English – Chinese
We begin a conversation on politics, governments, what is happening in the world, and what will happen:
R. wrote:
Politics doesn’t belong in the realm of the spirit.
Paul’s reply:
Politics, as men govern themselves, is not spiritual, and cannot be because of the unregenerate nature of man. However the spiritual rules over all, and in the end consumes everything, bringing all into submission to the law of God. His kingdom must come for all. God has ordained it by the laying down of His life to that end. It is a done deal.
This is why we are voting for the Lord Jesus Christ, and counseling you to do the same.
Victor’s response:
Hi,
You wrote saying, “Politics doesn’t belong in the realm of the spirit.”
The apostle Paul tells us that there is the carnal and the spiritual. Indeed, politics is carnal, and not spiritual. However, Paul also declared that this world is presently ruled by evil rulers of darkness, by spiritual wickedness in high places, so that there is that spiritual element in politics. The day has come when the earth will be manifestly ruled by righteousness, by the Kingdom of heaven (that which is godly spiritual). Read all about it in Daniel, chapter 2. Before I quote it here for you, I would like you to keep some things in mind, so that you may have some perspective.
1.It is a matter of record that the Book of Daniel was written several centuries before Christ, at the time of the Babylonian Empire (represented by the head of gold in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream). The Medo-Persian Empire, represented by the chest and arms of silver, was yet to come, and come it did. Then came the Grecian Empire, then the Roman, and finally the feet of iron and clay, which we believe represent the modern day democracies.
2.If one were to compare the natures and longevities of the empires to the parts of the image representing them, one will find a strikingly accurate representation, with which only fools can argue. For examples, the second empire was of the Medes and Persians, two peoples united, represented by the chest and two arms, and the legs of iron represent the Roman Empire, which has been twofold, political and religious, which lasted so much longer than the Grecian one, represented by the thigh of bronze.
3.No man in Nebuchadnezzar’s or Daniel’s day knew the specifics. They did know what was revealed to them as recorded in the portion I have copied for you.
Knowing when these things were written, and that which was declared, it ought to provoke sobriety of the first order for those who are ignorant of the Bible and of God and His plans. Here, we are not dealing with hindsight, which is easy for man, but foresight, which is impossible for man, except by the grace of God, recorded and proven true as history has developed to this day. We are not dealing with myth either. The whole Bible is likewise. There is no book like it, because it is God’s Book.
As for politics, you will see that at the last of the image, all former kingdoms and vestiges thereof will be destroyed by the Kingdom of heaven, and that final “empire,” very different from all the rest in every respect, will reign supreme, forever. We are in that time of history. There will be no convenient divisions for sinners to justify their sins. There will be no “separation of church and state.” There will be no politics. That will all be done away. And, as Jesus said, “There is nothing hid that will not be made manifest.”
Here is the relevant Scripture, no matter what version one may read:
Daniel 2:1-49
(1) And in the second year of the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, with which his spirit was troubled and his sleep left him.
(2) And the king commanded to call to the horoscopists, and to the conjurers, and to the sorcerers, and to the Chaldeans, to tell to the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king.
(3) And the king said to them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream.
(4) And the Chaldeans spoke to the king in Aramaic, O king, live forever. Tell your servants the dream, and we will reveal the meaning.
(5) The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The thing has gone from me. If you will not make known to me the dream, with its meaning, you will be made into mere members, and your houses shall be made an outhouse.
(6) But if you make known the dream and its meaning, you shall receive gifts and a present and great honor from me. Therefore reveal to me the dream and its meaning.
(7) They answered again and said, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will reveal its meaning.
(8) The king answered and said, For I know that you surely want to gain time, because you see the thing is gone from me.
(9) But if you will not make the dream known to me, there is only one judgment for you. For you have prepared lying and deceiving words to speak before me, until the time has changed. Therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that you can reveal to me its meaning.
(10) The Chaldeans answered before the king and said, There is not a man on the earth who can reveal the king’s matter, because not any king, lord, nor ruler has asked such a thing from any horoscopist or conjurer or Chaldean.
(11) And it is a rare thing that the king asks, and there is no other who can reveal it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.
(12) For this cause the king was enraged and angered, and commanded all the wise men of Babylon to be destroyed.
