I am sick of seeing Christians fight one another over politics. Trump is not the Beast, nor was Obama, nor is Pelosi, Schumer, Cruz, Lee, or whomever else you hate because of your political views. They are instituted by God, even though humanity votes for them. Does this mean God approves of them? By no means. We see throughout the Old Testament, God allowed certain governments to continue, allowing for them to repent (Nineveh in Jonah, for example) or to continue until the appointed time of their destruction (Edom, The Ammorites, Hittites, etc.) for His purposes. Revelation even shows throughout that during the wrath and plagues He gives them time to repent (but they don't). The fact is nothing surprises God. Nothing will halt God's plans. Nothing will get in the way of God's will. So why do we let it divide us?
How should people know we are Christians? By how we vote? By how we protest against the things our government is doing, or by lauding current officials if we agree with them politically? What is sad is that we let politics divide us up. We let the Body of Christ be divided, when Jesus didn't say "They will know you are my disciples by how you vote;" Instead, he said "by how you love one another! If you're a Christian, respect Authorities. Period. Romans 13 (and elsewhere, see below) makes this case!
We are not to be a divisive, but to stand firm in Truth and Love. We will be persecuted for standing upon God's word, but even so, we are to be a people who submit to earthly Authorities because, one way or other, they execute God's will. We are to be governed by Love, for God (and thus in obedience to His will) and for one another (submitting to one another in love, Ephesians 5:21), and thus the world will know we are Jesus' disciples, by how we love one another. Never by our votes. Submit to God in all things, honor the emperor because this, too, is appropriate (1 Peter 2:17)
Romans 13
1Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. 5Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. 6For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 7Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.
Fulfilling the Law Through Love
8Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
11Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. 12The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
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