“Let everyone submit to the governing authorities, since there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are instituted by God.” (Romans 13:1)
According to God’s word, government is not evil. At least, it’s not supposed to be. In this present evil age and with God’s guidance, our Heavenly Father has instituted government to restrain evil and promote good (Romans 13:1-4). We need government to fulfill the same function as Adam and Eve’s God-delegated function – to help us all care for other people and protect each other from harm.
But what happens when government is staffed with ungodly or anti-God people? Just as a knife can be used for surgery to save a life or for murder to end one, government reflects the nature of the ones wielding the tool. As Paul says, there’s nothing to fear from government when both it and we follow God’s ways (Romans 13:3). The government is to be feared (or should be) when the citizen does evil (Romans 13:2,4). On the other hand, the government, i.e., those who run it, should fear the citizen when the government does evil.
There will be no perfect government until Jesus returns. The hallmark of Messiah’s reign will be a perfectly holy government because Jesus is perfect and holy, “and the government will be on his shoulders” (Isaiah 9:6). He will rule the world from Jerusalem. Once again, God’s ways will be the law of the land. “Many peoples will come and say, ‘Come, let’s go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us about his ways so that we may walk in his paths.’ For instruction will go out of Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem” (Isaiah 2:3, italics author).
What might the world look like with Jesus ruling Israel and the whole world from Jerusalem? Israel will have the best king they have ever imagined, ruling with truth, grace, and justice. The world will share Israel’s joy as Messiah rules over the nations of the redeemed. Will Jesus rule the nations directly? As God and ultimate world-ruler, yes. But I anticipate humanity will return to the default pattern of Eden in Genesis 1-2. Our Heavenly Father has already delegated all earthly authority to Jesus to serve as His representative (Matthew 28:18), and one day Jesus will wield that authority on Earth in person. There’s no problem with that because King Jesus will never violate His relationship with His Father.
Next, Jesus will have subdued unruly humanity and will “rule all nations with an iron rod” (Revelation 12:5). He will delegate His authority to His redeemed people who will care for and protect creation and its creatures as it was in Eden (2 Timothy 2:12; Revelation 5:10, 20:4, 6). Will there also be rulers over kingdoms and nations when Jesus reigns? The Bible says so. Isaiah 60 is a remarkable prophecy about Israel and the world in the Messianic Reign. “Nations will come to your light, and kings to your shining brightness” (Isaiah 60:3), and “Foreigners will rebuild your walls, and their kings will serve you. Although I struck you in my wrath, yet I will show mercy to you with my favor” (Isaiah 60:10).
The difference, I believe, is that world leaders under Jesus will be viceregents representing Him as His “image.” They will be servant leaders coordinating nations and societies in their Edenic work and watch tasks. With the world finally “Edenized,” humanity will shift its Subdue and Rule Mandate function from taming the planet to transforming and improving life on Earth. It’s the same thing governments and rulers are doing here now, except we will be following God’s ways rather than corrupt human ways, the fruit of which is always corruption because the source material, people, are imperfect and wrestle with, if not outright surrender to, sin.
Until Jesus returns, we’re stuck with governments comprised of imperfect people, some redeemed and others not. Just as there’s a struggle between flesh and spirit (Galatians 5:17), there’s always the struggle over how far a government will swing between good and evil depending on the influence of those governing.
So, what does a Subdue and Rule government function look like compared to a Conquer and Dominate government? Glad you asked! Below are some of my thoughts and observations comparing the two sides. I know others will come to you, but this is my starting point.
For further insights, I highly recommend Dennis Prager’s concise summary of the differences between the Left and Right philosophies to illustrate why a Right or Left government tends toward Subdue and Rule vs. Conquer and Dominate (link – www.dennisprager.com/column/a-guide-to-basic-differences-between-left-and-right)
Conquer and Dominate Government vs. the Citizen
Under the original Genesis hierarchy of authority and power, God was at the top of the pyramid, with humanity in the middle level and creation at ground level. That was it. Creation was ruled by God and humans, and humans were ruled by God alone. As previously shown, once humans threw off God’s rulership and turned their Subdue and Rule Mandate against fellow human beings, the compulsion to rule instituted hierarchies among people as individuals and groups strived for power and position. Hence, the appearance of kingdoms and empires was built upon a governmental hierarchy.
Governments naturally build hierarchies to consolidate authority and power to subjugate and preserve control over the populace. Governments use arguments, coercion, and force to protect their “authority turf” against all threats, especially a citizenry awakened to its subjugation under government overreach and oppression. For this reason, history has witnessed repeated uprisings and revolutions because the citizenry realizes, “That’s all I can stands, and I can’t stands no more” (cartoon character, Popeye).