(13) And the law went out that the wise men should be killed. And they sought Daniel and his fellows to be killed.
(14) Then Daniel answered with counsel and insight to Arioch the chief of the king’s executioners, who had gone forth to kill the wise men of Babylon.
(15) He answered and said to Arioch the king’s captain, Why is the decree so hasty from the king? Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel.
(16) Then Daniel went in and asked of the king that he would give him time, and that he would make known the meaning to the king.
(17) Then Daniel went to his house and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions,
(18) that they might pray for the mercies of God in Heaven concerning this secret, that Daniel and his companions should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.
(19) Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision. And Daniel blessed the God of Heaven.
(20) Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the Name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and might are His.
(21) And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and sets up kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding.
(22) He reveals the deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with Him.
(23) I thank You, and praise You, O God of my fathers, Who has given me wisdom and might, and have made known to me now what we asked of You. For You have now made known to us the king’s matter.
(24) Then Daniel went in to Arioch, whom the king had chosen to destroy the wise men of Babylon. He went and said this to him; Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon. Bring me in before the king, and I will declare the meaning to the king.
(25) Then Arioch quickly brought Daniel in before the king, and said this to him, I have found a man of the captives of Judah who will make the meaning known to the king.
(26) The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Are you able to make known to me the dream which I have seen, and its meaning?
(27) Daniel answered before the king and said, The secret which the king has demanded cannot be shown to the king by the wise men, the conjurers, the horoscopists, or the fortune-tellers.
(28) But there is a God in Heaven who reveals secrets and makes known to King Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Your dream, and the visions of your head upon your bed are these.
(29) As for you, O king, your thoughts came on your bed, what should happen after this. And He Who reveals secrets makes known to you what shall happen.
(30) But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living man, but so that the meaning might be known to the king, and that you might know the thoughts of your heart.
(31) You, O king, were seeing. And, behold! A great image! That great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before you. And its form was dreadful.
(32) This image’s head was of fine gold; his breast and his arms were of silver; his belly and his thighs were of bronze;
(33) his legs were of iron; his feet were part of iron and part of clay.
(34) You watched until a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image upon its feet which were of iron and clay, and broke them to pieces.
(35) Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were broken to pieces together. And they became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors. And the wind carried them away, so that no place was found for them. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.
(36) This is the dream. And we will tell its meaning before the king.
(37) You, O king, are a king of kings. For the God of Heaven has given you a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.
(38) And wherever the sons of men, the beasts of the field, and the birds of the heavens live, He has given them into your hand, and has made you ruler over them all. You are this head of gold.
(39) And after you shall arise another kingdom lower than you, and another third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth.
(40) And the fourth kingdom shall be as strong as iron. Since iron crushes and smashes all things; and as the iron that shatters all these, it will crush and shatter.
(41) And as to that which you saw: the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay and part of iron; the kingdom shall be divided. But there shall be in it the strength of the iron, because you saw the iron mixed with miry clay.
(42) And as the toes of the feet were part of iron and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle.
(43) And as you saw iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mix themselves with the seed of men. But they shall not cling to one another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.
(44) And in the days of these kings, the God of Heaven shall set up a Kingdom which shall never be destroyed. And the Kingdom shall not be left to other peoples, but it shall crush and destroy all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.
(45) Because you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it crushes the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold, the great God has made known to the king what shall occur after this. And the dream is certain, and its meaning is sure.
(46) Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face and worshiped Daniel, and he commanded to offer an offering and incense to him.
(47) The king answered Daniel and said, It is true that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, since you could reveal this secret.
(48) Then the king made Daniel great, and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over all the province of Babylon, and chief of the prefects over all the wise men of Babylon.
(49) And Daniel asked the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over the affairs of the province of Babylon. But Daniel sat in the gate of the king.
R. writes back:
My response to Mr. Hafichuk,
Thank you Mr. Hafichuk for taking the time to give me a detailed review of the interpretation of Daniel. I appreciate your response. I am just concerned that, we, as Christians in this country tend to ‘force feed’ our views to the populace. We no longer live in segregated tribal communities and homogeneous cities. By creating a Christian government we no longer can cohabitate with our friends and neighbors who may also have strong spiritual connections with God via another path. Unlike many, I believe God speaks to all His people using many voices. I do not possess His wisdom to judge my neighbors, so I stick to His guidelines that I was shown and develop my spirit using Jesus as the example. By keeping the government separate from my spiritual beliefs, I can learn to love and tolerate those around me with different views and create greater strength in spirit. Perhaps, even be an example of love and compassion to others who might find the beauty of God’s way.
