Everyone has preferences. It might be a style of music, a restaurant or even different types of people and personalities. With the election coming up in just a few weeks, it’s very obvious that a lot of people in this country have a presidential candidate they favor more than the other. That’s okay—as they say, everyone is entitled to their opinion.

But before you allow yourself to get too caught up in the upcoming election (or politics in general), consider what is written in Revelation 11:15: “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” At some point (in the not-too-distant future, I suspect), all the governments of this world will be overthrown. They will be replaced by the Kingdom of God and ruled over by Jesus Christ.

Think about what that means for a moment: there will no longer be Democrats or Republicans, nor even a democracy over which they vie to rule. There will not be communism, dictatorships, oligarchies or republics. The closest definition that fits the coming Kingdom of God is a monarchy. According to merriam-webster.com a monarchy is “undivided rule or absolute sovereignty by a single person.” While that does align with what the Bible says about Christ ruling as King, there has never been a monarchy even close to what is to come. Why is that? Quite simply, it’s because man offers quite a few things that God cannot and will not bring to government.

You read that right. There are some things that human beings bring to the table that God simply cannot or will not allow. And that’s a good thing.

Confusion

One thing man contributes to government that God will not, is confusion. Of course, it’s not like we live in anarchy. Most governments provide a nice system of roads, rules everyone must obey while using them, and police officers to take action when things go awry. This is all done to avoid chaos and confusion, and the Bible even points out we are to do our part such as paying taxes to support such things (Romans 13:1-7).

One example of where it can get confusing, though, is on how exactly we pay those taxes. Most of you probably have not started doing your taxes yet, but trust me—when you do, you’ll learn just how confusing man’s governments can be! While I couldn’t even begin to explain tax laws in this article, here are a few examples of things which are hard to explain: Why is there a different tax rate depending on where your money is kept—in the U.S. vs. off-shore? Why can you receive a tax credit for some of your children, but not others, even though they still depend on you to support them? And then there’s the concept that even if you don’t earn income, you can still get a tax refund. These are just a few examples of the types of confusion man brings to government.

By contrast, God’s plan is pretty simple. “And concerning the tithe of the herd or the flock, of whatever passes under the rod, the tenth one shall be holy to the Lord,” (Leviticus 27:32). The specific example given here is of animals, but the principle is simple: One-tenth (a tithe) of what we earn goes to God. Done. That’s it. No confusion there!

Corruption

Another thing that man offers his fellow man via government is corruption. Now, not everything that every government does all the time is bad. There are some pretty good programs that exist that governments have created to serve and benefit its citizens. I enjoy nice, paved roads to drive on, public libraries, etc. I don’t even mind paying taxes to help fund these things. Without organized government, the abolition of slavery in the United States probably wouldn’t have been successful.

There are thousands of good things the governments of the world offer, and we are of course to honor those who govern us (Titus 3:1-2). However, the existence of corruption within our government is undeniable. Not just accusations, mind you, but actual charges from legal authorities. Check out the United States Department of Justice website (justice.gov) and search through the press releases. The number of government officials who have been convicted of crimes for things like bribery, extortion and racketeering is staggering.

Of course, those are just some of the bigger highlights. Innumerable injustices have taken place over the years, and not just by politicians, but by private citizens too. These include false testimony based on personal biases, lies in advertising about a product’s performance to boost sales, and storerooms full of evidence that were inadmissible in court based on some minor technicality. As good as it might appear, our legal system fails to serve its people with complete justice.

By contrast, God’s government offers pure and just rule. “Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this,” (Isaiah 9:7). True justice—along with a complete lack of corruption—will be the standard, following the return of Jesus Christ and the establishment of the Kingdom of God.

Hypocrisy

God’s government will not offer the hypocrisy we see in the governments of the world today. As was noted above, people sworn to protect and live by the laws of our nation are found breaking them on a daily basis. And of course, it’s not just in America. Josef Stalin, who led the Soviet Union from 1924 to 1953, is known to have intentionally caused famine in parts of the empire which he swore to protect.¹ Pol Pot, communist leader of Cambodia, did similar things to his citizens, all while claiming to have their best interests in mind.²

It’s sad to say, but hypocrisy has even been a part of the history of the people of God. In Nehemiah’s time, there was a revival of obedience to God’s law, but it didn’t last. “In those days I saw people in Judah treading winepresses on the Sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and loading donkeys with wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. And I warned them about the day on which they were selling provisions,” (Nehemiah 13:15). Later, in verse 26, he reminds them that even king Solomon struggled to obey God’s law. As king, there’s no doubt Solomon knew better, considering he would have been required to write a copy of the law for his own edification (Deuteronomy 17:18).

So, what’s the point? To show that everyone is a hypocrite to one degree or another? Yes, that’s part of the reason, but the main reason is to highlight the following detail: No government of man can or ever will be perfect. (For more on the subject of hypocrisy, see the article from the Winter 2023 edition of Compass Check, “Hypocrisy in the Church” (ucg.org/members/compass-check/hypocrisy-in-the-church-0) .

Now compare the hypocrisy inherent to man’s kingdoms to the integrity of the Kingdom that is to come: “Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow to it” (Isaiah 2:2). The mountains here are symbols of government. Here, we see the Lord’s house (God’s government) will reign supreme over all other forms of government, just as we read earlier in Revelation.

The replacement of man’s governments is impressive enough, but here’s the really amazing part: “Many people shall come and say, ‘Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths.’ For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem” (verse 3). People will actually want to learn from and obey this government! That’s not something you see in the governments of man today, in large part due to the hypocrisy they invariably contain.

What does man offer?

Throughout man’s history, there have been a few bright spots in terms of government. But eventually, all forms of human government fall short for the same reason: the human heart.  No, not the organ, but the inward moral weaknesses of humans.  Jeremiah 17:9 reminds us, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?”

In the end, it’s not governments that fall short, it’s people. Sometimes, it’s through confusion, corruption or hypocrisy. Needless to say, none of these are things people want in any government or their officials. Instead, we desire the straightforward simplicity, justice and righteous rule that will ensue with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Jesus Christ.

While it can be tempting to look for a solution to humanity’s problems in human governance, it is futile. Some individual leaders and even systems of governance are better than others, but none offers what the coming Kingdom of God has to offer. Jesus demonstrated this when Satan tried to tempt Him with the governments of this world. “Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, ‘All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.’ Then Jesus said to him, ‘Away with you, Satan! For it is written, “You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve”’” (Matthew 4:8-10).

Jesus Christ understood that all the kingdoms and governance of this world ultimately had nothing of real value to offer. We would be wise to recognize this as well. No matter what the results of any election might be, remember that no one can offer you the peace, joy and fulfillment that the coming Kingdom of God will bring! 

References

1. history.com/news/ukrainian-famine-stalin
2. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pol_Pot