The title of this study comes from a statement that Yahshua made during His public ministry, and it is found in this passage: “And [the Pharisees] sent out unto [Yahshua] their disciples with the Herodians, saying, ‘Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man, for thou regardest not the person of men. Tell us therefore, what thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?’

“But Yahshua perceived their wickedness, and said, ‘Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites? Shew me the tribute money.’ And they brought unto Him a penny. And He saith unto them, ‘Whose is this image and superscription?’

“They say unto him, ‘Caesar’s.’ Then saith He unto them, ‘Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s, and unto Yahweh the things that are Yahweh’s.’ When they had heard these words, they marvelled, and left Him, and went their way.” (Mat 22:16-22)

I find it interesting that, as well-known as this incident happens to be, there has not been a lot of in-depth analysis of what the Savior taught. There is an obvious message, and a relatively straightforward one… some aspects of loyalty belong to the human government, and others belong unto the Creator – and there is a barrier between them that should never be crossed. But as with all warnings, there is a reason it is given, and there are consequences when these Words of Life are disregarded.

Our Father does not deny the authority that the world in general, or a country in particular, has on human beings. In fact, when Israel demanded a human ruler, a king, the prophet Samuel warned them (and this is just a partial list), “This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots. And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your olive yards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants.” (1Sam 8:11, 14, 15)

There is no indication that this arrangement is contrary to divine principle; Samuel is merely telling them what to expect. In fact, in order to support a government, and what it is supposed to do, taxation is necessary.

In the last study that I shared with you, I spoke about the authority that Yahweh has invested in His prophets, and at times it can be a considerable amount… but except for very unique cases, even that pales in comparison to the amount of power that a governmental leader is permitted to wield. Ideally, this power will be heavy in degree, but limited in scope.

The Old and New Testaments agree: whenever there is a government in place, the Christian citizen will support it as long as it does not conflict with the sanctified conscience. Peter speaks about this in some significant detail in his first epistle. He writes, “Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for Yahweh’s sake; whether it be to the king, as supreme, or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by Him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. For so is the will of the Almighty, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men, as free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.” (1Pet 2:13-17)

Paul echoes this, writing, “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of Yahweh; the powers that be are ordained of Yah. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of Yahweh, and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? Do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.” (Romans 13:1-4)

Paul is not, here, touching on corrupt officials who might be just as much a terror to good works as to evil, but the general principle is well-stated, and I have taken some time to establish this, because we know of some Christian ministers who have resisted this idea, and have paid a heavy price. There is a Creationist minister, Kent Hovind, who was pretty popular among conservative churches for a while, and I think that some of the things he said had value. But what ultimately brought him down, and out of the public eye, had nothing to do with his beliefs about creation and evolution; they involved him wanting to avoid paying certain taxes.

We are to respect our governments, and their rules, to the fullest extent our consciences allow, and this is not a minor point. Yahweh’s people are firm as steel to principle, but they are not naturally rebellious. A part of fulfilling the Law of Love, that we love our neighbors as ourselves, is that we set for them a good example of duty.

Most Bible studies are going to explain the inexpressible debt of worship and obedience we owe to our Creator, so that pretty much goes without saying. What I am doing here is explaining that “the higher powers,” as Paul calls it, also have quite a claim upon us, and when these claims conflict, the Christian is willing to endure the consequences of civil disobedience. Peter writes: “If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of Yahweh resteth upon you; on their part He is evil spoken of, but on your part He is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.” (1Pet 4:14-16)

It’s sort of interesting that Peter lists being a “busybody,” being meddlesome in other people’s affairs, as just as grievous a crime as murder and theft, but that’s a subject for another study. The point he is making is that there is no shame in suffering the weight of the law for being a Christian, and as we were speaking about the Mark of The Beast during our discussion section, it’s an appropriate subject for consideration.

While some are waiting for a specific prophecy to be fulfilled, a specific manifestation of Adventist expectations to be fulfilled, at this very moment the “little flock” is already illegal by the decree of the Dragon and the Beast… and those who read the letter of the Word without understanding its meaning, its principles, are not going to recognize the day of their visitation. They will not understand the significance of what they are beholding, just as the Pharisees, expecting a great King to save them from the Romans, missed the meek and gentle Healer, because of what the prophecies obviously, word-for-word, said.

