The People’s Rule

When you hear the word “anarchy,” what comes to mind?

Perhaps images of disorder, chaos, confusion, violence in the streets, out of control youth, burning cars and buildings, and rampant crime. Yet these are outcomes, not causes.

The term anarchy simply means “the absence of government.” In short, individuals are in charge. Every man is a law unto himself.

Yet all those advocating self-rule do not necessarily want their philosophy associated with scenes of bedlam. Many proponents of such thinking instead believe that doing away with authority is for the better. They point to the undeniable flaws in men’s governments such as layers of bureaucracy, inefficiency and corruption. Advocates of self-rule believe people know what is best for themselves and thus they emphasize independence and doing away with central authority altogether.

History proves, however, that without the rule of law (the concept that law and order should prevail over the whims of individuals) any entity will eventually fall into a state of confusion. The entity’s size or influence—whether a family, business, sports team, or nation—determines the extent of the inevitable damage.

Even those in the world grasp this reality.

The citizens of Somalia, for instance, can attest to the perils of rejecting a functioning government in order to rule for themselves. The African nation spent more than a decade in an official state of anarchy during the 1990s following the overthrow of an oppressive government.

As conditions ultimately deteriorated, Somalis got a bitter taste of life without governmental authority. With “independence” came the accompanying need for every citizen to fend for himself. Everything became “for sale,” as people were forced to pay what amounted to bribes for basic goods and services. Without law enforcement as a deterrent, piracy was the most attractive way for citizens to make a living (think Somali pirates). Disorder, chaos and confusion spread.

In the end, one person told the BBC, “I am from Somalia and to live without government is the most dangerous system because there is no law and order, so there is no life.”

A people eager to rule themselves found out the hard way that government has its place.

As Christians under God’s government, we must learn from this and similar tragedies to fight the destructive mindset of self-rule with every ounce of our being.

Democracy and Where It Leads

When it comes to men’s governments, democracy is routinely touted as the best the world has to offer. According to the U.S. Department of State, democracies “are more likely to secure the peace, deter aggression, expand open markets, promote economic development, protect…citizens, combat international terrorism and crime, uphold human and worker rights, avoid humanitarian crises and refugee flows, improve the global environment, and protect human health.” Of 192 countries, 123 have instituted or claim to use this form of government.

Why then is the world not much better off?

Here is a clue. The word democracy combines two Greek words—demos, meaning “the people,” and kratos, meaning “power.” In every democratic government, leaders are ultimately accountable to the people. Democracies are not anarchies per se, but the former does decentralize the power and influence of a central authority.

A quote often attributed to Winston Churchill states: “The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.” The general public knows little about running a government or overseeing an administration. They are unqualified, for instance, to direct a nation of 331 million in the case of the world’s largest democracy in the United States, or to lead a multi-million-dollar corporation.

Yet this does not stop people from weighing in to make their voices heard.

Look around the planet: Citizens routinely show up to protest this or that. Social media is used to speak evil of those in authority and openly display rebellion. Judgments by leaders are picked apart and disparaged. No matter how complex and nuanced situations are, decisions are being made in the court of public opinion. Due process has been replaced by online lynch mobs.

A tree is known by its fruit (Matt. 12:33; Luke 6:44). The fruits of democracy are lies, corruption, hostility and gridlock. Under the people’s rule, the governments and institutions of the world are slowly crumbling.

Jesus Christ knew this atmosphere would come and impact every Christian since His end-time Church is surrounded and thus influenced by the world around it.

Christ called the final era of His Church Laodicea. As with democracy, this label is made up of two Greek words: laos, meaning people, tribe, or nation, and dike, meaning decide, decision or judgment. Put together, Laodicea is judgment or rule by the people—almost verbatim the meaning of democracy!

The Bible foretold that during the Laodicean age, which began in the Church more than a generation ago, God’s people would rise up and attempt to “rule, judge and decide” for themselves.

Just as citizens are ill-equipped to lead a country, God’s people are unqualified to lead His Church. In fact, according to God, we are not even equipped to lead ourselves: “The way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walks to direct his steps” (Jer. 10:23). This is humbling.

In God’s government, the leadership structure is top-down. Those in charge are accountable to God, not the membership. If Church leaders are questioned or challenged on every decision—because those affected think they know better—little to nothing would get accomplished.

