“If there is no final place for civil disobedience, then the government has been put in the place of the Living God, because then you are to obey it even when it tells you in its own way to worship Caesar. And that point is exactly where the early Christians performed their own acts of civil disobedience even where it costs them their own lives." Francis Schaefer
After posting this quote I was asked; “Where is this found? If so then how do you read Romans 13?”
The quote is from the “Christian Manifesto” written in response to the Humanist Manifesto. If you are asking where did the early Christians practice civil disobedience, one merely need look at how many refused to deny their faith, refused to sacrifice to idols, or worship the emperor, and for so doing forfeited their lives. Every one of the apostles except John was martyred; they defied government by preaching Jesus, and defied government by not worshipping and sacrificing to idols and false gods. Recent history likewise gives examples of believers who have stood against the pagan god state, from Richard Wurmbrand who began the Voice of the Martyrs Ministry, Dietrich Boenhoeffer “The Cost of Discpleship”, and Corrie Ten Boom “The Hiding Place”, not to mention believers in countries such as China, Iraq, Turkey, etc. I would like to point out that an idol can be most anything, but it is always something that was created, oftentimes it is something that man made himself. Be it a totem pole, a statue, a religious system, a monarch, a state, a flag etc. Men have bowed themselves to the sun, the moon, snakes, cats, lions, trees you name it they have done it. Government is a creation of man, God’s form of government is laid out in scripture and unfortunately it is not the government that the founding fathers of this United States gave to us. They did however touch on truths of scripture in The Declaration of Independence and with a written Constitution (law) which limited the power and scope of government and those within government.
There are many examples of believers in both Old and new testaments that shed light on Romans 13, and where our duty and loyalties are to be placed.
1Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. 2Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
The higher powers are the powers that are established and ordained by God. There is no power except those established and ordained by God. These are the powers we are to submit to.
Pagans often put their altars and places of worship on high places, these are and have often been places where men have ruled and exerted force over other men. Are there powers or forces outside of those established and ordained by God? “They have set up kings, but not by me: they have made princes, and I knew it not: of their silver and their gold have they made them idols, that they may be cut off.” Hosea 8:4 How about this force? “But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.” Daniel10:13 and “Then said he, Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee? and now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia: and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come.” Daniel10:20
These are angels, those appointed, established and set in position by God, and the prince of Persia is in opposition in rebellion and at war with the same higher powers set by God.
The word higher means superior, supreme, better, elevated, excellency, but what of these other forces? How about Satan? “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.” Isaiah 14:12-15
Now let us just look back to the ancients –how about the titans of old, you know the old gods? Does the bible talk about these as well? As a matter of fact it does. What does the word giant mean? Nphil or nephilim it means bully, tyrant it comes from the word naphal to fall, or to be cast down. Let us look at a few titans, Nimrod, Osiris, Baal, Merodach, Apollyon, Adonis, Melqart, Tammuz, Baachus etc… You may say these are just myths, may be so, but did the Egyptians worship pharaoh as the reincarnation of their god? The answer is yes, similar to all the other pagan religions, was not the Roman emperor god, the emperor of China the son of heaven? In life they were the gods of living, they arose god of the dead. In Egypt Horus is the son of Osiris, I will not go into the details of how Isis came to be pregnant from a dead man with a vital missing organ to accomplish the task, but every Phallus or Obelisk you see including the one in Washington DC speaks to this legend. The question which is important is why? In the world we live in today, many deny evil exists, let alone that Satan is real, but he does, and his goals and agenda have not changed since Isaiah wrote, and he is as busy today as ever. Going to and fro and trafficking across the earth. Now the question is; is he a higher power? Are men who like Satan desire God’s place and throne and who are worshipped as gods, powers appointed and set by God? I think we find the answer in the word nephilim and its root and in Isaiah’s description. They are fallen, cut down, cast down. They are temporal, their power is not eternal, nor are they superior, or excellent or any such thing, they are death, and their way is death, and lead down to hell and the pit. The higher powers ordained by God are eternal, they are everlasting, they are living and they are life.
When Israel set up kings that God knew not, they were judged and punished.
How do we know if the Higher powers are of God?
3For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: 4For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.