To this day, if you try to speak to a traditional Jew about Jesus Christ being the Messiah, they will give you the same basic arguments that a traditional SDA will give you about the Sunday Law. “That is NOT how the prophet said it would happen?” “What do you mean ‘conditional prophecy?’ The Torah says that Israel will be saved, and its enemies will be destroyed, when the Messiah appears.” But that, also, warrants a study all its own.

Today I want to share with you what happens – what has happened – when the Messiah’s words have been disregarded. When you see an individual, or an organization, rendering to Caesar that which belongs to Yahweh, or when you see an individual, or an organization, rendering unto Yahweh that which belongs to Caesar, you can know that the Shepherd is not guiding them. They are not hearing His voice, because they are not His people.

Let’s see what happens when the coin is flipped.

What does it mean to give to Yahweh that which is Caesar’s? It would seem a strange question, because ultimately everything belongs to Yahweh. Even so, there is a principle, there is a delegation of authority, and Peter addresses it when speaking of those who suffer for legitimate crimes.

When Martin Luther the reformer realized that people were using his words to cast off all human authority, he was horrified. Those who misunderstood his intentions were saying, “My loyalty is to God, not to man.” And yes, the sentiment is true, but being a good worshipper of Yahweh also means honoring those whom He has pleased, through providence and appointment, to put in charge of the kingdoms of the earth.

We may read again from Samuel what to expect of a king, or any form of ruler: “He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots. And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your olive yards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants.”

This, along with what Peter and Paul says, gives us some of those duties. Obey the laws, pay your taxes, and as much as some Adventists steer clear of this, at times military service is a part of a citizen’s duties as well. That’s outlined pretty clearly in both Testaments, so we ought not to be shy about pointing this out. Among us we have those who have served in the military forces of their country, and the Scriptures tell us that this is an honorable thing.

We have seen the results of those who seek to avoid duty in the name of religion. I am not saying there cannot be a legitimate reason for this at times, but here is an interesting incident that sheds light on the idea here; this is Yahshua speaking to the Scribes and Pharisees: “For Moses said, ‘Honour thy father and thy mother,’ and, ‘Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death,’ but ye say, ‘If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free.’ And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother, making the Word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.” (Mark 7:10-13)

What is the spiritual result of this mindset? It’s actually more severe than it might seem on the surface. If a man decides that his individual relationship with the Creator is more important than even what that Creator Himself says through His servants, we then have a rebel. If someone decides that relationships with other humans are a “lesser thing” than spiritual duty, then he has misunderstood both the value that God has placed on his fellow man, and the concept of spiritual duty. Our Father does not need anything from us; in order to serve Him, we must serve our fellow humans. And remember, what we do unto the least of our brothers and sisters in humanity, we do unto the Savior, who loved them, and gave Himself for them.

But those who think they are serving God by disregarding their duty toward their king, their country, their parents, their brethren, and so on, they do Him no service. It is from this mindset that Independent Ministries ultimately arise, contending for the tithe. It is from here that the idea arises, if I disagree with you on doctrines and teachings, I am going to go off on my own, or to some other Church of my choosing… because, after all, my relationship with God is more important than my relationship with you.

And you can see how that true-sounding statement is the seed of disunity. Our Father says this, “Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee, leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.” (Mat 5:23, 24)

Do you know how many Churches there would be in the world today, if this Scripture had been properly applied and diligently followed? There would be only one. Men would rather die than separate from one another over disagreements. They would spend time together, in earnest, soul-searching prayer, rather than letting a division persist. They would esteem others better than themselves, and be willing to surrender idols of opinion when they hear the Holy Spirit speaking life through even those with whom they differed.

But no, they do not see Christ in their fellow men, and so they seek Him in the caves, in the desert places, on the tops of mountains… when He has been breaking bread with them all along. You cannot honor God if you reject the covenant of humanity. John says this, “If a man say, ‘I love Yahweh,’ and hateth his brother, he is a liar; for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?” (1John 4:20)

And let none comfort themselves by saying, “I am not violating this Scripture. I don’t hate anybody.” Remember, the word “hate” in the New Testament is a relative term; it is one of preference. If one prefers anything to the well-being of his brother, if he feels for him anything less than Philadelphia, he cannot honestly claim to love our Father in Heaven.

The other side of the coin is, perhaps, even easier to see. What of those who render unto Caesar that which belongs only to the Creator?

