FAQ 183
Why We Shun Politics
NCW 21, July 1995
Q. Why do New Covenant Christians shun politics? Why don't you get involved and try to change society for the better instead of staying out of it?
The whole concept of politics was introduced by the antichrist Nimrod. One of the snares entangling Christians in the latter part of the 20th century has been what might be called positional Christianity. Some enthusiastically take their position with right wing causes, and others with equal fervour with the left. Some shout, "We must arm!" while others declare, "We must disarm!". Some say: "Free medical care" while others, "Private medical care!"
We are not to get involved in the quarrelling, vitriolic political system. What do you see when you see politicians from political parties discussing politics with each other? They either shout at, and insult, each other or they play with words and avoid the issues. And mostly they are arguing out of a secular, relativistic morality.
The Lord declares: "Just like children sitting in the marketplaces and shouting at each other, 'We piped to you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not mourn'" (Matt.11:17). Paul admonishes: "Live as citizens worthy of the Good News of Christ...we are citizens of heaven" (Phil.1:17; 3:20).
We are citizens of heaven by choice but citizens of countries by birth. We obey the Law of Heaven by choice but we obey the laws of the land because we have to.
Politics, as introduced into human life by Nimrod, has not depreciated. It has evolved into a very intricate art of man's ingenuity. In our times it has refined, matured and complicated. Nimrod was all too ready to deviate from the Lord's command to "be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it" (Gen.1:28; 9:1). Whereas Noah remained true to this charge following the flood (Gen.3:20), Nimrod diverged radically. He began founding cities, the heart of the political system. "Then they said, 'Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth" (Gen.11:4). This venture, of which the seed was sown by Nimrod, ran contrary to divine purpose and intent. What is the effect of cities? Does not every great city have a literal "tower of Babel" seeking entrance into the heavens? When you think of Paris, what building do you automatically think of? The Eiffel Tower! What of London? The Post Office Tower, the Tower of London. What of New York? The Empire State Building or other giant skyscrapers. Or the former East Berlin? The giant Telecommunications tower hovering over West Berlin. Cities boast their buildings.
With what do you associate the increase of pornography, homosexuality, violence, abortion, and other social evils? Where did they largely originate? In the cities. And then the politicians, because the immoral are their potential voters, change the laws to accommodate their perverse ways.
What of family life? Because career is the most important thing for most, city people have, on average, only one or two children per family. Go into the countryside and you will find they have much more. What is the tendency in the countryside these days? To move into the cities to make personal fortunes.
In Norway we recently had a vote for the European Union. The capital city Oslo, and the surrounding suburbia, voted for the EU. The countryside didn't.
The emerging 21st century is going to be centred on the giant City State, just as the patriarchal period was. Countries are going to disappear. Already the EU plans to dismantle countries and make them into regions. Eventually these regions will be dismantled even further to make City States as in the days of Nimrod. We already have the Megalopolis -- the giant, super-city in New England (Boston to Washington) and more will appear. Plans are afoot for an Ecumenopolis -- a giant city circumscribing the whole planet.
The Millennium will see the dismantling of the giant cities. Most will be destroyed in the Great Tribulation and especially at the end of it. Governments will cease to exist as Satan effects his real plan behind the city-state concept -- complete anarchy. In the Millennium the earth will be covered by much smaller settlements and there will be a return to the agricultural way of life for billions. Small cities and towns will exist but not under the present political system. The goal will be to raise families in the Lord and not the selfish, greedy ambitions of the city.
Centuries after Nimrod, Job in his deep agony would describe the Lord in these forceful words: "He strips statesmen of their wits, and makes tools of councilors. He dismantles royalty, and drives off kings in chains" (Job 12:17-18, Moffatt).
The political systems, whether right, left, or centre, are city systems and have evolved from Nimrod's city states. They are to be short lived. Christians, caught up in the political environment, are soon caught between different loyalties and find themselves at the necks of their fellow brothers and sisters. Politics divides. The Kingdom of God unites.
As the authorised version says: "Our conversation is in heaven; from whence we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ" (Phil.3:20). Our conversation is not political, with its deceit, lies, and selfish ambitions. Politics is of the world system, and the world system is not of God. The days of the great political reformers are over as far as Christians are concerned. The system, in all its many guises, belongs to the Prince of this world (Jn.12:31; 16:11), not to God.
That is why New Covenant Christians are not involved in politics.
This page was created on 2 May 1998
Last updated on 2 May 1998
Copyright © 1987-2008 NCCG - All Rights Reserved