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Every now and then, one of my readers will write to me, and during the course of making their remarks, they will state that the Lord instructed His followers to pray for worldly governments and leaders. When this occurs, I have usually made it my practice to overlook such remarks, because in my heart, I know that the plain truth regarding this matter is simply too difficult for some people to receive. This is often due to their patriotic inclinations, and also because they have already accepted the traditional view as it is espoused and taught by many churches and preachers, some of which have, in large part, compromised with the world. I am reminded of the following incident which occurred in John chapter six, after Jesus had given His "eat my flesh and drink my blood" sermon:

"Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it? When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you? . . . From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him."


How sad. Because those Disciples were so carnal-minded, and did not yet possess the Wisdom and the Spiritual Discernment of God's Holy Spirit -- which was given later on the day of Pentecost in Acts chapter two -- they were not able to fully comprehend the great spiritual truth which Jesus had shared with them that day. Thus, not only were they very offended, but they in fact abandoned Him.

As I said, the reason why many people reject the truth of God's Word, is because they do not have the Spirit of God. Rather, they possess the spirit of the world, because they are the children of the world and think just like the world. They are in fact blind followers of the false god of this present materialistic world. That is to say, Satan himself, who is also known as the Prince of the Power of the Air. It is this serpent who works in, and through, these children of disobedience. In his Epistles, the Apostle Paul exposes this spiritual rebellion, such as in the following set of verses:

"But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."


"In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them."


"Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:"


To understand the deeper truths of the Scriptures, we must ask the Lord for spiritual guidance through the Wisdom of His Holy Spirit. If we do this with a sincere heart, God will not fail to answer us. He will fill us with His Holy Spirit. For as it is written in His Word:

"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened."


"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him."


"But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."


"Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come."


"If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?"


"For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;"


As I emphasize in quite a number of my BBB articles, it is because many people do not really have the Wisdom of God's Spirit -- including some church-going Christians -- and also because they fail to take personal time to seriously study the Scriptures for themselves as they should be doing, that they blindly, and readily, accept the false doctrines which are taught to them by their spiritual elders. This might be a pastor, minister, priest, Sunday school teacher, etc.

Exactly why is it that some of these false doctrines become so embedded in the theology of certain churches? In my view, it is because the leaders themselves have become creatures of tradition, similar to the Scribes and the Pharisees of old. The attitude of some Christians seems to be "What was good enough for my Grandma Gertrude is likewise good enough for me. Pastor Joe there has been preaching at our church for over forty years now. So why should I even think about changing what I believe?" And so it goes.

Well, my friends, I will tell you why. Maybe what was taught to your Grandma Gertrude, or to old Great Grandpa Jones, by good old Pastor Joe, and then passed down to you, isn't true or exactly according to the Scriptures. That is why it pays to carefully examine our beliefs on a personal level. Just because some belief or practice has been around for a while, does NOT necessarily make it true or correct. Please don't forget that. I discuss this subject of tradition more fully in articles such as "Have You Read the New Scriptures Yet?", "Are You Just a Baby Huey?", and "Tradition or Truth? Old Wine or New Wine?". But regarding verifying doctrines with God's Word, please consider the following group of verses:

"Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."


"And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so."


"Prove [test, examine] all things; hold fast that which is good."


"Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old."


"Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me."


"Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world."


Simply put, there has to be a standard by which we measure all things. For us Christians, that means the Bible, because it contains the "sure word of prophecy". Consider this group of verses:

"God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?"


"God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged."


"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:"


"In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;"


"We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts . . . For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost."


"I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name."


". . . For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven . . . Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word . . . Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever."


To reiterate then, it is my personal belief that it is the modern, compromised church system -- or organized religion -- which is married to the beastly political systems of the world, which has largely encouraged this age-old tradition of praying for government leaders. Now, is there actually a Scriptural basis for this practice? Yes there is. Consider what the Apostle Paul wrote in his first Epistle to his son in the faith, Timothy:

"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 will be discussing these same verses more at length later on in this same series. However, for now though, let me state the following. The problem I see is that some churches and Christians have turned the previous verses into some kind of Pauline Law. I find this rather ironic, because if there is one thing that the Apostle Paul is well known for, it is for explaining how Jesus has freed us from the Mosaic Law. Yet some of these churches and Christians are trying to place us under a new law based on the writings of the Apostle Paul, who, by the way, I greatly admire. I discuss these Pauline extremists in my six-part series entitled "Beware of the Pauline Extremists!".

