The Devil’s Advocate
The Naked Reality of Christian Nationalism
All the nations are as nothing before him,
they are accounted by him as nothingness and emptiness. Isaiah 40:17For as I have often told you before, and now say again even with tears: Many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and their glory is in their shame. Their minds are set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ . . . Phil. 3:18-20
The likeness of what is below is that which is above; for everything is above; what is below is nothing but the imagination of those that are without knowledge. Ode 34:5
My kingdom is not of this world. John 18:36
Α ∞ Ω
In the last post, we saw the mystery of lawlessness at work in the ekklesia, the church, and came to understand that it is filling up until the days of the Gentiles, i.e. the nations, are complete.
What, then, might be the consummate expression of this leaven-filled vessel? Perhaps the most unacceptable conclusion to most Christians is the one they may encounter in the scroll of Revelation.
If the end goal of antichrist is to replace Christ, then there must be some semblance, albeit quite distant, to Christ in the presentation of rulership, though it must be mixed with lies and deception, since that is the Adversary’s modus operandi. It must be a kingdom of darkness disguised as the light for as the beloved apostle tells us:
For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself transforms his appearance to an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their actions. 2 Cor. 11:13-15
Thus, the wise scribe and disciple must apply the laws of Spirit to discern the truth and not be misled. To that end we leap to the punchline of this study, viz.:
Christian Nationalism is not a thing. It is a fiction, an oxymoron, a deceptive term that leads one into the kingdom of antichrist, the kingdom of darkness.
This truth is self-evident from the scriptures at the head of this writing. Christ is gathering out of all the nations His faithful people. Ekklesia means “called out of.” This special possession of His people are those that do not embrace nationalism, but pray continually for His kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven — not as it is in some nation on earth. No nation can even approximate His Kingdom whose righteousness knows no end. Hear the apostle preaching to the Greek citizens on Mars Hill, the place of many gods:
The God who made the world and everything that is in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made by hands; nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; and He made from one [man] every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God, if perhaps they might feel around for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His descendants.’ Acts 17:24-27
Should we attempt to make a list of the scriptures that conclude this truth, we should become exhausted. There is no Christian nation. All are corrupt. Kierkegaard famously stated that people talk about such and such a nation as Christian, but see if you can find a single Christian therein.
To proclaim a nation over others is to divide, whereas Christ Jesus is gathering together as One, those “from every tribe and tongue and people and nation” (Revelation 5:9) to make them a kingdom and priests to our God.
In fact, nationalism simply opposes the coming kingdom, and witness the following texts. In Luke, Jesus tells a parable about His coming Kingdom and the attitude of those who are citizens.
But His citizens hated Him, and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to reign over us.’ Luke 19:14
The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers take counsel together,
against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying,
“Let us burst their bonds apart
and cast away their cords from us.” Psalm 2:2-3
Isn’t it clear? The people of this world do NOT want the King of kings to rule over them. And that goes doubly for the church. They want to rule over their own domain in His Name, and make a livelihood out of it. The want to renounce His word and commandment which is quite explicit, as Matthew’s gospel records it.
But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant. Matthew 20:25-26
Have we not seen this in the march of human kingdoms down to this day? We have world leaders who claim to be Christians but put themselves in place of Christ. They overthrow His rule, His commandments of Love, and replace them with their own rule over others.
Their deeds are the very deeds which Christ has said He hates, that of the Nicolaitans, those who quite literally conquer the people. They make idols of themselves and their nation, because they refuse to humble themselves before the Lord of all the earth. They do not seek to be servants of all, but to serve themselves alone.
Nationalism sets another king in place of Christ, an idol more precisely.
Christian nationalism is an idol of the heart. It is part and parcel of the extreme narcissism and self-glorification at the heart of Babylon. It is a human product of ignorance and delusion (see Ode of Solomon 34:5).
Twenty five years ago, Al Pacino starred in a movie entitled “The Devil’s Advocate.” He played an attorney named John Milton, who reveals himself as the Devil over the course of the film. He makes a statement at one point: “Vanity, my favorite sin.” This proves to be a one size fits all sin which the Adversary employs as a snare for all mankind.
John Milton rails to his young lawyer played by Keanu Reeves that God is not a suitable ruler, that He is more like an absentee landlord and not worthy of our trust and allegiance. (Shades of the parable in Luke 19)
Doesn’t that sound like the rulership in the world today? The extreme right wing evangelical branch of the church does not trust God to rule over all His enemies, but they want to do that now and to execute those who oppose the theocratic government and its autocratic leader.
Please consider: How does any of that remotely sound like Christ and His Kingdom? Has He ever commissioned us to conquer our neighbors and execute them if they do not bend the knee?