Understand that attempting to “rule, judge and decide” is different from brethren giving their opinion or offering their perspective when asked. God’s leaders recognize that “where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety” (Prov. 11:14). Sound counsel is helpful, even ideal. But God’s leaders know they must make the call in the end and expect that their instructions are followed—otherwise there is confusion.

As the Laodicean era took hold on the Church a generation ago, God’s people forgot this and other basic principles. They foolishly rejected God’s established government and began questioning Church doctrines, traditions, and administrative decisions, which led to the apostasy—a defection from the truth. They threw out God’s authority, with all its marvelous fruits, in exchange for democracy, which came with all its rotten fruits.

Though the apostasy was a historical event that God allowed for a unique purpose, rejecting God’s government remains a constant threat for individual Christians.

Through His Subtlety…

As we fortify ourselves against anti-government thinking, we should explore the original source of this mindset.

Similar to God’s people during the apostasy, Lucifer rejected God’s government in order to rule for himself. He was created “full of wisdom,” and for a time walked “perfect in [his] ways” (Ezek. 28:12, 15), meaning he administered and adhered to God’s government flawlessly, perhaps even for millions of years.

Yet something in his heart eventually changed. He stopped agreeing with the authority established well before his existence and allowed arrogance (Isa. 14:11) to make him think he knew better than God.

So blinding was Lucifer’s pride and desire for self-rule that he irrationally concluded, “I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High” (Isa. 14:13-14).

Lucifer, now Satan, somehow thought he could overthrow God and His eternal government!

Though he failed, Satan never forgot the importance of government in God’s overall purpose. Millennia later, he struck at God’s government once again, this time through God’s people.

Remember, Satan is subtle. He tricked Eve not through a direct attack but by planting seeds of doubt (Gen. 3:1). Through his craftiness, he convinced her and Adam to reject God’s clear instructions.

Satan took a similar deceitful approach as the Church transitioned from the sixth era (Philadelphia; Revelation 3:7-11) to the seventh and final era. As the Laodicean era unfolded, the apostates began to introduce false and watered-down doctrines. Some members fell for it right away, but this was not the main group Satan was after.

As the teachings of the Church continued to change, many with God’s Spirit recognized something was not right. Eventually, the corporate Church—The Worldwide Church of God—threw out God, causing those with His Spirit to splinter into many groups. Each group set out to try and fix what it thought went wrong during the apostasy. Satan now had the people right where he wanted them.

Many thought a centralized Church government was the problem and instead sought to empower the membership. In trying to address what they thought was the problem, many Christians inevitably rejected the very structure that would have fixed things—God’s government! Through his craft, Satan tricked Spirit-led people into thinking that government was the problem.

Jeremiah 2:31 helps us understand that anyone who rejects God’s government is really rejecting God Himself!

Satan through his subtlety accomplished what he had in mind all along. Those with the Holy Spirit are now scattered into hundreds of splinters and slivers with only a faithful “little flock” representing the true Church.

Revelation 3 describes the only antidote to the Laodicean condition. Those who have become lukewarm toward serving God are commanded to anoint their eyes, be zealous, and repent (vs. 19). They must buy “gold tried in the fire” (vs. 18) by remaining faithful and building character in a corrupt age. They must recognize Christ’s voice and be ready to open to Him immediately when He knocks (vs. 20). Christ promised those who “overcome,” by doing all these things, will be granted the opportunity to sit with Him on His throne (vs. 21). Most important of all, they must submit to God’s government.

It is through “much tribulation” (pressure) that we enter the Kingdom of God (Acts 14:22). God is using the aftermath of the apostasy, one in which “the people, rule, judge and decide,” to differentiate faithful believers from the rest.

The desire for self-rule is all around us, yet its effects are subtle. This poison, also known as self-will, is one of the most difficult character flaws to overcome. Even Christ had to overcome His own will (Luke 22:42). Recognize that every human being, including those with God’s Spirit, battles self-will.

At the heart of self-will is pride—the same characteristic that tainted Lucifer. Most people succumb to its pulls, but we can overcome it by humbling ourselves and submitting our own will to the will of God and His government.

A Refresher

True Christians have heard repeatedly through the decades that “government is everything.” What does this mean?

God’s government pre-dates man’s existence and is the foundation on which the entire universe was created. Consider. We know that without the Word “was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:3). The Word became flesh and dwelled among us in the person of Jesus Christ. So, Christ created all things.

