The Nation or the Christ
Posted by: biblenotes <biblenotes@...>
From: Martin M Overfield
Date: Tue, 4 Jul 2000
The Nation or the Christ
There has been a war raging throughout the ages. It has involved the
common people, statesmen, kings, priests, preachers, soldiers, judges,
teachers, and on and on I could go. Participants in this war also include
all the demons of Hell, headed up by Satan himself, and all the holy angels
of Heaven, who perfectly obey every command of the Almighty God of the
universe.
When Jesus came, He said, "Think not that I am come to send peace on
earth: I came not to send peace, but a
sword." (Matthew 10:34).
He here speaks of a division, a line of demarcation, a spiritual war. This
war shall not entirely cease until the end of the Millennium, when Christ
shall have Satan cast into the Lake of Fire.
With these things in mind, please read the following words of Scripture
telling about the Jewish, ecclesiastical leaders and their opposition to
Christ:
John 11:47-52, "Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council,
and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles. If we let him thus
alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away
both our place and nation. And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high
priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all, Nor consider
that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and
that the whole nation perish not. And this spake he not of himself: but
being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that
nation; And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather
together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad."
These Jewish leaders were so duped by Satan, and used by him, that they
seemed to think that either they would have to get rid of Christ or they
would lose their nation. When in reality their opposition to Christ was the
undoing of their nation.
They said that if they "let Him thus alone" the Romans would "take away"
their "place and nation". At Christ's crucifixion they said, "His blood be
on us, and on our children." (Matthew 27:25). Then, before that generation
had passed, many of them and their children were crucified by the Romans and
their nation was scattered and their temple was destroyed (in 70 A.D. under
Titus).
I want to remind us all of the Bible truth that if we get rid of Christ
we will lose our nation. Oh, in a sense we may still have our nation, but
it will be a wretched, corrupted entity, reeking spiritual havoc and
political bondage to all under its sway. Whoever dares to oppose Christ is
foolishly and fatally opposing his own soul. Whoever chooses to oppose the
Christ in the name of helping, protecting, or causing a nation to make
progress is really bringing about the downfall, the destruction of that
nation.
It is one of the biggest lies of the Devil that we cannot allow religion
and religious principles to influence the government, or that we must
protect the secular from the spiritual. I tell you it is the other way
around. We dare not let the government dictate our religion, to lead us to
compromise our religious principles, to secularize the holy, spiritual
things!
The very idea of separation of church and state originally had the exact
opposite intent of the superficial interpretation of those who today
supposedly champion its cause. The original intent was to protect the
church from the state, not the other way around.
Today, there are people doing everything within their power to eradicate
true religion and spirituality out of public life (after that they may go
for the private life too!). All the while there are those of us on the
other side of the battlefield who are doing our best to be the salt and
light that Jesus said true Christians would be. We are trying to see to it
that sin is eradicated out of the hearts and lives of people AND out of the
civil leadership of our nation.
No, it is NOT either get rid of Christ or get rid of the nation. It is
either we crown Jesus Christ King of kings and Lord of lords and follow His
truth to try to rescue our nation from Hell, or we -- by opposing Christ --
fight against the only hope for our souls and our nation.
One final word: Just as the Jewish leaders could not keep Christ in the
tomb, for He arose (proven by many infallible proofs -- Acts 1:3), even so
shall the evil government and ecclesiastical leaders of our time not be able
to prevent the Rapture of the church and Christ's Second Coming as the
all-conquering Lord of all!
"As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue
shall confess to God." (Romans 14:11)
"At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things
in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians
2:10-11)
"Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also
which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him.
Even so, Amen." (Revelation 1:7).
Yours In Christ,
Martin Overfield
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