Now Paul asks a question, Wilt thou not be afraid of the power? This brings to mind Joshua and Caleb and the ten spies, the ten spies saw the giants and they were afraid, “we are as grasshoppers in their sight”! Joshua and Caleb stood apart from all the rest, they saw the giants, their great strength and size but they knew that God was greater than the giants and that He would go before them and defeat the giants and give them the land He had promised.
God tells us through Paul, That the authorities that are appointed by God are not a terror to good works, but to evil! The authorities ordained by God praise the good, they uphold righteousness. The authorities, powers appointed and ordained by God are ministers to thee of good if you do right, but they execute wrath upon them that doeth evil. This defines what powers are appointed by God.5Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.
So we are to do that which is right because the higher powers will execute wrath upon those who do that which is wicked, and for conscience sake.
Jesus said; ‘But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.” Luke 12:5
Your conscience is what tells you what is right and wrong; it distinguishes between good and evil. It is our conscience that must dictate when a power asks or demands of us what is evil. I might add that God would not have us do evil or in any way promote it! Any force or power that requires, commands or coerces a person to do that which is evil or wickedness is not of God.
If Romans 13 is in fact to be read that we are to be obedient to the state, and that every government is set in place by God no matter how tyrannical, how evil, or how wicked then we should find examples of great men and women in the Bible acting out this principle. What we find in fact is precisely the opposite.
We will start in Exodus. . “And he (pharaoh) said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him: but if it be a daughter, then she shall live. But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive.” Exodus 1:16-17 How did God view the disobedience of the midwives to the government which set itself against God? “Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty. And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them houses” Exodus1:20-21
Next we will move forward to Joshua “And the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab, saying, Bring forth the men that are come to thee, which are entered into thine house: for they be come to search out all the country. And the woman took the two men, and hid them” Joshua 2: 3-4 According to scripture Rahab defied the earthly King. What was the consequence and how did God react to this defiance of government by Rahab. He saved her and her entire household, everyone else was killed. “And Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her father's household, and all that she had; and she dwelleth in Israel even unto this day; because she hid the messengers, which Joshua sent to spy out Jericho” Joshua 6:25 Rahab is one of the most renown women in scripture, she also was distinguished in being included in the lineage of Messiah! “And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse.” Matthew1:5
Let us move forward to Daniel “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. Daniel 3:16-18 Did God allow them to be burned up in the fiery furnace since they were not obedient to the government and earthly king? No in fact God walked among them in the fiery furnace!
“Then these presidents and princes assembled together to the king, and said thus unto him, King Darius, live forever. All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, and the princes, the counsellers, and the captains, have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a firm decree, that whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions. Now, O king, establish the decree, and sign the writing, that it be not changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not. Therefore king Darius signed the writing and the decree. Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime. Then these men assembled, and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God. Then they came near, and spake before the king concerning the king's decree; Hast thou not signed a decree, that every man that shall ask a petition of any God or man within thirty days, save of thee, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions? The king answered and said, The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not. Then answered they and said before the king, That Daniel, which is of the children of the captivity of Judah, regardeth not thee, O king, nor the decree that thou hast signed, but maketh his petition three times a day.” Daniel 6:6-13
Daniel defied the counselors, the captains, governors presidents, princes and king? Daniel was thrown into the Lion’s den, but he did not die, he lived. The angel tells us of God’s attitude towards Daniel. “At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to shew thee; for thou art greatly beloved!” Daniel in 9:23
Next we will examine Peter and the apostles. ““And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” Acts 4:18-20 Both Peter and John make it clear that they will continue to speak and witness to what they have seen and heard concerning Jesus the messiah and the word of God in direct disobedience to the command of the authorities. “And being let go, they went to their own company, and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said unto them. And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is: Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things? The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ. Acts 4:23-26
Did you read that? The kings of the earth stood up and the rulers gathered together against the Lord and against his Christ! Now as the apostles said they would continue to act and speak in defiance of the council once again they find themselves back where they started; “they set them before the council: and the high priest asked them, Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us. Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.” Acts 5: 27-29 Let me repeat that once more. “We ought to obey God rather than men.”
Lastly we must examine Paul the writer of Romans 13. “In Damascus the governor under Aretas the king kept the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desirous to apprehend me: And through a window in a basket was I let down by the wall, and escaped his hands.” 2 Corinthians 11:32-33
How is it that Paul would dare to flee from the authorities when they were desirous to apprehend him if it is God’s will to submit and obey all manmade institutions because they are ordained of God? Because all powers or forces are not of God, in fact many stand and raise themselves up in opposition to God.
