Q. In your article on Politics (E&MS 34:16-23) you said that you were not sure if you would vote at the next General Election . Were you speaking as a member of the outer Church of Christ (local colonies) or the inner Chavurat Bekorot (Holy Order)? Is it not true at Chavurah Bekorot members are discouraged from voting? If so, why?

A. The Evening & Morning Star [1] is the vehicle of the outer Church of Christ and therefore technically it concerns itself only with outer Church matters. The reality, though, is that the outer and inner Churches interface with each other and there is a need for the inner Church, through the Church Patriarch, to teach the doctrines and practices of the inner Church that will allow outer Church members to prepare for their call into the inner Church.

It is worth emphasising that the Chavurat Bekorot lives far higher covenants than the Church of Christ and that the lesser covenants of the outer Church allow freedoms not acceptable in the inner Church. (I use the word "freedom" cautiously here so as not to be misunderstood, for there are two types of "frredom" which I will try to examine later). The outer Church is a learning ground to allow disciples to grow independently in Christ, to be obedient to the basic or foundational Laws of the Gospel and to learn, through free agency, to be obedient to the higher laws through personal revelation, until such a time that obedience to these higher laws becomes mandatory because of inner Church covenants entered into.

Politics is therefore a good illustration of the difference between the ways of the inner and outer Churches, and particularly in the matter of voting. When someone comes into the Gospel as a new convert he has a great deal to learn. He has the Laws of Zion to learn in the scriptures (ancient and modern) and to apply them. If he is converted and enjoys the presence of the Holy Spirit, he will embrace all of Zion's laws enthusiastically for he will know by the inner testimony of the Light that they are true and are authored by the Holy Spirit. His sensitivity to the Holy Spirit will be determined by his obedience -- his trust -- of all that has been revealed by the Lord.

The inner and outer Churches are a bit like spiritual school and university. In school you have certain rules to obey and you are expected to learn certain things, which you are then examined on later. University, by contrast, operates on different rules, giving both greater freedom as well as greater responsibility. That responsibility entails obedience to new rules commensurate with the student's maturity.

A person in the outer Church who has been touched by the spirit of the inner Church will desire the inner Church with all his heart, even if he is not in it, and will, of his own free will, be drawn to its covenants and commandments. He will have a vision of the Church of the Firstborn that puts the outer Church of Christ into real perspective. He will understand that certain "freedoms" granted in the outer Church must be exchanged for a different kind of freedom that requires a greater responsibility.

When I was a child I was "free" to do all sorts of things that I am not "free" to do now. I was not, for example, under an obligation to earn my daily bread as this was provided for me by my parents. But as an adult I have lost this "freedom" to do as I want and must obey a higher commandment, to accept responsbility for my family and provide for their daily needs. This responsibility gives a different kind of "freedom", a "freedom" that only comes with maturity and wisdom, a freedom to see things as they really are and not from the narrow, illusiory perspective of a child.

Members of the local Colonies of the New Covenant Church of God have a responsibility to vote in politicians whom they feel will bring to pass righteous government in their countries. They are responsible to be informed and to judge out of a Gospel perspective. But as a Church member grows in grace, and his eyes are opened to the real machinations of politics, he will gain new perspectives and understandings. He will see that whilst voting in the days of his spiritual immaturity was desirable, and perhaps even accompanied by the witness of the Holy Spirit, such behaviour becomes increasingly more meaningless as he discerns all the spiritual currents in the political milieu. Such a person has begun his spiritual birth into the realm of the Firstborn and will be called to enter that Body or Fellowship and take on higher covenants.

Members of the Chavurat Bekorot take covenants not to be involved in politics in any way, and that includes sustaining the political system by voting. They are able to perceive by the inner eye of revelation that it is impossible to sustain two systems -- man's and God's -- simultaneously. This is not, however, some blind, fanatical, robotic following of a Church decree as is the case in certain religious bodies, but comes as the result of profound spiritual understanding. It is such understanding, mediated by the Light of Christ, which distinguishes those who are born-again in the outer Church and those born-again in the inner.

What does "voting" actually mean? Is it (as one member rescently asked me) irresponsible not to vote? Again, that depends on your level of enlightenment. I can only give my answer which, briefly, would run something along the following lines.

99% of all politicians represent a political party. We have been told that the all political parties are corrupt and anti-Zionistic [2]. With very few exceptions, politicians broadly follow their party line. Much party doctrine involves principles and practices wholly unChristian inspite of other principles which may be in harmony with the Gospel. Moreover, as everybody who knows anything about the history of politics knows, governments rarely keep all their promises to the electorate, for one of two reasons: (1) They are not honest, and/or (2) their policies are, in reality, controlled by the citizens, by "consumer demands".

