Introduction: The Question of Kingship

Weaver opens with 1 Samuel 8, where Israel demands a king, and God declares they have rejected Him. He poses the central question: 'Who is your king?' and challenges the common American assumption that we have no king because we live in a democracy.

1 Samuel 8. The title of the message is, Who is Your King? I think you'll see the implications just momentarily. But 1 Samuel 8, and let's begin reading there with verse 4. 1 Samuel 8 and verse 4. The Word of God says, Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together and came to Samuel unto Ramah, and said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways.

Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the Lord. And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people and all that they have said unto thee. For they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me that I should not reign over them. According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt, even to this day, wherewith they have forsaken me and served other gods, so do they also unto thee. So the question is, who is your king? And if you ask that to the average American, if you ask that to the average Christian, I am sure that you would probably get a response something like this, I do not have a king, I live in a democracy. First of all, the truth is, you have a king whether you know it or not. You have a king whether or not you confess it. And secondly, you do not live in a democracy.

The Fraud of Democracy

Weaver argues that democracy is a scam and a threat to freedom, explaining that majority rule is unbiblical and that the U.S. was founded as a republic ruled by law, not by the will of the people.

The word democracy is basically a fraud, a scam, and a threat to freedom. You get the word democracy from two Greek words, demos, which refers to people, and kratos, which is power. So actually it means people power, but usually today it is translated as the majority rules. In other words, why in the world should the majority rule over a minority? Why should a majority tell me how to live? Why should a majority tell me what I may or may not do? And if you read through the scriptures, you will find that the majority in the Bible is usually wrong.

In fact, the truth of the matter is God does not use majorities. He uses men. But the question is, who is your king? And like I say, most folks will say, well, we live in a democracy. Let me give you a quote from Sam Francis that he wrote back in 2004. Sam is now dead, but he said this. What they mean by democracy is nothing more than the system of dominance that came to prevail in the United States and the Western world in the last half of the last century. That system has nothing to do with elections, opposition parties, civil and political rights, or liberty, nor does it have anything to do with political theory, ancient or modern.

Democracy, as the neocons and the president and most others who are enthusiastic about the use of the word, means the centralized Leviathan state under the firm and unqualified control of the managerial bureaucracy and those political forces able to influence it. And that's basically the truth. We were given a republic by our founding fathers. And republic is that which is ruled by law. If you understand the rule of law, then clearly the elite are not in charge. The law is supposed to be in charge. Certainly, we would understand that in a republic, you have the law which determines right and wrong, justice and injustice. And the rule of law is that which constitutes a republic. When you have the rule of law and law is upheld and respected, then you have liberty and you have freedom. Where you have the rule of law trod underfoot, denied and discarded, there's always tyranny.

The Constitution as Supreme Law

He reads Article 3 of the U.S. Constitution to show that all government officials are bound by it, and laments that America has traded God's law for man's law, and even the Constitution for the 'will of the people.'

Now let me give you a quick example, and I want to read to you from Article 3, paragraph 2 and 3 of the United States Constitution. I've read this before, but in light of this message, I want you to think about this again. Here's what the Constitution of the United States says. This Constitution and the laws of the United States, which shall be made in pursuance thereof, or in agreement with the United States Constitution, and all treaties made, or which shall be made under the authority of the United States, and the authority, of course, is the Constitution, shall be the supreme law of the land, and the judges in every state shall be bound thereby, anything in the constitution of the laws of any state to the contrary, notwithstanding, now here it is, the senators and representatives before mentioned, and the members of the several state legislatures, and all executive and judicial officers, both of the United States and of the several states, shall be bound by oath or affirmation to support this constitution. But no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.

So, it should be quite clear, according to Article 3, Paragraph 2, that this Constitution is supposed to be the supreme law of the state, or the supreme law of our country. Now, as Christians, of course, we believe that God's law is the supreme law of the land. But, when you consider that we have actually traded God's law for man's law, then you have to also consider this truth. Since it says this Constitution is the supreme law, that means this: the states do not have the authority to violate the Constitution of the United States. They do not have the authority or the right to make any law or any state constitution that would contradict the United States Constitution. Moreover, it means this, that Congress does not have the power or the authority to nullify the Constitution. If they nullified the Constitution, they nullify their own authority because the only authority they have is from the Constitution. It would mean this, no president has the authority to overthrow the Constitution. I remember when Joe Biden said when he was elected president, he would do everything and use all of his power to do certain things.

