On Wicked States: Resist or Submit?

As the West continues to get worse, how should Christians respond?

It is not always clear how the Christian should pray about certain situations. It is true, as many have stated, that with the Word of God, we have all that we need in terms of how we should live and how we should proceed through life. But still, on some issues – like who to marry or what job to get – we do not have specific biblical instruction. So then we must draw on general biblical principles, get godly counsel, and pray a lot.

But here I am looking at some big picture items, such as the nations, leaders, governments, politics and so on. And one particular example I have in mind is this: I daily pray for the leaders in my state and nation. At the very least, I pray that they are improved or removed. If they are ungodly types leading us down a dangerous path, I pray that they become Christians, or that they are ousted from office, one way or another.

Whether a person is a Christian or not, in a democracy a bad government or politician can be voted out of office – although one can ask just how free and fair our elections always are. So everyone can have at least a small role to play on who our leaders are.

But the Christian is aware of another dimension: the will of God. While this might surprise some believers, God is in fact interested in politics, in government, in nations, and in leaders. So in addition to becoming well-informed about an election and how we might vote, the Christian will also pray and seek God’s guidance on these matters.

When bad leaders and bad governments are voted in, there are bad consequences for the people. I have been writing a bit about Victoria and Australia of late. Under years of reckless and hyper-left Labor leadership, and a very weak opposition, we have been stuck with some really horrid conditions here in Victoria, not least of which with Melbourne becoming the crime capital of Australia.

As I have written, millions of ordinary Victorians are now afraid that they will become the next victim of out-of-control teen crime gangs, armed with machetes. I too go to bed every night fearful of this ugly situation. See more on this here: https://billmuehlenberg.com/2025/08/24/melbourne-mayhem-and-machetes/  

Sure, I pray each night and ask God to protect me and my neighbours. But the real issue for me is how to pray for the government that is allowing or causing all this to happen. I pray daily that Allan and Albo are improved or removed. But it gets pretty discouraging knowing that the far-left side of politics seems to have things sewn up here, and all that the Libs seem to be doing is battle amongst themselves.

It seems we will be stuck with Labor and the Greens and the other radicals for a very long time to come. And then this question arises: What if this government is something God is behind one way or another – most likely as his judgment on a sinful and God-rejecting people?

It is the old thought which Calvin and others have stated: ‘When God wants to judge a nation, he gives them wicked rulers’. I look at this matter in more detail here: https://billmuehlenberg.com/2016/02/27/calvin-on-wicked-rulers-and-gods-judgment/

But then another question arises: If some of these terrible governments and evil rulers are in fact God’s judgment on a people, then where does that leave the concerned Christian? How do we respond?

God certainly brought strong judgments on the people of Israel, and everyone suffered as a result, even the godly prophets. So too here. Yes, Australia and the West DO deserve the judgment of God for their many sins and great wickedness. But when and if it comes, God’s own people also suffer greatly. I fully think these terrible governments repeatedly being voted in here or in Canada or elsewhere could well be God’s judicial abandonment of a wicked people.

But how then should we believers respond? Do we just accept it all as being from the hand of God, and do nothing? Do we remain passive, thinking that to resist is to stand against God? These are all important questions to ask.

Perspectives from the Old Testament

We can learn some truths about these matters as we study the Old Testament. As mentioned, Yahweh at times had to harshly judge his own people. And that often took the form of using pagan nations as his means of judgment. Two main examples are these:

Assyria is used by God to judge Samaria, the capital of Israel (northern kingdom) in 722 BC. But then God judges Assyria. See Isaiah 10 and 2 Kings 17.

Babylon is used by God to judge Jerusalem, the capital of Judah (southern kingdom) in 597 BC. But after 70 years God judges Babylon. See Jeremiah 25 and Jeremiah 50.

Consider Judah a bit further. God told the people what he was going to do through the prophets. For example, Jeremiah told the people that Judah was going to serve Nebuchadnezzar and they should not resist this pagan nation. Instead they should submit to God’s judgment. Here are a few passages on this:

Jer. 27:17 Serve the king of Babylon and live. Why should this city become a desolation?

Jer. 32:5 Though you fight against the Chaldeans, you shall not succeed.

Jer. 32:28 Behold, I am giving this city into the hands of the Chaldeans and into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he shall capture it.

There are clear prophetic words about how God’s people are to respond. While we can glean general principles out of such passages, we cannot import them holus bolus into our situation today. First of all, Melbourne is not Jerusalem. Secondly, Australia is not in a covenant relationship with Yahweh as ancient Israel was.

And thirdly, we do NOT have inspired and inerrant prophetic words today as Israel did back then. So we cannot say with certainty that a Jacinta Allan or an Anthony Albanese or a Keil Starmer or an Emmanuel Macron are God’s instruments of judgment. In which case, it seems that they can be resisted, at least in the ballot box, if not in other ways.

But we still need to keep the bigger picture in mind. While the West is still at least nominally democratic, and leaders and governments can come and go, it is still painful when a wicked state is calling the shots. And sometimes they can stay in power for quite a long time.

We can take some heart from history here. As I wrote in another article, they all eventually come to an end:

There are numerous cases of this where we find terrible things happening. People prayed and cried out for justice, and it seemed so long before relief finally came. Here are just five examples, ranging from the briefest to the longest periods:

 

12 years – Germany from 1933 to 1945, under Hitler and Nazi rule.

40 years – The ancient Israelites wandering in the wilderness before making it to the promised land.

70 years – The Babylonian captivity of ancient Israel from around 600 to 530 B. C.

72 years – The Communist takeover of Russia from 1917 to 1989.

400 years – The oppression and affliction of the Israelites in Egypt (Genesis 15:13).

 

In these and other situations the people of God would often have wondered how long things like this would go on for. They would have pleaded with God for justice, for retaliation, for vindication. Sometimes it came swiftly, and sometimes it came after a very long period of time. https://billmuehlenberg.com/2021/01/11/justice-always-comes-but-it-can-take-a-while/

So let me answer my own earlier questions that I raised with these four brief points:

One. Yes, it is possible that some wicked and ungodly rulers in the West today might be a means by which God is judging a people, or at least trying to get their attention.

Two. Unlike the Israelites of old, we do not have a sure prophetic word about such rulers today. We can only pray and try to get some general principles from Scripture as to the situations we find ourselves in today in terms of governments and leaders.

Three. Thankfully, we do know that ALL these rulers and governments and states will one day come to an end. It may seem they have been around for far too long already, but their time WILL come to an end, so hang in there and remain faithful.

Four. In the meantime, in various ways we can resist them and their evil, and seek to be salt and light and seek to help righteousness come back to a land – at least to some extent.

So stand strong saints. Things might seem pretty bleak in the West right now – along with the rest of the world. But God is still on the throne, and he has not abandoned his people.

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