Ephesians 3:9 says God the Father “created all things by Jesus Christ.” The word “by” can also be rendered through. Realize. You just read the earliest example of God’s government in action!

The Father, who is at the top, worked through the Word to create the entire universe. Christ went on to replicate this government in the creation of angels, who also have hierarchal ranks.

God’s governmental pattern continued within the first human family. Adam was the head of his home, with Eve under him and the children under her. The entire family unit was put under the guidance of the Father and Christ, with God working through one man, the husband (I Cor. 11:3; Eph. 5:23).

This pattern of the Father and Christ working through one man continued with Moses, who was placed over millions of Israelites. Though Moses eventually received help from a multitude of “able” men (Ex. 18:21), he was ultimately in charge under God.

The same is true today in spiritual Israel—the Church. God works through one man, his apostle, who has authority over prophets, evangelists, pastors, preaching elders, local elders, deacons and deaconesses.

When we say that government is everything, it is as true now as it always has been. God’s top-down government, with the Father and Christ working through one man, is the reason small groups of people can do amazing things.

Just a handful of people under the apostle Peter “turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6). God’s government, through another apostle, Herbert W. Armstrong, turned a small Church of 19 people in Eugene, Oregon, into The Worldwide Church of God with more than 150,000 members. And through this same government structure, a relative handful of people are doing a worldwide Work through The Restored Church of God. Recognize what you are a part of!

From the creation of the vast universe, to the structure of the human family, to how God directs His people—government truly is everything!

Stay Under Government

Christians must fight to remain under God’s righteous government at all costs. Though the people administering God’s government are not perfect—no flesh is—the system itself is perfect. Government is God’s Way and always has been.

God never wants us to forget the importance of the government structure in His Church and remaining under it. As such, He uses an analogy for the Church to which every human being can relate.

Galatians 4:26 and other verses describe the Church as our mother. This is most powerful in its simplicity given that everyone can relate to either being married to a mother, being a mother, or having a mother of their own. This comparison also immediately reinforces the government structure of the family established in the Garden of Eden, when human beings first came into existence.

The Church as our “mother” has the God-ordained duty or charge to keep her “children”—the membership—safe. She, through Church leadership, must nourish and protect her “offspring” of different ages and levels of experience. The Church must also teach and develop its children into maturity, helping them—under the guidance of Christ, who is the head of the Church—to eventually walk on their own.

Within this vivid comparison, the children have an obligation as well. The Fifth Commandment is to honor our fathers and mothers. This instruction applies to children honoring physical parents but also to members honoring Christ (the husband in the analogy) and the Church’s leadership (the wife or mother).

Children do not get to pick their mothers. No child has the right to say, “I don’t like my mommy, I am going to get another one because I don’t like the way she disciplines me,” or, “I want to trade my mother since I don’t like the food she feeds me.” A mother has the God-ordained authority to discipline and feed her children as she sees fit, under the guidance of the father, her husband.

We must eat what our mother puts before us. Within the Church, this means we are to consume the doctrinal diet we are fed on a daily, weekly and monthly basis through sermons and literature. If our mother sees fit to discipline and hold us accountable for our behavior, we must come under it, no matter how “imperfectly” we may feel she has gone about it.

The ministry on rare occasions must bring correction to the membership. Though not pleasant, this reproof should be received in a spirit of thankfulness. We must remember that “whom the Lord loves He chastens” otherwise we are “bastards, and not sons” (Heb. 12:6, 8). We must also be willing to suffer correction “wrongfully” knowing “this is acceptable with God” (I Pet. 2:18-20).

Through humility, we must recognize our place in the family under God’s government and submit to it.

We must not “grow vocal cords” and speak out against decisions made by those above us or do things as we see fit. Though this is how things are done in the world (and, sadly, in the splinters), this is simply not God’s Way.

If we expect to experience the blessings of God individually and as a Church, we must continue to come under God’s established structure—the Father, Christ and the ministry led by one man, who leads a group of men in descending order.

By applying these principles and coming under the authority of the “family” structure within the Church, we will have the chance to be a part of God’s eternal Family.

Christ is not divided and never has been. We must remember that He is the head of one unified, organized Church—His Body. He is not in charge of competing organizations that teach different doctrines. His leadership is top-down through one man leading a trained and unified ministry.

This is God’s government and it truly is everything.