The only power any president has is that which is granted in the Constitution. There's no power over above the Constitution. That means this also, that the judicial system does not have the right or the authority or the power to do anything that would be contrary to the Constitution. Judges, law enforcement officers, congressmen, states, everyone is bound by the Constitution. So that means this, any law that's passed by Congress should be in agreement with the Constitution. So when you think about the word democracy, and you think about the majority rules, and you think about the power of the people, what has happened today is we have not only traded God for a man, and I have a message titled that based upon First Samuel, chapter eight, trading God for a man. But what we've done, we've traded God's law for man's law. Listen carefully. Now we've traded our man's law, that is even the Constitution, for what is known as the will of the people, because even now the Supreme Court, some of them are saying, well, it's the will of the people that really counts.

It's not the Constitution. Well, it is not the will of the people that counts. It is the Constitution that counts. And so basically what you do, you have a democracy then to overthrow what is known as the rule of law. So I asked a question at the beginning of this message. That question was this. Who is your king? I think you're going to find that that question is very significant. It is also very important.

Historical Cry: No King but Jesus

Weaver recounts the story of the Minutemen at Lexington, who responded to the British demand to surrender by declaring they recognized no sovereign but God and no king but Jesus.

I hope you remember that during the war for independence, there was a cry that was very common, and that cry was no king, but King Jesus. It was on April the 18th of 1775 that John Adams and John Hancock were at the home of Reverend Jonas Clark, who abandoned the pastor at Lexington. And it was there that the Minutemen had assembled because Jonas Clark had trained them. And, of course, the pressing question from Hancock and Adams was, would the people fight? And, of course, he said, yes, they will fight. That is why I trained them. Well, it was the next morning when the British approached. Of course, it was Paul Revere who had warned them that the British were coming. The next morning when the British approached, all the Minutemen were out in Lexington Green, which was the church square, by the way, the churchyard. It was at that particular time that it was British Major Pitcairn who said this, "Despair, ye villains, lay down your arms in the name of George, the sovereign king of England." To which Jonas Clark and or one of the men responded, we recognize no sovereign but God and no king but Jesus. And hence the cry, no king but Jesus during the war for independence.

The Inescapable Reality of Kingship

He states that either God will be your king or your king will be your god, and explains that every king rules by his law. The transition in 1 Samuel 8 is from God's law to man's law.

Now, let me make a statement. And I want you to listen carefully, because I'm going to try to develop this thought and show it to you. Here it is. The truth is, either God will be your king or your king will be your God. Either God will be your king or your king will be your God. So years ago, like I said, I preached the message from 1 Samuel, chapter 8, titled Trading God for a Man. I'm not going to repreach that message. But in the context, as you know, they have come to Samuel and said, we want a king. And so what God has said is this to Samuel, go ahead, give them what they ask. But you show them the difference. You tell them exactly what is going to be demanded by the king that they have asked for. So I want you to understand this simple truth. We're going to have a king regardless of what kind of government we have. You do not have to have a monarchy in order to have a king.

So in 1 Samuel, chapter eight, when God was obviously the king of Israel, he ruled over them. He reigned over them. And his law was the expression of his will. They were to obey his law. I've said this before, I'm going to say it again. Every king rules by his law. So when they chose a man to be their king, God said, you show them what manner of law and what manner of man is going to be ruling over them. And when you read the rest of this chapter, the man is going to take, take, take, take. That's all he does is take. So the only way that you can really understand 1 Samuel chapter eight is to see it as a transition from one law structure to another. When you think about what has happened in our country, you can see a transition from biblical law to man's law and from man's law now to democracy or what you and I would call the will of the people.

Now, the issue that I want to emphasize today is very simple, and that is this. You're either going to be ruled by God or you're going to be ruled by man. There's no other alternative. If God is your king, you're going to be under his law. If man is your king, you're going to be under his law. Every king has a kingdom. Every kingdom has a king.

Three Kingdoms: God, Man, and Satan

Weaver outlines three kingdoms in Scripture: the kingdom of God (revealed in Christ), the kingdom of man (begun at the Fall and exemplified by Nimrod), and the kingdom of Satan (manifested through the kingdom of man).

Now, there are three kingdoms mentioned in the Bible, particularly. There are three kings that I really want to emphasize today. The first king, of course, would be God himself, who has revealed himself in the Lord Jesus Christ. I probably should not have to delineate this truth. You should know it because you read your Bibles. But the Bible does teach us very clearly that there is the Kingdom of God. So if you will hold, 1 Samuel, but turn in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians 6.

