God's Government

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God's Government
By Dan Cafeo
and Jason Busa

What does government have to do with God? Isn’t God more about religion and doctrine? Believe it or not, the Bible has a lot to say about government. In fact, government is one of the primary subjects in the Bible.

One of the primary reasons Christ came was to proclaim the kingdom of God. A kingdom is a government. The American Heritage Dictionary (Fourth Ed.) defines a kingdom as, “A political or territorial unit ruled by a sovereign.”

Some nations today are considered kingdoms, such as the United Kingdom of Great Britain, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Kingdom of Norway. When Christ began preaching the gospel of the kingdom, He said, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent.” (NKJV).

Naturally, a kingdom is ruled by a king, commonly called a monarch. When Pilate asked Jesus if He was a king, He answered, “Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth My voice.” (John 18:37).

Contrary to popular belief, the kingdom that Christ proclaimed will be established on earth when Christ returns. At that time He will depose all world leaders and physically rule over every nation and people (Dan 2:44; Rev 11:15; Rev 3:12; Rev 21:1-3; Zech 2:10-13).

Kingdoms are governed by laws. The Greeks famously stated, “Without law, there can be no freedom.” That’s because when laws are in place and enforced, citizens can come and go in relative peace, knowing that their property and livelihoods will be protected. Without law, there is only anarchy, which means that citizens must protect their own property and lives.

The primary laws that Christ will impose on His subjects will be the ten commandments. Under the inspiration of God, Isaiah recorded the following.

“The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” (Isa 2:1-4)

There are additional laws and regulations—think of them as principles of life—which will be imposed. Obedience to, and enforcement of, these laws will produce absolute utopia. There will be no theft, no murder, no adultery, no sickness and disease. Only total happiness, because there will be peace and harmony.

When we think of government, we generally think of something that is “of” the people. We think of politicians, elections, platforms and party affiliations. We also think of lies, corruption and hypocrisy. This is man’s government.

But God’s government will be fair, just and equitable. Ruled by perfect, righteous God beings, who cannot lie, cheat, or steal. This government will be run from the top down. A pyramid-shaped government, which is the only system of government that works.

Mankind has developed many political systems over the past few thousand years. Autocracy, Communism, Democracy, Fascism, Imperialism, Monarchy, Plutocracy, Socialism and Theocracy. Even though some of these systems share some similarities to the pyramid-shaped system that Christ will introduce to the world at His return, the one striking difference is that those systems were ruled by unjust despots and dictators, who cared little for the people and only for themselves—while Christ will rule with complete righteousness, fairness and equity. There will be perfect justice and peace.

Without a doubt, mankind’s systems of government have been complete failures. Let’s take a closer look at God’s system of government and how it will be administered.

THE BIBLE IS OUR SOURCE OF TEACHING

The past 6,000 years of human history on earth have given birth to a wide variety of political systems. Man has theorized, designed and implemented many forms of government. Most have been oppressive, authoritarian systems where the masses were governed by the powerful elite.

In our modern day, democracy seems to be the most successful form of man-made government. Yet democracy is very seriously flawed. It puts the power in the hands of the majority. And if the majority become corrupt, or can be convinced to follow corrupt principles, then law, order and prosperity are threatened.

In the church of God organizations today, we also see a variety of governmental systems, despite the fact that all church leaders profess to be following the doctrines from the same book, the Holy Bible. The truth is, most church organizations are NOT following biblical teaching. Instead they have devised their own doctrines and, through much effort, find scriptures which seem to support them. They incorporate secular systems (such as voting), mixing them with God’s system, creating mutant governmental structures. These corrupt systems do not—and cannot ever—yield lasting harmony. That is why we often hear of divisions and controversy in various church of God groups today. God says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isa 55:8-9)

When you search the scriptures, you can’t find any examples of collective governing by the people. You can’t find any system of voting leaders into office. You can’t find any secular methods for administering government. That’s because only God’s way works. God’s governmental structure is always from the top down. That’s the way it was always done. God appointed Moses. God appointed Joshua. God appointed the judges. God appointed Samuel. When the Israelites desired a human king like the nations around them, God appointed Saul. When Saul became corrupt, He appointed David. David’s two sons tried to take power, but God put a stop to it and appointed Solomon.

The examples of the early church are no different. God the Father chose twelve (John 10:27-29). God the Father does the calling (John 6:44). God the Father ordained various offices of responsibility (Eph 4:11-12). He left these examples for us and He expects us to follow them.

