Fireproof!

The Biblical Case for Opposing Tyranny, Part 2

The enemy was hurled back by the retreating British and French troops.
—Winston Churchill—

Every collectivist revolution rides in on a Trojan horse of “emergency”. It was the tactic of Lenin, Hitler, and Mussolini. In the collectivist sweep over a dozen minor countries of Europe, it was the cry of men striving to get on horseback. And “emergency” became the justification of the subsequent steps. This technique of creating emergency is the greatest achievement that demagoguery attains.
—Herbert Hoover—

We [Christians] Will Not Be Silenced
—Erwin W. Lutzer—

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Key points: In the war to preserve religious liberty, Christians must understand and advocate unwaveringly for a biblical approach to government (a topic we explored in our last post). Along the way, religious exemptions for government mandates may be needed. A biblical precedent for such exemptions exists and illuminates the way for religious liberty advocates, even as they continue to fight for recognition of unalienable rights over the long haul.

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Part 1 is available here.
A page summarizing both parts in this series is available here.

From May 26 to June 4 of 1940, a miracle took place in northern France. In the photograph at the top, “Soldiers from the British Expeditionary Force fire at low flying German aircraft during the Dunkirk evacuation.” While the evacuation from Dunkirk was not technically a military victory, it prevented the Allies from experiencing what likely would have been total, and perhaps permanent, defeat. As the statement we have cited above from Prime Minister Winston Churchill affirms, even in retreat, the Allied forces kept the Germans from obliterating them. The Allied evacuation wasn’t cowardly, but strategic!

Hitler’s military forces had more than 350,000 Allied troops, most of whom were British, cornered at Dunkirk, a costal town in northern France. The Nazis were about to annihilate them. Fully understanding just how dire the situation was, a naval officer from Great Britain had an opportunity to send a message by cable to London. His message was brief — just three words — but rich with meaning: But if not were the three words the officer sent across the English Channel to his homeland.

The British people readily understood the message. In chapter 3 of the Book of Daniel in the Bible, three Hebrew men who had been brought into Babylonian captivity had been ordered, along with the rest of King Nebuchadnezzar’s subjects, to bow down before a golden image the king had set up. When the music sounded, that was the signal: Bow down and worship the image or “be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace” (Dan. 3:6).

The men’s names in Hebrew were Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, but you probably know them by the names they were given after they arrived in Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, respectively (see Dan. 1:6-7). They already had earned Nebuchadnezzar’s respect (see vv. 19-20), but now they were about to firmly, yet politely, disobey a royal command, even though disobedience would bring the death penalty down upon them.

^{Daniel 3:16} Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. ¹⁷If that is the case [if you must throw us in the furnace], our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. ¹⁸But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up” (3:16-18, emphasis added).

Robert B. Sloan, Bible scholar and president of Houston Baptist University, writes,

“But if not.” These words were instantly recognizable to the people who were accustomed to hearing the scriptures read in church. They knew the story told in the book of Daniel. The message in those three little words was clear: The situation was desperate. The allied forces were trapped. It would take a miracle to save them, but they were determined not to give in. One simple three word phrase communicated all that.

Inexplicably, the German forces held back and failed to act decisively. Word of the trapped soldiers spread quickly throughout England, and the people came to the aid of their servicemen: “They answered” the three-word, coded message “with merchant marine boats, with pleasure cruisers, and even with small fishing boats. By a miracle,” writes Dr. Sloan, “they evacuated more than 338,000 soldiers and took them to safety.”

The miracle, which was multi-faceted, included unusually calm weather. Normally the waters in the English Channel are choppy and hazardous, but remarkably, during those days in late May and early June, “the sea remained unusually calm with little more than a light breeze.” Also, the overcast sky between May 28 and 30 rendered Hitler’s forces unable to bomb the Allies and their countrymen as they performed rescue operations. Furthermore, gentle breezes pushed smoke over the beaches, creating a cover for the troops during the evacuation efforts.

