130903 Daniel and Politics

Last week, a friend of mine taught the Bible in front of about a thousand people. He taught on Daniel and what got him into the lion's den. He was a high official in first the Babylonian court, then when they were conquered, the Persian court. The new Persian king liked him better than the others, so a few of other officials devised a way to 'remove' Daniel from their collective craw. They told the king that 'everyone' wanted to honor him, so had him make an unbreakable law. It said that no one was to worship anything other than the king himself for 30 days. The penalty for breaking this kind of law was death. This particular death was by hungry lion. Not even the king could rescind the law of the Medes and Persians. We know how this ended.

Daniel chose to continue praying to God. He even opened his shades to allow everyone to see him praying. He refused to bend away from what God's Word said, and figured that God would protect him. This brings us to a baker in Oregon and a photographer in New Mexico and several other people with businesses across the country. More here. We are not up to killing people just yet. Killing businesses seems to be enough. Maybe.

Sometimes, I think I harp on the fact that in the 1980s, I knew some Soviet citizens who became former Soviet citizens. Speaking about God in the former Soviet Union was a matter of life and death, yet they did it. Being a Christian in Egypt today is a matter of life and death. Seventy to eighty percent of Americans claim to be Christian, yet it is becoming illegal to practice those beliefs. We have not reached the level of the former Soviet Union, nor today's Egypt, but it seems as if we are walking up the mountain on scree.

Do we really want government telling us what to believe? Do the Thought Police run our country? Some of my ancestors fled Germany for religious reasons in the early 18th Century. Later, others left Germany for political reasons. A final set came in the 20th Century with hope for a better life. What happens when Rome falls? I do not believe that it is the end of the world. (If Christ comes today, I don't mind being wrong.) The United State of America is not the Israel of God. Because of what Christ accomplished, God works with individuals wherever they are. Not everyone wants to come here -- believe it or don't. If this government succeeds in shutting God totally out of American life, God will prosper some other country. It has happened before.