God has set boundaries for mankind; within those parameters He promises general protection for their nation. If we bind together with those in rebellion with God what will that mean? Wouldn't that mean working with those who are set against God's purpose? And that would position us out side of God's purpose and Protection.
Rome was, in its beginning, a nation of high moral standards as compared to pagan peoples of those days. So they were allowed to become powerful, rich and successful. Over the course of time their morality became decadence and debauchery and they rejected God. And they used their gods to condone their evil deeds. Then they turned in hatred against God's people trying to murder them all. So God brought and allowed destruction to fall on the most powerful and richest nation in the world. Staying close to God and remaining moral is a matter of national security. Israel did much the same thing and God, also, left them alone without His hand of protection.
God's commission for the Church is for convincing the world to follow Him. Not force! but by reason and credible evidence. Teaching them to believe and receive salvation by faith in Jesus.
It is for national governments to know God's will and make laws that help the public stay with in God's boundaries. It is a matter of national security. If we as Christians influence our national and local leaders to fear God, and to produce laws to that end, then we have saved many people. STAYING CLOSE TO GOD AND REMAINING MORAL IS A MATTER OF NATIONAL SECURITY.
History is full of many nations with the same story. God is the same to every nation, kindred and tongue; as he is and was to Israel so shall He be to all. What God was He is and will always be. There is real comfort in knowing that God and His boundaries never change. I know that though the world and men may change God will never change; He is the true constant.
John L. Kinikin
I believe John Winthrop's message below is to this generation; this land and our Constitutional way life is ours to keep. And keep it we must... the alternative is described in Joel 1:1-7 The word of the LORD that came to Joel the son of Pethuel. Hear this, ye old men, and give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land. Hath this been in your days, or even in the days of your fathers? Tell ye your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation. That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath the cankerworm eaten; and that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpiller eaten. Awake, ye drunkards, and weep; and howl, all ye drinkers of wine, because of the new wine; for it is cut off from your mouth. For a nation is come up upon my land, strong, and without number, whose teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he hath the cheek teeth of a great lion. He hath laid my vine waste, and barked my fig tree: he hath made it clean bare, and cast it away; the branches thereof are made white.
John Winthrop's City upon a Hill, 1630
Now the only way to avoid this shipwreck and to provide for our posterity is to follow the Counsel of Micah, to doe Justly, to love mercy, to walk humbly with our God, for this end, we must be knit together in this work as one man, we must entertain each other in brotherly affection, we must be willing to abridge our selves of our superfluities, for the supply of others necessities, we must uphold a familiar Commerce together in all meekness, gentleness, patience and liberality, we must delight in each other, make others Conditions our own rejoice together, mourn together, labor, and suffer together, all ways having before our eyes our Commission and Community in the work, our Community as members of the same body, so shall we keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace, the Lord will be our God and delight to dwell among us, as his own people and will command a blessing upon us in all our ways, so that we shall see much more of his wisdom power goodness and truth then formerly we have been acquainted with, we shall find that the God of Israel is among us, when ten of us shall be able to resist a thousand of our enemies, when he shall make us a praise and glory, that men shall say of succeeding plantations: the lord make it like that of New England: for we must Consider that we shall be as a City upon a Hill, the eyes of all people are upon us; so that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken and so cause him to withdraw his present help from us, we shall be made a story and a byword through the world, we shall open the mouthes of enemies to speak evil of the ways of God and all professors for Gods sake; we shall shame the faces of many of Gods worthy servants, and cause their prayers to be turned into Curses upon us till we be consumed out of the good land whether we are going: And to shut up this discourse with that exhortation of Moses that faithful servant of the Lord in his last farewell to Israel Deut. 30. Beloved there is now sett before us life, and good, death and evil in that we are Commanded this day to love the Lord our God, and to love one another to walk in his ways and to keep his Commandments and his Ordinance, and his laws, and the Articles of our Covenant with him that we may live and be multiplied, and that the Lord our God may bless us in the land whether we go to possesses it: But if our hearts shall turn away so that we will not obey, but shall be seduced and worship other Gods our pleasures, and profits, and serve them, it is propounded unto us this day, we shall surely perish out of the good Land whether we pass over this vast Sea to possess it; Therefore let us choose life, that we, and our Seed, may live; by obeying his voice, and cleaving to him, for he is our life, and our prosperity.
