Jesus
What most Christians don’t realize today when they read the gospels is that every time Jesus contended with the Sadducees or Pharisees about the “law” or the “religious law” or the “law of Moses” or “God’s Law,” it was at that time the civil law of Judea. Rome allowed Judea to be ruled by their own law (Mosaic Civil Law) and their own civil leaders (Sadducees and Pharisees), as long as they paid their taxes, did not riot, and got Pilate “rubber stamp” approval for any capital punishment.
To understand the context of the Gospels it’s necessary to understand the following Biblical Definitions:
* Mosaic Law: The constitution and civil law of Judea during the time of Jesus. Jesus was continually condemning the Pharisees for violating God’s civil law - by adding to it, taking away from it, twisting it, or ignoring it.
* Sanhedrin: This was made up of 70 of the two political parties, Pharisees and Sadducees, plus the High Priest. This was their civil government with their supreme religious, legal, and administrative council, acting as the highest Jewish court of justice. It combined its two-branch government - supreme court and executive branch. God’s Law eliminated the need for a legislature. The Sanhedrin was their national central government located in Jerusalem, and it was called the “Great Sanhedrin.” In all the other towns in Judea there were the “Lesser Sanhedrins.” Each town with its Lesser Sanhedrin had 23 Pharisee / Sadducee civil leaders for its judges.
* Scribes: They were the civil lawyers of the Mosaic Law, their Constitution. They examined the more difficult and subtle legal questions of the Law. They were enrolled in the Sanhedrin to provide constitutional critique for the Sadducees and Pharisees.
* Sadducees: The Sadducees political party held the controlling civil majority in the Sanhedrin. The High Priest, Caiaphas, was also a Sadducee. They were the more wealthy and aristocratic party and collaborated more with Roman authorities and the Hellenistic culture. Though they only accepted God’s written Law, the Torah. Nonetheless, they did not believe in any resurrection or any life after death, which Jesus corrected them on.
* Pharisees: They were the party of the more common people. They accepted God’s written Law but also believed in adhering to their own added oral traditions, their “Oral Torah.” Jesus was continually condemning them for this. Nonetheless, they continued to add more oral law which was later called the Talmud. However, they did believe in resurrection, angels, demons, and an afterlife. The Pharisees were the larger of the two political parties and had the most influence on the common people. The Pharisees were in opposition to Rome and all Roman influence and often opposed them. They were especially looking for their Messiah to come and liberate them from Rome.
With the Sadducee / Pharisee government, they were all claiming to follow God’s Law, though like many Christians today, they were blind in seeing the correct justice of God’s Law and especially God’s Law being of “love,” as both Jesus and Paul described it. Jesus quoted from the Law in Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18 (Matt. 22:37-40):
“‘You shall LOVE the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment.The second is like it, ‘You shall LOVE your neighbor as yourself.’ Upon these two commandments hang the whole Law and the Prophets.”
The Apostle Paul described God’s Law being all about love (Rom. 13:10; Gal. 5:14):
“LOVE is the fulfillment of the Law … For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “LOVE your neighbor as yourself.”
Jesus condemned the religious political Pharisees because they were not administering the civil law according to God’s civil Law of justice and love (Luke 11:42):
“You ignore justice and the love of God.”
As a political activist Jesus did not hesitate to condemn the Pharisaic civil leaders (John 8:44):
“Your father is the devil.”
There is one government today structurally imitating God’s government structure, who Jesus would condemn today as their father being the devil - the Muslim religious civil rulers. They are certainly as bad as were the Pharisaic religious civil rulers. In fact, just as the Muslim religious leaders are the civil rulers in their country, in principle that is exactly what the Pharisee / Sadducee religious rulers were as civil rulers.
With the Muslims today, Satan has made them so ugly in the eyes of Christians, as their religion truly is, that it has blinded most to see how Satan has imitated some of God’s principles for godless success. Muslims not only imitate God’s government structure but also God’s Bible with their Quran, and God’s Law with their Sharia law. Satan has even had them identified as a “theocracy.” What a mockery!
The word “theocracy” literally means “God rules.” But with the Muslims it is not God but their demonic moon god Allah that rules. Their father is truly the devil just like Jesus fearlessly called out the Pharisees. Today Jesus would call the Muslim ruler’s god, the devil, and therefore so should we. Through Satan the Muslims have outwardly imitated everything of God:
* God’s Kingdom – Muslim kingdoms
* The Bible – the Quran
* God’s Mosaic Law – Allah’s Sharia law
* Theocracy (God ruling) – “Theocracy” (Allah ruling)
The term “theocracy” originates form the Ancient Greek 1st century term “theokratia”, coined by the Roman Jewish historian, Flavius Josephus, to describe a government where God is recognized as the Supreme Ruler. The word “theocracy” is derived from theos (God) + kratos (rules). The word literally means “God rules.” The word first appeared in 1600 AD in the English language describing - Christians ruling under King Jesus - known as the Protestant Reformation.
Josephus coined the word to describe the unique Hebrew government, with God’s Law, differentiating it from monarchies or democracies. Today Satan has hijacked the word for “God’s rule,” but which actually describes the devil’s civil rulers, as Jesus calls them. And even more amazing, there is no word in the English language for “Satan rules,” which actually does describe the Muslim rulers. So I have coined a new honest word for us today that we should always use when referring to Muslims ruling: sata (Satan) + kratos (rules) = “Satakracy” (Satan rules).
