“The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God” (Psalm 9:17).

Someone has rightly said that when a nation forgets God they are building their own gallows! A quick reading of the book of revelation confirms that observation. I think I can say without fear of contradiction that our society today is attempting to remove God from all areas of influence and authority. We are on a fast track to “forget” God. But, we need to remember that there is a high cost in doing so.

Historically it seems to be the case that the country who forgets God tends towards tyranny. Just two examples come to mind. The French revolution was really a wholesale rejection of God. It wasn’t just a rejection of the aristocracy. In the minds of the revolutionaries, the aristocracy represented an authority from God, and that could not be tolerated. So, they attempted to scrub God from every sphere of society. Instead of liberating themselves, however, they only consumed themselves at the guillotine.  Another example is seen in communist Russia. The state attempted to replace God, and the people suffered under one of the most brutal totalitarian forces the world has ever seen.

I believe there is a very real relationship between removing God from society and that society experiencing a form of slavery, as they find themselves under the boot of tyranny. But, we need to remember, it is not governments that forget God, it is the people who forget God. Governments are usually an expression of the people of the time. The French revolution was the result of the Jacobins, and communist Russia was the result of the Bolsheviks implementing Marxist ideology – both of which were atheistic in nature.

It has rightly been said that those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it. When we look at the book of Revelation, we have to ask ourselves, how do we get there? During that time the greatest totalitarian force that world has ever seen, will be in power. And God will have been scrubbed from the scene. Well, I believe we are well underway.

There are spiritual forces in the world which seek to lead people away from God. Ultimately, they are demonic in nature; and those forces are a part of the spiritual battle raging around us. But we need to consider that those forces are seen in the everyday arenas of life. One such area that we give little thought to, in regard to spiritual warfare, is the realm of politics. But if the horrific events of the book of revelation are going to become a reality, we need to realize that the field of politics is an important arena in the spiritual landscape around us. Further, we need to realize that those things reported in the book of Revelation are the result of the peoples of the world wanting to remove God from their lives. As such, I do not think the book of Revelation reveals a form of determinism, but is, instead, the natural consequence of a world in rebellion against God. When God is removed from the picture, tyranny and chaos become the order of the day.

There are other examples from history where governments sought to remove God with great cost to themselves. Another example can be seen in the history of Nazi Germany. Most people think that what happened in Nazi Germany could never happen here. Well consider this. Under Hitler’s Leadership, the country focused on five things that changed Germany’s landscape for the worse:

1. Hitler promoted Darwinism as the ideological backbone of his new order. Hitler was “devoutly convinced that evolution produces the only real basis for national policy … hence he consciously sought to make the practices of Germany conform the theory of evolution.” (Arthur Keith, Evolution and Ethics, p. 28.  1947).

2. Hitler was on a crusade to separate the church from the state. He had no problem with the church as long as it understood its boundaries and stayed out of the public sector.

3. Hitler sought to change laws so that what was once illegal would become legal. Of course the best example is seen in his changing the laws concerning the Jewish people. He was able to “legally” devalue their humanity, hence making it “legal” for his pogrom against them.

4. Hitler sought to get the populace to focus on the economy. As the German economy improved dramatically, people were less focused on Hitler’s attacks against the Jew’s, and other undesirables, as well as his militaristic ambitions.

5. Hitler successfully took over the education of children by the state. He said, “When an opponent declares ‘I will not come over to your side,’ I calmly declare, ‘Your child belongs to us already.’ What are you? You will pass on, your descendants, however, now stand in the new camp. In a short time they will know nothing else but this new community” – Hitler, November 1933.

Wow! Take Hitler’s name of the above points, and ask yourself, “Sound familiar?” In our schools we dogmatically teach evolutionary philosophy as fact. For over a generation we have attempted to scrub God from the public square. We have been, and are currently making laws, that make former illegal activity legal – abortion and homosexuality are just two examples. All our politicians seem to focus on is, “It’s the economy stupid” – never mind our current presidents attack on the church, his socialist agenda, his support for Plan Parenthood etc. And the state has a monopoly of education.

It’s time to wake up! We need to redeem our political life by bringing God into that realm; and we should never apologize for doing so! Further, I am sick and tired of people saying that preachers should not preach on politics! King Jesus has been given ALL authority – that would mean He has authority over our politics! As Christians we need to understand that our first loyalty is Christ, not the state.

The reality is that there is no such thing as neutrality. And we fool ourselves to think that history cannot repeat itself. The scary fact is that it is already happening!