And let's begin reading there with verse 9. 1 Corinthians 6. Look in verse 9. And notice the emphasis upon the Kingdom of God. The Apostle Paul writes, Know you not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived, neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor feminine, nor abuses of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. So twice in these two verses you read about the kingdom of God.

Of course, it's all through the Scripture. But if you would turn right on over to the book of Ephesians, chapter 5, and look at verse 5, you'll see a similar statement, once again mentioning the kingdom of God. Ephesians 5 and verse 5, For this you

the kingdom of God. So if you will turn right on over a few pages to the book of Colossians chapter 1, and look, if you would please, at verse 13. Colossians 1 and verse 13. Here the kingdom is referred to as the kingdom of His dear Son. So the Bible talks about God giving us grace and saving us, who hath delivered us from the power of darkness and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son. And then in Colossians 4 and verse 11, we read this, "...and Jesus, who is called Justice, who are of the circumcision, these only are my fellow workers unto the kingdom of God, which have been a comfort unto me."

So over and over in the Bible, you're going to read about the kingdom of God. You remember that passage in Luke chapter 11, where our Lord was approached by His disciples and they said, Lord, teach us to pray. He said, fine. When you pray, say, Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come. So God does indeed have a kingdom, and he is clearly a king. And he has revealed himself in the Lord Jesus Christ, who is a king. And he is not just simply a king, but he is king of kings and Lord of lords as well. So you have the kingdom of God. Secondly, you have the kingdom of man.

I want you to look in your Bibles to the book of Genesis, chapter three. The kingdom of man actually began in the fall and that kingdom has continued because man is still fallen and depraved. So notice, if you would, in Genesis chapter three, let's begin reading there with verse four and five. And the serpent said to the woman, You shall not surely die for God does know in the day that you eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened. And you shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that would be the lust of the eyes, and it was pleasant to the eyes, as the lust of the eyes, and a tree desired to make one wise, there's the pride of life. She took the fruit thereof and did eat and gave also to her husband with her. And he did eat.

Now go back to verse five. The serpent said, for God doth know in the day that you eat thereof, then your eyes shall be open and you shall be as gods. You shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. Remember the word knowing in the Hebrew has the force of determining. You shall be as gods, determining good and evil. In other words, here's the temptation. You don't need God telling you what to do. You don't need God telling you right and wrong. You don't need God telling you how to live. You eat this fruit. You can be your own God.

You can determine for yourself. You can make your own law and you can become God yourself. So this is basically the temptation to become God. Now, it only took seven more chapters until fallen man became absolutely, totally corrupt, wicked, and tyrannical. So if you would turn over to Genesis 10. Let's begin reading there with verse 8. Genesis 10. Look, if you would please, at verse 8. And Cush begat Nimrod. Well, let me stop and ask who was Cush? Cush was a son of Ham. Who was Ham? He was a son of Noah, Shem, Ham and Japheth. So now we're talking about the grandson Cush, beginning the great grandson Nimrod. So watch verse 8, and Cush begat Nimrod, and he began to be a mighty one in the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord. Wherefore, it is said, even as Nimrod, the mighty hunter before the Lord, and the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Achad, and Kalna in the land of Shinar.

Out of that land went forth Asher and built Nineveh, and the city of Rehoboth and Calah. For in resin between Nineveh and Calah, the same is a great city. Now, the Bible says that Nimrod was a mighty hunter. May I remind you that he was not hunting deer. He was not hunting buffalo. He was not hunting elephants. He was hunting men. And that means he was basically a tyrant.

Now, he was a persecutor. He was cruel. He was wicked. He was tyrannical. Let me give you a quote. I want you to listen carefully, because this is Arthur W. Pink on Nimrod. He says this. The first thing we note here is that Nimrod was a descendant of Ham through Cush. In other words, he sprang from that branch of Noah's family on which rested the curse. And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel. Here is the key to the first nine verses of the 11th chapter. Here we have the first mention of Babel. And like the first mention of anything in Scripture, this one demands careful consideration. In the language of that time, Babel meant the gate of God.