That there are things which are high that are not of God Paul tells us. “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled” 2 Corinthians 10:3-6
‘For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” Ephesians 6:12
“In all of antiquity, the Hebrew Bible is the single document that consistently advances the essential ideas which comprise the contemporary belief in “civil disobedience,” unequivocally articulating principles which, when they were first advanced, were alien to the entire world: That there is an absolute of right and wrong that transcends the decrees of the state; that the state has no right to rule if it rules unjustly; that conscience and not the state must be the ultimate arbiter of the actions of every man; that individual disobedience is justified and obligatory in the face of state injustice; and that resistance and even the overthrow of the state are justified and obligatory in cases of unbearable tyranny. Indeed, the biblical narrative consists in large part of explicit indictments of both Jewish and non-Jewish governments for the injustice of their laws and the unjust behavior of their rulers—accounts in which those who are capable of acting independently and offering resistance are in every case depicted as the heroes.” Dr. Yoram Hazony
“The call for submission to God does not in any way connote a call to submit to human authority; indeed, it is the exact opposite. For God’s will in the Bible can be considered similar to what is referred to in secular terms as higher law or universal justice. To equate obedience to the dictates of justice with obedience to injustice is to miss the point of the entire Bible, which is that the individual must obey only the dictates of moral truth, even when these violate the dictates of the state.
The background for the disobedience teaching of the Jewish Bible is its message of individual moral responsibility, which is the cornerstone of the Jewish faith. Unlike the heroes of other ancient narratives, the figures of the books of Moses are neither royalty nor nobility; nor, after the fashion of modern literature, are they democratic figures at the bottom of the social structure. Instead, Abraham and his descendants are shepherds, who view civilization from outside, looking down from the hills at the doings of society and state as they chart their own independent course through the wilderness. “Dr. Yoram Hazony
We did not discuss Moses mother, pharaoh's daughter, Esther, Obadiah, John the Baptist, etc… etc. Every apostle save John was murdered by authorities, and John was imprisoned, and we have not even discussed the prophets. These are real individual people, who sought to please God rather than men, they were not disobedient to God, they served him, and walked in His ways.
6For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing.
We pay tribute to the ministers of God. A minister implies a person who looks after, cares for, tends after, and comforts. Jesus ministered to the people, as did the apostles and disciples. To be God’s minister you must be within God’s will.
7Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.
We are to render tribute, custom, and honour to whom they are due, this means to who are entitled and deserving. Let us take a look at One greater and wiser than Paul.
“And they asked him, saying, Master, we know that thou sayest and teachest rightly, neither acceptest thou the person of any, but teachest the way of God truly: Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar, or no? But he perceived their craftiness, and said unto them, Why tempt ye me? Shew me a penny. Whose image and superscription hath it? They answered and said, Caesar's. And he said unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar's, and unto God the things which be God's. And they could not take hold of his words before the people: and they marvelled at his answer, and held their peace.” Luke 20:21-26
He asked them, “Whose image and whose superscription does it have?” They answered Caesars. Take a good look at your dollar Federal Reserve Note, let us look at what is on it. At the top right corner there is an owl, Lilith the succubus-the screech owl or the god Molech. The all seeing eye at the top of the pyramid is the eye of Horus. Notice the capstone has not been placed. The dollar is full of symbols and magick (alchemy-Taking something worthless and making it into gold) acknowledging their god-Lucifer, and his one world order.
Now what is of interest, for those of us who serve Jesus and know that he is the stone the builders rejected, a stone not made with hands, the foundation and corner stone, is that a cornerstone is NOT a capstone, a foundation stone is what you build upon, a capstone is what you build up to, a high thing, like the tower of Babel. The goal is to become gods to raise their dead god! So render unto Caesar (god) what is Caesars. Give him his notes- his IOUs, his debt bills. It is a system of unjust weights and measures, and a major devise of the Mystery Babylon system. God tells us about this system and he calls us to “Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” Revelation 18:4
An even more important question for the believer is whose are you? Are you Caesar’s? Whose image and likeness are you made in, whose image do you bear? “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them” Genesis” 1:26-27
This clarifies that I am not the property of government or any manmade institution. More than that even “Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.” 1Corinthians 7:23 “And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power. Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid. What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh. But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication(unlawful lust, the practice of idolatry) sinneth against his own body. What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.” 1 Corinthians 6:14-20
Again Scripture makes clear that I am not the property of the state, the federal government, a king, or an emperor claiming for themselves the role and place of God. I am a child of God, a servant of the King of Kings, and He is the Most High. He is first and foremost before anything else!
