Romans 13:1-4 NASB:

“Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. 3 For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; 4 for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil..”

This New Testament Scripture confirms four things:

* God has ordained and instituted the nation-state.

* God has ordained and instituted the nation-state for our good.

* God has ordained everyone to be subject to His nation-state authorities.

* God has identified who His legitimate authorities are for His nation-state.

Satan counterfeits ALL of God’s Instructions:

* Marriage Institution: Instead of one man and woman, Satan counterfeits marriages with two men or two women marriages.

* Nation-State Institution: Instead of godly civil servants ruling under God and for the good of people, Satan has counterfeit civil authorities ruling under Satan for the detriment of people.

* Church Institution: Instead of godly pastors following and preaching the Bible, Satan has counterfeit pastors who do not honor the Lord Jesus Christ or the Bible.

But in Scripture, God clearly identifies what are legitimate marriages and legitimate pastors. In Romans 13, does God not also clearly identify His legitimate civil authorities? Of course He did. In fact God gave us 4 positive points to clearly identify His legitimate civil authorities:

* “Rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior.”

* “Do what is good and you will have praise from the same.”

* “For it is a minister of God to you for good.”

* “For it is a minister of God.”

If so-called “civil authorities” do NOT fit all 4 of God’s definition for civil authorities, they would be by God’s own definition - illegitimate! Even if someone carries the title, the power, and the public recognition, they still would NOT be legitimate authorities according to God and His definition.

A kidnapper can have power over you - but they are not God’s civil authority over you. Terrorists can seize control over hostages - but they are not God’s civil authority over the hostages. Wicked men have seized power with political coups - but that does not make them God’s civil authority over you. Some gain power by popular vote, as even Adolf Hitler did - but he was not God’s civil authority over Germany. NOWHERE does Scripture validate political coups or even popular elections, as God’s definition for legitimate civil authority according to Romans 13!

ONLY Jesus has ALL authority on EARTH and whoever He delegates it to (Mat. 28:18):

“ALL AUTHORITY has been given to ME in heaven AND ON EARTH!”

If any so-called “civil authority” is not ruling according to the Supreme Authority as God defined, they are not civil authorities but only masquerading as authorities and are illegitimate and treasonous to King Jesus! If they are not under God and His Law - they are outlaws.

If so-called civil “authorities” outlaw reading the Bible in school or posting up God’s Ten Commandments they should be identified as treasonous and as outlaws, not to be honored as God’s servant authorities. If they outlaw prayer in schools, when God commands us to “pray in every place” (1 Timothy 2:8) – they are civil outlaws and civil tyrants.

So-called civil authorities who “legally” support killing babies in abortion clinics or defend or “legalize” sodomy and homosexual marriages - they are NOT God’s civil authorities. They are civil tyrants to King Jesus. They are Satan’s authorities, who Jesus said, “came to kill, steal and destroy” (John 10:10).

Would God ever legitimize any of man’s law over His Law? What an ungodly thought! How could He? Are Christians carnal or even degenerate if they are passive to treasonous civil authorities against their Lord and Savior and His Law?

Christians who really love the Lord Jesus and His Word - will resist civil leaders who reject the Lord Jesus and His Law. The righteous will strive to replace the unrighteous civil leaders with those who will embrace King Jesus and His Law (Prov. 28:4 NLB):

“To reject God’s Law is to praise the wicked; to obey God’s Law is to resist them.”

God exalts His followers who are zealous in resisting unrighteous civil authorities. Here are only a few examples:

* All Midwives: Exodus 1:15-21.

* Ehud: Judges 3:15-23.

* Rahab: Joshua 6:25; Hebrews 11:31; James 2:25; Matthew 1:5.

* Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego: Daniel 3:12

* Daniel: Daniel 6:9-10.

* John the Baptist: Matthew 14:4; Mark 6:17-18.

* Jesus: Matthew 12:1-2, 15:1-4, 21:45-46,23:2ff; Mark 8:15; Luke 13:32; John 2:13-16; 5:8-11.

* All Apostles: Acts 5:29; 16:20-21; 17:6-7.

* Heroes of the faith: In Hebrews 11, the majority were heroes in defying unrighteous civil authorities.

Prov. 29:27 NLB:

“An unrighteous man is an abomination to the righteous; and the righteous man is an abomination to the unrighteous.”

Though God wants godly rulers to be His civil leaders, when God’s people abdicate and neglect their civil mandate, God lets them reap what they sow and allows wicked oppressors have power to judge the nation (Prov. 16:4):

“The Lord has made everything for his own purposes, even the wicked for a day of disaster.”

