(updated 23-11-20)

In this article we examine a hot topic right now as governments increasingly begin to invade the principles of Elohim directly or under pressure from other players such as the Human Rights arena. Many bible believers have the understanding that the apostle Shaul (Paul) commands them to submit to their government. This is largely the understanding under Christianity but as we have shown ( Do You Really Want to be Called a Christian) Christianity is a false religion of the true scriptures (Genesis- Revelation ), a syncretism of pagan religions which makes the laws of Yah'uah void and Paul was NOT a Christian.

Neither was Shaul a secular humanist such as Richard Dawkins who would love you to ditch the Torah and replace it with his own secular philosphy. Act 24:14  But this I [Shaul]confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the Elohim (pw God) of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law [TORAH] and in the prophets: At first it would appear from  Rom 13:1 that one is being commanded to obey government. But once again, as we always emphasize, context in the scriptures is extremely important. Firstly  when Shaul says "government" which government is he referring to? All governments? Communist governments, governments that prevent religious freedom or secular atheistic governments?

Richard Dawkins the "Happy Humanist" who hates Torah and embraces the idea of eating human meat grown in a lab. Covid-19 is a result of people ignoring Torah when it comes to unclean food:  eating pig, bat , snake etc. see  Listeriosis - Pork To Eat Or Not To Eat

Or is Shaul referring to the context of his day in which Roman government ruled, largely allowing the independent Sanhedrin to rule over its people under Torah, albeit not properly according to scripture?

Well, it would be our understanding that the latter is the case. This is because the people were still allowed to follow Torah although they were under Roman oversight to prevent political uprisings.The Romans were there to keep public order.

Shaul is not making a blanket statement which declares that all secular governments are ordained or commanded of Yahuah and everybody must obey them regardless of whether Torah is done away with. This would directly oppose scripture and Torah. Shaul has made it clear that he is NOT a Christian. He emphasizes that he obeys Torah. He is not some Catholic or Protestant following a so-called Apostle's Creed which opposes and does away with Torah.

It is really silly to suggest that Shaul is referring to governments on a global scale past and future. If this were so then the very existence of Israel, in his day, itself, would have been a contradiction as it was founded by successfully overthrowing previous "governments" of the pagan Amalekites, Philistines, Hittites etc etc... This was all by the direct command of Yahuah. Yahuah was not commanding the Hebrews to obey these governments, some of whom were offering their children in the fire to Molech. Yahuah was commanding that these governments be destroyed and the people killed.

Some will argue and say, well, that was "Old testament" and Shaul is of the "New Testament" which is all about love and tolerance. Sadly Shaul is not speaking about love or tolerance neither ecumenism here. He is talking about common sense in the day of Rome. Jews who resisted the Roman oversight would bring punishment upon themselves.This punishment would come from the pagan government, but also from Yahuah as it was commanded by him specifically here.

So what had Elohim commanded? Shaul in Rom 13:1 says that this government is "something Elohim has commanded". The word "something" has the connotation that this is a special "something", a unique situation that he has ordained. Certainly this was the case since Jerusalem, the headquarters of Yahuah's government on earth, Tsiyon, was now ordained to be ruled over by heathens. This was prophesied since His people had not obeyed His Torah.  Shaul is reminding the people that they must obey what Yahuah has ordained since it is their punishment for not obeying HIS GOVERNMENT UNDER TORAH in the first place. They would not have been in this position had they obeyed His Torah.

But was this unique situation a first for the Jews? No, it had happened before. In fact Elohim (pw God) had warned Israel over and over again that they would be punished for their willful unrepentant sins (transgression of To'rah) . Jerusalem would be destroyed and they would be taken captive to Babylon. He told them to endure their due punishment there when it comes and not resist or try to escape. Those who resisted saw a worse end. So history was repeating itself and Shaul could easily have said remember our punishment in Babylon. Furthermore they were to remember what happened to those who resisted their punishment under the pagan Babylonian government ordained by Yahuah.

Now, could it be said that people who are suffering under a pagan government are under a Yah-ordained government commanded by Yahuah as a result of their rebellion against Yahuah? This might be true and we could easily come to that conclusion but this might also be presumptuous. One would have to look at a nation and see whether they have willfully and repeatedly rebelled against Yahuah's Torah despite being shown the light and truth of his Word, despite being warned by his true prophets.

