the first chapter of the Book of Acts we find that Jesus, having risen from the dead, has returned to earth, specifically the Mount of Olives where, over the past 40 days, taught His disciples “the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God” which He would establish in the Promised Land upon His return.  In verse six we find the disciples asking Him a very important question: “Lord, will You at this time RESTORE THE KINGDOM TO ISRAEL?”  Would He fashion the future universe-ruling, earth-located government after that of ancient Israel?

Notice that Jesus did not correct them.  He simply told them that He did not know when THE KINGDOM WOULD BE RESTORED TO ISEAEL.  Israel, we know, had been organized according to God’s will.  The disciples knew that was to that standard that Jesus would create His Father’s coming kingdom on earth.  They were wondering about when, not what.

But, did not Israel rebel against Him time and time again, causing Him to curse them with military defeat, enslavement and global scattering?  Yes.  So to what Israelite kingdom were the disciples referring?  According to what former Israelite pattern would Jesus create the coming Kingdom of God?  HE WOULD FASHION THE COMING KINGDOM OF GOD AFTER THE KINGDOM RULED BY KING DAVID, WHICH WAS WHAT GOD ENVISIOINED WHEN HE RAISED UP THE NATION OF ISRAEL AND PLACED HER IN THE LAND HE HAD PROMISED ABRAHAM.  UNDER THE KINGSHIP OF DAVID, ISRAEL PERSONIFIED THE CHURCH-STATE RELATIONSHIP AS DESIGNED BY ITS CREATOR.  IN THE KINGDOM OF DAVID CHURCH AND STATE WERE ONE AND THE SAME–INSEPERABLE AND INTERTWINED.  SIMPLY PUT, THE ISRAELITE GOVERNMENT WAS GOD’S WORD MANIFESTED IN THE LIVES OF HIS PEOPLE.  SUCH WILL BE THE FUTURE KINGDOM WHICH JESUS REFERRED TO AS “THE TABERNACLE OF DAVID” WHICH HE WOULD BUILD AGAIN (ACTS 15:16).  Under King David Israel was the most holy, most prosperous, most powerful nation on earth.  And as long as the people obeyed Him the nation remained the head of all nations.  There were no elections held in Israel during David’s reign.  Having repented of his sins, David led Israel during a time of true national obedience to God.

The same is true for the United States of America.  She was the most powerful and most prosperous nation on earth.  The first spiritual Israelites governed themselves solely by the Word of God.  However, that governmental system did not last long.  Americans followed in the spiritual footsteps of their Israelite ancestors.  After having been established and greatly blessed by the Lord, they rebelled against Him.  For example, for many years during America’s development it was against the law to observe Christmas, which God calls a heathen abomination (Jer. 10:1-5).  Originally, the colonies did not allow the celebration of Easter, Valentine’s Day, Halloween and the Sunday Sabbath.  However, like Adam and Eve before them, America decided to follow Satan.  The history of Israel was a harbinger of what America would become.  America will also fall as did Israel.  Knowing what will be the end result of America’s rebellion against her Maker, I have literally wept.

One need only to turn on Fox News to see the truth about the spiritual condition of the “ONE NATION UNDER GOD.”  Other t.v. networks refuse to tell the truth about what is happening to this nation.  Man has become his own god, doing whatever he wills to do.  America has gone the way of Satan.  Why?  Because man decided to take self and national governance into his own hands.  L.J.

Memory verse: Acts 1:6–“Will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”  The answer is no.  However, that day of restoration will soon arrive, but not before the world will convulse in a 2 1/2 year reign of destruction and death as Satan pours out his hatred on those he hates–mankind.  This will be followed by a year-long reign of terror as God pours out His wrath on those who have rejected Him.  The final year will be worse than what came before it.  Why?  Idolatry–man believes he is superior to God and can govern himself better than He can.  Any would-be politician that suggests a national government based on Biblical principles can forget about being elected.  Which introduces us to part two.