Tag Archive for ezekiel at Zeal For Truth

Tag Archive for 'ezekiel'

Governmental Ministers of God

Published by Colin January 30, 2008 in Religion and Politics. 14 Comments

Editor’s Note: This article is written by zealfortruth.org contributor Chris Austere.

In my previous two articles, Axis of Evil: Disembodied Rulers? Parts I and II, we discussed how governments are sometimes used as agents of Satan’s kingdom. This should not be interpreted to mean that any present-day government is purely evil, however. In fact, scripture teaches that governments and militaries are God-ordained institutions.

Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God’s ministers, attending continually upon this very thing (Romans 13:1-6, KJV).

In order to understand the role of governments and militaries, we must answer this question: what function does Paul say governments are to fulfill? Simply put, the role of government is to “execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.” We could paraphrase this by saying governments are agents of God’s judgment.

In part II of Axis of Evil we looked at Ezekiel 28. This chapter speaks about the prince of Tyre, who was lifted up in pride because of his own wisdom. He thought of himself as a God rather than a man. What was the penalty of this sin?

Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast set thine heart as the heart of God; Behold, therefore I will bring strangers upon thee, the terrible of the nations: and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of thy wisdom, and they shall defile thy brightness. They shall bring thee down to the pit, and thou shalt die the deaths of them that are slain in the midst of the seas. Wilt thou yet say before him that slayeth thee, I am God? but thou shalt be a man, and no God, in the hand of him that slayeth thee. Thou shalt die the deaths of the uncircumcised by the hand of strangers: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD (Ezekiel 28:6-10).

The agent of God’s judgment was a foreign army. This should alert all American Christians to the fact that even God’s chosen people were not immune from such judgment. Although I do not necessarily agree to the Christian leaders who said the events of 9/11 were the result of God’s wrath, such a scenario is not outside the boundaries of biblical possibility.

How Should Christians Respond to Government?
First of all, Christians should obey the law as long as such obedience does not interfere with one’s faith. Since Paul makes it clear that resistance of governmental authority is akin to resisting God himself, failure to submit to such ordinances violates Christian conscience. Secondly, Christians should honor governing bodies by paying taxes. And thirdly, Christians should pray for those in authority.

I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour (I Timothy 2:1-3)

This is where partisanship must be set aside. Yet in a society where people have a say in who is appointed to office, this is perhaps one of the hardest things to swallow. If we are not careful, we will neglect prayer for our leaders in favor of criticism. Heavenly citizenship is to be preferred over earthly citizenship, and those of the household of faith must realize that the exercise of the privilege of prayer is a much more effective tool in God’s hands than our vote. In the event that God is set to judge our nation, intercession could prevent it. If God would have suspended his judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah for the sake of ten righteous people, how much more would he extend mercy to those who can boldly access his throne through Jesus Christ?

Axis of Evil: Disembodied Rulers? Part II

Published by Colin January 15, 2008 in Religion. 34 Comments

Editor’s Note: This article is written by zealfortruth.org contributor Chris Austere.

In part I of this article we discussed what some of called the “dual kingdom principle.” This simply means that earthly kingdoms have spiritual counterparts from the kingdom of darkness in heavenly places. We also examined how Christ was tempted to worship Satan in exchange for control of the kingdoms of the earth. The fact that the Bible identifies this as a temptation suggests that Satan actually had power over these kingdoms; otherwise there would have been no temptation.

For the purposes of the second part of this article, we will look at biblical instances in which earthly rulers have taken on satanic characteristics. From Luke’s account of Christ’s temptation we know that one of the characteristics of Satan is a desire to be worshiped.

Let us first examine Ezekiel 28:1-2 (KJV):

The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying, Son of man, say unto the prince of Tyrus, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am a God, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of God

First of all, it is important for us to realize that the prince of Tyrus is a literal human ruler – not a spiritual entity like prince of Persia in Daniel 12. We know this because in verse 2 God instructed Ezekiel to give him a message. From verse 2 we also see that the prince thinks he is a god. Although there is no specific mention of a desire to be worshiped, the language implies this was the case.

Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast set thine heart as the heart of God; Behold, therefore I will bring strangers upon thee, the terrible of the nations: and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of thy wisdom, and they shall defile thy brightness. They shall bring thee down to the pit, and thou shalt die the deaths of them that are slain in the midst of the seas. Wilt thou yet say before him that slayeth thee, I am God? but thou shalt be a man, and no God, in the hand of him that slayeth thee. Thou shalt die the deaths of the uncircumcised by the hand of strangers: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD (Ezekiel 28:6-10).

Here Ezekiel makes clear the consequences of the prince’s pride. The judgment of God requires his life at the hand of his enemies.

When we get to verse 12, Ezekiel is more explicit about the satanic nature of presuming to be God.

Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee. Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more (Ezekiel 28:12-19).

Notice that the prophet transitions to speaking about Lucifer himself. He is equating the prince with Lucifer by calling him the “anointed cherub that covereth” and makes reference to the Garden of Eden. This passage foretells Satan’s eventual doom, not unlike the fate of the prince.

The New Testament gives us a similar, though abbreviated, example of another ruler who evidently wanted to be worshiped.

And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them. And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man. And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost (Acts 12:21-23).

We do not know whether Herod solicited this kind of attention, but we do know that he obviously enjoyed it. And like the prince of Tyre, he was judged.

My personal belief is that the idolatrous act of worshiping leaders is evidenced in modern times by the monuments and murals built to leaders – the Stalin monument in Budapest, Saddam Hussein’s statue in Baghdad, the Lincoln Memorial statue, etc.

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