Many nations or countries appear to have been evangelized and preached to about Christianity by missionaries but sadly this is not Torah. This is not the truth since it rebels against the government of Elohim, it rebels against his law, his very Torah and preaches a false Torhaless Catholic Messiah.

So until nations truly rebel against the Message of Torah  obedience when it is finally preached to them, then and only then, can we say they have rebelled as the nation of Israel did. In the meantime perhaps we cannot blame some for rebelling against a false religion which looks like so many other pagan religions with which it has been syncretized. Right now as I write this I cannot but help think of the this very situation as it relates to Communist China right now in the midst of the corona virus outbreak. Much of the disease would have been prevented had China not followed after pagan Chinese New Year and rather followed the Torah with regards to clean and unclean foods (see Listeriosis- Pork to Eat or Not to Eat). While the USA points fingers at Communist China calling it the "real sick man" in one report, one cannot but help think how the speck in China's eye only reflects the plank in the USA's eye for promoting pork and lobster to name a few and selling it to China. This would make the USA the sicker man since it provides the stumbling block to China while proclaiming to have a bible believing President namely Donald Trump. This of course is pure nonsense.

Yahuah can use this type of pagan rule and oppression to sift his people causing those who are repentant to love and yearn all the more for HIS right ruling and to love his Torah. Others who do not love him, but who love this world, will love the pagan nation over them and begin to do as they do despite his command against such.

This is what happened to most of Israel sadly while in captivity in Babylon and these pagan remnants remain in Israel today. Tel Aviv is a prime example. Secular Israel's very emblem, the Star of Remphan embodies the pagan nature of its very government. Hence there is oppression on people in Israel by Israel. Secular Israel is Babylonian. Hence if Shaul were to preach as he did in his day about the Torah teaching Mashiak Yahushua in Israel today what would the government of Israel do? Would the reaction be worse than when under Rome? Would Shaul have said obey your government or was their a unique situation under Rome which prevented the people from rising up early and stopping the good message? Is this not what Yahuah ordained? Did he not ordain the maintenance of public order to allow the preaching to go on on the roads paved by Rome? Did it not last as long as he had said until the time ordained when there would be uprisings as the people rejected Yahushua the Mashiak and chose rather other false self-appointed saviors to their own detriment resulting in the fire which destroyed their hakal ( temple) and Jerusalem as prophesied.

We see how Shaul does not contradict Yahuah. He does not command obedience to pagan, secular, blasphemous government orders which profane Yahuah's commands or suppress His Word. If this were so he would have not suffered punishment himself, he would have stopped preaching by the command of government. But he did not! He could have obeyed the perverted interpretation of his Romans 13:1 message  and escape his beatings for preaching what his own religious government (Sanhedrin) deemed heresy. But He did not!

Act 24:14  But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the Elohim (pw God) of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law (TORAH) and in the prophets:

2 Ti 2:9  Wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil doer, even unto bonds; but the word of Elohim (pw God) is not bound.
2 Ti 2:12  If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:
2 Ti 3:12  Yea, and all that will live Yah-like (pw godly) in Mashiak (pw Christ) Yahushua (pw Jesus) shall suffer persecution.

We notice how Shaul says EVERY believer who lives Yah-like, that is, obeys Torah and is saved in Mashiak will suffer persecution. So the suffering in Romans 13:1 ."..bring punishment on themselves." is clearly over and above  the suffering  that every Torah believer in Yahushua will receive. It is a  punishment that CAN be avoided while the other is one that generally CANNOT be.
It is ironic and hypocritical how the Christianized interpretation of Romans 13:1 has been so deviously employed to try and keep the government of Yahuah and his Torah overthrown by the very man of perdition himself who sits within the Vatican and keeps his Christian sisters (Prostestants etc) tied to his government by way of his own pagan secular laws and appointed times (SUNday law, Christ Mass, Easter, Gregorian Calendar...) . It is this man of Torah transgression who continues to preach his ecumenical government which tolerates everything but Torah and which does not preach repentance and obedience to the Father Yahuah and his Torah Teaching Son. It preaches Marcionism, it preaches a pagan JZeus god who is chrestos (good) and overthrows the bad "God" and his "horrible" Torah.
These catholic Torahless principles have brought governments of apartheid, slavery, imperialism, class distinction, hegalianism, humanism, communism (which sits in with the pope's World Council of Churches), Darwinism  and of course capitalism, aka Calvinism. Let us not forget that Christianity tolerated the rise of the Christian Hitler and the Vatican was his sidekick.  