GOD'S GOVERNMENTAL STRUCTURE IN THE CHURCH

Repeatedly, Christ declared total submission to His Father. In fact, one of the reasons Christ came to earth was to reveal the Father (John 1:18; Matt 11:27). The Israelites in the old testament had only known one God—which was Jesus Christ (John 1:18; 1 Cor 10:1-4; John 8:56-58). But Christ revealed a higher authority. He said, “My Father is greater than I.” (John 14:28). He said, “ I came down from heaven, not to do Mine own will, but the will of Him that sent Me.” (John 6:38). He said, “As the Father gave Me commandment, even so I do.” (John 14:31).

There are only two individuals in the Godhead: Father and Son (Gen 1:26; John 1:1-3,18; Heb 1:1-3; John 8:18). That makes it easy to understand the chain of command at the top. But who is next in line? The mother of James and John requested that her two sons be next in line in the Kingdom of God, but Christ told her that those positions would be selected by His Father (Matt 20:20-23). So the answer is, we cannot know with certainty who will be next in line when Christ returns and the faithful are born of the Spirit (transformed into immortal spirit beings). But Christ did outline certain positions to individuals in the bible, namely David (Jer 30:9) and the twelve disciples (Matt 19:28). He also said, “In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.” (John 14:2). In this scripture, the word “mansions” is understood to mean “positions.” God’s faithful will reign with (but under) Christ on the earth, at His return (Rev 5:10; 20:6). Therefore, “mansions”—which is literally translated “places of abode”—are offices or positions in His government.

On earth, God’s government on a human level begins under Christ, who is the head of the church (Col 1:18). The scriptures then outline human offices of responsibility.

These offices of responsibility work together in harmony to accomplish a common goal (Eph 4:12). The apostle Paul was inspired to write to the Corinthian church, using the example of the human body. He wrote, “For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ”....“But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased Him.” (1 Cor 12:12,18). This analogy fits the church perfectly, because the church must work together in harmony—like the human body—in order to accomplish any goal. And as we know, there is only one head on every human body. And that head (or brain) directs every movement. Likewise, God appointed individuals, endowing them with certain gifts, in order to fulfill His purpose. Speaking of these gifts, Paul writes, “Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.” (1 Cor 12:4-6). It is God the Father, working through Christ (the Head), who is orchestrating everything.

Paul then outlines those key offices of responsibility. He writes, “And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles? Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret? (1 Cor 12:28-30). Elsewhere he lists “evangelists” (Eph 4:11) after prophets. And he also explains why these offices were created. “For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ” (Eph 4:12). It is to fulfill the two-part commission to preach the gospel of the Kingdom to the world and attend to the spiritual growth of the church members.

The more you read about the way God works with human beings and accomplishes His goals on earth, using a group of individuals, the more you see a pattern repeated. You see the same approach. You see government from the top down. You see one person in a leadership position and those under him.

Now lets look at these offices of responsibility.

Apostles. They are the highest in authority on earth under Christ. The original twelve apostles were handpicked by God the Father to establish church leadership (Judas Iscariot being replaced by Matthias [Acts 1:26]). Very clearly, Peter was the preeminent Apostle among the original twelve. In Paul’s letter to the Galatians, he mentions that the gospel to the Gentiles was committed to him while the gospel to the Israelites was committed to Peter (Gal 2:7-8). Christ spoke to Peter, saying, “I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Matt 16:19). In other words, Peter’s decision—if in accordance with God’s law—would be “binding” or essentially considered to be “law.” Christ repeated this statement to the other disciples (soon to be apostles) as well (Matt. 18:18), showing the authority He had given them in administration of God’s government on earth.

When a dispute arose in the church at Antioch, it was Peter, at the headquarters church in Jerusalem, who stood up to speak on the matter (Acts 15:7-11), showing what was “bound in heaven.” Shortly after, James (overseer of the Jerusalem church) closed the matter, rendering his decision based on Peter’s statement—showing what was now “bound on earth” (Acts 15:13-21). The dispute was settled by those in charge and the result was harmony.

Now suppose there were differing opinions and a stalemate. Suppose they attempted to “vote” on it. Would that have been God’s way? Can you find any substantiation in the scriptures where God established a “democracy”—where a group of individuals voted to determine an outcome or resolve a dispute? No, you can’t find it because it’s NOT God’s way.

Prophets. In the old testament, prophets spoke as they were instructed by God (2 Pet 1:21). They delivered messages to people and often revealed future events. In the new testament prophets did the same, such as one named Agabus (Acts 11:27-30; 21:10-11). However, some of the evangelists were referred to as being prophets (Acts 15:32). So it seems that there were some that carried both titles. It appears that the title of “prophet” signifies a spiritual gift rather (Rom 12:6; 1 Cor 12:10; 1 Tim 4:14) than a specific office of administration.