But afterward, because of the judgments which God inflicted there, it came to mean confusion. And from here onwards, this is a force or meaning. By coupling together the very sense which the Holy Spirit has given to us, we learn that Nimrod organized not only an imperial government over which he presided as king, but that he instituted a new and idolatrous worship. If the type be perfect, and we believe it is, then like the lawless one will yet do, Nimrod demanded and received divine honors. In all probability, it is just here that we have the introduction of idolatry. Here again, we learn how wonderfully the first mention of anything in the Scripture defines its future scope. From this point, Babylon in Scripture stands for that which is in opposition to God and His people. It was a Babylonian garment in Joshua 7:21, which led to the first sin in the promised land. And while from Revelation 17, we learned that Romanism will gather unto itself the whole of apostate Christendom and is turned mystery Babylon. And then he gives this last sentence out of that land.

He went forth into Assyria, and built Nineveh and the city of Rehoboth and Calah and Resen between Nineveh and Calah. The same is a great city. From these statements, we gather the impression that Nimrod's ambition was to establish a world empire. I want you to understand something. If you put that in your mind, nothing has changed in this world since Genesis chapter 10. Every tyrant seeks to establish a world domination. There have been empire after empire after empire down through history. And interestingly, every tyrant thinks somehow that his empire is the one that's going to last forever and ever and ever. Of course, it's never going to do so.

But empires are easily made and usually easily destroyed. If you read some historians, especially on the Second War for Southern Independence, sometimes known as the War of Northern Progression or sometimes known as the Civil War or Lincoln's War Against All Christian States. But you will find historians who make this statement, that America went into that war, the war of 1861 to 1865. America went into that war as a republic and came out as an empire. And that's true. I saw recently a map of all the military bases that the United States has in the country surrounding Russia. It's absolutely mind boggling.

And when you stop and think, then here we are in the great reset. Now, let this enter your mind, what in the world do you think this great reset is all about? Do you honestly think that somehow that Bill Gates, George Soros, Paul Schwab, Yuval Noah Harari, Zuckerberg, and all these others are nothing more than humanitarians, and they just have the best interests of the people at heart? Well, if you think that, then you're thinking very wrongly. The Bible tells us that Nimrod was a mighty hunter before the Lord, which means he hunted men in the presence of the Lord, or in defiance of God, or in contempt of God. He could care less what God thought. He could care less what God said. In other words, he defied God. He denounced God. He despised God. And he himself claimed and believed that he could be God. That's like that Yuval Noah Harari saying that Jesus Christ was not God and that the resurrection of Jesus Christ was a myth.

And what we need to do is to extinguish and exterminate millions of useless eaters. My thoughts were if he really thinks that there are a lot of useless eaters, why does he not start with himself? And the reason he does not start with himself is because he's one of the elite. He is the one who's going to be dictating and controlling and exercising tyranny.

Now, as you read through the Bible, you're going to find that kingdom has always been against kingdom, nation against nation. Our Lord himself said in Mark 13 in verse eight, for nation shall rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. Have you ever stopped to think about this? Why in the world are there so many wars? And here's why. Because every tyrant is not only a furious man, but a madman. And every tyrant is going to do everything that he can to keep his kingdom and his empire going. So here it is. There's Gary and his empire. Here I am with my empire. And Gary has something that I need. He has something that I want and he won't give it to me.

So what do I do? I'm big, I'm strong. I go over and I take it. So I destroy his empire to build up my empire. Then I'll destroy your empire to make mine even greater until someone comes along and destroys mine to build up theirs. That's what war is all about. It's you have what I need and you won't give it to me, so I'll take it.

So clearly, our Lord is talking about the kingdom of man. Now, it's much like that passage in 1 Kings chapter 16 and verse 22. Omri and Tibni were both contending to be kings, wanted to be king, and both of them had followers. So listen to this. Here's verse 22. But the people that followed Omri prevailed against the people that followed Tibni, the son of Gennath. So Tibni died and Omri reigned.

So that's the way it works. So if we are tyrants and hey, Gary's got what I want and I'm stronger than he is, he dies and I reign. That's the way it works. That's the way it has always worked.

Now, I want you to look in your Bibles to the book of Proverbs, chapter eight. Proverbs chapter 8. And notice verses 35 and 36, I preached the message on this passage years ago entitled Society of Death, but I just want to quote these verses and let you see them in light of what I'm talking about, the kingdom of man. So in Proverbs chapter 8, beginning of verse 35, Jesus Christ, who is wisdom personified, says this. For whosoever findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favor of the Lord. That's true. Whoever finds Jesus Christ finds life and obtains favor of the Lord, that is, the Father. But look what he says in verse 36. He that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul. All they that hate me love death. Do you realize all that fallen man can do is bring forth the society of death, an empire of death. Look, look at all the vaccination deaths. Look at the genocide.

