Theocratic Confusion Resolved
Introduction – Theocracy Defined
This study is entitled ‘Theocratic Confusion Resolved.” It sounds complicated but as we go through you’ll begin to understand.
You may have heard of the term “theocracy” but do you know what that term means? I wanted it to be clear in my own mind so some research proved helpful. Let me list a few facts about a theocracy from the encyclopedia: Fact 1: A theocracy is a government in which God is regarded as the sole sovereign — so God is king.
Fact 2: The laws of a theocracy are seen as divine commands — so the laws of that government are seen as God’s laws.
Fact 3: By extension a theocracy is a government, which is controlled by the clergy ~ so it’s a church controlled government, more or less
Fact 4: The government established by God through Moses was a theocracy.
Theocratic Laws
The beginning of the theocratic government of Israel was at Mt Sinai. There God made laws for the Israelites to keep. Making laws to bring order to nations is what government is all about. A government makes laws or articles of covenant. These laws or articles of covenant the government sets before the people to obey.
“Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel. Exodus 19:5,6
Here God is speaking to the children of Israel through Moses saying that if you agree to obey my laws then you can be my nation, under my government. The Israelites agreed to this and so they came under God’s government. They became a theocracy. God made laws for them to keep and these laws are in the books of Moses.
“These are the statutes and judgments and laws, which the LORD made between him and the children of Israel in mount Sinai by the hand of Moses.” Leviticus 26:46
Here are the statues, judgments, and laws, which they were to obey. A theocracy is a government of God under the immediate direction of God, where men inspired of God direct the affairs of state. The government of Israel was a true theocracy. It was a government of God. Men inspired of God like Moses, Joshua, Samuel, etc. directed the affairs of state.
“The government of Israel was administered in the name and by the authority of God. The work of Moses, of the seventy elders, of the rulers and judges, was simply to enforce the laws that God had given; they had no authority to legislate for the nation…. From age to age men inspired by God were sent to instruct the people and to direct in the enforcement of the laws.” PP 603.1
Come and look at some of the laws men inspired of God would have enforced.
“Thou shall not suffer a witch to live.” Exodus 22:18
“A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood shall be upon them.” Leviticus 20:27
When these laws against witchcraft were enforced a witch was put to death. It was considered a divine judgment. God had authorised it and commanded it. It was according to the theocratic law of Israel that these people were to be put to death. Come look at another law of the theocracy.
“And he that killeth any man shall surely be put to death.” Leviticus 24:17
Murder had the death penalty. God had said, ‘Thou shalt not kill.” Those who killed were put to death. Now those who actually executed the sentence and put the murderer to death were not under the same condemnation as the murderer himself. They were simply carrying out the sentence of divine judgment.
That’s just a few laws of the theocracy. Well come back to those laws later on
The Theocracy of Israel
First, let’s trace the progress of the national theocracy of Israel. God was regarded as the sole Sovereign of the theocracy. He was king. But in the days of Gideon the Israelites desired that Gideon should be king.
‘Then the men of Israel said unto Gideon, Rule thou over us, both thou, and thy son, and thy son’s son also: for thou hast delivered us from the hand of Midian. And Gideon said unto them, I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you: the LORD shall rule over you.” Judges 8: 22, 23
Gideon knew the principles of the theocracy.
“The people of Israel, in their gratitude at deliverance from the Midianites, proposed to Gideon that he should become their king, and that the throne should be confirmed to his descendants. This proposition was in direct violation of the principles of the theocracy. God was the king of Israel, and for them to place a man upon the throne would be a rejection of their Divine Sovereign. [God is Sovereign of the theocracy] Gideon recognized this fact; his answer shows how true and noble were his motives. “I will not rule over you,” he declared; “neither shall my son rule over you: the Lord shall rule over you.” PP555.4
To have a man on the throne was in direct violation of the principles of the theocracy. God was their ruler; He was their king. But again in the days of Samuel the Israelites desired to have a king. They wanted to be like the other nations.