If God’s people repent in obeying the Lord again, He will restore and bless such a nation again (Judges 3:7-11):

7 The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight. They forgot about the Lord their God, and they served the images of Baal and the Asherah poles. 8 Then the Lord burned with anger against Israel, and he turned them over to King Cushan-rishathaim of Aram-naharaim. And the Israelites served Cushan-rishathaim for eight years.

9 But when the people of Israel cried out to the Lord for help, the Lord raised up a rescuer to save them. His name was Othniel, the son of Caleb’s younger brother, Kenaz. 10 The Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he became Israel’s judge. He went to war against King Cushan-rishathaim of Aram, and the Lord gave Othniel victory over him. 11 So there was peace in the land for forty years.

Here we learn how God works with a nation. In fact there is no national exception with any nation in the Bible. If people repent to the Lord and obey His counsel, the Lord always restores that nation with freedom and blessing with godly civil leaders. Here are some examples in the book of Judges alone:

* Ehud: Judges 3:12-30 (Oppressed by Moab).

* Deborah & Barak: Judges 4-5 (Oppressed by Canaanites).

* Gideon: Judges 6-8 (Oppressed by Midianites).

* Jephthah: Judges 10-12 (Oppressed by Ammonites).

* Samson: Judges 13-16 (Oppressed by Philistines).

God works the same with nations today - turn away from God and His Law and be oppressed. Turn back to the Lord, obeying His Law, and the nation will be liberated and blessed. God is - “the same yesterday, today and forever.”

But God will let nations, just like people, reap what they sow (Gal. 6:7):

“Do not be deceived—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always reap what you sow.”

But the first law in Exodus to obey God’s Law and His civil mandate - is to appoint God fearing men to be your civil leaders (Ex. 18:21):

“But select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as leaders.”

Since the time of Christ, until approximately the last century and a half, Christians understood and embraced God’s Biblical definition of legitimate civil authorities. The European Christian Reformers maintained this. The early Christian Americans made sure of this. But today… the majority of Christians don’t even vote! We are disobedient. So we reap what we sow - corruption, oppression, and growing persecution.

Saint Augustine of Hippo wrote in his renowned work, City of God (IV. 4):

“Indeed, that was an apt and true reply which was given to Alexander the Great by a pirate who had been seized. For when that king had asked the man what he meant by keeping hostile possession of the sea, he answered with bold pride, ‘What thou meanest by seizing the whole earth? But because I do it with a petty ship, I am called a pirate, whilst thou who dost it with a great fleet art styled Emperor.’”

Also, nowhere in the Bible does God identify legitimate authorities based on how many people they have power over. If a hundred people are held hostage by any man, we call that man a terrorists. If a hundred million people are held hostage by any man, naive Christians honor him and call him their “authority!”

Adolf Hitler praised the biblically incompetent German preachers who only repeated the first two verse of Romans 13:1-2:

“Everyone must submit to governing authorities.”

This kept the biblically ignorant Christians submitting to their illegitimate civil authority, Adolf Hitler… until it was too late! The passive popularity-seeking German preachers never taught God’s definition of legitimate authorities with the immediate following verses (Rom. 13:3-4):

“For authorities do not strike fear in people who are doing right… Do what is right, and they will honor you. Authorities are God’s servants, sent for your good.”

Hitler was disqualified with the first sentence. Lutheran pastor Martin Niemöller was pastor during the early years of Hitler and years later he wrote:

First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

Had a critical mass of German Christian Pastors led their congregations to rise up early enough in public street protests and public civil disobedience, God would have honored them and they would have saved their nation and millions of innocent lives.

They did not follow the courageous actions of their German pastor forefather - Martin Luther and his fellow pastors. These fearless pastors led open publicly revolt against their unbiblical authorities and saved their nation and established more biblical Law!

The word “protestant” was derived from the Latin protestari, meaning “to declare publicly and one who protests!” Martin Luther and the 16th century German pastors and Christians were in their streets publicly protesting the civil unrighteousness. They did this so much of the time that they became known as the “Protesters” i.e. “Protestants!” And that time became known as the Protestant Reformation.

These heroic German pastors were fearless, publicly protesting against their government and they saved the people and their nation during their time. I hear God asking now (Ps. 94:16):

“Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? or who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?”

Which Christian leaders will you follow TODAY:

* Leaders like the forgotten fearful pastors in the 1930’s who saved themselves and ultimately lost their congregations, their nation, and the lives of millions!

* Or, leaders like Martin Luther and fellow pastors who risked their lives and reputations - who rose up in public political protest against illegitimate civil authorities and law contrary to God and the Bible. They ended up saving their lives, their congregations, and millions of others!

NOTE: Tomorrow (1/22/2026) the Jim McCotter LIVE show on Substack at 5:00 PM EST, with two other leaders discussing the above, plus the hottest current news. You can participate.

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