History of Government by Alonzo Trevier Jones

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Mar 23, 1904

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 30, No. 12.

History of Government

By Alonzo Trevier Jones

THE END OF EARTHLY HUMAN GOVERNMENT.

(Concluded.)

WE have now reviewed the history of government on earth. We have seen that every kind of government has been tried, and in every instance has developed unbearable despotism toward men, and blasphemous assumption toward God. In every instance also the government has failed and fallen to ruin—except the ones now existing on earth; and these, founded and conducted upon the identical principles of those which have perished, must inevitably and shortly perish. And this the more shortly and more certainly by the fact that, whereas in every instance in former ages, when governments had reached the breaking point, there were new peoples to arise and perpetuate government in their places; now there are absolutely no new peoples anywhere on earth to take the places of these, and perpetuate government when the ones now existing shall have reached the inevitable breaking point, as have all before them. And this consideration alone makes it certain that when the governments now existing do reach that inevitable breaking point, the only result that there can be, will be the actual ending of all earthly human government. And that this inevitable breaking point is to-day very near, and is hastening greatly in the experience of the present governments of earth, is plain. This very consideration is perplexing the world's rulers to-day. And there can be no other end to these things than the end of all earthly human government.

But that will not be the end of government, thank the Lord! It will not be the end of even earthly government. It will be only, as expressed, the end of earthly human government. For God lives, and He is Governor amongst the nations. And when that crisis comes, which is now imminent, He will take to Himself His own great power, and will reign. Sin has almost finished its course upon earth; the solution of the problem of iniquity is in its last stage; and, presently, “in the days of these kings, shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, and which shall not be left to other people; but which shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.”

The universal failure of all earthly human government is no proof at all of the failure of all government; for in this history of government on earth, we have seen that the universal cause of the failure of government has been

The Failure of Individual Self-government.

We have also found that the universal cause of the failure of individual self-government has been the attempt at self-government without God, and the universal and inevitable failure of every attempt at self-government without God lies simply in the fact of sin. It was sin in the first place that originated any such attempt; and it is sin which, ever since, has frustrated and will ever frustrate every such attempt.

Sin has enslaved every soul on earth. There is power in sin to enslave and to reign over man, and even against his wish, impelling him to wrong. And man, being thus enslaved to sin and reigned over in power by sin, simply can not possibly truly govern himself. The power of sin must be broken and the enslaved captive freed, before it is possible for him truly to govern himself.

And the power of sin can be broken. The enslaved captive can be freed. For Jesus Christ, the Lord, has met both sin and its author on their own territory, and in the very citadel of their own kingdom, has conquered and has completely broken their power; has openly triumphed over them; and leads in His triumphant train every soul who chooses this only true way of freedom.

And this whole story of the impossibility of human self-government, except by the breaking of the power and the reign of sin by and through Christ Jesus, the Lord, is told in a single passage and few words in the Scriptures. And here is the story:—

“For we know that the law is spiritual; but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do I allow not; for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh), dwelleth no good thing; for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not; but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man; but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. . . . There is therefore no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.” Rom. 7: 14-25; 8: 1, 2.

And this free man, the Christian, free in Christ, free in God, which is the place and the way of the only true freedom, exercising self-government with God, and in God, is

The Manifestation on Earth of True Government.

And that true government is not human; it is divine-human; for divinity is the only source of true self-government. The only person in the universe who, of Himself, can in all things truly and perfectly govern Himself, is God. Self-government, therefore, is in truth but an attribute of God. Therefore, divinity is the only source of self-government; and it is impossible for any creature in the universe to govern himself except as he is allied to divinity; except as he is made partaker of the divine nature. And he who is made partaker of the divine nature has escaped the corruption that is in the world, and is delivered unto the glorious liberty of the children of God.

And this is Christianity. This is the way, the true and living way, revealed by Christ in human flesh. And in this divine-human way,

every human soul can walk in the manifestation of the principles and the glory of true government, which is true self-government.

And this manifestation of true government—the true government of self, the exercising of true dominion over self—is greater than is the government of all kingdoms and empires, and he who truly exercises it is greater than all kings and emperors that ever were on earth. “He that ruleth his spirit [is better] than he that taketh a city.” Accordingly, this power of true government—self-government—is truly kingly power. Being from the divinity, it could be nothing else. And He who came into the world to make manifest in human flesh this true government, which is true self-government,—He, when challenged on the point with the words, “Art Thou a king then?” royally answered: “Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born; and for this cause came I into the world [and this is order]; that I might bear witness unto the truth.” And He who was born to the end, and who came into the world for this cause, that He should be King, He “hath loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and hath made us kings.”

Every Christian is, therefore, by creation, and so by divine right, a king. The ambition that has so manifested itself in all ages to be king, has never been in itself a false or a wrong ambition. The ambition itself has been true and right; it is the course, the manifestation, and the aims of that ambition that have been false and wrong. As we have seen in this whole study of government, the manifestation and aims of the ambition of man on earth to be a king have been invariably to gain power and dominion over others; and to govern and exercise authority upon others; while the true ambition and aim to be king is to gain dominion over self, and to govern and exercise authority upon self.

Jesus, the True King,

has made this distinction plain in the following words to His disciples: “The princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them; but it shall not be so among you. For whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister, and whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant; even as the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister; and to give His life, the ransom of many.” Worldly, false kingship is always government of others and the service of self; while Christian, true kingship is always and only government of self and service of others. With worldly, false kingship it is always the ambition to conquer all nations, that they may serve Him; while with the Christian, true kingship, the ambition is always and only to surrender himself to all nations that he may serve them.

And it is the simple philosophy of Christian kingship that Christ is the greatest of all kings; yea, the very King of kings. Because He surrendered far more, to serve far more, than any other in the universe possibly could. And since true kingship is to surrender self to all, that he may serve all; in the nature of things he who surrenders most to serve most, is the greatest king. And since Christ made the greatest possible surrender in surrendering Himself, and He did it for the greatest possible number, that He might serve absolutely all; it is but the plain philosophy of Christian kingship that He is in very truth the greatest of all kings, the very King of kings. And all who in Him, in God, and with God, surrender themselves to all, that they may serve all, are true kings; and are of His kingdom.

The Coming Kingdom.

And this is the kingdom, this is the government which, upon earth, shall presently succeed all earthly human governments, and which shall stand forever; simply because it is the divinely true government. For in reference to the succession of all earthly human governments, it was declared long ago by the divine Spirit that 'the saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever;' and 'the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him.' 'And there shall be no more curse; for the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and His servants shall serve Him; and they shall see His face, and His name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun, for the Almighty giveth them light; and they shall reign forever and ever.'

They serve and they reign. They serve Him, they serve Him in serving others, and they reign over themselves. And such alone is true government, whether in heaven or on earth. And because it is true, such government abides eternally.

And such is Christianity in the truth of it. And unto Him, Christ, the Author and Finisher of Christianity—'Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and hath made us kings unto God and His Father; to Him be glory and dominion, forever and ever. Amen.' And let all the people forever say, 'Amen and amen.'