I'm just simply saying you remember it was George Orwell who's talking about the kingdom of man, and he said, if you want to picture the future, imagine a boot stomping on a human face forever. That's all the kingdom of man can produce is death. Our Lord said, whosoever findeth me findeth life. But all those that hate him love death. So we have the kingdom of God. We have the kingdom of man, but there's a third kingdom. There is the kingdom of Satan.

And yes, he is a king. He's a king of lies, a king of deceit, a king of death, a king of destruction, but he's still a king. If you look in your Bibles to the book of Luke, Luke chapter 11, Luke chapter 11, our Lord is talking about his kingdom. And notice, if you would, beginning there with verse 14, look what he says. Luke 11, verse 14. And he was casting out a devil and it was dumb and it came to pass when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake and the people wondered. But some of them said he casteth out devils through Beelzebub, the chief of the devils. And others tempting him, sought of him a sign from heaven. But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falleth. Now watch, if Satan also be divided against himself, here it is, how shall his kingdom stand? Because you say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub. If I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out?

Therefore they shall be your judges. But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is coming to you. So now he talks about the kingdom of Satan. They're accusing him of casting out demons by Beelzebub, the chief. No, he said a kingdom cannot stand if it's divided. If you look in your Bibles to the book of Revelation chapter 9 and verse 11. Revelation 9 verse 11.

And here's a plain statement. Revelation 9 verse 11. And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon. And they had a king over them. So he is a king, and yes, he does have a kingdom. Now, here's an ironic truth. While it is true that the unsaved are in essence in Satan's kingdom—you remember the Bible says that God's translated us out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of his dear son—while it's true Satan has a kingdom, even most unsaved people would never say that Satan was their king. They would never be that straightforward. They would probably never even think that they would believe that Satan would be their king. Not everyone that is unsaved would be a follower of Anton LaVey. LaVey, you remember, started the Church of Satan.

And if you've ever seen some of his pictures, he kind of looked that way as well. But listen. Anton LaVey authored several books including, listen to these, The Satanic Bible, The Satanic Rituals, The Satanic Witch, The Devil's Notebook, and Satan Speaks. And then he also released three albums, The Satanic Mass, Satan Takes a Holiday, and Strange Music. I suppose it would be strange if it came from the pits of hell, but I'm just simply saying, very few people have the audacity to say, I'm a follower of Satan, or I believe that Satan is my king, or I'm going to obey him. And most people, even though they are unsaved, are not going in for ritualistic sacrifice and ceremonies and that kind of thing. No. But here's the question. How does the kingdom of Satan manifest itself? You don't see people running around going to satanic churches. I mean, I'm sure there are some in this country and I know people do worship him, but what I'm trying to point out, you don't see much of that, so if Satan is a king and has a kingdom, how does He manifest His kingdom?

Satan's Kingdom Manifested Through Human Government

Using Ephesians 6:12, Weaver argues that the real battle is not against flesh and blood but against spiritual powers behind human rulers. He cites John Whitehead's critique of the U.S. government as evidence of Satan's influence.

And here's a plain statement. Revelation 9 verse 11. And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon. And they had a king over them. So he is a king, and yes, he does have a kingdom. Now, here's an ironic truth. While it is true that the unsaved are in essence in Satan's kingdom—you remember the Bible says that God's translated us out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of his dear son—while it's true Satan has a kingdom, even most unsaved people would never say that Satan was their king. They would never be that straightforward. They would probably never even think that they would believe that Satan would be their king. Not everyone that is unsaved would be a follower of Anton LaVey. LaVey, you remember, started the Church of Satan.

And if you've ever seen some of his pictures, he kind of looked that way as well. But listen. Anton LaVey authored several books including, listen to these, The Satanic Bible, The Satanic Rituals, The Satanic Witch, The Devil's Notebook, and Satan Speaks. And then he also released three albums, The Satanic Mass, Satan Takes a Holiday, and Strange Music. I suppose it would be strange if it came from the pits of hell, but I'm just simply saying, very few people have the audacity to say, I'm a follower of Satan, or I believe that Satan is my king, or I'm going to obey him. And most people, even though they are unsaved, are not going in for ritualistic sacrifice and ceremonies and that kind of thing. No. But here's the question. How does the kingdom of Satan manifest itself? You don't see people running around going to satanic churches. I mean, I'm sure there are some in this country and I know people do worship him, but what I'm trying to point out, you don't see much of that, so if Satan is a king and has a kingdom, how does He manifest His kingdom?