The following defines God’s law and the purpose of all law.
8 Owe no man anything, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. 9For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
Owe no man anything, the present government in this country as well as every other has a debt based currency system. Therefore it violates God’s law. Adultery is infidelity, unfaithfulness, disloyalty, betrayal, deceitfulness, treachery, not only does the government and those who hold office practice such things, they encourage those who reside within their power to do the same. Thou shalt not kill; how many innocent women and children has this country’s military killed in third world countries? As a believer just desiring a thing in one’s heart makes one guilty, so how about this comment made by Hoffa to warm up the crowd for the president of these United States “take these son-of-a-bitches out” not only do these kill, they incite others to violence. Thou shalt not steal, the definition of legal plunder is as follows: “See if the law takes from some persons what belongs to them, and gives it to other persons to whom it does not belong.” Not only does the law made by the powers that be do so, it encourages coveting. A whole system is in place to make one yearn for and desire what belongs to someone else, or for what one does not have, making it as if you deserve and are entitled to this or that material possession.
11And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. 13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. 14But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.
A time is coming quickly when believers will be faced with a decision to serve God or serve Satan, to bow to the worldly temporal authorities and receive the mark of the beast, the mark of Satan’s bride of death, or to serve God. Obedience to the authorities in this will mean becoming Satan’s bride. Obedience to God will only be had by disobedience and resistance to the temporal authority by rejecting the mark that will allow you to participate in the Babylonian economic system. Those participating and party to this system will be judged and will face the full wrath of God. Whose bride will you be? Remember the scriptures
“No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Matthew 6:24
‘How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.” 1 Kings 18:21
“Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” James 4:4
“Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that the LORD he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else. Thou shalt keep therefore his statutes, and his commandments, which I command thee this day, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days upon the earth, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, forever.” Deuteronomy 4:39-40
“I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.” Exodus20:2-6
That is how I read Romans 13.
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After posting this quote I was asked; “Where is this found? If so then how do you read Romans 13?”
The quote is from the “Christian Manifesto” written in response to the Humanist Manifesto. If you are asking where did the early Christians practice civil disobedience, one merely need look at how many refused to deny their faith, refused to sacrifice to idols, or worship the emperor, and for so doing forfeited their lives. Every one of the apostles except John was martyred; they defied government by preaching Jesus, and defied government by not worshipping and sacrificing to idols and false gods. Recent history likewise gives examples of believers who have stood against the pagan god state, from Richard Wurmbrand who began the Voice of the Martyrs Ministry, Dietrich Boenhoeffer “The Cost of Discpleship”, and Corrie Ten Boom “The Hiding Place”, not to mention believers in countries such as China, Iraq, Turkey, etc. I would like to point out that an idol can be most anything, but it is always something that was created, oftentimes it is something that man made himself. Be it a totem pole, a statue, a religious system, a monarch, a state, a flag etc. Men have bowed themselves to the sun, the moon, snakes, cats, lions, trees you name it they have done it. Government is a creation of man, God’s form of government is laid out in scripture and unfortunately it is not the government that the founding fathers of this United States gave to us. They did however touch on truths of scripture in The Declaration of Independence and with a written Constitution (law) which limited the power and scope of government and those within government.
There are many examples of believers in both Old and new testaments that shed light on Romans 13, and where our duty and loyalties are to be placed.
1Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. 2Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
The higher powers are the powers that are established and ordained by God. There is no power except those established and ordained by God. These are the powers we are to submit to.
Pagans often put their altars and places of worship on high places, these are and have often been places where men have ruled and exerted force over other men. Are there powers or forces outside of those established and ordained by God? “They have set up kings, but not by me: they have made princes, and I knew it not: of their silver and their gold have they made them idols, that they may be cut off.” Hosea 8:4 How about this force? “But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.” Daniel10:13 and “Then said he, Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee? and now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia: and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come.” Daniel10:20
These are angels, those appointed, established and set in position by God, and the prince of Persia is in opposition in rebellion and at war with the same higher powers set by God.
