“For we know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.” – 1 John 5:19
In one sense, the Bible is largely political. The backdrop of the Bible is that God ruled as King over His Kingdom until there was a “war in heaven.” (Revelation 12:7-9) Some of the created angels decided to side with their fellow high-ranking angel Satan, declare war on God, and attempt a coup to overthrow God as King and overtake His Kingdom. The holy angels defeated these demons, who were then cast down to earth. In the opening chapters of Genesis, we see Satan successfully defeat Adam, the father of all mankind, establishing himself as the “god of this world.” (2 Corinthians 4:4) Jesus humbly came to do battle with Satan, and He never sinned. He died on the cross in our place for our sins, paid our debt to God, released us from demonic control, and ascended back to Heaven, where He sits on His throne in glory as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. On earth, we are living in the Last Days, the final period of human history between Jesus’ First Coming to save sinners and His Second Coming to establish His Kingdom dominion over everyone and everything everywhere forever.
Throughout the Scriptures and into our own day, we see the battle between God’s Kingdom and earthly governments. The backdrop of the Bible is God’s battle for His glory and people against godless governments such as Egypt, Babylon, Persia, and Rome. The long list of enemy nations also includes the Canaanites, Amorites, Girgashites, Hittites, Hivites, Jebusites, and Perizzites.
When pagan governments sought to rule over God’s people, prophets were often sent to rebuke pagan kings, something that would have been unheard of in those nations.
In many pagan nations, from the Old Testament to the New Testament and into our present day, there was no separation of Church and state. The King was often considered a god or demigod. This was the case in Egypt (book of Exodus), explains why King Nebuchadnezzar demanded the entire nation bow down in worship to a golden statue of himself (book of Daniel) and is why the Roman Empire said, “Caesar is lord.”
In contrast, God established the nation of Israel as a theocracy, meaning it is “ruled by God” through a monarchy. Theocracy is a “form of government which acknowledges God alone as the highest political authority, whether or not he is represented by a human ruler such as a king. Thus Deuteronomy 17:14–20 argues that a human king rules only as one designated for kingship by the Lord.” (1)
Tomorrow we will take a look at the tension of living between two kingdoms: the Church and the state.
What are you most looking forward to when Jesus returns to rule and reign over everything and everyone?
(1) Walter A. Elwell and Barry J. Beitzel, “Theocracy,”Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1988), 2049.
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