Daniel 2:44 (ESV)
[44] And in the days of those kings the God of
heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the
kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms
and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever,
There is a lot of corruption in government today. There are oppressive
governments, corrupt governments, and anti-Christ governments. There are
governments that lie to their people and governments that lie to the rest of
the world. There is oppression, chronic poverty, genocide, and more. The good
news is that these governments will not stand forever. “The God of heaven will
set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed” (Dan 2:44).
How do we live in light of that truth? What difference does it make to us
now? There are at least three ways in which this truth should affect our lives
today. First, as believers in Jesus Christ we submit to those governments under
which we live, knowing that today’s systems are only temporary. We submit with
discernment. We recognize that if the authorities demand something of us that is
against the truth of the Scriptures then we can no longer submit. There is a
line that we cannot cross. Sometimes it is difficult to know exactly where that
line is, but there is a limit to our submission,. We live under a human
government, but we are primarily subjects of a higher king.
Second, we live as citizens of the Kingdom of God that is here and is yet
coming. There is a now and not yet aspect to the Kingdom. Believers in Jesus
Christ are citizens of Heaven and subjects of the King. As such we are
ambassadors to a broken world. We submit to local governments not because they are
the ultimate authority, but because as ambassadors we respect the laws of the
land in order to represent our King well. Our primary goal, as believers in
Jesus Christ, is not to be good citizens, but to be good representatives of a
higher authority.
Third, we live in expectation of God’s fulfillment of his kingdom. Believers
are citizens of that kingdom already. We have free access to the king at any
time. But we also recognize that this is not the end. There is coming a time
when Jesus will return. There is coming a time when all the kingdoms of this
earth will end. There is coming a time when “at the name of Jesus every knee
should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord” (Php 2:10-11). We live in anticipation of that day.
We recognize that we are but stewards of all that we have. We understand that
we will one day answer to God for how well we represented him on this earth. Jesus
said it like this in Luke 12:32-24,
“Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
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