While what the Apostle Paul has written is certainly a good Christian practice, as I will be explaining later on in this series, the way that Paul's words have been promoted today by certain religionists is lopsided, because it seems to totally ignore the other side of the coin. If you do not understand what I am talking about, just please keep on reading, and you will come to understand by the time you have completed this series.

To some of the churches and modern religious movements which promote this lopsided view -- such as Turning Point USA and New Apostolic Reformation -- it does not seem to matter too much that many of these political leaders have no interest whatsoever in what God thinks of them, or what He thinks of their wicked policies and practices. It seems that some of these Christians will do anything to acquire political power, just as the Roman Catholic Church did many centuries ago. As I stated earlier, they have become married to politics.

In this regard, tragically, I believe that we can indeed say that religion truly is the opiate of the people. In speaking of the corrupt, hedonistic leadership of ancient Rome and its sex-crazed citizens, the Apostle Paul also exposed their strong rejection of the God of the Bible when he penned the following lines. Please carefully notice in the first verse that the result of their stiff refusal to retain God in their thoughts is that they were given over to a reprobate mind. The word "reprobate" means to be rejected or not approved:

"And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them."


How much this sounds just like the ungodly, liberal people who are currently -- 2024 -- in control of the United States government, and who seem bent on totally destroying all of the Christian values we inherited from our forefathers. I will expand upon this thought in a moment. As far as I am concerned, the current trend to mix our faith with secular politics -- known as Dominionism -- is simply a very clear manifestation of the false, deceptive spirit of nationalism and patriotism which has swept the world since so long ago. If you are taken back by my comment, or think that I am wrong, just keep reading and you will soon understand why I say this.

As world history will confirm, in some cases, praying FOR leaders, has eventually evolved into praying TO leaders, or at least admiring them as gods. If you doubt that this is so, think of the Caesars of Rome, or of King Herod in the Book of Acts, or perhaps even the pope in Rome. Consider what Luke wrote concerning the death of King Herod in the Book of Acts:

"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."


Many of my readers will no doubt be familiar with the Holy Roman Empire. Do you know why it was so named? As I briefly mentioned a moment ago, the pagan Roman Empire morphed into the Holy Roman Empire after the Roman Catholic Church gained control of it. I discuss this topic more at length in other articles. Thus, down through the centuries, national leaders convinced their populace that they were divinely appointed by God, even if in some cases they really weren't. So many horrific, tragic things were done by politicians and their religious backers in the so-called name of God.

For example, we have the Holy Roman Empire to thank for the so-called "Christian Crusades" during which many millions of people were killed. Sadly, there was nothing Christian about it. It was simply the Roman Catholic Church expanding its sphere of power and influence. It certainly was not the way that Jesus taught us to spread the Gospel message. Again, please refer to some of my other articles for an in-depth discussion regarding this topic.

Now, for those of my readers who do engage in the practice of praying for the leaders of their country, I am not saying that you worship them as gods, so please do not misinterpret my words. I'm simply pointing out what this practice has led to in some cases. However, I will likewise add that in the United States of America, I do believe that it is accurate to suggest that some people, particularly some conservative Christians, are made to feel that if they aren't praying for their political leaders, regardless of what kind of leaders those people might be, then there must be something wrong with them. They must not be very patriotic, or even very Christian for that matter. My gosh! Maybe such folks are even communists! Excuse my sarcasm.

Let's be straightforward here. Isn't this exactly how some of you feel? Please be honest with yourselves. Do you really pray for a certain leader because you really feel led to do so by God's Spirit? Or is simply because it is expected of you, because it is a part of your tradition? Are you merely bowing to peer pressure and political correctness? Perhaps your heart or conscience is telling you that you should not be praying for a certain leader, but other Christians in your circle are pressuring you to do the exact opposite.

I just find it truly ironic, that while the U.S. government openly encourages separation of church and state, tramples upon the Bible, and promotes ungodly policies which clearly defy the Word of God, some foolish Christians still insist that we must pray for these ungodly people. Well, by the time you have finished reading this series, I hope that I will have convinced you that this is a lopsided view, and that there are in fact times when we are indeed justified in NOT praying for such wicked people.