Evangelists. Paul, as an apostle to the Gentiles, traveled the region, preaching, raising up churches and ordaining individuals to offices of responsibility, in order to establish government and authority in the church groups. Paul’s letters to the evangelist Timothy reveal much about the office of an evangelist. An evangelist is one who preaches the gospel (2 Tim 4:2,5), who is empowered to teach, instruct, rebuke and even disfellowship if necessary (1 Cor 5:11-13). They oversee the local church elders, but they are under the direction of the apostle, as Timothy and Silas followed the instructions of Paul (Acts 17:15).

Teachers. A teacher is an elder who has authority over a local congregation. We call them “pastors” or “ministers.” One who is ordained to preach and rule (1 Tim 3:1-7; 5:17), but is first proven, not a novice (1 Tim 3:6). He is an overseer (Acts 20:28) and laborer, generally referred to as a pastor or minister. Like all other offices of responsibility he is a servant (2 Tim 2:24), attending to the needs of church members through preaching, individual counseling, anointing for healing and living as an example to others (1 Tim 4:12). He is specifically commanded to not “lord over” the members, but nevertheless is commanded to rule and is deserving of the utmost respect (1 Tim 5:17). These instructions, recorded in Paul’s writings, show that teachers teach God’s way of life and protect the congregation from false teaching (Titus 1:9-11), but they are not enforcers. The same way that God is not an enforcer. He doesn’t force anyone to do anything. He doesn’t take us by the ear and force us to get on our knees and pray or study or fast. He wants us obey Him willingly and He leaves the choice for us to make If we do good, then we’ll prosper. If we do evil we won’t. (Duet 30:19; 5:29)

Deacon. A deacon is under the authority of the minister (elder) and is ordained to assist them in the administration and spiritual teaching of the local congregations. They also must meet a rigid set of qualifications before ordination. These qualifications form the foundational attributes of any ordained servant. Paul instructed Timothy on how to choose these deacons: “...deacons must be reverent, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy for money, holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience. But let these also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons, being found blameless. Likewise, their wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things. Let deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well. For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a good standing and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.” (1 Tim 3:8-13). So we see that they obtain a “good standing” or reputation by serving. However, they must have already demonstrated a good reputation before ordination, as we read in Acts 6:2-3, where deacons were chosen of men who were of “good reputation” and “full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom.” (NKJV).

If a good reputation is required, then why have so many arrogant, egotistical men been ordained over the years? Why so many “super deacons” (so called) who were puffed up, letting a little authority go to their head? Because a spirit of discernment was lacking in the church. And yet God has allowed it. Why?

UNMET QUALIFICATIONS

There are qualifications for all of these offices of responsibility, which must be met before one is ordained. (Please read our article, Qualifications For The Ministry). Sadly, many have not met these qualifications and have been ordained anyway, contrary to God’s instructions. This has led to unqualified servants and even “hirelings” ordained into offices, causing much strife, contention and abuse of God’s people in the past few decades.

Not only has the membership suffered these things, but they have suffered neglect. Many ministers are detached and insulated. They aren’t involved in people’s lives. They don’t actively inquire of people’s problems and difficulties. They wait for the membership to come to them. Grade school teachers move around the classroom helping individual students. They stop and ask if a student is needing help. They reach out. This is the way God’s ministers should be.

What about this idea of “retirement”? Does the bible contain instructions for when God’s ministers should retire? Absolutely not! This is the invention of modern man. And perhaps the most extreme form of neglect. The only retirement for a true servant of God is the grave. Any “minister” who has chosen to “retire” is NOT getting their instruction from the Bible. They’re imitating the world. Satan’s world. God’s true ministers are drafted for life.

So why has God allowed all these problems caused by unqualified servants in the church? There is only one answer. It’s the same reason why any of us suffer persecution, contention, strife, hardship and difficulty in life... to test us. God is training and refining us. Christ said, “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.” (Matt 10:34). We weren’t called to an easy life. This is to make sure every individual who is eventually born into the God family has been thoroughly tried, tested and proven faithful (2 Thes 1:4-5; 2 Tim 3:12). We must suffer, even as Christ suffered (Rom 8:17; Php 1:29). And if persecution and strife occurs within the human family, certainly it happens within the spiritual family of the church as well.

THE CAUSE OF PROBLEMS IN THE WORK OF GOD

There are four primary reasons why leadership problems prevail in God’s church today.

