Government & Rulers - Walter Martin

April 23, 1966

In the 2nd Psalm God tells us the Heathen are "people who imagine a vain thing, kings and rulers who set themselves to break The Bands and cast away The Cords" of restraint of God's Laws and Commandments. In Acts 4:25 the disciples of Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, lifted up their voices in prayer to God, acknowledging the fulfillment of the prophecy of the 2nd Psalm in their own observation and experience as they had witnessed the death of Christ at the hands of the religious and secular leaders and rulers who were now threatening them.

Persecutions among the heathen were supported under the pretense that Christians brought in new gods. The persecutions under the Roman Catholics were under the pretext of the Protestants introducing heresies into the Church.

However, does any know of an instance, among mankind, of rulers persecuting "religion itself?" Well, we submit that the "powers that be" in this great land are doing that very thing today! The ruling and edicts of our Supreme Court is openly and avowedly against: "Prayer," the greatest key to every blessing -- that is, in so far as our children and young people in the public schools! Surely the Almighty did not speak in vain when He said a number of times in His Word of supposedly His people: "Worse than the heathen!"

We certainly should not put all the blame on the Supreme Court! Look to yourselves, as well as the President, the Senators, the Congressmen, the Judges, etc., great numbers of whom either support the High Court, or are more or less indifferent to the whole matter! Is not the great power of the Army, Air Force, Navy, F.B.I., etc., standing by, if needed, to fight to enforce the decrees to prevent prayer in our public schools:

"Prayer, the greatest key to every blessing!" Are not the high and mighty offices and pulpits of the clergy, the great doctors and scholars of the great seats of learning, largely filled with such as are in accord with the persecution of religion itself: "Prayer itself, the greatest key to every blessing!"

When I read the title of the first chapter of Mr. John Stormer's book, "None Dare Call It Treason;" "Have we gone crazy," the answer that came immediately to my mind way: "No doubt of it!"

The heathen had a reason for persecuting. The Catholics had a reason for their persecutions. We asked if any knew of an instance, among mankind, of rulers persecuting religion itself: "Prayer," the greatest key to every blessing Maybe we also have a "first" -- or a "scoop" as I think they say -- in another matter: Does any know of any civilized or enlightened people of history that allowed her citizens to go about in public in near nakedness? Has not that always been reserved for the pagans, savages, and benighted people who sexually live more or less as dogs and the beasts that perish?

But let us talk of a remedy. The Scriptures in Luke 8.27, etc., tells us: "When Jesus went forth to land, there met Him out of the city a certain man, which had devils long time, and wore no clothes . . . !" Read on and you will find that after Jesus treated him and the folks of the city came out to see what was done: "They found the man, out of whom the devils were departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, 'clothed,' and in his right mind; and they were afraid." However, the change was not without cost, somebody lost some hogs in getting rid of the devils, and they did not want to pay the cost. They preferred to have a man walking about naked and full of devils than suffer the loss of some hogs. They asked Jesus to leave! Ruskin said the trouble with most of us is: "We cannot see in a plain way!"

A certain historian says that after the fall of the western part of the Roman Empire, for generation after generation there was murder, rape, pillage, fire, etc., and one thing, and only one thing, kept Europe from returning to the days of the savage and hyena; and that was the humble followers of Jesus Christ. The proud, the presumptous, the lecherous, the coveteous, the hypocrites, the heretics, the apostates and their kinsfolk have got our nation and generation on the toboggan slide headed towards the dogs and hyenas.

It is time for the humble followers of Jesus Christ to get busy and bring our "naked" day and generation to Him who is able to cast out legions of devils and cause her to get in her right mind, put on "clothes" and sit at His feet. An approximate quote of Martin Luther:

"Prayer is the only omnipotent empress of human affairs; by her we can change all things and overcome all evils; mend that which might be repaired and reclaimed, and take away that which is too evil and bad to mend."

It has been said that John Knox prayed Mary, Queen of Scots, off the Throne of Scotland, and maybe to her death at the hands of Queen Elizabeth!"

It may be, for the benefit of some of our modern college students, and maybe doctors and professors, too, it should be pointed out that this was not the present reigning Queen Elizabeth, no indeed, but the great queen who reigned several hundred years ago. Am prompted to make this explanation in view of the meager intelligence some of them manifest in view of their conduct in many schools and universities all over the nation. Also, judging from several letters I have had from some of these "brilliants," the way they handled the subject matter under discussion, it is surprising they are not still "walking on all-fours."