Some false pastors are teaching that these two New Testament passages mean Christians must obey the government, and take the mark of the beast. I am going to show, to my satisfaction at least, how these false pastors are wrong. Dead wrong.
Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. 4 For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. 5 Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’ sake.
Romans 13:1-5 NKJV
13 Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, 14 or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men— 16 as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God. 17 Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.
1 Peter 2:13-17 NKJV
Do not be deceived, taking the mark of the beast is eternally fatal!
9 Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”
Revelation 14:9-11 NKJV
Bible Theme – Obey God, Not Man
The Apostle Peter
The Bible is full of examples that clearly teach Obey God, Not Man. Let’s start with Peter, who wrote one of the passages above.
But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: “We ought to obey God rather than men.”
Acts 5:29 NKJV
Esther
The book of Esther is the story of how the Jews brought this law of the king to naught. That is, they did not automatically obey the king!
8 Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people scattered and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of your kingdom; their laws are different from all other people’s, and they do not keep the king’s laws. Therefore it is not fitting for the king to let them remain. 9 If it pleases the king, let a decree be written that they be destroyed, and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver into the hands of those who do the work, to bring it into the king’s treasuries.”
10 So the king took his signet ring from his hand and gave it to Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews. 11 And the king said to Haman, “The money and the people are given to you, to do with them as seems good to you.”
12 Then the king’s scribes were called on the thirteenth day of the first month, and a decree was written according to all that Haman commanded—to the king’s satraps, to the governors who were over each province, to the officials of all people, to every province according to its script, and to every people in their language. In the name of King Ahasuerus it was written, and sealed with the king’s signet ring. 13 And the letters were sent by couriers into all the king’s provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate all the Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, and to plunder their possessions. 14 A copy of the document was to be issued as law in every province, being published for all people, that they should be ready for that day.
Esther 3:8-14 NKJV
The Hebrew Midwives
Here is an example from when Israel was in slavery in Egypt.
15 Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of one was Shiphrah and the name of the other Puah; 16 and he said, “When you do the duties of a midwife for the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstools, if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.” 17 But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the male children alive. 18 So the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this thing, and saved the male children alive?”
19 And the midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are lively and give birth before the midwives come to them.”
20 Therefore God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied and grew very mighty. 21 And so it was, because the midwives feared God, that He provided households for them.
Exodus 1:15-21 NKJV
To be very, very clear: The midwives disobeyed and lied to the king of Egypt. It says they feared the Lord. We might summarize, “The fear of the Lord can include disobeying and lying to the government.” And God clearly approved of their actions!
And so it was, because the midwives feared God, that He provided households for them.
Exodus 1:21 NKJV
Rahab
Next, let’s look at Rahab, who helped Israel overthrow Jerico.
Now Joshua the son of Nun sent out two men from Acacia Grove to spy secretly, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.”
So they went, and came to the house of a harlot named Rahab, and lodged there. 2 And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, “Behold, men have come here tonight from the children of Israel to search out the country.”
3 So the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, “Bring out the men who have come to you, who have entered your house, for they have come to search out all the country.”
4 Then the woman took the two men and hid them. So she said,“Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they werefrom. 5 And it happened as the gate was being shut, when it was dark, that the men went out. Where the men went I do not know; pursue them quickly, for you may overtake them.” 6 (But she had brought them up to the roof and hidden them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order on the roof.) 7 Then the men pursued them by the road to the Jordan, to the fords. And as soon as those who pursued them had gone out, they shut the gate.
8 Now before they lay down, she came up to them on the roof, 9 and said to the men: “I know that the Lord has given you the land, that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land are fainthearted because of you. 10 For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were on the other side of the Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. 11 And as soon as we heard these things, our hearts melted; neither did there remain any more courage in anyone because of you, for the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath. 12 Now therefore, I beg you, swear to me by the Lord, since I have shown you kindness, that you also will show kindness to my father’s house, and give me a true token, 13 and spare my father, my mother, my brothers, my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death.”