Forcing any religious persuasion on individuals is a great way to create hatred and hostility in a society. I would prefer not to see religious views forced into politics because we are flawed in our judgments (hence we sin), and we also tend to exclude even when we know better.
I also find that, we as Christians, tend to ignore corruption if the evil doer professes to be upholding Christian ideals. Our current administration is a prime example. They wave the Bible around as a decoy, and commit atrocities to fuel their greed and power. I would prefer not to have people confuse words and deeds. And religious dialogs in politics creates that delusion.
When religion and politics fuse, we wind up in the Old Testament World, and quote it solely. We forget about the message of Jesus’s love and how we are to act in that love. We ignore Jesus’s revisions to that world and bask in the darkness of a world from which we are so long removed. Jesus freed us from that world, and sent us in a new and stronger spiritual direction. So quote me Jesus, and let Daniel be the prophet of his time. I believe the old testament shows us the history of God’s plan, but it is Jesus who fulfills that. So let’s go on from there and follow the direction he points toward.
Thank you again for your response.
In Peace and Love, R.
Victor’s reply:
Hi, R.,
Thank you for your reply. Your response has occasioned me to spend an extra measure of time and energy, not that I mind. I am thankful for this opportunity because it addresses many matters, the discussion of which could possibly serve many. I will attempt to address portions in your letter in their sequence.
Let us begin with “we as Christians.” There are many definitions and versions, each valid to the one defining, but seeing that the Bible is the most original record of the term, declaring God’s definition, let us get to the true meaning. (I speak by the authority of God, of the Scriptures, and by experience). There are really only two kinds of Christians in the world, nominal and essential, man-made, and God-made. Man-made Christians have formed God in their own image, while a God-made Christian is one whom God is making in His image, as originally intended. “Let us make man in Our Image…” A true Christian is a work of God, and one who has been apprehended by God to walk in His ways. With men, to be true Christians is impossible, but with God, all things are possible. While the term “born again” is widely used, in fact very few are truly born again from above. If there were as many born again in America, for example, as is claimed, America would be a VERY different country.
Many man-made Christians may “force-feed” their views to others. True Christians have, in their immaturity done the same. I know I have. But I was learning, growing, starting with burping, crying, and dirtying my diapers. We must all learn and grow. In maturity, we force-feed nobody. We preach; we declare; we testify of Jesus Christ; we call to repentance (reconciling men with God); we “shout from the housetops that which was told in our ears,” as commanded by Christ, the “Originator” of the “Christian.” A Christian is not one who follows Christ’s example, as you have alluded, but one with or in whom Christ dwells, and one who obeys Christ. The former is the man-made, and the latter is the God-made. The Bible refers to the man-made one as the “child of the flesh,” and to the other as the “child of the Spirit,” that is, the Spirit of Christ. While the two may seem quite similar, even identical to the carnal, undiscerning eye, they are different in essence as are night and day.
It is not the duty of true believers to create a “Christian government,” nor will God bring forth any such thing. He will establish His rule in the hearts of men. Having done that, there will be no need for government as we have had or imagined it to be. It is neither the duty nor desire of true Christians to impose their wills upon anyone in anything. It is their duty and desire to speak the truth, and to seek after what is right and good in God’s sight. Such may be perceived and defined by the world as “force-feeding,” simply because the world does not wish to hear the truth, being at enmity with God. As Jesus said:
“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. But because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you” (John 15:18-19).
When I speak of voting for the Lord Jesus Christ, I am declaring that we must abandon the foolish notion that human governments can deliver us from our dilemmas and bring us peace and prosperity. I am declaring that our hearts must turn to the One and Only Person Who can accomplish what we truly need. For that to happen, we must be delivered of our sins, which cost Him His life, which He freely gave to that end for our sakes.