Let me give an example. Sometimes politicians promise to lower taxes. They may be quite sincere in their desire and their government may even do so. This sort of thing people like. But there is always a price and inevitably what is gained by the person on the street through tax cuts must be lost by them elsewhere. In a capitalist system, which is controlled by market forces and the greed of its people, nothing is ultimately achieved. The poor always remain poor even though they may enjoy brief periods of comparative prosperity. In the socialist system, which operates a command economy, nobody has any real freedom at all, despite nice words like "democracy" being invoked.

Anyone who compares the Law of Zion, which is a United Order system, will know that any Christian values in worldly politics are always smothered by Babylonian ones. Jesus Himself taught that a fountain cannot bring forth both bitter and sweet water, and you cannot serve both God and Mammon (money). Capitalism is money-orientated. Money governs everything. In true socialism, ethics govern everything. God and capitalism simply don't mix. Socialism is, at least in its ideals of equality, Chrsitianity without God and Christ. It cannot work either.

I will be prophetic about this matter so that the people may know. Socialism is, to all intents and purposes, dead, at least the old ethical socialism. The "new socialism" will, in fact, just be a marriage to capitalism. Capitalism is the original Nimrodian system -- the economy structure of Babylon, the anti-Christ political kingdom. There are only three choices to make in this world politically -- and they are between Capitalism (Kingdom of Nimrod centred on Satan), Communism-Socialism (pseudo-"Kingdom of Heaven" without God centred on man) and the United Order (Kingdom of Heaven centred on God and Christ). The world capitalist system that is now arising in the wake of the defeat of communism-socialism is the wineskin of the new Anti-Christ system that will evolve. The point will come when to be a part of it is to receive the mark of the beast because it has a spiritual dimension too. This I also tried to point out in my Morning Star Article. The time will come when even the outer Church will not have the freedom to "vote" for it will be gathered wholly out of the world like the Chavurah Bekorot.

Voting in politics is only a temporary, lesser "responsibility" of members of the outer Church. Once they are called into the Chavurah Bekorot they are not even to do this. The very first covenants they take in the inner Church involve totally abstaining from the political system.

If we really want to do good we will not want people to get more involved with the political system but get out of it. You cannot convert people to two mutually exclusive and spiritually competing ways of life. Coming to Christ is coming out of the world inwardly and in every outer manfestation too. Nowhere in the New Testament do you find Christians in politics. Christianity and politics only "married" after Constantine by which time the great apostacy was well established.

My interview must be seen in that light. The deeper one grows in Christ the more one progressively leaves the world. The boundary between the inner and outer Churches requires a covenant and a sacrifice not only in the matter of politics but in every other area of life also. Responsibilities are relative especially when perceived "responsibilities" are contradictory. Some things are right in certain seasons but wrong in others, a well known New Covenant Christian axiom (but one conveniently forgotten sometimes when people have an axe to grind).

It is my further experience that those who are attracted by lesser, outward "responsibilities" are rarely attracted to the idea of Zion. People turn away from Christ and/or the Church for the most absurd of reasons that would be laughable were it not for the fact that salvation is at stake.

So, yes, it is true that members of the Chavurah Bekorot do not vote in political elections but dedicate themselves almost exclusively to Zionic institutions. And there are sound spiritual reasons for this.

Injustice will always reign in the world. God has three ways of dealing with it: (1) By the witnesses of Christians living the true law apart from the false system; (2) By the activity of those outside the New Covenant who are inspired by the Lord to play their part in world redemption on their own level of light; and (3) By intervening at the conclusion of History when He sends His Son back to the earth to topple all worldly governments and to establish the Kingdom of Heaven on earth in all its glory.

I know where my vote is going and it is not to the Nimrodian system which is in competition with the Lord's. We are under specific covenant to draw away from all that is worldly. We have been called to be "saints" -- which means "separated" from the world, to be a "peculiar people". And that may be the real problem -- people don't want to be "peculiar" but want one foot in the Kingdom and one foot in Babylon....impossible spiritually and impossible actually in this covenant Church.

Footnotes

[1] This was replaced in 1992 by the New Covenant Witness

[2] This has nothing to do with Jewish "Zionism" which is concerned with the Jewish gathering to the Israeli Republic.

This page was created on 5 July 1998 Last updated on 5 July 1998

Copyright © 1987-2008 NCCG - All Rights Reserved