Proverbs 24: 21-22
My son, fear the Lord and the king; do not associate with those who are given to change; for their calamity will rise suddenly, and who knows the ruin that comes from both of them?
And in the New Testament:
Romans 13: 1ff
Let every person be subject to the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
When Solomon was mentoring his son, he told him to give honor to both the Lord and to whatever king was in power, and to not listen to people who want to overthrow a sitting government for something different.
Not long ago a man who was advocating "Change" was elected into power, and he decreed so much evil that the people decided to go back to the tried-and-true. Then all the wicked people throughout the whole government who remained after the evil politician ceeded his position tried to remove the new leader, as he was undoing many of their ruinous plans and instituting more righteous programs.
The battle is ongoing.
When Paul wrote to the Romans, he was telling them that the corrupt and morally bankrupt government of his time was to be honored and obeyed, and taxes paid, and given respect. He did not nullify the principle of obeying God rather than man (Acts 5:29), but most governing, even by unrighteous leaders, is not against God's commands. So we must be very careful in discerning when we can righteously disobey some secular law.
If a precept allows something that is unrighteous, we have the choice to not do whatever it is, and to share with others how detrimental it is, in a gentle and patient way.
But if it is a command to do something that God's Word expressly forbids, then that is when we must "obey God rather than man." But we still must refuse in a firm, but gentle and patient manner. If we allow ourselves to become hard, harsh, or condemning, then we have fallen into a trap.
We must build our characters into the character of Christ; producing the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). Jesus always displayed these qualities, even when He was reviling the evil religious leaders: we can read His harsh words, but we tend to not hear His tone of voice, which makes all the difference.
So, obey God and the government, and don't listen to those who advocate change from either. Because both God and the government can and will bring calamity and ruin.
O my Father, I look toward Your righteous Kingdom, in which Your will will be done on this Earth, just as it now is done in Your Heaven. Right now, in this Age, Your will is being done in our hearts and our lives, as Jesus said that the Kingdom is within us.
But I long for the Day when our King will appear and execute judgment on this old Earth, setting up His Throne to rule, for a thousand years, then throughout all Eternity!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