Here is the ironic twist. Satan's kingdom is manifested in the kingdom of man. Look in your Bibles to the book of Ephesians chapter 6. Ephesians chapter 6. And I want you to hold this passage. We're going to look at several others. But this passage is going to be needed for a few moments. Ephesians chapter 6. If you'll notice beginning there with verse 10. Ephesians 6 verse 10.

Paul writes, Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore, take unto you the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Now, go back and look at verse 12. He says, after he talks about the wiles of the devil in verse 11, he said, For we wrestle not against flesh and blood. But wait a minute. Flesh and blood is what we see. I can see Joe Biden. I can see Kamala Harris. I can see George Soros. I can see Zuckerberg. I can see Bill Gates. But here's what Paul is saying. It's not the flesh and blood that we see that is our real adversaries. It's the one who is controlling them. It's the one who is using them. Because Satan uses men. Now, our warfare, he is saying, is not merely with flesh and blood, but with the wiles of the devil.

So these wicked men are nothing more than representatives of his kingdom, just like the saints and preachers are representative of the kingdom of God. Wow. Now, look at verse 12. He says, for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities. Against powers. Against the rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Now, I want you to understand what he's talking about. He says, for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities. The word principalities in the Greek is the word arche, which actually refers to someone in the first place. It refers someone who is a principality, someone who is a ruler, someone who has magistrate powers or the power of a magistrate, either angels or demonic as well. So I want you to hold right there. And I want you to look, first of all, in Ephesians chapter 3 and verse 10. Let me show you the word principalities, how it's used, so you can see what he's talking about. Remember now, it refers to the chief ones, to the leaders, and it can be human, it can be angelic, it can be demonic. But watch what he says. Ephesians chapter 3, look if you would please at verse 10.

He says this, to the intent that now, unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places, might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God. But he notes, unto the principalities, the chief ones. Now, look in your Bibles, if you would, to the book of Colossians chapter 1. Colossians chapter 1. And look, if you would please, at verse 16. Colossians 1 verse 16, For by Him, that is the Lord Jesus Christ, were all things created that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers, all things were created by Him and for Him. Now, one more. Look in Colossians 2 and verse 15. Out of all the wicked principalities, notice what has happened. Colossians 2, verse 15, and having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it. So our Lord has spoiled all the principalities and powers. Now, if you go back to Ephesians chapter six and look, if you would again at verse 12, he said this. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, that's what we see, but that's not what we're wrestling against, but against principalities, against powers. Now, the word for powers, there is the word exousia.

And the word exousia literally refers to power, jurisdiction, or authority. May I tell you where you will find this word very prominently? Romans chapter 13, when he's talking about government. Wow! Literally what he is saying is, for we're wrestling not against flesh and blood, but we're wrestling against principalities, someone who is behind these men, even these governments. And you're going to be finding before I finish that, yeah, we'll be wrestling even against our own government in one sense of the word. I'll show you momentarily. But then he also says this, look at verse 12, for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world.

Against spiritual wickedness in high places. So the spiritual wickedness is in high places. And he talked about principalities and powers. Now he talks about against the rulers of the darkness of this world. Now, the Greek word there is very interesting. Cosmocrator. Cosmos is the Greek word for world. Kratos is the Greek word for power. So he's talking about the power of this world. Sometimes we're talking about the prince of this world. Let me show you. Look in your Bibles, if you would, to John 12. John 12. And look, if you would please, at verse 31. John 12, verse 31. Our Lord says, now is the judgment of this world. Now shall the prince of this world be cast out. If you look in John 14 and verse 30, John 14 and verse 30. Our Lord said, Hereafter, I will not talk much with you, for the prince of this world cometh and hath nothing in me. Then if you look in John 16 and verse 11, John 16 and verse 11, he says of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.

Now, I want to give you a caution. Do not think that Satan is in charge of this world. He is not. God is the sovereign creator of this world. And God is the sovereign ruler of this world. He may be called the prince of the power of this world, but it is not talking about God's creative world. It is talking about the world system. Let me give you a quote.

