The Lord Our Banner

He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding … Daniel 2:21

I don't put much trust in governments, presidents, or monarchs. Daniel raises an interesting question as to whether God is “in control” of government. Governments are generally engines of corruption, and the bigger the government, the more corruption is produces. God, however, is not an author or sponsor of evil. He does not even tempt us to evil (James 1:13). The wickedness and decadence of a society come from the heart of man.

God is alive. He is acting. He responds as well as initiates. But He also has laws in place, both physical and spiritual. Bad choices have consequences, as do good choices. When a person, a people, a nation or an empire makes consistently wrong, stupid, unwise, or evil choices, they are going to reap the harvest.

Sometime, several years ago now, writing here, I talked about a remnant. God always has a remnant like the 7000 He spoke of to Elijah (1 Kings 19:18). I believe that the remnant has been praying and seeking God, and I believe that God has responded with an awakening. That doesn't mean I think any kind of utopia is coming, and it is certainly not a time to become comfortable or complacent spiritually. I still believe that hard times are ahead, possibly much chaos, division, violence, even bloodshed. 

 Being awake, watching and praying, doesn't mean we won't have to deal with danger, trouble, and strife; it just means we will be ready for it when it comes. Now is not the time to go back to sleep. No great victory has been won. The enemy is not going to surrender. It is, though, the time to connect, to reach out, to build up from the foundation of the remnant. The next battle is going to be harder, the enemy more conniving and subtle. 

 The devil has, for the last few years, overplayed his hand. Sin makes sin bold. Sin always emboldens itself when it faces no apparent rebuke, but sin, when it is underground and out of sight, may still grow and burst forth in unexpected places. Scandals in the church house, failures by those we trust, betrayals, cowardice -- these are great dangers in a time of awakening. We must guard against discouragement and being disheartened.

The standardbearers are neither perfect nor invulnerable. The banner is what must be upheld and looked to, not the ones who bear it. Our standard is Jehovah-Nissi (Exodus 17:15). Our God does reign.

Time and Chance

[T]his is the interpretation, O king: It is a decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king, that you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. You shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and you shall be wet with the dew of heaven, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will. – Daniel 4:24-25

It has been a challenging week so far.  I finally got some sleep last night, and we have been getting some rain, which makes things better. 

Daniel was a trusted adviser to King Nebuchadnezzar at this point, and he was the man the king called when something disturbed him.  Nebuchadnezzar had dreamed of a beautiful tree which was cut down.  A true prophet, Daniel, who had affection and respect for the king, though troubled himself when he received the interpretation, nevertheless delivered the verdict.  Due to his achievements, his victories, and the magnificence of his kingdom, Nebuchadnezzar had been filled with pride.  He was impressed with himself, forgetting that he had been raised up by the one true God, whom Daniel worshipped and served.

In our day of popular democracies and (allegedly) constitutional republics, of democrats and demagogues, it may be hard to relate to the ancient concepts of warlords and autocratic kings.  There is a time and a place for everything.  When communication is primitive and travel is difficult if possible at all, the idea of some kind of representative central government was perhaps less of a concern to people trying to scratch out a few years of subsistence before succumbing to famine, the latest plague, accident, or attack. 

It might have made more sense to people five or six hundred years ago that God would raise up, favor, and empower a gifted person to bring a period of peace and prosperity out of chaos and constant struggle.  I even wonder if God did not have an easier time of it back in those days.  It seems to me that it would be a lot harder to bring a few million people in line to vote for the “right” candidate than to find one seven-foot head-banger to bring it all together.  It would be for me.  I am confident, though, that God can work things out regardless of the political structure of any given era.

As He did in Nebuchadnezzar’s case, God has a way to bring us in line with His purpose and His will.  This great king lost his mind.  One day, a year after the delivery of Daniel’s prophetic warning, he was walking amid the wonders and marvels of his wealth and power, thought, “Ain’t I somethin’”.  The next moment he became as a beast of the field:  Immediately the word was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven from among men and ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagles' feathers, and his nails were like birds' claws (Daniel 4:33). 