The word higher means superior, supreme, better, elevated, excellency, but what of these other forces? How about Satan? “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.” Isaiah 14:12-15
Now let us just look back to the ancients –how about the titans of old, you know the old gods? Does the bible talk about these as well? As a matter of fact it does. What does the word giant mean? Nphil or nephilim it means bully, tyrant it comes from the word naphal to fall, or to be cast down. Let us look at a few titans, Nimrod, Osiris, Baal, Merodach, Apollyon, Adonis, Melqart, Tammuz, Baachus etc… You may say these are just myths, may be so, but did the Egyptians worship pharaoh as the reincarnation of their god? The answer is yes, similar to all the other pagan religions, was not the Roman emperor god, the emperor of China the son of heaven? In life they were the gods of living, they arose god of the dead. In Egypt Horus is the son of Osiris, I will not go into the details of how Isis came to be pregnant from a dead man with a vital missing organ to accomplish the task, but every Phallus or Obelisk you see including the one in Washington DC speaks to this legend. The question which is important is why? In the world we live in today, many deny evil exists, let alone that Satan is real, but he does, and his goals and agenda have not changed since Isaiah wrote, and he is as busy today as ever. Going to and fro and trafficking across the earth. Now the question is; is he a higher power? Are men who like Satan desire God’s place and throne and who are worshipped as gods, powers appointed and set by God? I think we find the answer in the word nephilim and its root and in Isaiah’s description. They are fallen, cut down, cast down. They are temporal, their power is not eternal, nor are they superior, or excellent or any such thing, they are death, and their way is death, and lead down to hell and the pit. The higher powers ordained by God are eternal, they are everlasting, they are living and they are life.
When Israel set up kings that God knew not, they were judged and punished.
How do we know if the Higher powers are of God?
3For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: 4For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.
Now Paul asks a question, Wilt thou not be afraid of the power? This brings to mind Joshua and Caleb and the ten spies, the ten spies saw the giants and they were afraid, “we are as grasshoppers in their sight”! Joshua and Caleb stood apart from all the rest, they saw the giants, their great strength and size but they knew that God was greater than the giants and that He would go before them and defeat the giants and give them the land He had promised.
God tells us through Paul, That the authorities that are appointed by God are not a terror to good works, but to evil! The authorities ordained by God praise the good, they uphold righteousness. The authorities, powers appointed and ordained by God are ministers to thee of good if you do right, but they execute wrath upon them that doeth evil. This defines what powers are appointed by God.5Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.
So we are to do that which is right because the higher powers will execute wrath upon those who do that which is wicked, and for conscience sake.
Jesus said; ‘But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.” Luke 12:5
Your conscience is what tells you what is right and wrong; it distinguishes between good and evil. It is our conscience that must dictate when a power asks or demands of us what is evil. I might add that God would not have us do evil or in any way promote it! Any force or power that requires, commands or coerces a person to do that which is evil or wickedness is not of God.
If Romans 13 is in fact to be read that we are to be obedient to the state, and that every government is set in place by God no matter how tyrannical, how evil, or how wicked then we should find examples of great men and women in the Bible acting out this principle. What we find in fact is precisely the opposite.
We will start in Exodus. . “And he (pharaoh) said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him: but if it be a daughter, then she shall live. But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive.” Exodus 1:16-17 How did God view the disobedience of the midwives to the government which set itself against God? “Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty. And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them houses” Exodus1:20-21
Next we will move forward to Joshua “And the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab, saying, Bring forth the men that are come to thee, which are entered into thine house: for they be come to search out all the country. And the woman took the two men, and hid them” Joshua 2: 3-4 According to scripture Rahab defied the earthly King. What was the consequence and how did God react to this defiance of government by Rahab. He saved her and her entire household, everyone else was killed. “And Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her father's household, and all that she had; and she dwelleth in Israel even unto this day; because she hid the messengers, which Joshua sent to spy out Jericho” Joshua 6:25 Rahab is one of the most renown women in scripture, she also was distinguished in being included in the lineage of Messiah! “And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse.” Matthew1:5
Let us move forward to Daniel “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. Daniel 3:16-18 Did God allow them to be burned up in the fiery furnace since they were not obedient to the government and earthly king? No in fact God walked among them in the fiery furnace!
