It’s All In Black and White

You may have heard it said in the current political environment that we are in a battle for the heart and soul of America. As you look around you, there is no shortage of evidence that this is true. Our constitution is being ravaged and trampled underfoot. Our families are being alienated from each other. Our churches are giving way under the weight of sin and religious compromise. Our children – and we ourselves – are anxious, depressed and in some cases suicidal.

The two kingdoms that have been at war with each other since time immemorial are beginning to show their colors, and people are more clearly beginning to align themselves with one kingdom or the other.

Ever since we removed God from the classroom and the state house, our nation has been in decline. But today, as the harvest draws nearer, the heads of the wheat and the tares are beginning to distinguish themselves from one another. The two kingdoms that have been at war with each other since time immemorial are beginning to show their colors, and people are more clearly beginning to align themselves with one kingdom or the other. Today, we’d like to take a quick look at the governing principles of the kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness, and in so doing equip you to discern who or what is operating through a particular individual or group. This entry is going to be a little longer, and scripture-heavy, but we believe this topic must have a strong basis in Scripture to be clarifying and authoritative.

First, the kingdom of light, or of heaven. This is the kingdom Jesus Christ came to establish. He taught and walked in its principals when on this earth, and we become citizens of this kingdom at the time when we repent of sin and receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior. He then begins to transform us and govern us by these principals from the inside out as the Holy Spirit takes dominion over us. Though this is not an exhaustive list by any means, we can learn a lot about the characteristics of this kingdom if we look at:

The Beatitudes, the way to blessedness in this kingdom:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

“Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

“Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Matthew 5:3-12

The Character or Insignia of a Citizen of this Kingdom:

For the kingdom of God is…righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. For he who in this way serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another. Romans 14:17-19

The Greatest Commandment, given to us by the King Himself: ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang the whole Law and the Prophets.”

Matthew 22:37-40

In stark contrast stands the kingdom of darkness. Though the Bible primarily talks about the rescue of believers from this kingdom, we can learn a lot about its attributes by looking at what the Bible says about the one who rules it:

“How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, you who have weakened the nations! “But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, and

I will sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north. ‘I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ “Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol, to the recesses of the pit…

‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms, Who made the world like a wilderness and overthrew its cities, Who did not allow his prisoners to go home?’…

You have ruined your country, you have slain your people. May the offspring of evildoers not be mentioned forever. “Prepare for his sons a place of slaughter because of the iniquity of their fathers. They must not arise and take possession of the earth and fill the face of the world with cities.”

Isaiah 14:12-15, 16-17, 20-21

Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

1 Peter 5:8

The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it to the full.. John 10:10

… Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds. 2 Cor 11:14-15

As the chasm between light and darkness widens, it is our confession and our conduct that will demonstrate which king we serve

From reviewing these verses above, it should be clear that the kingdom of light is characterized by servant-heartedness, self-sacrifice, promotion of peace, righteousness and mutual love. The kingdom of darkness, on the other hand, is a seething anger, a devouring destructive force that has no allies and feeds on the flesh of the innocent. Colossians 1:13 tells us that God, through Jesus Christ, rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son. This site is intended for the redeemed, so we can join together in thanking God for this incredible gift. Nevertheless, as the chasm between light and darkness widens, it is our confession and our conduct that will demonstrate which king we serve. In one of his epistles the apostle John made this statement:

If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.

1 John 4:20-21

Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. Ephesians 4:29-32

Now, we want to get real with you all, brothers and sisters. Not only are we fighting against those who have clearly and proudly aligned themselves with the kingdom of darkness; there is a destructive and divisive spirit that has crept into the fellowship of believers too. In the process of implementing so-called “purity tests”, we have created divisions within the ranks of Christian conservatism, developing an entire lexicon of code words to label people as “for us” or “against us” (we will deal with this topic at greater length in a subsequent post). With the same mouth we bless God and curse others within the kingdom of God and within our voting block. My brothers, this should not be!! We can be sure this spirit of vilification is not from God; it rather bears the stamp of the one who is called, “the accuser of the brethren” and serves no one’s interests but his own.

This is a sobering plea. It is time to examine ourselves and see if we are in the faith, and it is time to discern what spirits are operating in the politicians and groups with which we are aligned. Whatever is not of faith is sin. The enemy is having a field day among us, and we are too angry to even notice. While we could be joining forces to fight against a political agenda that is radically anti-God and anti-American, we are wasting our time tearing each other apart. This has got to end, or we will succeed only in helping our archenemy into the halls of power.

Though our calling and election are sure, let’s not allow the spirit that has been sent into the world to deceive the elect have its way among us. The fate of our state – and our nation - is literally hanging in the balance. We serve a King and are citizens of a Kingdom that cannot fail, if we allow God to have His way in us. Let’s repent of our bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor and slander and sit down at the table together to fight for godliness and our country!!