Madness engulfed Nebuchadnezzar.  It’s hard not to think of Howard Hughes with his great wealth, living in crazed and fearful isolation.  We wonder sometimes why powerful, wealthy people find so many ways to humiliate themselves, why they seem to descend into such utter foolishness and self-destruction.  It’s not all their doing.  They refuse to acknowledge God and endeavor to exalt themselves to the throne that is His alone.  At some point, the Lord simply lets them have their way, allows their will to be done, and steps back.  The consequences are varied but inevitable. 

Were it not for the presence of the Remnant, there would not be a human left on the face of the earth by now.  The rest would have destroyed themselves, wiping one another out until the last fell and became naught but bones for the coyotes to gnaw triumphantly.  But that is not God’s plan.  He will adjust and rebalance the equations.  In this sense, I think miracles happen all the time – if by miracles we mean interventions normally attributed to chance -- chance being a comfortable, reassuring, though meaningless term to fence off the inexplicable Cause.

In another place, in his initial encounter with the King of Babylon, Daniel had been given both the forgotten dream and the interpretation.  In response, he praised God, saying:  He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding (Daniel 2:21).  God is present in all things, working through and with natural agencies and causes in a vast multi-dimensional game of unlikely blocks, startling captures, strategic retreats and unexpected advances.  Sometimes I think research in subatomic particles is akin to taking apart a radio looking for the voices.  In the end, as Chesterton would say, they will find a Man.

True Being

Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.

Then Pilate said to him, So you are a king? Jesus answered, You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world -- to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice. -- John 18:36-37

In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act. -- George Orwell

I finished up the Gospel of John as I am making my first pass through the New Testament this year.  Any number of verses stand out, but these seem particularly relevant to us today.  Do you know what they called the Jews in Jesus' day who wanted to re-establish the kingdom of Israel by force of arms?  They were known as Zealots.  Barabbas, called a robber by John, is sometimes depicted as or as being associated with the Zealots.  One of Christ's own disciples, Simon (otherwise known as "the Cananaean") is designated as "the Zealot" in Luke's Gospel.  Judas Iscariot may have been in league with the Zealots or, at the very least, inclined to their way of thinking.  His betrayal may have been motivated by the apparent disinterest of Jesus in such a scheme.  Perhaps, some have suggested, Judas was actually attempting to ignite the revolution by turning Christ over to the Jews, thinking that the Zealots would try to rescue the Lord or to avenge His martyrdom. 

As our Lord makes clear to Pilate, establishing a temporal kingdom was never His purpose.  He had been offered all the kingdoms of this world in His wilderness temptation and had rejected Satan's condition without a thought.  The Lord had a far greater revolution in mind than merely overthrowing a king here or there.  God does not worry too much about governments.  See what Daniel had to say about it:  He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; ... (Daniel 2:21).  The Lord can fix a government any time He chooses — not that it is necessarily easy on the citizens, but it can be done.  Kingdoms, empires, republics and nations come and go.  Every individual soul is eternal. 

The empire that Jesus came against was not Rome.  He intended to destroy Satan's kingdom and rule upon the earth.  The weapon He wielded and wields today is the Sword of Truth, and the truth is that humanity has been dominated by and subjected to lies and deception since the Garden.  Christ came to bear witness to and personify the truth.  Through His life, death, burial, and resurrection, He overthrew the devil's power on earth and stormed the very gates of hell to break down the fortress of guile that held us in thrall.  

It is our attitude toward truth that determines whether or not we will be able to follow Christ.  Those who seek and accept truth are empowered to hear and receive Him.  Those who prefer deception, who pursue appearance over reality, who cling to the seen and dismiss the unseen, will never comprehend the truth or see the light.   

In the end, of course, Pilate poses the famous question, "What is truth?"  He perfectly embodies the worldly-wise, world-weary person who has achieved some degree of success yet realizes something is missing.  Pilate was a man of honor in a sense, but the truth was too upsetting for him to accept, especially when he looked upon the truth embodied.  Sadly, some really can't handle the truth -- at least, not yet.

We live in a world of deceit, of masks and disguises, of fact-filled lies, and beguilement.  To tell the truth is to resist and to rebel.  To live the truth, to be true is even more startling and disruptive.

Viva La Revolution!