The Christianised Roman 13:1 interpretation essentially then does the very thing that it pretends to be preaching against, the overthrowing of government, but, of course this is not a government on earth that it tries to overthrow but the very government of Tsiyon, the government of Yahuah Himself on earth ultimately in shamayim (pw heaven). When nations who have been Christianized realise this and repent then they will love the government of Yahuah over that of any pagan secular one to the point of putting Yahuah before it. This would mean that the teacher will no longer teach if the government orders that evolution be taught as a fact. Or the judge will no longer be judge if the government orders that he pronounce a gay marriage legal. Each with his own moral conviction will no longer do that which contradicts the government of Yahuah and his Torah. It is then that Yahushua will return and those that love him will be forever under the government of Yahuah and all kings and rulers will bow to him.

Let us not be deceived by a corrupted interpretation of Romans 13:1 for this is exactly what the ecumenical Vatican world religion wants and is doing right now, since they want to rule over all nations. The Vatican is already that global leader who so-called Christian preachers (Vatican agents) like Joel Osteen and Bishop TD Jakes bow to. They are trying to fool Torahless people to believe that the Vatican itself is a Yah-ordained government and a corrupted interpretation of Rom 13:1 is aiding that very wicked crusade.

The context has changed. Yes we certainly are in the so-called "new testament", or properly called Renewed Covenant (Brit Chadasha). The context is that the man of perdition has been revealed who opposes Yahuah and His very government and sits on a self-appointed throne as if he is Elohim. Yahushua has clearly said come out of this government - Babylon.
In this case our Mashiak is not saying stay in Babylon and obey Babylon because you need to be punished. He is not saying turn the other cheek (see Turn the Other Cheek) he is saying Yahushua has come to bring salvation and repentance so COME OUT OF HER TORAHLESS GOVERNMENT and obey Yahuah as you are no longer a slave to man and his Torahless government.

The love of the one and only true government outlined by Torah is the ultimate goal of Yahuah:

We are not to love this world and its secular government. How do we know if we love this world and its secular government? For one thing we will want to continue working for it through careers that we know oppose the laws of Yahuah and dishonor him. We then know that we love money and the things of this world more than Yahuah and can only share in the destruction that is coming to these secular governments which oppose Yahuah.
Now we shall remember this verse:


If we place Romans 13:1 under the context of this verse it becomes clear which kingdom ( government /rule and reign ) comes first.
It is not the unrighteous Torahless secular government but the *righteous Torah filled government of Yahuah (Tsiyon).The things that people rely on such as clothes, food and drink (Mark 6:25-32) are provided for by the government of Yahuah the Creator himself and  NOT obtained by the worship of a secular government for which the corrupted version of Rom 13:1 would inspire. This is what UNBELIEVERS do. Yahushua rebukes believers who think like that:


We shall now show how this is reflected in Rom 13 as we read further (this time KJV):


So Shaul clearly says form the start that every soul must be subject to the one and only power (government) and that is the power of Yahuah which is bound by HIS law and not the law of China or the EU or any secular "kingdom".


This verse has been so abused by heathen imperialists, colonialists and the like to justify slavery and any other thing that they deem fit. The powers referred to here are the POWERS OF ELOHIM that Shaul just mentioned, not the powers of earthly secular leaders who only claim to be ordained of such power.


Only when Elohim explicitly ordains power upon somebody then are they ordained to carry out his work. As we have seen this may be upon a chosen servant as in the cases of prophet Jeremiah or Judge Yahushua:

Jer 1:5  Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I purified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.   

Act 10:42  And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to witness that it is he ( Yahushua) which was ordained of Elohim to be the Judge of quick and dead.

So Rom 13:2 is clear that if you resist the ordained Judge Yahushua you are then resisting the power of Yahuah the Judge himself who explicitly ordained his Son as Judge. You resist the ordinance, you resist the appointment of Yahushua who teaches Torah, you disobey the Torah and thus are facing destruction. (This has nothing to do with "touch not the anointed" as used in the abusive context of the charismatic world and similar churchianities)
Rom 13:3 - Shaul then makes a generalized statement about earthly rulers who you normally would obey for your own good so why would you not obey Yahushua his appointed servant who enables you to produce fruit ("good works") through obedience to Torah? This results in his praise.