“Then these presidents and princes assembled together to the king, and said thus unto him, King Darius, live forever. All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, and the princes, the counsellers, and the captains, have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a firm decree, that whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions. Now, O king, establish the decree, and sign the writing, that it be not changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not. Therefore king Darius signed the writing and the decree. Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime. Then these men assembled, and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God. Then they came near, and spake before the king concerning the king's decree; Hast thou not signed a decree, that every man that shall ask a petition of any God or man within thirty days, save of thee, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions? The king answered and said, The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not. Then answered they and said before the king, That Daniel, which is of the children of the captivity of Judah, regardeth not thee, O king, nor the decree that thou hast signed, but maketh his petition three times a day.” Daniel 6:6-13
Daniel defied the counselors, the captains, governors presidents, princes and king? Daniel was thrown into the Lion’s den, but he did not die, he lived. The angel tells us of God’s attitude towards Daniel. “At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to shew thee; for thou art greatly beloved!” Daniel in 9:23
Next we will examine Peter and the apostles. ““And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” Acts 4:18-20 Both Peter and John make it clear that they will continue to speak and witness to what they have seen and heard concerning Jesus the messiah and the word of God in direct disobedience to the command of the authorities. “And being let go, they went to their own company, and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said unto them. And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is: Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things? The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ. Acts 4:23-26
Did you read that? The kings of the earth stood up and the rulers gathered together against the Lord and against his Christ! Now as the apostles said they would continue to act and speak in defiance of the council once again they find themselves back where they started; “they set them before the council: and the high priest asked them, Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us. Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.” Acts 5: 27-29 Let me repeat that once more. “We ought to obey God rather than men.”
Lastly we must examine Paul the writer of Romans 13. “In Damascus the governor under Aretas the king kept the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desirous to apprehend me: And through a window in a basket was I let down by the wall, and escaped his hands.” 2 Corinthians 11:32-33
How is it that Paul would dare to flee from the authorities when they were desirous to apprehend him if it is God’s will to submit and obey all manmade institutions because they are ordained of God? Because all powers or forces are not of God, in fact many stand and raise themselves up in opposition to God.
That there are things which are high that are not of God Paul tells us. “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled” 2 Corinthians 10:3-6
‘For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” Ephesians 6:12
“In all of antiquity, the Hebrew Bible is the single document that consistently advances the essential ideas which comprise the contemporary belief in “civil disobedience,” unequivocally articulating principles which, when they were first advanced, were alien to the entire world: That there is an absolute of right and wrong that transcends the decrees of the state; that the state has no right to rule if it rules unjustly; that conscience and not the state must be the ultimate arbiter of the actions of every man; that individual disobedience is justified and obligatory in the face of state injustice; and that resistance and even the overthrow of the state are justified and obligatory in cases of unbearable tyranny. Indeed, the biblical narrative consists in large part of explicit indictments of both Jewish and non-Jewish governments for the injustice of their laws and the unjust behavior of their rulers—accounts in which those who are capable of acting independently and offering resistance are in every case depicted as the heroes.” Dr. Yoram Hazony
“The call for submission to God does not in any way connote a call to submit to human authority; indeed, it is the exact opposite. For God’s will in the Bible can be considered similar to what is referred to in secular terms as higher law or universal justice. To equate obedience to the dictates of justice with obedience to injustice is to miss the point of the entire Bible, which is that the individual must obey only the dictates of moral truth, even when these violate the dictates of the state.
The background for the disobedience teaching of the Jewish Bible is its message of individual moral responsibility, which is the cornerstone of the Jewish faith. Unlike the heroes of other ancient narratives, the figures of the books of Moses are neither royalty nor nobility; nor, after the fashion of modern literature, are they democratic figures at the bottom of the social structure. Instead, Abraham and his descendants are shepherds, who view civilization from outside, looking down from the hills at the doings of society and state as they chart their own independent course through the wilderness. “Dr. Yoram Hazony
We did not discuss Moses mother, pharaoh's daughter, Esther, Obadiah, John the Baptist, etc… etc. Every apostle save John was murdered by authorities, and John was imprisoned, and we have not even discussed the prophets. These are real individual people, who sought to please God rather than men, they were not disobedient to God, they served him, and walked in His ways.
6For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing.