1 John chapter 2 verses 15 through 17. I'm just going to read or quote you the first three words right now, love not the world. Now, when the Scripture says love not the world, does that mean we cannot love God's creation? Alice and I were coming to church this morning. And I passed some very beautiful trees and I told Alice, I said, look at those trees, look at the leaves, reds, yellows, just all colors. I said, look how beautiful. Now, am I being commanded to love not God's creative world? Of course not. This is God's world. I can love it.

I can enjoy his mountains. I can enjoy his swamps. I can enjoy his oceans. I can enjoy anything that he's created. But when he says, love not the world, let me finish it. He said, love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. Listen to me very carefully. If any man loved the world, the love of the Father is not in him. Why? For all that is in the world is the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life, which is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away in the lust thereof, but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.

You remember back in Genesis chapter 3? What did Eve do when she saw that the tree was good for food, the lust of the flesh, pleasant to the eyes, the lust of eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, the pride of life she took? When he says love not the world, he's talking about the world system that is absolutely, totally, completely opposed to God. And that is exactly where we are today. We are living in a time when basically the whole world is opposed to God, opposed to his rule, his reign, his sovereign authority. I want to give you a quote. This was written by John Whitehead, who was a constitutional attorney. And the first paragraph he is quoting, Masters of Deceit, written by J. Edgar Hoover. Just listen to the first paragraph. And then I'll give you his quote, but he's quoting J. Edgar Hoover, and he says this, to exploit all the grievances, hopes, aspirations, prejudices, fears, and ideals of all the special groups that make up our society, social, religious, economic, racial, political.

Stir them up, set one against the other, divide and conquer. That's the way to soften up a democracy. Now, you're wondering why you got Black Lives Matter and TIFA, the Proud Boys, this one and that one. Yeah, everybody's being pitted against everybody because we're being softened up. Now, Whitehead goes further.

Now listen to what he says. The United States government has become a master of deceit. It's all documented, too. This is a government that lies, cheats, steals, spies, kills, maims, enslaves, breaks laws, overreaches its authority, and abuses its power at almost every turn, treats its citizens like faceless statistics and economic units to be bought, sold, bartered, traded, or tracked, and wages war for profits, jails its own people for profit, and has no qualms about spreading its reign of terror abroad. Worse, this is a government that has become almost indistinguishable from the evil it claims to be fighting. Whether that evil takes the form of terrorism, torture, drug trafficking, sex trafficking, murder, violence, theft, pornography, scientific experimentation, or some other diabolical means of inflicting pain, suffering, and servitude on humanity.

Now listen, with every passing day it becomes painfully clear that this is not a government that can be trusted with your life, your loved ones, your livelihood, and your freedoms. And my question would be, why? And the answer comes back, because it's in the kingdom of man which is being controlled by the kingdom of Satan, which is an absolute rebellion to God and His law and His righteousness. That is why.

Who Do You Obey?

The answer to 'Who is your king?' is found in whom you obey. Weaver points to 2 Kings 17 and Luke 6:46 to show that obedience reveals allegiance, and that believers must obey God rather than men.

Kingship is an inescapable idea. It is an inescapable issue. You cannot avoid kingship. You have a king. You may not know it. You may not realize it. You may not acknowledge it. You may not confess it. But that does not change reality. We do have a king, so I could ask this question, who is your king? The answer to that question can be found in another question. Who do you obey? Remember, I told you that a king rules by his law.

I want you to go back in your Bibles to 2 Kings, Chapter 17. I think I showed you this passage last week, but I'm going to show it to you again in light of what I'm teaching today. Look at it. 2 Kings, Chapter 17. Let's begin reading there with verse seven. 2 Kings 17 and verse 7. Look at it. 2 Kings 17, verse 7. For so it was that the children of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God.

Which had brought them up out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and had feared other gods. So they had forsaken the one true and living God, and they feared other gods. How do we know they feared other gods? What is the evidence that they feared other gods? Here it is in verse 8, And walked in the statutes, or in the laws, of the heathen, whom the Lord cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel which they made. Then if you'll skip down to verse 19, also, Judah kept not the commandments of the Lord their God, but walked in the statutes or the laws of Israel which they made. And I pointed out that all the kings of Israel were apostates. Not one godly king in all of Israel.

There were in the southern kingdom, but not in the northern kingdom. So who is your king? And the answer is, who do you obey? In other words, a king rules by his law. Do you remember what our Lord asked in Luke 6 and verse 46? He asked this question, why call you me Lord, Lord, and do not those things which I say unto you? The word Lord is kurios, which means boss, owner, master, sovereign. When you call Jesus Christ Lord, you're acknowledging Him as King. And you remember what the apostles answered the high priest and the elders in Acts chapter 5 and verse 29. Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, we ought to obey God rather than man.

