Book 2 of Musings Righteous Government

Sometimes it appears as though the governments in the world are filled with faithless liars. Only the Kingdom of God has a Ruler who is Faithful and True.

I suppose there are governments of the world today, and have been a few in history, that have been ruled by men of integrity. But how often it is the case that the king or his nobles are seeking their own benefit rather than the benefit of those over whom they have the oversight.

We know from the Bible that it is God who establishes and honors government.

The decision is announced by messengers, the holy ones declare the verdict, so that the living may know that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes and sets over them the lowliest of men. (Daniel 4:17)

"The lowliest of men." Sometimes the basest of men, as in the King James version.

There is considerable political activity in the United States as I am writing (December 19, 2002). I believe there are good men and true who are seeking to do the best they can to protect and serve the Constitution of the United States. But honestly-one gets the impression that the most important issue facing our politicians is who stays in office and how important he or she is. If most people in the country feel as I do, our concern is the welfare of the country, not who is elected or who is important.

I suppose it is a temptation when one gets near the seat of power to take advantage of the numerous opportunities for personal advancement.

When we think of wars past, present, and future, they occur because of the personal ambitions of rulers, not because they are of benefit to the people who are doing the fighting or their families. Of course, some countries have to fight to defend themselves against unscrupulous rulers of other nations.

It may be true that most of the trouble in the world, including the large areas of destitute people, can be traced, at least in part, to self-seeking rulers.

We may not realize it, but as Christians we are being trained to govern the nations. We may talk of "ruling and reigning" (sic) with Christ, but I don't think we are taking seriously what we are proclaiming. Most Christians emphasize going to Heaven when they die so they can enjoy their mansion. How does living in a mansion coordinate with governing the nations?

The New Testament tells us plainly that it is the victorious saints who will govern with Jesus Christ. It may be true that there are more churchgoers in the United States than there are victorious saints. In fact, one seldom hears about denying ourselves, taking up our cross, and following the Lord Jesus every day. We are more apt to hear how we can be prosperous and have everything we need if we only have faith.

The truth is, God knows He would be foolish to restore Paradise to the earth until He has some people who can rule alongside the Lord Jesus. Paradise was lost because there were no rulers who could protect Adam and Eve from making their horrible error.

There will be no more unwalled paradises in the future, because God's sons will be governing the creation.

Have you ever thought of how many references to ruling there are in the New Testament?

The reward for putting our talent to good use is to rule over cities.

When Peter asked the Lord what the disciples would receive for having left all, the Lord responded by promising them they would sit on thrones judging the tribes of Israel.

Paul wrote to the effect that if we suffer with Christ we will reign with Christ.

The Book of Revelation tells us that those who pursue the live of victory in Jesus Christ will rule the nations with a rod of iron. Revelation informs us also that the saints of the new Jerusalem will rule forever.

There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever. (Rev 22:5)

Probably one of the reasons the Christian people are not too clear about their role as rulers is they do not understand the difference between the Church and the nations of saved people who will inhabit the new earth.

The Church consists of people who have been called out of the world to be a governing (royal) priesthood.

The nations of saved people are those who have been saved but are not part of the Church.

If there were no people who are saved but not part of the Church, the Church would have no subjects; no people to govern. Have you ever thought about that?

If you will read Revelation, Chapter Twenty-one carefully you will notice that the people of the nations bring their wealth to the new Jerusalem. The new Jerusalem is the Church, the Bride of the Lamb.

Isaiah also has quite a bit to say about how the nations will serve the Israel of God.

If one does not understand that there are two groups of saved people, the members of the Church and the people of the nations who are not part of the Church, it is utterly impossible to have any understanding of the Kingdom of God, or any comprehension of the importance of the passages that speak of our ruling with Christ.

Obviously we do not rule over other members of the Church, so there must be people who are not of the Church but who are saved. We certainly are not going to rule over people who are lost!

I realize this is a big step forward in the thinking of many of us, but it is the fundamental concept of the Kingdom of God that is coming to the earth.

Now, what does this means to us as believers? It means that every day of our life God is training us to rule, and then testing us to see if we have learned our lessons. God can't just assign people to govern nations. This is ridiculous. The believers have to be trained.

This is why the biblical emphasis on "overcoming." Only the overcomers will rule with Jesus.