We pay tribute to the ministers of God. A minister implies a person who looks after, cares for, tends after, and comforts. Jesus ministered to the people, as did the apostles and disciples. To be God’s minister you must be within God’s will.
7Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.
We are to render tribute, custom, and honour to whom they are due, this means to who are entitled and deserving. Let us take a look at One greater and wiser than Paul.
“And they asked him, saying, Master, we know that thou sayest and teachest rightly, neither acceptest thou the person of any, but teachest the way of God truly: Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar, or no? But he perceived their craftiness, and said unto them, Why tempt ye me? Shew me a penny. Whose image and superscription hath it? They answered and said, Caesar's. And he said unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar's, and unto God the things which be God's. And they could not take hold of his words before the people: and they marvelled at his answer, and held their peace.” Luke 20:21-26
He asked them, “Whose image and whose superscription does it have?” They answered Caesars. Take a good look at your dollar Federal Reserve Note, let us look at what is on it. At the top right corner there is an owl, Lilith the succubus-the screech owl or the god Molech. The all seeing eye at the top of the pyramid is the eye of Horus. Notice the capstone has not been placed. The dollar is full of symbols and magick (alchemy-Taking something worthless and making it into gold) acknowledging their god-Lucifer, and his one world order.
Now what is of interest, for those of us who serve Jesus and know that he is the stone the builders rejected, a stone not made with hands, the foundation and corner stone, is that a cornerstone is NOT a capstone, a foundation stone is what you build upon, a capstone is what you build up to, a high thing, like the tower of Babel. The goal is to become gods to raise their dead god! So render unto Caesar (god) what is Caesars. Give him his notes- his IOUs, his debt bills. It is a system of unjust weights and measures, and a major devise of the Mystery Babylon system. God tells us about this system and he calls us to “Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” Revelation 18:4
An even more important question for the believer is whose are you? Are you Caesar’s? Whose image and likeness are you made in, whose image do you bear? “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them” Genesis” 1:26-27
This clarifies that I am not the property of government or any manmade institution. More than that even “Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.” 1Corinthians 7:23 “And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power. Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid. What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh. But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication(unlawful lust, the practice of idolatry) sinneth against his own body. What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.” 1 Corinthians 6:14-20
Again Scripture makes clear that I am not the property of the state, the federal government, a king, or an emperor claiming for themselves the role and place of God. I am a child of God, a servant of the King of Kings, and He is the Most High. He is first and foremost before anything else!
The following defines God’s law and the purpose of all law.
8 Owe no man anything, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. 9For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
Owe no man anything, the present government in this country as well as every other has a debt based currency system. Therefore it violates God’s law. Adultery is infidelity, unfaithfulness, disloyalty, betrayal, deceitfulness, treachery, not only does the government and those who hold office practice such things, they encourage those who reside within their power to do the same. Thou shalt not kill; how many innocent women and children has this country’s military killed in third world countries? As a believer just desiring a thing in one’s heart makes one guilty, so how about this comment made by Hoffa to warm up the crowd for the president of these United States “take these son-of-a-bitches out” not only do these kill, they incite others to violence. Thou shalt not steal, the definition of legal plunder is as follows: “See if the law takes from some persons what belongs to them, and gives it to other persons to whom it does not belong.” Not only does the law made by the powers that be do so, it encourages coveting. A whole system is in place to make one yearn for and desire what belongs to someone else, or for what one does not have, making it as if you deserve and are entitled to this or that material possession.
11And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. 13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. 14But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.
A time is coming quickly when believers will be faced with a decision to serve God or serve Satan, to bow to the worldly temporal authorities and receive the mark of the beast, the mark of Satan’s bride of death, or to serve God. Obedience to the authorities in this will mean becoming Satan’s bride. Obedience to God will only be had by disobedience and resistance to the temporal authority by rejecting the mark that will allow you to participate in the Babylonian economic system. Those participating and party to this system will be judged and will face the full wrath of God. Whose bride will you be? Remember the scriptures
“No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Matthew 6:24
‘How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.” 1 Kings 18:21
“Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” James 4:4
“Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that the LORD he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else. Thou shalt keep therefore his statutes, and his commandments, which I command thee this day, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days upon the earth, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, forever.” Deuteronomy 4:39-40
“I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.” Exodus20:2-6
That is how I read Romans 13.
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