If you were a God-made Christian, and not one nominally only, you would know that one of the more popular lies believed is that there are many pathways to God. You would believe Jesus Christ Who said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; NO MAN can come unto the Father but by ME” (John 14:6). As for who are His people, the Bible, His Book, is abundantly clear on that point for all who care to avail themselves of it:
“He came to His own, and His own received Him not. But as many as received Him, He gave to them authority to become the children of God, to those who believe on His name, who were born, not of bloods, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but were born of God” (John 1:11-13).
And: “He who believes on the Son has everlasting life, and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides upon him” (John 3:36).
And: “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers; for what fellowship does righteousness have with lawlessness? And what partnership does light have with darkness? And what agreement does Christ have with Belial? Or what part does a believer have with an unbeliever? And what agreement does a temple of God have with idols? For you are the temple of the living God, as God has said, “I will dwell in them and walk among them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” Therefore come out from among them and be separated, says the Lord, and do not touch the unclean thing. And I will receive you and I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty” (2 Corinthians 6:14-18).
R., the “guidelines you have been shown” are not valid. When turning from your sins, repenting of independence of God and of doing your own thing, like following guidelines other than His, for example, then you will begin to have the wisdom to discern between right and wrong or good and evil. As it is written: “The fear of God is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Proverbs 1:7). Indeed, if we are not able to differentiate between the two (outside of Christ, it is impossible to do on certain levels), then we are in darkness and death, though we may think otherwise. As I said, it is not about imitating Christ, or about following His example, but of surrendering to Him. Then He will form you in His image rather than you presuming to mould yourself in His. That is the only acceptable way to God.
“Keeping the government separate from spiritual beliefs” is another silly notion. God created all things. There is nothing that is not His. He even created the governments that exist, as I pointed out to you in the Book of Daniel. Daniel served God under the Babylonian and Persian empires. These governments have had their purpose. True faith in God takes all into account. However, I am repeating to you that which was revealed to Daniel, that while these governments have had their day, it is now the day of the Kingdom of God. It has been man’s God-given turn to see what he can do, finding he can do nothing right, and now it is God’s turn. That is what I am saying. It is time to vote for Him.
You write: “I also find that, we as Christians, tend to ignore corruption if the evil doer professes to be upholding Christian ideals. Our current administration is a prime example. They wave the Bible around as a decoy, and commit atrocities to fuel their greed and power. I would prefer not to have people confuse words and deeds. And religious dialogs in politics creates that delusion.”
Yes, the hypocrisy and falsehood are there. However, true Christians will “reprove the works of darkness” (Ephesians 5:11), and “establish the law of God” (Romans 3:31), as the apostle Paul, a true believer, exhorts. You cannot justify summarily dismissing the real because the counterfeit is to blame. Again R., I am talking about the real thing, which you have not seen. On paper, that may seem a putdown. It is not. I simply want to tell you what I am given, just as you freely tell me what you believe.
Not knowing the Lord Jesus Christ or consequently the Bible, you are confused on many matters concerning Him and it. Again, you have only witnessed the false, and tend to draw erroneous conclusions. There were no politics in the Old Testament under theocratic rule. That is what I am preaching. There was no competition for the hearts of men. God had His own appointed representatives to guide and judge His people. He was their ruler. The Owner, rather than the sheep, chose the shepherds to shepherd His sheep. Think of it! The sheep choosing their shepherd! And all they choose is another sheep! How foolish! That is democracy. We need “Theo,” not “Demo.”
You are quite wrong in saying that in politics, the Old Testament is solely quoted. You are also wrong in saying that the Old Testament is only history. It is far more than that. It is eternal truth, spoken by Jesus Christ through His saints and prophets before He came in His own flesh to earth. In the New Testament, it is written: “Jesus Christ the same, yesterday, today and forever.” He has not changed. Those who reject the validity and present application of the truth (though not the ordinances) of the Old Testament, as you seem to do, reject the New as well, and the Lord Jesus Christ. Abraham is known as the father of all those who believe. It is all one. To the Jews, concerning the Old Testament, Jesus said:
“You have your heads in your Bibles constantly because you think you’ll find eternal life there. But you miss the forest for the trees. These Scriptures are all about Me!” (John 5:39)
You ask me to leave Daniel for his time. Jesus quoted Daniel. The visions Daniel saw continue to be fulfilled today, and that is why I quoted him concerning the kingdoms of this world, to show you that his words are very relevant today, as given him by the Lord Jesus. You ask me to quote Jesus Christ. You have not known Him, but I know Him. The one you have heard of or perceived is not as the Real. The one you imagine is so unlike THE Lord Jesus Christ. Besides telling us that we need to love one another, He said other things. Let me quote them to you, to give you more balance and reality concerning Him:
“And answering, Jesus said to them, Do you suppose that these Galileans were sinners above all the Galileans because they suffered such things? I tell you, No. But unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were sinners above all men who lived in Jerusalem? I tell you, No. But unless you repent, you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:2-5).