“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 in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.” 1 Samuel 8:4-7
Did this mean this was the end of the theocracy? They wanted a king to reign over them. They rejected their Divine Sovereign. So was this the end of theocratic government. You’d think so wouldn’t you?
“The Lord foresaw that Israel would desire a king, but He did not consent to a change in the principles upon which the state was founded. The king was to be the vicegerent of the Most High. God was to be recognised as the Head of the nation, and His law was to be enforced as the supreme law of the land.” PP 603.2
Israel continued to be a theocratic government; God was still the recognised Sovereign of the nation. The kings of Israel became the vicegerents of God as in vice president or vice chancellor. God was still head of the nation. King David was the vicegerent of God. Now the line of kings continued down until the Babylonian captivity. Then after that the nation of Israel was re-established and continued as a theocracy until the time of Christ. When Christ appeared on the earth He was still Sovereign of the nation. Let’s follow this through.
“Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.” Matthew 2:2
“All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.” Matthew 21:4,5
“And Jesus stood before the governor: and the governor asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And Jesus said unto him, Thou sayest.” Matthew 27:11
And look what the Jews did to their King, the King of the theocracy.
“When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus forth, and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called the Pavement, but in the Hebrew, Gabbatha. And it was the preparation of the Passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King! But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar. Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified. And they took Jesus, and led him away.” John 19:13-16
These words are very significant. Pilate took his place on the judgment seat and he presented Jesus to the people saying, “Behold your King!” They cried “away with him, crucify him.” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” Do you really want to do this? From the blasphemous lips of the chief priests went forth the words, “We have no king but Caesar.” The religious leaders, the priests and teachers led the people to this. They led the people to choose an earthly government above God’s government. Remember that it was the religious leaders that led the people to this. These words are very significant, “We have no king but Caesar.”
“Thus by choosing a heathen ruler, the Jewish nation had withdrawn from the theocracy. [They chose an earthly government above God’s government. That was their government an earthly government] They had rejected God as their king. Henceforth they had no deliverer. They had no king but Caesar. To this the priests and teachers had led the people. [Remember it’s the leaders that did this] For this, with the fearful results that followed, they were responsible. A nation’s sin and a nation’s ruin were due to the religious leaders.” DA 737.6
That was the death of the theocracy of Israel. They rejected God as their king. They killed their own king. And as in the parable they virtually said, “We will not have this man to reign over us.”
“But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us.” Luke 19:14
Henceforth they had no king but Caesar. Their government was the government Caesar. They were no longer the government of God, it was the end of the theocracy Religious Constitution
Now the religious constitution of the Old Testament was based on theocratic principles. And we have followed the story of the old theocracy through to its conclusion. But what about the religious constitution of the New Testament on what was it based? Did Jesus come to this earth to establish another theocracy? Did he come to establish a Christian theocracy to replace the defunct Jewish theocracy?
“Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.” John 18:36
Jesus said “My kingdom is not of this world.” Now is my kingdom no longer temporal. Not from here anymore, not from hence. Because there at the trial before Pilate the people rejected him as King. The Jews were no longer God’s special nation. They rejected Him.
“When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” Acts 1:6-8
The disciples said to Jesus, “Lord are you going to restore the old theocratic kingdom of Israel at this time.” And what did He tell them? Jesus turned their attention to the kind of kingdom He had come to establish. He said to His disciples, “you shall receive the power of the Holy Spirit.” This would be the kingdom. It’s a spiritual kingdom, a kingdom of grace.
“Before leaving His disciples, Christ plainly stated the nature of His kingdom. He called to their minds what He had previously told them concerning it. He declared that it was not His purpose to establish in this world a temporal, but a spiritual kingdom. [No temporal kingdom anymore but a spiritual kingdom] He was not to reign as an earthly king on David’s throne.” DA 820.1
Jesus didn’t come to establish another theocratic earthly kingdom. He came to establish a spiritual kingdom, with a spiritual body of people — his church. This would be a spiritual nation not an earthly nation. A spiritual nation called Israel.
“To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ …. But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people.” I Peter 2:4,5,9
The religious constitution of the New Testament is based on spiritual principles not theocratic principles. Therefore the spiritual body of God’s people can’t put into effect the laws of the old theocracy. We are not an earthly government that can do that. When the Old Testament says, put to death a witch, put to death a murderer, put to death an adulterer we cannot do that because we are not under the constitution of the Old Testament. We can’t carry out death sentences.
“Since the kingdom of Israel passed away, God has never delegated authority to any man or body of men to execute his laws as such. ‘Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.’ Romans 12:19.” PP 763.4
False Theocracy
That puts a question in our minds. During the dark ages why did the Catholic Church burn witches? Since the constitution of the Old Testament was no longer relevant. We’ve all heard the stories about how the Catholic Church used to burn witches. But not only witches they also burned heretics; basically anyone who wouldn’t submit to the Papacy. Why did they put people to death? Upon what principles did they do this? Let me ask you what is the Papacy? What does the Pope claim to be? He claims to be the vicegerent of God on earth. Isn’t that a feature of theocratic government? The kings of Israel were the vicegerents of God in the old theocracy. So the Papacy itself appears to be a theocracy. But what sort of theocracy? Let’s read about it from the very words of Martin Luther, he should know, he was there. “It is a horrible thing,” says he [Martin Luther], “to behold the man who styles himself Christ’s vicegerent displaying a magnificence that no emperor can equal. Is this being like the poor Jesus, or the humble Peter? He is (say they) the lord of the world! But Christ, whose vicar he boasts of being, has said, My kingdom is not of this world.
Can the dominions of a vicar extend beyond those of his superior?” History of the Reformation, 188
Christ says “My kingdom is not of this world” ~ it’s not temporal. Christ maintains no temporal kingdom on this earth. And yet the pope rules as a temporal king, lord of the world. You see what sort of theocracy the papacy is? It is a false theocracy. Because the pope’s dominions extend beyond what God has given carrying out judgments that were not theirs to carry out. Burning witches and heretics etc.
A true theocracy is a government under the immediate direction of God. But a false theocracy is a government under the direction of a man in the place of God. A man governing in the place of God is the pope. A man ruling the world in the place of God is all that the pope has ever claimed to be. He claims to be the vicegerent of God on earth. Pope Leo XIII said, “We hold upon this earth the place of God Almighty.” He might as well have been quoting Scripture. Because that’s exactly what the Scriptures said he would claim to be.
“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.” 2 Thessalonians 2:3,4
Now because the papacy is a false theocratic government she inflicts temporal penalties falsely in the name of Christ.
“In the former dispensation, while sins against God were visited with temporal penalties, the judgments executed were not only by divine sanction, but under his direct control, and by his command. Sorcerers were to be put to deathIdolaters were to be slain. Profanity and sacrilege were punished with death. Whole nations of idolaters were to be exterminated. But the infliction of these penalties was directed by him who reads the hearts of men, who knows the measure of their guilt, and who deals with his creatures in wisdom and mercy. When men, with human frailties and passions, undertake to do this work, it needs no argument to show that the door is opened to unrestrained injustice and cruelty. The most inhuman crimes will be perpetrated, and all in the sacred name of Christ.” PP 764.1
All through the ages the papacy has inflicted her terrible penalties all in the name of Christ. By sword, by flame, and by the rack the papacy justifies herself in this by appealing to judgments executed under the old theocracy. Look what the Israelites did they put people to death and destroyed whole nations.
‘Then we turned, and went up the way to Bashan: and Og the king of Bashan came out against us, he and all his people, to battle at Edrei. And the LORD said unto me, Fear him not: for I will deliver him, and all his people, and his land, into thy hand; and thou shall do unto him as thou didst unto Sihon king of the Amorites, which dwelt at Heshbon. So the LORD our God delivered into our hands Og also, the king of Bashan, and all his people: and we smote him until none was left to him remaining. And we took all his cities at that time, there was not a city which we took not from them, threescore cities, all the region of Argob, the kingdom of Og in Bashan. All these cities were fenced with high walls, gates, and bars; beside unwalled towns a great many. And we utterly destroyed them, as we did unto Sihon king of Heshbon, utterly destroying the men, women, and children, of every city.” Deuteronomy 3:1-6
If the Israelites did that and completely destroyed all the cities of Bashan and put to death all the people, says the papacy, surely a crusade to destroy heretics is no different. Except, as we know, their whole thinking was based on theocratic error. But still the pope Innocent III launched his crusade to destroy the Albigenses. In the early 1200’s his brutal crusade repressed the Albigenses and desolated much of southern France. Whole cities were destroyed and thousands were massacred. Only small groups of Albigenses survived in isolated areas. These were subsequently pursued and destroyed by the Inquisition. Now was pope Innocent III a man inspired by God to do this? Were those crusaders under the direct control of God when they slaughtered the Albigenses or were they carrying out a judgment that was not theirs to carry out?
Century after century the blood of the saints had been shed. [Note that blood of the saints. Now read who they were] While the Waldenses laid down their lives upon the mountains of Piedmont “for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ,” similar witness to the truth had been borne by their brethren, the Albigenses of France. GC 271.2
The Albigenses were God’s people. They were the saints. And here the papacy, that false theocracy, slaughtered them in the name of Christ, ‘Wearing out the saints of the most High.’
“And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High” Daniel 7:25
World War I
Now that we know the principles of a true theocracy established in Israel of old and we can identify the principles of false theocratic government. Come and look at the history of our church. In World War I the Seventh-day Adventist church came to a terrible crisis. All through Europe Adventists were forced to bear arms and those who refused were put into prison and some were executed. The government put the church leadership under a great deal of pressure to compromise so that Adventists could bear arms. And that’s what happened the leadership compromised.
“The German Adventist leaders taught that under the existing conditions participation in the war was no violation of the sixth commandment and that war duty on Saturday was no violation of the fourth commandment, since war was a work of necessity, allowable on the Sabbath.” HSDARM 175.1
This was a big compromise. But not only that, the leadership was forced to deal with dissenters and conscientious objectors which were disfellowshipped from the church. This occurred in 16 different European nations so it wasn’t an isolated occurrence. After the war the disfellowshipped minority sought reconciliation with the church. They met with the General Conference leaders and to the General Conference president they put four questions. Look at just one of these questions; the question with reference to the commandments of God. The question they asked was this:
“What stand does the General Conference take toward the resolution adopted by the German leadership, since 1914, in regard to the fourth and sixth commandments?” HSDARM 52.2
What was the view of the General Conference president in regard to this compromise of the commandments? Read his answer, the part relevant to our study
“We believe that you brethren are completely wrong in the position you represent. [He said that to those who were disfellowshipped] We do believe in the fourth commandment as we have ever believed in it. But we cannot agree with your interpretation in connection with it. [Ok not agreeing, so what was their interpretation of the Sabbath commandment? Read on to find out] What would you have said about Moses a few days after he had received the law on mount Sinai, if he had told you to go and kill the king of Bashan, and all the men, women, and children? Would you have accused him of murder? But God commanded him to violate the sixth commandment. You see that there are many things to be found in the interpretation of the commandments, and we must have freedom to read and understand them, without being bound to the interpretation of any small corporation.” HSDARM 54.1
Can you see the glaring error? Can you see how far that answer is from the truth? It’s the old theocratic error, using Old Testament judgments when we are under the constitution of the New Testament. It was the same error the papacy used to excuse herself in acts of bloodshed. Will Adventists also use this to excuse themselves in acts of bloodshed? Tell me was Germany a theocratic state under the direct control of God? Was Kaiser Wilhelm a man inspired of God? Should they fight for him causing the bloodshed of others? Do you know what Kaiser Wilhelm wrote when it was requested that Adventist men be free from military duty on the Sabbath?
“The request was refused by Emperor Wilhelm, who himself wrote on the margin of the petition, ‘No pardon for Adventists.'” HSDARM 172.2
Here’s the man they obeyed above God. Was it right to do this? Was it right in a time of war to obey man above God? In the American Civil War the precedent was set for Adventists. Early Seventh-day Adventists did not participate in war. They obeyed God in preference to man.
“I saw that it is our duty in every case to obey the laws of our land, unless they conflict with the higher law which God spoke with an audible voice from Sinai, and afterward engraved on stone with His own finger. “I will put My laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to Me a people.” He who has God’s law written in the heart will obey God rather than men, and will sooner disobey all men than deviate in the least from the commandment of God. God’s people, taught by the inspiration of truth, and led by a good conscience to live by every word of God, will take His law, written in their hearts, as the only authority which they can acknowledge or consent to obey. The wisdom and authority of the divine law are supreme.” IT 361.1
It goes on to say that they could not take part in the American Civil War. Even though it was purported to be a just war against slavery. They could not take part in it.
“The ten precepts of Jehovah are the foundation of all righteous and good laws. Those who love God’s commandments will conform to every good law of the land. But if the requirements of the rulers are such as conflict with the laws of God, the only question to be settled is: Shall we obey God, or man?” IT 361,362
That’s the question, shall we obey God or shall we obey men like Kaiser Wilhelm? Will we choose a heathen ruler? Will the religious leaders drive us to this? Shall we cry out, “We have no king but Caesar” and choose an earthly government above God’s heavenly government? Where does our loyalty lie? What is worse, to die on the battlefield breaking God’s commandments or to die in prison keeping God’s commandments? Take your pick! Do you know how many German Adventists were slain on the battlefield in World War I?
“More than two thousand Seventh-day Adventists, including scores of missionaries, were among the millions of soldiers in the German army from 1914 to 1918. This number represented about ten per cent of the total Adventist membership in Germany …. Of these two thousand German Adventists engaged in the war, 257 were killed in action.” HSDARM 173.5
What a pity! Can it be said about them “here are they that keep the commandments of God”? To use the religious constitution of the Old Testament to do away with the commandments is false and deceptive. To reinforce the point, read what happened in the church at Bremen in the words of Oscar Kramer:
“In the absence of their elder, Brother Staubert, an ordained minister, spoke to the congregation at the 11:00 o’clock service. And what a wonderful service it was! He admonished all to stand faithful to God’s holy law, to which the church seemed to agree.
The following week brought a series of German victories, which fanned the patriotic spirit of the people and enthused many church members. When Elder Staubert spoke to them again the following Sabbath, things had visibly changed, but not for the better. In a rather reluctant voice he turned to Old Testament stories of warfare in the time of Israel, trying to excuse and defend the waging of war and the involvement of God’s people in it. … He compared our time, when spiritual Israel is scattered all over the earth, to the time of Theocratic Israel (which was both a church and a nation). [But today God’s people are scattered everywhere. They are not an earthly nation]. There were, nevertheless, enough earnest and staunch-hearted believers in that meeting who dared to vindicate the honour of God. They promptly rose to their feet, protesting aloud against such perversion of truth. But they were then informed that this new stand was not taken by the minister alone; it was now the position of the entire German Union. To this effect, the leaders had sent word to the German government on August 4, 1914.” HSDARM 179
Soon after the dissenters from this position were disfellowshipped from the church at Bremen. The leadership led the people to obey the governments of this world above God. They obeyed Caesar as their king in preference to God. Let it be a lesson for us all.
Conclusion
In this study we have followed the true theocracy of Israel through to its end. We have seen the false theocracy of the papacy and the evils of it. And we have seen the false theocratic sentiments used to justify participation in World War I. In answer to our title ‘Theocratic Confusion Resolved” if there was any confusion in our minds about it perhaps now we have some clearer views. AT Jones uses this quote about 8 times in his writings. It’s a good summary of the confusion that exists among Christians.
“There had in fact arisen in the church a false theocratical theory, originating not in the essence of the gospel, but in the confusion of the religious constitutions of the Old and New Testaments” – A.T. Jones
There is a lot of false theocratic reasoning out there and one day we’re going to meet up with it. How will we react in a time of crisis? Will we give way to false sentiments? We don’t want to let the Lord down.
‘Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.” Acts 5:29
We have the choice when the laws of the land conflict with God’s laws. Will we obey Caesar; that is, the earthly governments or will we obey God?
AMEN