While it’s true a great many wonderful things happened during the evacuation of Dunkirk because of the relentless efforts of a determined, embattled people; it’s also true that much occurred favoring them that they never could have arranged. God was smiling on the Allied forces, making it possible for them to return to face the Nazis and fight them in the future.

Trust God and Do the Right Thing

God delivered Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego from the furnace and taught King Nebuchadnezzar a profound lesson in the process. Also, He miraculously delivered Germany’s foes at a critical point early in the war. Delivered though they were, they had no guarantees. We need to understand something that was clear to the three Hebrew men as well as to the British officer who cabled the three-word message from Scripture to his countrymen: Even though God can deliver, He is not obligated to deliver.

The onus is on us. Will we resolve to do the right thing, even if it costs us dearly? With God’s help, we must do what we know to be right and trust God with the outcome. Relying on Him, we become, in the imagery of Daniel 3, fireproof — not necessarily physically, but spiritually, in terms of our resolve. We become vessels that put God’s glory on display and that further His cause on the earth. More on this in a few moments.

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A fireproof resolve is unintimidated. It is unfazed by threats because it is confident in its stance and trusts God with the outcome.

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Churchill’s Resolve

Here, in the following two audio clips, is the stirring speech Winston Churchill delivered at the House of Commons on June 4, 1940, on the heels of the Dunkirk evacuation. Interestingly, this recording was made nine years later, in 1949; and apparently when it was made, Churchill recited an abbreviated version of what he’d said in 1941. Had the Prime Minister’s speech been recorded live, we would expect to hear feedback from Members of Parliament, as was depicted in the 2017 film Darkest Hour. (Here is a You Tube presentation of the speech with pictures and subtitles.)

Concluding his speech, Churchill declared,

So, I have, myself, full confidence that if all do their duty, if nothing is neglected, and if the best arrangements are made, as they are being made, we shall prove ourselves once again able to defend our Island home, to ride out the storm of war, and to outlive the menace of tyranny, if necessary for years, if necessary alone. At any rate, that is what we are going to try to do. That is the resolve of His Majesty’s Government—every man of them. That is the will of Parliament and the nation. The British Empire and the French Republic, linked together in their cause and in their need, will defend to the death their native soil, aiding each other like good comrades to the utmost of their strength. [Even though large tracts of Europe and many old and famous States have fallen or may fall into the grip of the Gestapo and all the odious apparatus of Nazi rule, we shall not flag or fail.] We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender, and [even] if, which I do not for a moment believe, this Island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our Empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, would carry on the struggle, until, in God’s good time, the New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the old.

Tyrants Must Be Fought on Many Different Battlefields

In our article last time, we began to review a sermon by Pastor Sam Jones titled “The Biblical Case for Religious Exemptions.” That post was titled “Understanding the Legitimacy and Limits of Various Spheres of Authority” and subtitled “The Biblical Case for Opposing Tyranny, Part “1.” Obviously, this is “Fireproof: The Biblical Case for Opposing Tyranny, Part 2.” I can hear it now! Someone surely is asking, Would you please tell me how the Dunkirk evacuation and Prime Minister Churchill’s subsequent speech relate to religious exemptions? We’re getting there! Consider first that common ground between the soldiers trapped at Dunkirk and the Christian soldiers standing against the “health” mandates of today includes these realities:

• • 1) both are opposing tyranny, and
  • 2) both are fighting for freedom and personal liberty.

To this two-item list let’s add a third and fourth:

• • 3) A strong resolve never to give in is essential to victory. We have described such a resolve as fireproof. It is unintimidated. It is unfazed by threats. Churchill understood the importance of an unwavering commitment to keep fighting, and we must as well.
  • 4) Finally, faith in God’s ability and willingness to bless our efforts to oppose tyranny is critical.

While generally speaking, civil disobedience has not been necessary for American Christians, this is changing. A godless government is prone to act as God rather than perform its duty to maintain order in accordance with God’s design and within civil government’s divinely delegated authority. Those who believe Romans 13:1-7 and 1 Peter 2:13-17 allow no room for civil disobedience are not interpreting these passages properly. Hear the late Dr. Francis Schaeffer on this matter.