There are those who teach that Jesus Christ did away with or abolished the law, but truly He did quite the opposite. He raised the standard and requirement significantly. Hear what He says:
“You have heard that it was said to the ancients, “You shall not kill” –and, “Whoever shall kill shall be liable to the judgment.” But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be liable to the judgment…” (Matthew 5:21-22).
And: “You have heard that it was said to the ancients, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks on a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:27-28).
And: “Do not think that I have come to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to destroy but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, Till the heaven and the earth pass away, not one jot or one tittle shall in any way pass from the Law until all is fulfilled” (Matthew 5:17-18).
Many like yourself seem to think Jesus to be this lovey-dovey kind of guy, full of hugs and kisses. They seem to think He comes to “understand,” to overlook all the faults and sins, as though they did not happen, to unite families and make everybody smile. Hear what He has to say:
“Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth. I did not come to send peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a man’s foes shall be those of his own household. He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life shall lose it. And he who loses his life for My sake shall find it” (Matthew 10:34-39).
Nominal Christians believe in “another Jesus” and not THE Lord Jesus Christ. Thus, they falter in their own wisdom, and perish in darkness and destruction. We preach the crucified and risen Christ, the One Who is Lord of lords and King of kings, the One Who comes not only as the Lamb of God, but as the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the One Who comes in love, and Who IS love, but Who is quite capable and active in bringing swift and sure judgment where needed, and that is everywhere, beginning with His own people. I have been under His judgment; it was very necessary, and I am thankful for it. Without that correction, my life would be of no value whatsoever. As it is written of Him, and of those He receives to Himself:
“And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons, ‘My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when you are rebuked by Him; for whom the Lord loves He chastens, and He scourges every son whom He receives.’ If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons, for what son is he whom the father does not chasten? But if you are without chastisement, of which all are partakers, then you are bastards and not sons” (Hebrews 12:5-8).
Hear Jesus speaking to His own people:
“Repent! But if not I will come to you quickly, and will fight with them by the sword of My mouth” (Revelation 2:16).
And: “But I have a few things against you because you allow that woman Jezebel to teach, she saying herself to be a prophetess, and to cause My servants to go astray, and to commit fornication, and to eat idol-sacrifices. And I gave her time that she might repent of her fornication, and she did not repent. Behold, I am throwing her into a bed, and those who commit adultery with her into great affliction, unless they repent of their deeds. And I will kill her children with death. And all the churches will know that I am He who searches the reins and hearts, and I will give to every one of you according to your works” (Revelation 2:20-23).
R., you have asked me to quote Jesus. I have quoted you Jesus. He said many things, and made many promises, but people only try to retain the promises and not the requirements, the “positive” and not the “negative.” In reality, it is all positive in the end, but night must come before morning, death before life, and labor before pay. Following the Lord Jesus Christ is not a pleasant vacation, or a fine philosophy, or a matter of religion. It is a matter of losing one’s life, of forsaking all, of taking up the cross for His sake. How many professing Christians do you know like that? That is the only kind acceptable to Him. As He says:
“And he who does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life shall lose it. And he who loses his life for My sake shall find it” (Matthew 10:38-39).
And: “The one who overcomes, this one will be clothed in white clothing. And I will not blot out his name out of the Book of Life, but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels” (Revelation 3:5).
I hope I am serving to wake and shake you out of the false and deceptive, to deliver you from the commonly held notions that make up the broad way to Hell. It is for His sake and for your life that I do this.
R., you are blessed if you are not offended with what I have said to you today. I appreciate your respect, your candidness, and I hope you will be free to tell me more about yourself, your religious past, and more about your beliefs. I am not here to condemn but to teach.
God grant you grace,
Victor Hafichuk