Two Empires, Many Nations, One Judge Of All

God has therefore ordained two regiment(s): the spiritual which by the Holy Spirit produces Christians and pious folk under Christ, and the secular which restrains un-Christian and evil folk, so that they are obliged to keep outward peace, albeit by no merit of their own.

— Martin Luther

In my view, one of the problems with "Two Kingdom" (Empire) theologies as held by many Protestants and a lot of Anabaptists is that the two realms are seen as deserving equal priority and allegiance. The result is that many of those holding that view tend to see their secular government as having the greater relevance when it come to the affairs of this life, whereas the heaven-ruled, worldwide reign of God is seen as being mostly about the life to come.

From the Bible's perspective, nothing could be further from the truth. It is the nations of this age that are a transitory "drop in a bucket," who are to be shown respect but not ultimate allegiance, whereas the global God-movement is portrayed as eternal, preeminent, and as affecting every aspect of one's life, relationships and loyalty from the cradle to the grave.

Any form of Christian nationalism in which ones own nation is elevated above all others, and which is revered as "exceptional" and worthy of literally sacrificing one's life for, is a form of idolatry and is a worldview far too small and too limited. 

We need to remember that the US, for example, is only one of 193 nations around the globe, and represents less than 5% of the world's population. God clearly doesn't favor us above all others, and in the final judgment our leaders and legislators will be judged by the same standard as all other nations and peoples on earth. 

According to Jesus, God's final verdict will be based not merely on what we believe, but on what kind of fruit has resulted from those beliefs. In other words, have we been fully converted and transformed from a life of self-centeredness, as demonstrated by the followings:

I was hungry and you_______________

I was thirsty and you______________

I was a stranger and you______________ 

I was naked and you______________

I was sick or in prison and you_______________ 

This is not to say that other issues debated by the world's politicians may not need to be addressed, especially ones that have to do with the criteria above. But followers of Jesus will address such issues not in defense of a particular political party or political platform, but from the prayerful perspective of how policies reflect God's will being done on earth--here, now and everywhere--as it is in heaven.  

In contrast, the following are among  are Ten Commitments many in the nation, including Christians, believe should have priority:

1. To practice the kind of "good stewardship" that enables us to gain and maintain a level of wealth enjoyed by only 1-2% of the world’s population.

2. To maintain the kind of “law and order” that justifies detaining and deporting, without due process, foreigners who have fled here for refuge or whose legal status has expired.

3. To support the kinds of tax and other policies that reward billionaires for their ability to accumulate ever greater wealth at the expense of legislation affecting the less successful poor.

4. To ensure that no transgender persons participate in college sports.

5. To promote being “pro life” as showing more concern for the fate of fertilized human eggs than for the life and welfare of already born children.

6. To withhold needed aid to other countries around the world in favor of putting our own country's prosperity first.

7. To mandate (Judeo-Christian?) prayers in our public schools, and see that the Ten Commandments are posted in every classroom.

8. To maintain the most lethal military force possible, make sure to ever increase the money spent on war preparation, and to arm other countries we favor who are brutally attacking their enemies. 

9. To remove any reference to terms like "diversity," "equality" and "inclusion" from our mission statements and policy manuals.

10. To promote long prison terms for offenders as the primary way to keep our communities safe.

Question: In what way will adherence to the above beliefs be a part of God’s Final Exam?