1. Lack of respect for authority. God has placed deacons, local elders, pastors and evangelists in the church for a reason. These offices form a hierarchy for administrative purposes, to fulfill the spiritual needs of the church membership (Eph 4:12). And there must be one in charge, with preeminent authority. It’s a system established by our Creator to promote harmony (1 Cor 14:33), clearly visible throughout the scriptures. That system is an extension of the pyramid structure in the God family. So it must be understood and respected. In society today, rebellion against authority is popular. Rule-breakers are seen as heros. But the only reason we hold rebels in high regard is because the world’s system is broken. God’s system however, is not broken. It’s a perfect system. The only system that works. And it must be respected and followed if we want to have true harmony.

When God lead His people out of bondage in Egypt, He lead them through one person. Moses was given preeminent authority over all the people. And there were many who didn’t like it. They wanted shared authority. They rebelled against Moses, but in reality they were rebelling against God. Turn to and read it in Numbers 16.

“Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men: And they rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown: And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD?” (Num 16:1-3)

These individuals rejected the ‘one in charge’ system instituted by God and demanded shared authority instead. What was God’s reaction?

“And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods. They, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them: and they perished from among the congregation.” (Num 16:32-33)

This event teaches us two things: (1) Rebellion against authority is unacceptable, and (2) lust for power is unacceptable. Those who lack respect for authority will never be born into the family of God.

2. Lack of humility. This is a vast subject. But in short, power and knowledge goes to a person’s head (1 Cor 8:1). That man begins to think highly of himself. He begins to think he is above the law, that everything he “binds” on earth will be “bound” in heaven (Matt 16:19; 18:18). But this saying of Christ applied to those who governed within the law, not those who abandoned it. Lack of humility causes great harm in the church. But those who are lofty and proud won’t be born into the God family at Christ’s return (Isa 2:11-12). Above all, God is looking for humble people that tremble at His word (Isa 66:2). Vanity was the key ingredient that transformed Lucifer into Satan (Ezek 28:17), along with lack of respect. God will not choose a leader who lacks humility. So, if leaders are chosen using God’s method, the right individual will be chosen every time—unless the wrong person is chosen for a purpose (such as fulfillment of prophecy, like the corrupt leadership that succeeded Mr. Armstrong after his death, ushering in the “falling away” [2 Thes 2:3]).

3. Mixing God’s system with man’s system. Where does chaos and confusion come from? Is God the author of confusion? Of course not (1 Cor 14:33). God’s government yields peace and harmony. So why would any leader in the church of God choose to spoil a perfect recipe for peace and harmony by infusing man’s methods for administering government? The reason is they lack respect for authority and they lack humility. The church is a spiritual organism, NOT manmade. Therefore the rules and principles for governing that spiritual organism must be spiritual. They must come from the Bible, not the world. One clear violation of God’s system for administering government is the voting system, where leaders are voted into office. This is not God’s way and you can’t find it anywhere in the Bible. So why do some churches use it?

The method for choosing an authority figure must come from one in higher authority. An authority figure is NOT chosen by those of lesser authority. Note this well! It is critical! Remember, God’s system works from the top down. Only man’s system works from the bottom up. So where do the churches go wrong? Why do they use the “bottom up” method? Because they are misapplying the scriptures.

God clearly established methods for choosing qualified servants to ordain in the Church. But can you imagine a deacon ordaining an elder? An elder ordaining an evangelist? Ridiculous. A person must be selected and ordained by someone in higher rank or authority. If a leader must be chosen, it is God who must do the choosing.

There are some church groups today that were established on system of government that is in total contradiction to God’s ways, using a collective body of elders to govern the church instead of one person. Their justification being that the pyramid structure of their ‘former church affiliation” (WCG)—where only one person made all the important decisions—was a “painful experience.” So they abandoned that system in favor of a worldly system of government. In other words, they threw the baby out with the bath water. One of the scriptures used to justify this is Proverbs 24:6, which reads, “In a multitude of counselors there is safety.” Brethren, this is a misapplication of God’s word. Solomon was inspired by God to put these words in writing, to say that receiving counsel from multiple individuals provides objective advice for the one in charge. Remember Solomon was a king, in the top seat of government. He had counselors who advised him on all matters, but ultimately the decisions were his to make (within the law).

Additionally, some church groups today have established a “ council of elders” to vote for a “management team” to lead the church. But this team is “selected, approved and directed” by the council. Where is the biblical precedent for this form of government? Does it come from the Bible? No! Nowhere in God’s word can we find examples or instructions for governing people without a person in charge.

Brethren, it is difficult to imagine the early church forming “committees,” drafting “resolutions,” debating its “constitution and bylaws,” “balloting” and conferring with “outside counsel” to resolve disagreements. In fact, its absurd to imagine Peter and the other apostles doing such things. Yes, it’s necessary to have a set of church bylaws to comply with IRS requirements for non-profit organizations. But these bylaws should only be based on God’s laws—no more and no less.

