RE: This Is NOT That - A Comment On Romans 13

Much appreciated, I checked out some links of previous articles you have written and thoroughly enjoyed them, especially your conversation with your friend over Chinese food.

Our family is currently reading the book of Daniel, and we are coming to realize the theme of the book: that the Most High alone has the authority to set up and take down kings and kingdoms - and His servants (often heathen) are His tool to do this. But how much more then His believing servants!

In Daniel's day, God set up kings, but now with Yeshua at the right hand of the Father, currently wielding ALL authority on earth and in Heaven (only regarding the throne is God Higher), He would have to delegate power to kings for them to hold legitimate power. We have to ask then, do our current "kings" display the fingerprint of the King of kings? Are they subject to their governing authority which is from God? Do they bear the fruit of righteousness as ministers ordained by God?

A transfer of ownership will happen at the seventh (last) trump.

“The kingdom of the world has become
the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah,
and he will reign for ever and ever.”

And the resurrected saints will be the ministers ordained by God.

And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and [I saw] the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received [his] mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years

Good and faithful servants will have authority (exousia) over cities.

And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.

Hey Brother @ironshield ,

My apologies for having somehow overlooked answering this message of yours for over a week now... All too many distractions!

I really appreciate that you've read more of my Kingdom collection, and thank you for specifically mentioning my "lunch with a friend" episode. 😆

"In Daniel's day, God set up kings, but now with Yeshua at the right hand of the Father, currently wielding ALL authority on earth and in Heaven ... He would have to delegate power to kings for them to hold legitimate power."

Exactly!

I see in Scripture no delegation of that power to the nation-states of the world. However, just as it was in Daniel's day, I do believe God still sets up and takes down kings. Here's the thing:

Then, as now, God's expression of His sovereignty in doing so does not equate to his approval of the behavior of those governments. And, sadly, my observation is that not one ersatz "ruler" in any of the nation states is ruling in the name of and according to the law of Christ.

*"Good and faithful servants will have authority (exousia) over cities."

Here, our eschatology differs. Ephesians chapter one teaches me that God has already delegated that authority to his ecclesia. It's only a poorly developed systematic theology that has driven bad translations of Scripture that have hidden this truth from our eyes.

Thanks again for your engagement!🙏😀