God honors those who obey Him when the state demands actions or inactions contrary to His revealed will (see Exodus 1:15-21; Esther 4:13-16; Daniel 3:1-30; 6:1-28; Acts 5:12-32). Further, the Lord is pleased with those who seek to hold the state accountable to divine authority. He does not always deliver, but as the three Hebrew men and the British naval officer affirmed centuries later (as we have indicated), the duty of the one opposing tyranny is to obey God and leave the results to Him. God will take care of His own.

Opposition to Tyranny: Thoroughly American

Rooted in biblical principles, America has a rich heritage of opposing tyranny and upholding liberty. At her inception and for several decades following, Americans far and wide understood what liberty was, from whom it comes, what it costs, and the forces that threaten it. They also knew tyrants had to be opposed. Hear these insights from our nation’s leaders.

• • Thomas Jefferson declared, “Rebellion to tyranny is obedience to God.”
  • James Madison said, “We are right to take alarm at the first experiment upon our liberties.”
  • “A nation of well-informed men who have been taught to know and prize the rights which God has given them cannot be enslaved. It is in the region of ignorance that tyranny begins.” So said Benjamin Franklin. Here is a depiction of Benjamin Franklin’s proposal for a seal for the United States.

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  • Patrick Henry knew exactly which conditions invited tyrants to do their worst. He said, “It is when a people forget God, that tyrants forge their chains.”
  • A number of decades later, former slave and national spokesman Frederick Douglass observed, “The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppose.”

More recently, economist Walter Williams said this: “The moral tragedy that has befallen Americans is our belief that it is okay for government to forcibly use one American to serve the purposes of another—that in my book is a working definition of slavery.” However, sadly, widespread recognition and understanding of liberty no longer characterize the nation.

Here are several truths/principles to remember.

1. 1. Even when it seems you’re standing alone in opposing tyranny, you aren’t. God is with you. Do not be discouraged. Recall that after the three Hebrew men were thrown in the furnace for disobeying King Nebuchadnezzar’s order, the king peered inside the furnace and was amazed. He declared, “Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? Look! I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God” (Dan. 3:24-25). Did Jesus show up in the furnace with the Hebrew men? Some believe He did (go here and here). Regardless, we know He is with us as we rely on Him to enable us to do His will.
   2. It always helps if you can take your stand with others who are like-minded.
   3. Emotions often mislead us. Remember that when Elijah became discouraged and felt he was all alone in standing up for God, God said to him, “Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.” Remember as well that Elijah became discouraged on the heels of a great victory and a mighty display of God’s power at Mt. Carmel.
   4. God loves order, but He hates tyranny. God wants people to live in societies that are ordered but that also allow freedom and liberty. Consider the Ten Commandments. God’s foundational laws are obeyed in society, people are free to work, enjoy the fruit of their labor, cultivate good reputations, enjoy family relationships and friendships, and remain confident about their safety. This is liberty. Americans in the past understood these realities.
   5. As we affirmed in our last post and as Francis Schaeffer has indicated, government is never authorized to act as God. It is divinely authorized to act for Him to punish evil and commend those who do good, but it thoroughly abuses its power when it seeks to impose its authority in other spheres, such as ecclesiastical, family, and self or individual.
   6. While the British Expeditionary Force retreated strategically at Dunkirk, they did not give up. In fact, history makes it clear that the Dunkirk evacuation steeled their resolve. They returned many times over to fight Nazi tyranny. The forces that retreated from Dunkirk were present at Normandy four years later, in 1944. They weren’t the same men in every case, but they were the same military. A strategic retreat may at times be necessary to allow soldiers to regroup, but opposition to tyranny must remain strong, and the fighting must continue.
   7. As Christians fighting for righteousness and liberty today in post-Christian America, we live among millions who have no idea what the words But if not… mean. In fact, a great many churchgoers don’t know what they mean. We who do understand what they mean need to demonstrate their practical meaning to people inside the church as well as outside. Yes, we need strategies to increase biblical literacy in the church so churchgoers comprehend the significance of this and other biblical words and phrases, along with important biblical teachings, concepts, and ideas. But we also need to remember that, like Nebuchadnezzar, people who don’t know the Lord may very well learn about Him as they watch us remain faithful to Him in the midst of the fire.
   8. Battles are heating up. In an article in the Washington Times dated Saturday, October 2, conservative Christian statesman Dr. Everett Piper noted that “National School Boards Association declares conservative parents to be domestic terrorists.” Domestic terrorists apparently are exactly what President Joe Biden and Attorney General Merrick Garland believe concerned parents really are. Here’s the background. Don’t be intimidated! Read “AG Garland Abuses Power He Doesn’t Have to Threaten Parents.” This insightful article is written by legal experts, and it concludes by saying that despite all the intimidation, “parents need not be afraid. It is their constitutional right to push back in legal ways against schools teaching children critical race theory. Go forth to the school boards and make your voices heard.”
   9. Be informed, be respectful, be clear, be tenacious, and be ready to make sacrifices for your children’s sakes and for the sake of your own liberty. Remember last week’s discussion about spheres or jurisdictions of authority. When civil government ceases to protect citizens’ rights and begins to bully churches, families, and individuals to force them to make decisions they alone are authorized by God to make, civil government has overstepped its authority,  is acting illegitimately, and must be resisted.
   10. When faced with a choice of obeying God or obeying the government, we as Christians must obey God. However, a biblical precedent does exist for a person of faith to appeal to the government for permission to act according to his or her conscience. When government allows a person to opt out of a mandate that would violate that person’s conscience, God has cleared a path down which the individual is wise to walk.