14 So the men answered her, “Our lives for yours, if none of you tell this business of ours. And it shall be, when the Lord has given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with you.”
15 Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was on the city wall; she dwelt on the wall. 16 And she said to them, “Get to the mountain, lest the pursuers meet you. Hide there three days, until the pursuers have returned. Afterward you may go your way.”
Joshua 2:1-16 NKJV
As far as the king of Jericho was concerned, Rahab committed treason. She lied, hid the spies, and helped them escape. How did God feel about her actions? He was so pleased she gets a double mention in the New Testament. She is listed among the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11.
By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe, when she had received the spies with peace.
Hebrews 11:31 NKJV
Her faith is also commended in the book of James.
Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?
James 2:25 NKJV
By the way, I think Rahab was a former harlot at the time she helped the spies. She had enough flax on her roof to cover the spies. Why would you have that much flax unless you were making flax into cloth?
(But she had brought them up to the roof and hidden them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order on the roof.)
Joshua 2:6 NKJV
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego
King Nebuchadnezzar told Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego to bow to his idol or they would burn. To the king’s face they told him they would not obey his command.
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. 18 But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.”
Daniel 3:16-18 NKJV
King Nebuchadnezzar had them thrown in the furnace, but the story doesn’t end there.
24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?”
They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.”
25 “Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.”
26 Then Nebuchadnezzar went near the mouth of the burning fiery furnace andspoke, saying, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here.” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego came from the midst of the fire. 27 And the satraps, administrators, governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together, and they saw these men on whose bodies the fire had no power; the hair of their head was not singed nor were their garments affected, and the smell of fire was not on them.
Daniel 3:24-27 NKJV
It gets even better!
28 Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, who sent His Angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and they have frustrated the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own God! 29 Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation, or language which speaks anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made an ash heap; because there is no other God who can deliver like this.”
30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego in the province of Babylon.
Daniel 3:28-30 NKJV
The bottom line: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego refused to obey the king and it turned out very well for them.
Daniel
Some people hated Daniel, and they tricked King Darius into making a law they knew Daniel would disobey.
6 So these governors and satraps thronged before the king, and said thus to him: “King Darius, live forever! 7 All the governors of the kingdom, the administrators and satraps, the counselors and advisors, have consulted together to establish a royal statute and to make a firm decree, that whoever petitions any god or man for thirty days, except you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. 8 Now, O king, establish the decree and sign the writing, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which does not alter.” 9 Therefore King Darius signed the written decree.
Daniel 6:6-9 NKJV
Daniel’s enemies were right. He did not break his habit of praying to God. He chose to disobey the king’s new law.
Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.
Daniel 6:10 NKJV
He was cast into a den of lions.
16 So the king gave the command, and they brought Daniel and cast him into the den of lions. But the king spoke, saying to Daniel, “Your God, whom you serve continually, He will deliver you.” 17 Then a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signets of his lords, that the purpose concerning Daniel might not be changed.
Daniel 6:16-17 NKJV
But God did not let the lions harm Daniel.
21 Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! 22 My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths, so that they have not hurt me, because I was found innocent before Him; and also, O king, I have done no wrong before you.”
23 Now the king was exceedingly glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no injury whatever was found on him, because he believed in his God.
Daniel 6:21-23 NKJV
Far too late, Daniel’s enemies realized they had made a bad decision.
And the king gave the command, and they brought those men who had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions—them, their children, and their wives; and the lions overpowered them, and broke all their bones in pieces before they ever came to the bottom of the den.
Daniel 6:24 NKJV
Conclusion
All these people disobeyed the government: Peter, Esther, the Hebrew midwives, Rahab, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, and Daniel. I know of no places in the Bible where it teaches Always Obey The Government, other than Romans 13 and 1 Peter 2, and I’m in the process of proving their true meaning is understood Spiritually.
