1 Peter 2:13-14
13 [oun] Submit yourselves [hupotasso] to every [pas] ordinance [ktisis] of man [anthropinos] for [dia] the Lord's sake [kurios]: whether it be [eite] to
the king [basileus], as [hos] supreme [huperecho];
14 Or [eite] unto governors [hegemon], as [hos] unto them that
are sent [pempo] by [dia] him [autos] for [eis] [men] the punishment [ekdikesis] of evildoers [kakopoios],
and [de] for the praise [epainos] of them that do well [agathopoios]. KJV-Interlinear
13 Submit yourselves for the
Lord's sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in
authority, 14 or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers
and the praise of those who do right. NASB
Jesus Christ controls
history.Whether the government in existence
is a communist government or a republic, a monarchy or a dictatorship, is
irrelevant.
Christ controls history
through His direct authority, through His indirect authority, or through His permissive
authority.And despite mans attempt to
hijack history away from Gods control, Jesus Christ is infinitely smarter and
infinitely more powerful, making it impossible for anyone to alter Gods divine
plan.
Satan is far more
intelligent than humanity, and he could not prevent the line of Christ, the
birth of Christ, or the Cross.Today we
are in the Church Age, and in our dispensation, the next great event of history
is the Rapture, not the next election, not the next world championship sports
competition.
Today we are witnessing
the most phenomenal attempt to hijack a government by extreme liberalism. With each succeeding election, the pressure
of evil gets greater and greater.But,
not to worry.If it is their time, then
Christ will allow it, but if it is not their time, then evil will fail.
No matter what the
outcome, man is never in control, nor in charge.
This does not let you
off the hook and give you the right to do nothing. You still must remain responsible in your
life.
But, what Peter is
telling us here is, that you are a visitor in this world. You must be on your best behavior, and as
such, you must obey the laws of the land.
Submit to authority, and respect the will of the government currently in
place.
Remember that they are
not really in charge, but Christ is.
If you live in an
oppressed nation, then you certainly have the right to leave it, and find a
better place to live, but if you remain, then you are bound by the laws of the
land, as they apply to truth and the principles taught in the Bible.
In the course of time,
if a government is evil, then Christ will remove it, or allow its removal.
Your responsibility is
to recognize the authority which God has permitted, and as such, to not promote
violence or unrest.Anyone who goes out
and promotes violence, prejudice, etc., is in violation of this mandate of
being obedient to the local authority.
Live your life as a law-abiding
citizen
Do not try to help God
in His control over history.He does
very well on His own.