The Declaration of Independence says it well. “All experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new Guards for their future security” (Declaration of Independence).
To maintain dominance over their people, most governments must create either dependence on its largesse (promising safety and security to subjects who fear harm or lack, mimicking God’s provision in Eden) or convince its people that they’re too weak to take on a government structure. Surprise! No government other than God’s can withstand a motivated citizenry intent on changing the system. Just ask the British (the American Revolution) or the French (the French Revolution) or the Russians (the Russian Revolution), and on and on.
To distract the people from woes that could upset their Conquer and Dominate apple cart, governments often use real, created, or imagined crises to distract and panic the herd into moving toward the government’s “care and protect” embrace. Rahm Emmanuel, former advisor to President Clinton, U.S. Representative, President Obama Chief of Staff, mayor of Chicago, and current U.S. Ambassador to Japan, once quipped in 2008, “Never let a crisis go to waste.” The full quote helps us understand Mr. Emmanuel’s intent, “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste. I mean, it’s an opportunity to do things that you think you could not do before.” Amb. Rahm reveals a powerful means by which governments drive people to the government’s desired destination.
Governments also use legislation, regulation, and lawfare (court battles to attack an opponent) to enforce the control it has over an individual or group and, if possible, expand their powers. Conversely, a proper Subdue and Rule approach to governmental legislation and regulations can benefit the citizenry greatly.
For example, the 13th Constitutional Amendment abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited “discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin. Provisions of this civil rights act forbade discrimination on the basis of sex, as well as, race in hiring, promoting, and firing. The Act prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and federally funded programs. It also strengthened the enforcement of voting rights and the desegregation of schools” (U.S. Dept. of Labor).
On the other hand, a government can weaponize legislation and regulations against individuals, groups, businesses, and states designed to curtail Constitutionally guaranteed rights. For example, we’ve seen federal, state, and local governments violating the 1st Amendment by shutting down church services during the COVID scare and working with Big Tech’s public social media platforms to silence free speech the Biden administration finds unacceptable. Over the last fifty years, increasingly restrictive gun laws have been attempted to make it as difficult as possible for citizens to “keep and bear arms” in violation of the 2nd Amendment.
A biblical example of the good vs. bad sides of government laws is the story of Joseph (Genesis 41, 47:13-26). Through Yehovah’s orchestration, Joseph becomes Egypt’s 2nd-in-command to prepare Egypt and the region for a coming 7-year famine.
Joseph’s plan was simple. During the seven years of agricultural blessing before the famine, Joseph advised Pharaoh to “Let them gather all the excess food during these good years that are coming. Under Pharaoh’s authority, store the grain in the cities, so they may preserve it as food. The food will be a reserve for the land during the seven years of famine that will take place in the land of Egypt. Then the country will not be wiped out by the famine” (Genesis 41:35-36). Joseph’s plan worked. After the 7-year preparation time, there was a super-abundance of stored grain (Genesis 41:47-49). Then the famine hit hard (Genesis 41:53-57), even to the regions beyond Egypt’s borders. Joseph’s plan for governmental oversight of Egypt’s food resources cared for multitudes of people and protected them from starving to death. That was excellent Subdue and Rule governing.
But then the opportunity to Conquer and Dominate began to raise its head. As the famine wore on, the Egyptian citizens ran out of money. At first, the people sold their livestock to Pharaoh for food (Genesis 47:16). The following year, with all their money and livestock belonging to Pharaoh, the people sold their land and themselves to Pharaoh in exchange for food (47:19-23). Additionally, Joseph instituted a 20% tax (Genesis 47:24-26) for the future. Sadly, the Law of Unintended Consequences set the conditions for a future Pharaoh’s enslavement of Joseph’s kin, the Hebrew people, because Egypt’s government (Pharaoh) owned everything – businesses, residences, and persons – with a continual tax which can hinder a person’s economic prosperity.
When the book of Exodus opens, a new Pharaoh has arisen, approximately 250 years after Joseph’s death. The new Pharaoh knew nothing of Joseph and how a Hebrew saved Egypt, but he knew Joseph’s work because all the people of the land still belonged to him due to Joseph’s “Anti-Famine Regulations.” What Joseph intended for good, the Conquer and Dominate Pharaonic Regime, used for evil.
We see the same thing today. Some Environmental Protection Agency regulations strip farmers of their right to use their farmland for the sake of wetlands, essentially taking ownership of a farmer’s land. In rebuffing the federal government’s overreaching control, Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach said, “‘The time has come for the federal government to stop its unconstitutional attempts to regulate every dry ditch and farm pond in Kansas,’ Kobach said. ‘This lawsuit is about the original meaning of the Constitution, and we are going to hold the Biden administration to it.’” Also, “The coalition’s lawsuit indicated that ‘if the final rule is left in place, then ranchers, farmers, miners, homebuilders, and other landowners across the country will struggle to undertake even the simplest of activities on their own property without fear of drawing the ire of the federal government.’”
