Veroni's Views

“Nero fiddled while Rome burned” describes the attitude of people who either don’t realize what is going on when things are falling apart, or don’t care.  But what are we as Christians supposed to do when we see things around us going wrong, especially in our own country/ies, or in the whole world?

Realize that no earthly governmental system can be seen as the perfect representation of the Kingdom of God

Jesus said his kingdom is not “of this world.”  While we pray that the principles of the Kingdom of God may prevail in our earthly cultures, we realize that no earthly system can ever be equated with the Kingdom of God.  Nor can any nation ever be seen as “the people of God.”  God’s people are to be found in the great diversity of cultures all over the world. Every culture contains something Godly. Yet none can be said to be the embodiment of Godliness. British Israelism, Afrikaner Israelism, American Israelism… – all are a fallacy.

Exercise your dual citizenship

Believers have dual citizenship.  You are a citizen of your country of birth;  you are also a citizen of heaven.

As the citizen of a country you have certain rights and privileges as well as responsibilities.  God expects you to exercise those to the benefit of your own nation and the nations of the world.  Vote and pay taxes are two of these privileges and responsibilities. Never become “so earthly minded that you’re no earthly good.”

As a citizen of heaven you are the sign of the future, representative on earth of King Jesus, possessing authority in Jesus to stand against evil, certain of the protection of God Almighty… You have weapons that “are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.”  Paul says “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God…” 2 Corinthians 10.4,5.  God expects us to use those weapons.  One of the most powerful weapons we have is the weapon of prayer.  Alfred, Lord Tennyson wrote these powerful words: “More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of.”

Rejoice in the fact that God controls history, in fact, makes history

He is never caught off guard, never at a loss as to what to do.  The Psalmist writes:

Why do the nations conspire
and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth rise up
and the rulers band together
against the Lord and against his anointed, saying,
“Let us break their chains
and throw off their shackles.”
The One enthroned in heaven laughs;
the Lord scoffs at them.
He rebukes them in his anger
and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,
“I have installed my king
on Zion, my holy mountain.”  Ps 2.1-6)

Look forward with joyful anticipation to the consummation of the Kingdom of God

We are heading to that wonderful day when

“at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2.9-11)

“The joy of the Lord is our strength”(Nehemiah 8.10). Our joy derives from our relationship with Him, and from our expectation that the end will be good. A secular authority (sic) echoes this: In the end everything will be allright. And and if it’s not alright yet, it’s not the end yet (The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel).