The Idol of Nationalism

The evidence is clear. America was founded with the intent to make it a Christian nation. Christopher Columbus’ journal confirms that he believed God had given him the idea to sail west into the Atlantic Ocean to find a new passageway from Europe to the West Indies. Columbus, on his way to a new land wrote his first name Christopher, Christo-feren which in Latin means "Christ-bearer." Once the new world was discovered missionaries from Spain and France came exploring and spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ. When England began colonizing America they sent over a mix of people. Some wanted to preach and live the gospel in the new land while others only looked for financial gain. Among the Pilgrims and Puritans that arrived from Great Britain were people with pure motives. They wanted to secure a land where they could live out their faith in freedom. The laws that they established as well as their business practices set a standard for the rest of the colonies. The manner the Pilgrims and Puritans practiced their faith was based on a biblical foundation and was later responsible for the promotion of equality of all men before God, the blessing of a hard, honest days work, and the laws adopted by local governments. The eventual Constitution and Bill of Rights that govern this land recognized the Christian Ethic, its foundation and securing of freedom of religion was based on the biblical principle that Government cannot instill faith in the heart of man, only God can.

From the testimonies of the framers of the Constitution and its interpretation by Federal Judges one hundred years and more later, there was a clear understanding that although Christianity would not be named the state religion, it was the framework from which the laws and rights of the citizens of this nation were based.

It is also clear that the leaders of the two major political parties today shy away from such conclusions. The spirit of tolerance has infected many and one result is a blind denial of our past. There is a re-writing of history going on that may eventually result in the down fall of the United States as it once was in its greatest days and as we know it today. It might seem right to use this pulpit as a means to motivate you individually to become more involved in politics in order to preserve this great nation. That will not be done, however, and here is why.

I consider myself a patriot. I like to believe that if I lived during the time of the Revolutionary War I would have fought to protect my land and family as well as to preserve the principle of freedom. I like to believe I would have answered the call oversees to fight in World War I. I like to believe I would have been as indignant and brave as those who sacrificed so much to literally save the world from tyranny during World War II. I want to believe that I would have went to Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf and Iraq if I was called upon, not because I understood all that was being fought for but because my nation called and I answered. I have great respect for those who have served and are serving this nation in military service. However…. It is the however that makes me a bit nervous this morning. I am nervous because I am aware that I am speaking to citizens of the United States. Knowing you as I do I am aware that even though there are political differences among us each of you believes this is the best country in the world. You are proud to be Americans despite all our problems. Therefore, I do not want you to think of me as any less patriotic than you for what I am about to say. However…. If I am going to be honest to address idols of our age I must speak against the idol of nationalism. Nationalism is devotion to the interests or culture of one’s own nation. As an idol it is devotion to one’s own nation above all else. What is contrary to nationalism as far as Christians are concerned is the Kingdom of God.

Question yourself for a moment asking if you are willing to accept the downfall the United Sates for the Kingdom of God to be established on earth as it is in heaven. After all, that is what we pray when we gather and most likely when we pray alone. We pray that God’s kingdom would come and God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven. That prayer surrenders the notion that it will come in a way we desire. It most likely will not. It will be established and is being established as God would have it be and part of his plan may be the down fall of America. The very least we can be assured is that when the Kingdom of God is fully established the United States will be no more. Whether that occurs before Jesus’ return or after is unknown.

It is possible that before Jesus comes again America could find itself at a crossroads. Like the Roman Empire it could easily die from within as morality becomes more and more lax and the enemies of freedom stand at the threshold. Like Israel we could continue calling evil good and good evil to the point where we embrace chains that shackle thinking that in doing so we are made free. While all of this cultural confusion is going on the Holy Spirit would be at work in the hearts of men stirring many to repentance. While the secular world begins to clamp down harder and harder upon people who believe the Bible is the Word of God, that Jesus Christ is the only way and that all other religions are deceptive counterfeit lies from the pit of hell, Christians would finally begin to care less about what divides them and work together to stay faithful through persecution.

In the midst of a crumbling economy, social injustice, moral confusion and religious tolerance upon anything but Christianity, God would raise up men and women who believe upon Jesus as Savior with no pretense. It will be at that time that the bride of Christ, the Church, will be received by her groom. It will be at that time that Jesus could return and the designation of nations would be no more. There would be the Kingdom of Heaven and the punishment of hell, only. The United States would then be merely one of a number of nations that God has used to sanctify his people for the purpose of establishing his Kingdom. I am not saying it will happen this way, only that it could.

The book of Revelation is cyclical in describing the establishment of the Kingdom of God. There are no less than a few times we read a passage that describes the end of Satan’s reign and the consummation of God’s relationship with his chosen people. In chapter 11 we have one of those descriptions. The beginning of the chapter describes two witnesses necessary to confirm a truth viewing the measurement of the Holy Temple. Symbolically it is the Church, the people of God, who are being measured. God is revealing who are truly his and who are not. While the beast and all who follow him rejoice because of an apparent victory over God’s witnesses he raises them to life again and God takes his vengeance on his enemies. At vs. 15 where our reading began, the seventh Trumpet is blown. Seven is the number of completion. On the seventh day of creation God rested because his work was complete. Once this seventh trumpet blows his work is complete, his Kingdom is established. The loud voices we hear are either all of God’s people or the twenty-four elders in vs. 16. What they say recognizes the futility and brevity of earthly kingdoms. The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of the Lord. Notice first that it is called "the kingdom of the world." It is not called kingdoms (plural) but kingdom (singular) for in reality, even though we consider ourselves separate from surrounding countries, countries that are a far off and from those known only through historical textbooks, we are actually one with all of them. We are one with them because none of them, even our beloved United States of America is the Kingdom of God. They are all nations of men.

The loud voices espouse a word of proclamation saying that God has overcome the kingdom of the world and established the kingdom of Christ. The voices of the elders follow espousing words of praise. They give thanks to God because he has begun to reign. Though the nations are angry (note here they are separated for in their anger they do not act as one) God is not detoured and most certainly is not worried. His time for judgment has come and woe to them who do not bow before his throne. The rejoicing of God’s people is not caused by God winning a victory for America, Great Britain, Christians in China or any nation on earth. It is the establishment of the Kingdom of God that matters. That is all that matters. In this passage is recorded the answer to our prayers for as all of God’s people pray for his Kingdom to come and here it has come.

For Christians it is all about the Kingdom of God. We are called to repent because of the Kingdom of God. We are to understand the physical world in relation to the Kingdom of God. Jesus said the Kingdom of God is like a lamp, a growing seed, a mustard seed, a sower sowing seeds, yeast in dough, treasure hidden, a net to catch fish, workers in a vineyard, a wedding banquet, ten virgins, invested money, sheep and goats, pearl of great price, one lost sheep, one lost coin and one rebellious son.

The Kingdom of God is the final reward. We call the poor, the mournful, the meek, the hungry, the merciful, the pure in heart and the peacemakers blessed because the Kingdom of heaven is their reward.

The Kingdom of God is the standard. It is not easy to get into. A person must be born again to see it. It is hard for the rich to enter. The road to it is narrow and only a few travel upon it. It has only one way and that is through the person of Jesus the Messiah. Within it the last are first and the first are last.

The Kingdom of God is home. It is the dwelling place of the Almighty. It is where Jesus is seated as the right hand of the Father. It is where Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us. It is a place of mansions for those whose God is the Lord.

The Kingdom of God is permanent. The United States and all other nations whether a democracy or monarchy, totalitarian or clerical, all are temporary and all will be replaced. You are convinced by now, I trust, that the Kingdom of God is what matters most. An over reaction to this is to care little or not at all for the nation in which we are citizens. I qualify all that I have preached thus far by saying that being a citizen in the Kingdom of God first means that we live as good citizens in the kingdoms of the world in which we reside. We are to obey our governing authorities, strive to protect the oppressed, lobby for righteous laws and vote for those who will protect our God given rights. The difference for the Christian is that the end goal is not glory to the United States but bring glory to the only true God and the coming of his Kingdom.

Many great men have balanced their citizenship in the Kingdom of God with their citizenship in an earthly kingdom. Two characters in history that fascinate me are The Rev. James Caldwell and the Rev. Gabriel Muhlenberg. The Rev. Caldwell served the Presbyterian Church of Elizabeth, New Jersey. It is told that during a battle in Springfield the militia ran out of paper wadding for their muskets. In response Pastor Caldwell galloped to the Presbyterian Church and returned with an armload of hymnals. He threw them on the ground shouting, "Now, boys, give’em Watts! Give’em Watts!", referring of course to the famous hymn writer Isaac Watts. Caldwell later became a martyr when the British burned down his church and shot both Caldwell and his wife.

The Rev. Muhlenberg was a pastor of a Lutheran Church in Woodstock, Virginia. When the news of Bunker Hill reached Virginia Muhlenberg preached to his congregation during a Sunday service proclaiming that there was a time to preach and a time to fight. For him the time to preach was past. "It is now," he cried, "the time to fight". He then threw off his vestments and stood before his congregation in the garb of a Virginia colonel. Later, Muhlenberg justified his actions in a letter to his brother stating, "You may say that as a clergyman nothing can excuse my conduct. I am a clergyman, it is true, but I am a member of society as well as the poorest layman, and my liberty is as dear to me as any man. I am called by my country to its defense. The cause is just and noble. I believe it is my duty to fight- a duty I owe to my God and my Country.

By their actions it appears that these men were convinced that by serving their country they we serving the Kingdom of God. No doubt many British men believed the same. This confusion occurs when we get our sights off of the ultimate goal. For Christians it should have never been to preserve the British monarchy or establish the United States. It should have been first and foremost to establish the kingdom of God. If Britain was to lose respect and influence and the United States was to be established for the sake of the Kingdom then it must be so.

I am quite sure that you have recognized the questions that arise when addressing nationalism from a Christian perspective. When is a war just? Should Christians always fight when their government calls? Is it right for Christians to fight against Christians as did happen in The Revolutionary War, Civil War, World War I and World War II? There are no simple, "yes" or "no" answers to these questions.

What can be proclaimed this morning and understood is that for us it is about the Kingdom of God. When you discuss politics, join a political party, vote, lobby, light off fireworks, read our nations history, join the armed forces, pray for you governing leaders or sing a patriotic hymn it is about the kingdom of God. When that is understood and believed the other questions are much easier to answer. Amen