From farming to energy to education to businesses, all areas of our public and private life in the United States are subject to near-constant attacks by our federal government in its never-ending quest for control. The most recent egregious examples were the COVID lockdowns, mandatory masking, and job-dependent vaccine mandates, which exercised near totalitarian control over peoples’ freedom and lives throughout nearly every state. According to recent pundits, the government’s COVID response was a trial run to determine how far our government could push for total control. Now we’re staring down the barrel of a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), which will enable the government to track every person’s finances and has the potential to deny an individual access to the financial system if the governmental powers deem it necessary.
Conquer and Dominate, anyone?
To enforce its laws and regulations, the government has unlimited resources to practice lawfare against any target that’s either uncooperative or a threat to its authority and power. We all remember how the government, Big Tech, and the media conspired on the Russia Collusion Hoax to keep President Trump from office in 2016, and once that failed, they continued with their coup effort to drive him from 2017-2020. That entire charade was brazen government lawfare at its nefarious worst.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi let the cat out of the bag on March 30, 2023, when she tweeted regarding former President Trump’s New York indictment, “The Grand Jury has acted upon the facts and the law. No one is above the law, and everyone has the right to a trial to prove innocence. Hopefully, the former President will peacefully respect the system, which grants him that right.”
Excuse me? “Everyone has the right to a trial to prove innocence”? I believe everyone has the right to a trial for the accuser to prove the defendant’s guilt. The onus is on the prosecutor to prove guilt; otherwise, the accused is presumed innocent until proven guilty. But for Rep. Pelosi, that’s just an insignificant detail to a corrupt Conquer and Dominate tyrant that’s led a Conquer and Dominate political party in a Conquer and Dominate federal government well beyond her “sell-by” date.
Furthermore, since the Obama administration, our federal government has ramped up its weaponization of various agencies and widened its scope to include half the nation, the conservative half.
“‘The Biden administration’s weaponization of government continues,’ said Jenny Beth Martin, the honorary chair of Tea Party Patriots Action, in a statement emailed to The Washington Stand. ‘We peacefully mobilize our members to advocate conservative values. To have DHS funds be in an anti-terrorism program that links us to Nazis and puts us on a ‘pyramid of far-right radicalization’ is offensive and disgraceful’” (Washingtonstandard.com). Of course, the Tea Party is no stranger to this type of governmental Conquer and Dominate action. Jenny Beth Martin continues, “During the Obama era, Tea Party Patriots was (sic) deliberately targeted and persecuted by the IRS in one of the biggest government scandals of the modern era.”
In the right hands, the government’s justice system is intended to care for the victim and protect the innocent. In the wrong hands, the government’s justice system is simply the means to an end – hammering their opponents into submission through lawfare of false charges, persecution, abuse of power, financial obliteration, and incarceration. Sadly, I only see it getting worse.
Assuming we’re the generation that will see Jesus’ return to set up His Messianic Kingdom, I fully expect human governments to grow increasingly oppressive as humanity seeks to keep its grip on world dominion, empowered by the Ultimate Dominator himself, Satan, who enticed humanity into his futile mission to usurp God’s throne.
In the meantime, while we can still elect our leaders, let’s work hard to find the people who exemplify God’s governmental motivation, to care for and protect the domain we’ve been given as stewards of God’s domain. Thankfully, the United States is still the bastion of freedom, for the most part, because of our Judeo-Christian foundation. But foundations can crack and fail. As the Psalmist wrote, “When the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (Psalm 11:3).
What we can do is continually pray and ask the Lord for men and women after His heart.
Sources:
AG Kris Kobach joins multistate lawsuit against EPA to protect states sovereignty over water and land (February 2023), ag.ks.gov/media-center/news-releases/2023/02/16/ag-kris-kobach-joins-multistate-lawsuit-against-epa-to-protect-states-sovereignty-over-water-and-land
Biden Admin Rewards Group That Linked CBN to Neo-Nazis (May 5, 2023), washingtonstand.com/news/biden-admin-rewards-group-that-linked-cbn-to-neonazis
Constitutional Amendments and Legislation, history.house.gov/Exhibitions-and-Publications/BAIC/Historical-Data/Constitutional-Amendments-and-Legislation
The Bill of Rights: What Does It Say?, archives.gov/founding-docs/bill-of-rights/what-does-it-say
The Declaration of Independence, archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript
Pastor Jay Christianson
The Truth Barista, Frothy Thoughts