Rom 13:4  For he is the minister of Elohim to thee for good.

Shaul is clearly speaking of Yahushua's ministry as he spoke of in Hebrews also:


That Shaul is speaking solely of Yahushua alone is made abundantly clear in the verse:

Rom 13:4  For he is the minister of Elohim

1) he uses "he" not they.
2) He uses imagery of Yahushua the appointed Judge:

    Romans: "But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of Elohim. a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil."
   
which can clearly be compared to :


3) Yahushua's judging is in context with the disobedience against the Word (Torah) preached (not secular law):


4) Shaul only then jumps to the ministers of Yahushua who are subject to him in verse 6. They are preaching the word (Torah) the authority, power kingdom of Yahuah.


5) Finally, by mere coincidence, Shaul in Rom 13:7 echoes with Hebrews 13:7

Heb 13:7  Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of Elohim (not referring to secular law): whose emunah (pw faith) follow, considering the end of their conversation.

Following the writing of this article we came across a video by Zachary Bauer (New2 Torah). We do not endorse the teachings of Mr Bauer especially his belief that the Book of Enoch should be part of the bible. But in this video his views are much the same in that Romans 13 is not referring to secular government obedience. He does however offer an even more specific explanation on who the "minsters" of Yahuah are or were.


We  agree with this submission. Now that the Levitical priesthood has been done away with since the prophesied destruction of the haykal ( pw temple) Yahushua has replaced that function as our HIgh Priest. As we stated, Yahushua like the Levites bears a sword.

As Mr Bauer says some Christian quarters will tell you you are damned if you do not obey secular law. At the very same time they claim it is however okay to break Torah since you are "Once Saved Always Saved" and not under the law (Torah) ; this of cours is a damnable heresy. ( See Take The OSAS Challenge).

Conclusion:

Shaul is adressing the congregations as an overseer stirring up obedience to the ordinances of the congregation. He is encouraging the obedience to these ministering servants of Yahushua who are obedient to the government of Yahuah (according to his Torah ) and who preach it. These are not secular humanists teaching man is good without Torah or any other torahless government.

While we at the start generalised that Christianity has perverted and abused Rom 13:1 for its own pagan end we do see the following Christian commentary with reference to it. Meyer at least submits a healthier view, well,  at least the first half:

"...there are limits beyond which imperial or legislative authority may not go. When Nero, according to tradition, bade the Apostle to abandon his faith as the condition of liberty, Paul did not hesitate to say that the emperor was intruding on a province to which he had no claim, and that he must obey God rather than man...

(FB Meyer e-Sword)

However we see how the latter part of his commentary suddenly slips into the mire of humanistic Torahlessness when it comes to community which is often the more pervasive against Torah:

"...So far as our life in a community goes, there must be some form of government, which may be modeled according to the varying opinions of men, whether monarchical or republican, autocratic or socialistic; but when once it has been agreed upon, it must be obeyed, unless it forfeits confidence, in which case a new order becomes necessary."

(FB Meyer e-Sword)

The early disciples' community was indeed largely limited to the Torah and fellow Torah believers in Mashiak while still being under the secular Roman and corrupted sanhedrin governments. The believers however had been clearly told which power was to be obeyed, the higher power which is highest.

Rom 13:1  Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of Elohim: the powers that be are ordained of Elohim.

This Yahushua had himself said when it came to the corrupted sanhedrin government under the Pharisees. They were to be obeyed only as far as their law followed Torah.

It was this higher power to which Yahushua submitted, not man-made traditions. This cost Yahushua his life... BUT earned him eternal life.

Practical Application:

1) Has Yahuah allowed Covid-19 to interrupt the school curriculum to encourage you to take a look at what law you are allowing to pervade your child's life? Has your child been taught to submit to the laws of humanism, evolution and other torahless devices in the class-room. Have you taught your child which law is highest  and to be obeyed? Have you considered home-schooling perhaps?

2) Your boss has offered you double pay to work on Saturdays but you learn that Yahuah has ordained the seventh day (Shabbat) as a day on which no servile work must be done. Whose power will you obey, the power of money or Torah?

3) Why was John the Baptist jailed? Which government was he challenging and which was he obeying?