Let me make just a couple of applications. The first one is this. We do have a King. And our King is the Lord Jesus Christ. He's King of the saints. He's King of the church. He's King of the world. He's King of everything. If you look in your Bibles very quickly to Revelation chapter 15 and verse 3. Revelation chapter 15 and verse 3.

Christ as King of Kings

Weaver cites Revelation to affirm Jesus as King of saints, King of kings, and Lord of lords. He concludes that those who reject God's rule condemn themselves to be ruled by man, ultimately sacrificing to devils.

Let me make just a couple of applications. The first one is this. We do have a King. And our King is the Lord Jesus Christ. He's King of the saints. He's King of the church. He's King of the world. He's King of everything. If you look in your Bibles very quickly to Revelation chapter 15 and verse 3. Revelation chapter 15 and verse 3.

Look at this. Think about this. And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvelous are thy works, Lord God Almighty, just and true are thy ways, thou King of the saints. Wow. Let that sink in that we have a King. If you look in Revelation chapter 17 and verse 14. Revelation 17 and verse 14. The Scripture says, And these shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and they that are with Him are called and chosen and faithful. And then Revelation chapter 19 and verse 16, the Word of God says this, and He, talking about the Lord Jesus Christ, hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The truth of the matter is, God is the sovereign King of everything. And in Jeremiah 10, verse 7, the question is asked, Who shall not fear thee, O thou King of all nations?

He is King. People may not recognize it, in the end they shall. It may be too late, but they will certainly recognize it. You're either having God as your king, or you're having man or Satan as your king. You don't have to acknowledge Satan as king. If you just recognize man as king, you're acknowledging Satan as king at the same time. Let me show you. Look in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians 10. 1 Corinthians 10.

The Apostle Paul makes it very plain in verses 20 and 21. Look what he says. 1 Corinthians 10, verse 20. The Apostle Paul writes, but I say that the things which the Gentiles, that would be the unsaved, the ethnos, the nations, that is those who do not know God. But I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils and not to God. And I would not that you should have fellowship with devils. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of devils. You cannot be partaker of the Lord's table and the table of devils.

Did you hear what he said? He said, but the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice unto devils. So those who do not acknowledge the Lord Jesus Christ as their king, whatever they sacrifice, what do they give? They're giving to devils, not to God. So you have a king, whether you like it or not. If you're a child of God, you like your king. If you're unsaved, you still have a king.

You may not admit it, but you do have one. So the truth of matter, it comes down to this. You are either going to acknowledge and serve and worship the one true and the living God who's revealed himself in the Lord Jesus Christ, or you're going to end up worshiping in the kingdom of man and sacrificing unto Satan. You're going to be ruled either by God or man. Those who refuse to be ruled by God condemn themselves to be ruled by man.

Conclusion: The Bible or the Bayonet

He closes with a quote from Robert Winthrop: men must be controlled either by the Word of God within or by the bayonet without. The choice is between Christ as King or tyranny under man.

I want to close with a quote. I have used this quote a number of times, but in light of what I've just preached, Robert Winthrop, who happened to be a congressman and a former Speaker of the House who died in 1894, he was speaking before the Massachusetts Bible Society. And here's what he said. All societies of men must be governed in some way or the other. The less they may have a stringent state government, the more they must have of individual self-government. The less they rely on public law or physical force, the more they must rely on private moral restraint. Men in a word must necessarily be controlled either by a power within them or by a power without them, either by the word of God or the strong arm of man, either by the Bible or the bayonet.

You know what he said? It's either going to be the Lord Jesus Christ who's going to be governing you within by his law, or you're going to have a king of man who's going to use the bayonet and force and make you do what he wants you to do. So the question is, who is your king? I do not want to trade God for a man. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee. We thank You for Your Word. We thank You for Your truth. And Lord, we want to acknowledge today that Thou and Thou alone art the one living and true God, and Thou art the one living and true King. And we acknowledge, Heavenly Father, that Thou art King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and besides Thee there is none other. Help us, Father, to live in light of Thy Kingship to worship Thee, to honor Thee, to bow before Thee, to give Thee praise and acknowledge, Lord, Thy divine kingship and Thy rule in our lives.

In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray, Amen.