When you try to mix God’s system of government with man’s system of government, it’s a recipe for disaster. Two can’t walk together “unless they be agreed.” (Amos 3:3). This scripture can be applied, not just to people, but to sets of principles. God’s ways and the world’s ways are NOT in agreement. They cannot “walk together.” The problems and divisions in these church groups are proof of that fact.

4. Satan hates God’s government. Let us never assume that because we are God’s people and under His constant protection, that He will not allow us to reap the consequences of bad decisions. His laws are living laws. Like the law of gravity. God will not suspend the law of gravity for anyone, if they try to break it. That would constitute “testing” God (Matt 4:7). So, if you jump off the roof of your house, don’t expect a soft landing.

Satan is most busy attacking God’s people and he will do everything he can to get them off track. The easiest and best way to get them off track is by worldly influence.

The “herd mentality” is a very strong force. People are generally compelled to follow those around them, particularly if the direction is commonplace. No one naturally wants to be the standout or oddball. But that’s exactly the kind of life that we are called to live. This is not God’s world, it’s Satan’s world (2 Cor 4:4). And what’s commonplace in society is most often totally unacceptable to God (Prov 14:12).

Satan exploits this innate desire to follow the “herd.” All he has to do is plant a seed in someone’s mind and that person will either accept it or reject it. If that person accepts it, the next thing they do is try to justify it. Which means searching the scriptures for a loophole. Brethren, that’s a backwards way to live! We ought to search the scriptures to learn and follow God’s ways, not search the scriptures for loopholes so we can live our way.

God’s people are attacked daily, in the mind. And when we stumble by making poor decisions under Satan’s influence, he wins. By this, the “god of this world” succeeds in enlisting people, unknowingly, in his efforts to defy the government of God. After which, he immediately accuses us before God (Rev 12:10).

Let’s not give Satan an occasion to accuse us. Let’s not not allow ourselves to be pawns in Satan’s efforts to foil God’s plan for mankind. Instead, let’s strictly follow God’s system for administering government—which means yielding to Him and following His instruction manual, the Bible.

CONCLUSION

There is only one way to peace and harmony in any organization: God’s way. Any other way will only yield strife, contention and disunity. Does your organization lack harmony? If so, look first at your governmental structure. Chances are, that’s where the problem is.

The simple truth is, God’s ways are exacting. His laws are immutable. When you attempt to defy them, you suffer. When you eat unclean or unhealthy foods, you suffer health problems and disease. When you attempt to defy gravity, you will end up with broken bones. Why should we expect God to suspend His perfect laws to accommodate our human aspirations and desires? Are we that ignorant or just plain foolish?

It’s ironic that those church groups who use the democratic system of governing—contrary to God’s principles—rationalize their system by citing problems with the leadership of the WCG after Mr. Armstrong died. Indeed, the leadership was corrupt. But the system wasn’t.

Stop for a moment and think back further, into the 1970’s, when Mr. Armstrong had to deal with challenges to his leadership and authority. He was able to remove those individuals who were causing problems. How? Because he was in charge. Now imagine that he wasn’t in charge. Imagine that he was under the authority of a “council.” Imagine that some on the council were in agreement with those individuals who challenged Mr. Armstrong. Then what? Can you imagine the resulting mess? There might have been factions and taking sides (1 Cor 1:12-13). There might have been far great divisions and strife, and the work might have really suffered.

So what is the answer to the problem?

The answer is this: rewrite the church bylaws to be in alignment with God’s principles of government. Because that’s where the fatal flaw is—in the original bylaws. When you’re founded on a flawed system of government, when you abandon God’s pyramid-style government in favor of man’s democratic-style government, you set yourself up for failure.

Still not convinced?

Ask yourself this: when Christ returns, will there be “councils” established, who have authority over leaders? Will Christ run his government from the bottom up or the top down? If you answer from the bottom up, then you simply don’t know God.

This method can be used for anything in life. For any issue that arises. Women’s make-up, entertainment, music, food, anything. If you can’t honestly say that Christ will allow it in His Kingdom to come, then you know it’s wrong.

Brethren, why can’t we come fully out of the world? God says, “Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” (Rev 18:4). Time is short. We’re being judged now! Any one of us could die tomorrow. Let’s be followers of God and not man (Acts 5:29). Let’s be zealous and repent (Rev 3:19). Let’s hunger and thirst for God’s righteousness (Matt 5:6). Let’s have the courage and boldness to change.

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