The Biblical Precedent for Religious Exemptions

Daniel 1 presents the biblical precedent. Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah — Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, respectively — had been taken captive to Babylon from Jerusalem. They were placed in service to King Nebuchadnezzar, whose training program included a diet for the four men that violated their consciences. Verse 8 tells us that “Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs [the one who had been given responsibility for the four men] that he might not defile himself.”

The Lord “had brought Daniel into the favor and goodwill of the chief of the eunuchs” (v. 9), a man who, understandably, feared for his life if those in his charge departed from the established protocol. Wanting a peaceful solution, Daniel proposed a trial period of ten days, during which he and his friends would be given “vegetables to eat and water to drink” (v. 12). The request was approved, and 

at the end of the days, when the king had said that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. ¹⁹ Then the king interviewed them, and among them all none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; therefore they served before the king. ²⁰ And in all matters of wisdom and understanding about which the king examined them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers who were in all his realm. ²¹ Thus Daniel continued until the first year of King Cyrus (vv. 18-21).

Hear Pastor Sam Jones expound on and apply this passage in this four-and-a-half minute clip from his sermon.

The Bottom Line

Christians must respect and obey all lawful and legitimate authority. Accordingly, they will rightly welcome a civil government’s willingness not to force them to act in violation of their consciences. At the same time, they also must insist that it isn’t government’s job to allow people to operate according to their sincerely held beliefs, but to protect the people’s right to do so, as long as their beliefs don’t violate the rights of others.

Our resolve to contend unwaveringly for conscience rights and authentic religious liberty must be unbending, indestructible, and yes, fireproof. With God’s help, it can be and it will be. We, along with the British naval officer at Dunkirk in 1940, echo the words of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego:

But if not…

 We must never surrender on government recognition of God-given rights.

Why is this so important? Because the state isn’t God.

God is.

 

Copyright © 2021 by B. Nathaniel Sullivan. All rights reserved.

 

Sermon by Pastor Sam Jones — audio in four parts:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

 

Pastor Sam Jones presented the content of his sermon in an article published in the Iowa Standard here.

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture has been taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

image credit: map of Dunkirk evacuation routes