Appendix
L
THE PURPOSE OF CIVIL GOVERNMENT
The purpose of civil government is to enforce God's laws.
Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Greek defines the
word 'church' (Greek ekklesia) as a group of men who meet
to discuss the affairs of state. If your church is separated from state,
then you do not have a church. Perhaps your nation has been taken captive
by brutal pagan occupation forces. Let's take a closer look.
Black's Law Dictionary entry for "CHURCH:" "A body
or community of Christians, united under one form of government by the
profession of one faith, and the observance of the same rituals and ceremonies."
UNITED UNDER ONE FORM OF GOVERNMENT. Do you still think church and state
are separate? Let's take a closer look.
Why does government exist? The Declaration of Independence claims
that governments are instituted among men to secure the unalienable rights
endowed by their Creator. This is the ONLY reason given for the existence
of the U.S. government. Does this sound like separation of church from
state?
God established His law to last forever (Psalm 119:152). God alone gives
man authority to rule over other men (Gen 9:6, Dan 2:20-22, Dan 4:32, Psalm
47:9, John 19:11). Jeremiah 22:3 summarizes Gods delegation of authority:
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Do what is just and right.
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Rescue from the hand of his oppressor the one who has been robbed.
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Do no wrong or violence to the weak and powerless.
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Do not shed innocent blood.
If that doesn't sound like your government, then perhaps your government
has been overthrown.
The Bible has plenty of history to show that when righteous people turn
from God, they are taken captive - often by very brutal tyrants. Even on
an individual level - if you cannot govern yourself, others will govern
you.
Christ has been given all authority in heaven and on earth. He is the
sovereign to whom you owe allegiance. When the Bible speaks of the Kingdom
of God, it is referring to God's government here on earth. Not, as a self-called
"Christian Lawyer" would tell you, some spiritual notion of an afterlife.
People, pay attention. Here is proof of your Christian citizenship, here
on earth:
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Philippians 3:20 (NIV) Our citizenship is in heaven.
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Matt 4:17 and 10:7 The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.
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Mark 1:15 "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand"
[This was at the first coming of Christ. How can you ignore this verse?]
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Luke 16:16 Tynndale translation: "The law and the prophets reigned until
the time of John: and since that time, the Kingdom of God is preached,
and every man striveth to go in."
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Matt 11:12 (NIV) The kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing and
forceful men lay hold of it.
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Luke 22 at the Last Supper. Christ confirmed in Verse 29 - "I bestow
upon you a kingdom ..." Christ handed over to His disciples the keys
to his kingdom. The disciples then argued among themselves who would have
the greatest authority as successors to Christ's government.
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John, while suffering tribulation, said in Rev.1:9 that he was "in the
Kingdom of Christ." He failed to mention that it was a vision
of a postponed Kingdom.
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Matt 6:10 The Lord's prayer, acknowledges a Kingdom come, Thy will be done
in earth ...
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Matthew 16:28 and Mark 9:1 and Luke 9:27 "I tell you the truth, some
who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man
coming in his kingdom." [Did Christ Lie?]
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Colossians 1:12-13 Giving thanks to the Father ... who has brought us [past
tense] into the kingdom of his dear Son.
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Jesus promised to be with us until the end of the world. Matt 28:20
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Jesus in Matthew 16:19 "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven."
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Hebrews 11:14 & 16 "People who say such things show that they are
looking for a country of their own .... they were longing for a better
country -- a heavenly one ..."
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Matt 23:13 "Woe unto you ... for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against
men; for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering
to go in."
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Acts 14:22 (KJV): "we must go through much tribulation to enter into
the Kingdom of God."
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Revelation 5:10 "You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve
our God, and they will reign on the earth."
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Christ is currently at the right hand of God (Acts 2:33, Acts 7:55 &
56, Romans 8:34, Colossians 3:1, Hebrews 10:12, and 1st Peter 3:22).
Martin Luther: "And if thou not be of the Kingdom of
Christ, it is certain that thou belong to the kingdom of Satan, which is
this evil world." |
John the Baptist, as the High Priest, was baptizing people into the Kingdom
of Heaven here on earth.
Jesus was a man of authority. Equal in authority to the Roman government.
Jesus had authority and he delegated that authority just like any other
government leader. He was King, and his kingdom was "at hand" and
it was on this earth. (He said in John 18:36 that his kingdom is not of
this world, but he used a term that refers to an organized system, jurisdictional
or "constitutional order"). It was Rome that Jesus was not a part
of. "And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto
me." Luke 22:29. Did Jesus lie?
Jesus, as the lawgiver, appointed us a kingdom. This is our constitutional
mandate. He told us that we were not to be like the governments of the
gentiles.
Luke 22L25-26: "And he said unto them, the kings of the Gentiles
exercise
lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called
benefactors. But ye shall not be so; but he that is greatest among you,
let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve."
There is nothing contradictory among the following scriptures, because
there is no middle ground. You are either for Christ, or you are against
Him.:
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He who is not with me is against me. Matt 12:30 and Luke 11:23.
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Whoever is not against us is for us. Mark 9:40 and Luke 9:50.
Nowhere in the Bible does God give mankind the authority to legislate.
In fact, it is prohibited for mankind to legislate - Deuteronomy 4:2. The
only legitimate government among mankind, is the government that enforces
Biblical law. Even Jesus corrected the apostles about Moses' law by stating
that it was not so, even from the beginning.
There is no power but of God, as Paul wrote in Romans 13. This is NOT
a command to obey counterfeit government. The (legitimate) powers that
be are ordained of God. Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers
(as contrasted with counterfeit powers).
While keeping in mind that mankind was never given the authority to
legislate, let's examine a few scriptures requiring a government to administer
the Lord's will:
All nations are required to obey His law, Psalm 22:28, Ezekiel 14:12-23,
Obadiah 1:15
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Saul was elected as King, This was evil in the eyes of the Lord, I Sam
12:17b.
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Leviticus 24:22 (NIV) "You are to have the same law for the alien and
the native-born. I am the LORD your God."
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Deuteronomy 1:17 (KJV) "Ye shall not respect persons in judgment; but
ye shall hear the small as well as the great; ye shall not be afraid of
the face of man; for the judgment is God's: and the cause that is too hard
for you, bring it unto me, and I will hear it."
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Numbers 15:16 (NIV) "The same laws and regulations will apply both to
you and to the alien living among you."
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Exodus 18:20-23 (NIV) "Teach them the decrees and laws, and show them
the way to live and the duties they are to perform. But select capable
men from all the people -- men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest
gain -- and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties
and tens. Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have
them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide
themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it
with you. If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand
the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied."
In the next three Appendixes, I'll prove that the Judicial power
of your State is empowered to enforce God's law, not man's law.
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