Bible Theme – Good Called Evil, And Evil Good
The Bible clearly condemns unrighteous judgment.
Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;
Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness;
Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
Isaiah 5:20 NKJV
He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the just,
Both of them alike are an abomination to the Lord.
Proverbs 17:15 NKJV
Also, to punish the righteous is not good,
Nor to strike princes for their uprightness.
Proverbs 17:26 NKJV
It is not good to show partiality to the wicked,
Or to overthrow the righteous in judgment.
Proverbs 18:5 NKJV
You have wearied the Lord with your words;
Yet you say,
“In what way have we wearied Him?”
In that you say,
“Everyone who does evil
Is good in the sight of the Lord,
And He delights in them,”
Or, “Where is the God of justice?”
Malachi 2:17 NKJV
Roman Punishment For Treason
The Romans used severe and cruel punishment for traitors. If people had a letter from Paul or Peter which could be interpreted “Disobey Caesar!” they could impaled or flogged to death.
[Impalement] is still known as one of the most painful and gruesome methods of execution/torture. The person was pierced through the vagina (women), rectum (both men and women), through the side or through the mouth. The victim would then slide down the pole by his/her own weight and just left to die. Since it didn’t cause death immediately, it would cause a lot of damage to the person who was still alive and who could still feel everything.
What were the execution methods used in Ancient Rome?
The punishment for treason during the time of Nero was to be stripped naked, having his head held up by a fork and being whipped to death.
Roman punishment and Roman criminal law
Therefore I believe the true meaning of Romans 13 and 1 Peter 2 is hidden from those without Holy Spirit understanding. The letters had to pass Roman censors.
Read With Spiritual Understanding
Please Be Wise!
It is the glory of God to conceal a matter,
But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.
Proverbs 25:2 NKJV
“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.”
Matthew 10:16 NKJV
When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.
1 Corinthians 13:11 ESV
Brethren, do not be children in understanding; however, in malice be babes, but in understanding be mature.
1 Corinthians 14:20 NKJV
that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,
Ephesians 4:14 NKJV
Study And Decide For Yourself!
Now the Bereans were more noble-minded than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if these teachings were true.
Acts 17:11 BSB
Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
2 Timothy 2:15 NKJV
Recall…
- Remember the behavior of Peter, Esther, the Hebrew midwives, Rahab, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, and Daniel.
- Remember “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;“
- Remember the cruel deaths of traitors to the Roman government.
… There Is A Knock On The Door
- Virginia, USA, 1860: “Are you hiding any runaway slaves on your farm?”
- The Netherlands, 1943: “Are you hiding any Jews in your house?”
- Somewhere, 20xx: “Do you have any Bibles?”
Romans 13:1-5
Consider the highlighted part of this Scripture.
Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. 4 For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. 5 Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’ sake.
Romans 13:1-5 NKJV
“For he is God’s minister to you for good.” In my opinion, if he is the devil’s minister to me for evil, I must obey God, not him.
1 Peter 2:13-17
Consider this highlighted Scripture.
13 Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, 14 or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men— 16 as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God. 17 Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.
1 Peter 2:13-17 NKJV
“… the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good.” In my opinion, if the government is praising evildoers and punishing the good, I must obey God, not the government.
Conclusion
I believe the Bible clearly teaches we must obey God, not men. This is true even of Romans 13:1-5 and 1 Peter 2:13-17, where this truth is hidden from natural man’s understanding. Fear, love, and obey God!
“And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.“
Matthew 10:28 NKJV
Has the rapture happened? You can still be saved and go to heaven! --- Are you following God's plan for your life? You should. Your plan is not going to work. It is a really, really bad plan. Please come to Jesus to escape your plan! Most people are WRONG! WRONG! WRONG! Jesus is coming. Are you ready to meet Him? Give your life to Jesus Christ. Time is running out.
Lift Up Your Eyes! 