Why is this? It is because if we, as Christians, are overcome by the forces that come against us, we are neither qualified by the Word nor competent by our growth in righteousness to govern groups of people. It is as simple as that.

Think about our daily life in the world. Before someone is placed in a position of responsibility, he or she must be trained. Isn't that so?

There have been times in the history of the world when people of very poor character have been place in a position of power. Think of Nero and Caligula of ancient Rome. Consider the destruction caused by Hitler and Stalin. Have you read about the cruelty practiced by rulers in some of the countries of the present time?

Such rulers are an absolute abomination to God! They have brought harm to an inconceivable number of people.

Jesus told us that whoever would govern in the Kingdom of God must be servant of all. God's rulers are righteous, holy, and sternly obedient to God. They have a heart of compassion, always putting the welfare of their charges ahead of their own advantages.

This is how Jesus is and behaves. Can you imaging what the world would be like today if every leader was righteous, holy, sternly obedient to God, having a heart of compassion, and always putting the welfare of his charges ahead of his own advantages?

The world soon would be as Paradise.

This is why God is training rulers. He wants to bring Paradise back to the earth. But it will do no good to bring Paradise back to the earth until there are rulers who can maintain the godliness and peace.

We often speak of going to Heaven. Going to Heaven solves nothing! The solution to everlasting righteousness, peace, and joy is rulers who can bring this kind of situation into being and maintain it.

The training of the future rulers is rigorous. Many start, and then drop out of the race because they are unwilling to fight the fight of faith, or become fearful, or grow impatient with God's dealings. It requires courage and faithfulness if we are to be able to press through to rulership.

There are so many spiritual babies in the churches of our day, at least in America! They have two gods: their money and their stomach. Their pastors and teachers are assuring them that they can continue in their fleshly ways and God is obligated to take them to Heaven by grace. As was true of the Jews to whom the Book of Hebrews was written, they still need milk. They do not know the difference between good and evil.

You can't keep pampering the believers and feed them the chaff of the current traditions and expect them to become rulers like King David or the Lord Jesus Christ. Rather they keep crying and complaining because no one is waiting on them and changing their diapers.

Rulers are kings. They are stern. They have been tested, tested, tested, until all of their old personality has been burned away in the Divine Fire. They don't even recognize their own personality. As Paul said, they do not judge themselves. They know nothing except absolute obedience to Jesus Christ, the Lord strong and mighty in battle, the Commander in Chief.

I think God will count a thousand people expendable, as far as their life on earth is concerned, if He can gain one strong ruler. It will not take too many such leaders to bring the Kingdom of God into the earth, to enforce the doing of God's will in the earth as it is in Heaven.

Those who aspire to rulership in the Kingdom of God can expect to have every aspect of their personality challenged. They will be stretched on God's bow until it seems the demands on them will continue for eternity.

Their patience is tested to the limit. Their obedience is tested to the limit. Their courage is tested to the limit. Their willingness to stay in God's prison and endure that which is unpleasant is tested to the limit.

There is no part of what they are or how they behave that is left unexamined.

God loves the people He has created, not just the members of His churches. In fact, the rigors we undergo are to prepare us to serve the people of the nations whom God intends to save. God gives a great deal of thought to the selection of those who are to rule over His children.

It is my opinion that each member of the elect is handpicked in terms of his or her unique personality. He or she will be able to bring God to people, to some individuals from the past; some of the present; some who have not been born as yet. God sees all these saved people, and God knows which of us is best suited to serve each one.

The Church is God's means of governing and blessing the saved people of the world, who will prove to be a much larger number of people than the victorious saints who are being prepared to govern and bless them.

The preparation of the members of the royal priesthood is of supreme importance in the present hour. Once God perfects His ruling priests, forming them in the moral image of the Lord Jesus Christ, teaching them utter dependence on Himself so they are dwelling for eternity in untroubled rest in the very center of God's Person and will, God then will be ready to restore Paradise to the present earth; and, after the thousand-year Kingdom Age, to establish Paradise for eternity on the new earth.

The God of Israel spoke, the Rock of Israel said to me: 'When one rules over men in righteousness, when he rules in the fear of God, He is like the light of morning at sunrise on a cloudless morning, like the brightness after rain that brings the grass from the earth. (2 Samuel 23:3-4)