Do you realize that Jesus was the greatest moral political activist in the world! He preached it and He commanded His disciples to preach the same. Jesus said, (Matt. 6:33):
“Seek first the Kingdom of God!”
A kingdom is a nation with a king and Jesus as the “King of kings!” Jesus sent His disciples out everywhere to announce His Kingdom (Matt. 10:7):
“Go and announce to them that the Kingdom of Heaven is near.”
Jesus’s final Great Commission began by Jesus declaring (Matt. 28:18):
“All authority has been given unto to Me in heaven and on earth!”
That must include all civil authority. And this is not just for some future millennial reign, but for Jesus to also have all civil authority today! Therefore Christians should be announcing the same thing everywhere today, demanding that Jesus be recognized and honored as our nation’s KING: “Jesus… Supreme Ruler… and King of kings!” This is exactly what the Apostle Paul was publicly declaring (Col. 2:10; 1Tim. 1:17, 6:15):
“Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority … Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever … He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords!”
Jesus became “Savior” when He died on the cross for our sins, but when Jesus rose from the dead He became - “KING of kings” - “Then Jesus said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me!’”
Did you realize that EVERY TIME Jesus contended with the Pharisees about the Law, He was being a political activist? For it was God’s Mosaic Law that was to be the civil law of Judea. Jesus was constantly condemning and correcting the Pharisees about the Law. Furthermore, Jesus told us to pray for His will to be done on earth today - which would be for Him ruling as King of kings with God’s Law in every nation on earth today (Matt. 6:10):
“Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
Therefore, we are to pray and work that King Jesus rules in our cities and nation “on earth” today … “as it is in heaven.” Jesus was the world’s greatest political activist - always declaring to the Pharisee/Sadducee civil leaders to obey only God’s civil Law - even being crucified for it!
John
What did Jesus say about John the Baptist (Matt. 11:11):
“I tell you the truth, of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John the Baptist.”
What is especially revealing is the fact that Jesus said this about John the Baptist after he was thrown into prison for publicly condemning the highest civil authority in the land, King Herod. John was not put in prison for preaching the gospel. He was thrown into prison for publicly and repeatedly condemning the top civil authority for violating God’s Law regarding marriage, “and for many other wrongs he had done” (Luke 3:19). Herod was not disobeying Roman law, only God’s Law. John the Baptist was ultimately martyred for publicly condemning Herod for breaking God’s Law.
John the Baptist was truly a political activist! And according to Jesus, “none is greater than John the Baptist.” Have you thought of the 6 examples that we should apply from John the Baptist:
* God’s Law is not just for believers but also for all civil authorities to obey.
* Christians should publicly condemn any civil authority if they violate any of God’s Law.
* The specific part of God’s Law that the authority violates should be publicly identified and proclaimed.
* All civil authorities, including the highest civil authority, should be publicly condemned when they violate God’s Law.
* The civil authority should persistently and publicly be condemned when violating any part of God’s Law.
* Christians should never feel ashamed to publicly and fearless condemn any civil authority for violating God’s Law, even if it costs us our lives.
After Jesus, John the Baptist was the world’s greatest political activist - even being beheaded for it!
Paul
The Apostle Paul was also a public political activist. God even said that Paul would specifically be going to kings (Acts 9:15):
“Go, for Saul [Paul] is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings.”
Paul and “all” the Christians were political activists turning the world upside down for Jesus to be KING instead of Caesar (Acts 17:6-7):
“Not finding them there, they dragged out Jason and some of the other believers, and took them before the Council instead. ‘Paul and Silas have turned the rest of the world upside down, and now they are here disturbing our city,’ they shouted, ‘and Jason has let them into his home. They are ALL guilty of treason, for they claim another king, Jesus, instead of Caesar.”
Paul was always preaching everywhere about having every nation as God’s Kingdom with Jesus as King:
* “Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God” (Acts 19:8).
* “And now I know that none of you to whom I have preached the Kingdom will ever see me again” (Acts 20:25).
* “For the next two years, Paul lived in Rome ... boldly proclaiming the Kingdom of God” (Acts 28:30-31).
To always be proclaiming the “Kingdom of God” – is to always be proclaiming a nation under God’s Law with Jesus as King.
The Apostle Paul taught in every church that Jesus is the Supreme civil Ruler and Authority on earth now:
* “Jesus is far above any ruler or authority in this world” (Eph. 1:21).
* “God has put all thingsunder the authority of Christ and has made Him Head over all things for the benefit of the church” (Eph. 1:22).
* “Jesus is Supreme over all” (Col. 1:15).
* “Jesus is Head over every ruler and authority” (Col. 2:10).
* “All power and authority are His in the present and beyond all time” (Jude 1:25).
* “Jesus is the eternal KING; He alone is God” (1 Tim. 1:17).
* “Jesus is the only Sovereign, the KING of kings and LORD of lords” (1 Tim. 6:15).
After Jesus and John the Baptist, the Apostle Paul was the world’s greatest political activist – also being beheaded for it!
Jesus, John, and Paul taught on many subjects. But they were also the world’s greatest political activists - turning the world upside down in proclaiming and establishing a new holy world order with a new Kingdom, King, and Law – the Kingdom of God with King Jesus and God Law!