The Adversary plays upon the vanity of human beings to get them to follow the idols of their heart and rebel against the kingdom of God. Thus, they reject the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ, and embrace the Law of sin and death, rebelling against the kingdom by establishing a kingdom of their own. Similarly the Al Pacino character prays upon the pride and vanity of the Keanu Reeves character and manipulates him to sell out his higher principles to be a winner. How fitting that the Pacino character is the head of a law firm — Christ was convicted by a religious law firm, and today we are all convicted by the Law of Sin and of Death (Romans 8). Yet, there is another way — we are acquitted by Divine Grace and the law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus has set us free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2).
But the other, the attitude of winning depicted in the young attorney, is the new ethos of right and wrong isn’t it? To win is good and to lose is evil. This ethical standard has eclipsed the timeless biblical measure of good and evil. This is the Adversary’s mindset: winning is everything. Sadly, this desire for power in victory over others is daily evident in political parties and religious sects around the world. Now the Church and the world are virtually indistinguishable — Christendom has become the world.
And this grand drama is established by God to prove out what sort of seed each one embodies — the seed of Isaac or the seed of Esau. Will a person long for the kingdom of peace and righteousness, or sell out that birthright for the flesh? That is the question.
The text from Matthew cited above gives us the basic distinction in being — the Devil’s way is to rule over others and proclaim one’s own greatness; Christ’s way is the servant’s path, and he who is the greatest servant is greatest in the kingdom.
So, as we walk through this valley of the shadow of death, whom shall we follow? That is the question for today, for these times that close the current aeon, “the age of man.” Will we follow Christ, The Good Shepherd, or will we follow another voice, another Christ, another gospel? If another, it will be another of our own making, and not the gospel of Jesus Christ. Will we enter the Kingdom of Light, or be closed out in the outer kingdom of darkness?
If we follow His voice, and abide in Him by keeping His commandments, we will eat from the table He prepares in the presence of our enemies. If we adopt our own WAY, we will eat from the table of demons and not enter into His lovely and glorious fellowship.
Do not be mismatched with unbelievers; for what do righteousness and lawlessness share together, or what does light have in common with darkness? Or what harmony does Christ have with Belial, or what does a believer share with an unbeliever? Or what agreement does the temple of God have with idols? For we are the temple of the living God . . . “Therefore, COME OUT FROM THEIR MIDST AND BE SEPARATE,” says the Lord. ~ 2 Corinthians 6:14-16, 17a
But if the community of seekers of Christ advocates for a kingdom of this world, then what are we to say? Shall we not stand with Christ and say: our kingdom is not of this world?
The prophet says, Woe to those who are at ease in Zion! What of those who advocate for the world, for the kingdom built by Man in the name of Christ? Such claims by all who make them, Restorationists or other, are the same. They are claims for another Christ, and another Kingdom. And another Christ is simply a synonym for anti-Christ.
So there you have it, Christendom’s last best defense against The Kingdom of God! It is to build the Kingdom of this world in His name, but without His characteristics, His qualities, and His precepts. It is to make a kingdom of lawlessness and name it Christ!!! And what fellowship does the kingdom of Righteousness that knows no end have with the kingdom of lawlessness?
If then Paul’s witness to the Ephesians is true and God will gather back into Christ all things in Heaven and Earth, then it must only include things which have come from Him, and not from the delusions of mankind, correct? Ephesians 1:10-11 comprehends that subsequent message of the odist which is cited at the top of this writing. This would make all human, churchly, masonic, New Age, Restorationist attempts to build the Kingdom, to be nothing but “the imagination of those that are without knowledge.”
Therefore, we as ministers of reconciliation, and ambassadors of His kingdom, must plead His case, to await God’s establishment of our Lord’s kingdom and its everlasting Righteousness. Every other human attempt will be a counterfeit, and simply another variant of the Adversary’s kingdom of darkness.The task of building the kingdom — unlike the command to walk as He walked — is not a God-given task, plain and simple. God will usher in the Kingdom of His Beloved Son according to His Plan, in His own time and in His fashion.
What we are watching form to the contrary is nothing but a global effort to oppose God and install various principalities that are all united in opposition to the Kingdom of God and His Christ, to wit:
Why do the nations so furiously rage together, and why do the people imagine a vain thing?
The kings of the earth rise up, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord, and against His anointed. (Psalm 2:1-2 – Messiah libretto) Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. (KJV, v.3)
In the ultimate irony of this age, and one which has telegraphed itself through the amazing scroll of Revelation, it would appear that Christendom is aligning itself with this rebellion. Indeed, it is The Great Apostasy.
So the tragedy we must watch unfold on the world’s stage, is to see those who claim as their leader the Prince of Peace, the Lord of all the Earth, become an instrument of rebellion against Him and the establishment of His Kingdom.
It is the unequivocal reality of our time that the evangelical churches espousing Christian nationalism — “a vain thing” — thereby proclaim they have become “The Devil’s Advocate.”