There are a number of examples in the Scripture. Here is a key verse for understanding the Creation Seventh Day Adventist position on spiritual history: “And it was the preparation of the Passover, and about the sixth hour: and he [Pontius Pilate] saith unto the Jews, ‘Behold your King!’ But they cried out, ‘Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him.’ Pilate saith unto them, ‘Shall I crucify your King?’ The chief priests answered, ‘We have no king but Caesar.’” (John 19:14, 15)

Yahshua was the King of the Jews by prophecy, and by divine proclamation. Despite this, the people rejected Him as their leader, and through their representatives, the Chief Priests, said, “We have no king but Caesar.” The priests new the Scriptures. We read passages like this one quite frequently in the prophetic books of the Old Testament: “For Yahweh is our judge, Yahweh is our lawgiver; Yahweh is our King; He will save us.” (Isa 33:22) And another, “Moab is spoiled, and gone up out of her cities, and his chosen young men are gone down to the slaughter, saith the King, whose name is Yahweh of hosts.” (Jer 48:15)

One last one, so that we have a third witness: “And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, Yahweh of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.” (Zech 14:16) There is a verse, a prophecy, that we don’t hear a lot about in these Christian times, but there it is.

In all these cases, though, Yahweh is identified as the King of Israel, and His Son is sent to Israel in His Name, as His representative, who sits on His very Kingly Throne… and yet we see that the reverence that belongs to Yahweh was given to Caesar instead, and inspiration tells us that it was at this very declaration that Israel were the chosen people of God no longer.

So, when the king’s word is respected above the Creator’s, when submission and worship that are due only to the Father are given to human leaders, the spirit is separated from the divine, and only an earthly destiny remains.

Here is another example: “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine; I will repay,’ saith the Lord.” (Rom 12:19)

Church discipline, Biblically speaking, ends at the Church door. There is no earthly punishment, no material penalty, for disobeying God’s instructions through His congregations. Any Church that seeks to discipline its members beyond reproof, rebuke, and finally disfellowship, is not a Bride of Christ. Separating one’s self from an offender is the end of the chain of correction described in Matthew 18’s Gospel Order. For a church official, or even the overall structure, to impose its will by force is the spirit of the Enemy, manifesting through human words and actions. As I’ve pointed out before, the “Beast” in Revelation contrasted with the Dragon is really just a difference of blood. Reptiles are cold-blooded, but when you take the same heart of the Dragon and express it through human institutions and organizations, you put a warm-blooded, mammalian appearance over it. You end up with a beast. The Beast, then, is Satan’s principles adopted and enforced by humanity, human kingdoms and governments.

The Beast is humanity setting itself up against Yahweh, as Satan did. It declares itself to be Caesar, King, and worthy of worship. It demands that human beings bow to it, or else they should be fined, imprisoned, or killed. A Sunday Law would have accomplished this in the original line of prophecy understood by early Adventists, and today we see the Beast demanding submission to the General Conference SDA Church, to take obedience, agreement, and covenant-relationship with the Father and Son, and submit it to the courts instead.

The spiritual mindset that springs forth from this is easy to discern. It results in idolatry to human works, persecution through the inquisition, the various Sunday Laws of the 1800s, and the international Trademark Law of today. It reduces man’s perception of God’s glory, and it exalts dependency on human might and human understanding, keeping them from a saving understanding of the nature of our Heavenly Father.

But we have these encouraging words from our brother in the faith, “But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that Day [of Judgment] should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day; we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. For Yahweh hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Yahshua the Messiah.” (1Th 5:4-9)

Because salvation is of Yahshua, we hear His voice, and we heed His words. We receive as spirit and life the instructions He has given to us in love. We render unto Caesar those things that are His, knowing the limits of his authority, and the claims on us which he holds. And we render unto our Father those things that belong to Him, our reasonable service, our unwavering trust, our time, energy and means… and He takes all these things, which He owns by right, and returns it to us as resources for the salvation of our fellow human beings. Thus, even the things we render unto our Father are ultimately for the blessing and benefit of our brethren. Let those who believe that solitary worship or independent ministering are the will of our Father take note of what our Father has truly said. Those who truly serve Yahweh the God of Israel do so most effectively when they serve their fellow man, even the least of His brethren. This is love, and the fulfilling of the Law of Love.

David.

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