Scriptural Refutation of the Evangelicals' Two-Kingdoms Theology (Part 1)

The Bible tells us Christians that “in every way we recommend ourselves as God’s ministers . . . by truthful speech” (2 Corinthians 6:4, 7). None who declares himself to be ‘an ordained representative/minister sent forth from God from within a body of Christ’s disciples as a benefactor of a human government’s citizens’ has God’s approval for such a declaration; he is a liar. 

If it were possible for people comprising human government to be Christians doing the will of God, then their governance would certainly emanate from their government’s institutions which should then not differ in its moral character from that which obtains and is manifested in a religious community that truthfully claims to be Christian. There is not such a governmental phenomenon anywhere in the world. Christians are no part of what comprises human governments. We are, however, law-abiding sojourners, temporary residents among the nations (1 Peter 1:11, 12). So, then, it is as 1 Corinthians 5:12, 13 reminds us: ". . . what [do] we have to do with judging those outside [the Christian congregation]? Do you not judge those inside [the Christian congregation], while God judges those outside [it]?" True Christians do not inform the governmental structures/institutions invented by men; they do not seek to make straight that which God lets remain crooked for the time being (cf. Ecclesiastes 1:15). 

So, it is not God’s wisdom that one preaches for a denial of the Scriptures-supported facts being reviewed here. How do we know it? We know it because, among other things, the deeds of human rulers belie their claims about their knowing anything about the Kingdom of God, His heavenly government in the hands of His Son Jesus Christ. As the Bible says, “It is this wisdom that none of the rulers of this system of things came to know, for if they had known it, they would not have executed their glorious Lord” (1 Corinthians 2:8). 

That Bible passage quoted immediately above is not reference to a past-time frame of mind owned just by the Jewish rulers who were chiefly responsible for Jesus’ execution. No, but the same murderous, anti-Christ frame of mind from the Devil, which operated in the Jewish rulers—see John 8:43-47—during Christ’s earthly ministry, operated and still operates in all “the rulers of this system of things, who are to come to nothing” (1 Corinthians 2:6; cf. Acts 4:25-28), this despite the efforts of every human government to perpetuate, by whatever means at hand, its own claim of a right to sovereign control over the lives of its citizens. This, of course, is not according to God’s will, for Christians in the final analysis must be seen as those who “obey God as ruler rather than men” (Acts 5:29, 32). Yes, Christians obey secular (man-concocted) governments just so long as whatever they command does not infringe against God’s right of sovereign rulership over His servants (cf. Matthew 22:21). Our subjection to man-concocted governments that operate with God’s permission—but remember that they do not operate by His having commanded either their existence or their struggles for sovereignty—is a relative subjection. So, if a government calls for taxes, we pay the taxes. If they legislate for the common good of its citizens without targeting Christians for persecution, then we obey (Romans 13:1-7). If, however, they demand worship and sacrifice of our lives in support of their governments, then we must refuse to give to Caesar the things that belong to God, for our lives are dedicated to Jehovah God. This position is verified also by the history of early Christianity during the first three centuries of the common era. 

When governments frame mischief against us by decree, will we take up fleshly weapons against them in order to defend ourselves? We have no earthly government that needs such a defense (cf. John 18:36). In fact, if a Christian were to take up a fleshly weapon for bringing an end to another human’s life, then that would be an act directly forbidden by Jesus Christ. Matthew 26:52 says: “Then Jesus said to [Peter]: “Return your sword to its place, for all those who take up the sword will perish by the sword.” Then what relief do we have? We are certain to experience the guaranteed relief promised us at 2 Thessalonians 1:4-10. So what, then, if our persecutions result in deprivations or martyrdom? So long as our faith remains in tact and not ship wrecked, then we are victorious because we stood stalwart with help of God’s holy spirit for vindication of God’s name and Kingdom, confident of the reward of everlasting life. Such is our joy made even greater during persecutions (Matthew 5:11, 12; 1 Peter 1:5-9; 3:14, 17; Hebrews 10:34); it is ours because of courage for which we pray for strength to possess and show even unto our last breath taken from us at the hands of Satan’s henchmen, if it should come to that, for then God’s enemies will not have succeeded in despoiling our faith and thereby taking everlasting life away from us. (Compare 1 John 5:4, 5, 11-13.) 

Jesus and his Father will mete out justice against the unrepentant wicked ones for their persecutions of  Christ’s brothers. And why not, since they deserve it?  The tribulations they cause against the righteous are born of the age-old, Satanically inspired designs that the rulers of this system of things have continually implemented against Christian disciples  ever since Christ took a seat at the right-hand side of his Father (see Revelation 1:7; Acts 2:32-36; 7:51-58). Yes, the Devil’s works carried out by the rulers of this world have meant persecutions and martyrdom for Christ’s disciples. That should not surprise us, for it was not just Jewry's government during the time of Christ’s earthly ministry which remained ignorant of God and morally and spiritually bankrupt so that they opposed Jesus and his disciples right up until the nation’s destruction in 70 C.E. Indeed, it ever has been and continues to be the case that every man-concocted government is similarly infected by Satan’s murderous spirit. 1 John 5:19 tells us how extensive is Satan’s rulership: “ . . . but the whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one”; see also Luke 4:6 and John 12:31. Christ’s spirit-anointed brothers, however, have the hope of sharing in the vengeance to be visited on the nations—all of the nations—when God and our Savior Jesus Christ gloriously manifest themselves for the realization of the Christian brotherhood’s happy hope. (See Titus 2:13; Revelation 2:24-27; and Revelation 19:11-16.)

All the above Scripturally refutes the evangelicals’ “Two Kingdoms Theology.” But more about this later.