Having said the above, allow me to begin by challenging you the reader, to show me clear Scriptural evidence where Jesus Himself commands us to pray for the ungodly rulers of this present world. Does it make any sense to you that the Lord would tell us to pray for the evil governments and leaders of this world, and then turn around and tell Pontius Pilate the following?:

". . . My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence."


If Jesus' Kingdom is not of this world, then obviously, ours isn't either. Well, unless of course we don't belong to Him. Now, because our Kingdom is not of this world, we are told quite clearly in the Scriptures that we are not to entangle ourselves with the affairs of this life, any more than it is absolutely necessary, in order to get the job done. As many Christians know, that job is to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world.

Our spiritual separation from the false, materialistic world, which has been created by the god of this world -- that is to say, the Devil -- is stated very plainly over and over again in the New Testament, as I point out in other articles. Here again are a few Scriptural examples to prove that this is so. This is not just my personal opinion. It is God's Word. It is my hope that you the reader will accept what these verses have to say:

"If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you."


"Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,"


"No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier."


"Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God."


"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world."


Why does Jesus say that the world hates us? Because we are not a part of them. That's why. We are not children of the world. So let me ask you a simple question. Having read the previous Scriptures, to whom do you believe that we owe our primary loyalty and obedience? Is it to the evil, corrupt governments of this current filthy world, or is it to the Kingdom of God the Father and Jesus Christ? There is only one Kingdom for which we are instructed to pray; and Jesus Himself tells us exactly which one it is in one of His very own personal prayers, which He prayed to the Father almost two thousand years ago. Consider the following verse:

"And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth."


There it is, my friends, as plain as day. We are to pray for the coming Kingdom of God, which in reality is already here in a spiritual sense in the hearts of the Believers. This is due to our faith in God's promises regarding our own coming Redemption and Salvation when we each go to be with the Lord. This is precisely why Jesus also said the following:

". . . The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you."


In this all-important prayer, which we have come to refer to as the "Our Father", or "The Lord's Prayer", knowing that His words would become world-renown, surely the Lord could have also given us specific instructions to pray for the governments of the world. However, He did no such thing. He only said "Thy kingdom come". Jesus' mind and heart were, and are, totally focused on His Father's Kingdom. Well, it is apparent to me, through His own example of prayer, that the Lord is telling us that we should do the same. It is for this very reason that almost eight hundred years earlier, when the Lord gave him a brief glimpse into the far future, the Prophet Isaiah was inspired to write the following:

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."


So you see, this practice of pressuring people to pray for worldly governments and secular politicians, even when our conscience tells us that it is wrong, is misguided. As I said earlier, we cannot allow certain Christians to take a few verses that were written by the Apostle Paul, and set them up as some kind of hard and fast Pauline Law. That is just legalism all over again.

In fact, as I clearly point out in other articles such as "Love, Mercy, Forgiveness and Chastisement", as well as in "Modern False Prophets and Worldly Ecumenism", not only did the Lord tell us that His Kingdom is not of this world, but through another example of His own prayers, Jesus indicated that His concern was not to pray for the world. Rather, His desire was to pray for His own followers. When the Lord was praying in John chapter seventeen, He specifically said the following:

"I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine."


Through all of these verses which I have shared with you thus far, it becomes rather obvious that Jesus only prayed for His own followers who believed in Him. He did not pray for anyone else. He prayed only for God's true Kingdom, as well as for His children who are, or who would eventually become, members of that Kingdom through their acceptance of Him. The Lord did not pray for the rebellious children of this world, which also includes most of its materialistic, power-hungry governments and leaders, some of whom actively fight against God's true children.

Notice in the above verse that the reason why Jesus says He is praying for His followers, is because "they are thine". They belong to God. The implication then, is that not all are His. As I explain in the article entitled "Not Everyone Is a Child of God", this we already know to be true, right? If they are not even His, and will never be His, then why even pray for them? The Apostle Paul said the very same thing in his second Epistle to Timothy when he wrote the following verse:

"Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity."


Please go to part two for the continuation of this series.

⇒ Go To The Next Part . . .

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