Power cloaked in the language of God
A special guest post by Ben Kiger
Recently, I saw the official U.S. “Department of War” page post Isaiah 6:8 alongside images of military personnel and their equipment:
“Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?’ Then I said, ‘Here am I. Send me.’”
Image credit: Facebook screenshot
Many saw it and felt emboldened or inspired. Many felt a sense of patriotism. But if your first response as a believer was a surge of “national pride” rather than a desire to examine the passage in its context, it may be time to examine yourself, Christian.
I know some of you may already feel that little burn in your chest. Perhaps it is conviction. Maybe you just don’t like accountability. Now you must choose how you respond. You may become angry. You may want to type a long strawman argument in the comment section. But hear me out first, friend.
The change from “Department of Defense” to “Department of War” is not lost on me. Words matter. They communicate purpose, identity, and mission. As Christians, we should care deeply about such distinctions. There is a profound moral difference between defending the innocent and waging war.
The old Gadsden understanding was simple. Do not tread on me. Defend your neighbor when attacked. That is a far cry from preemptive violence based on words, endless wars, or military actions that leave innocent men, women, and children dead because intelligence proved false, incomplete, or manipulated. We should never become so desensitized that those who bear the Image of God are reduced to “collateral.”
Before anyone misunderstands me, and as I have made a point to explain in depth previously, this isn’t a rejection of civil government or legitimate national defense. I highly respect men and women who serve honorably. My family lineage is full of military all the way back to the Revolution. Yes, there are records. In fact, one is buried in Andersonville, GA where he died a POW. Scripture absolutely recognizes the God-given role of governing authorities in maintaining civil order and restraining evil (see Romans 13).
That is not the issue.
Please don’t argue that straw man.
The issue is the misuse of God’s Word and the point at which actions cease to be true defense and instead become acts of terror against those who bear the Image of God. Defense protects the innocent. Terror spreads fear through violence, often falling upon those who neither chose the conflict nor posed an immediate threat. Children. Families. Churches. Schools. These are not merely statistics. They are human beings created in the Image of God.
The interests of political elites, intelligence agencies, military strategists, weapons and technology manufacturers, or foreign nations do not automatically equate with righteousness simply because Scripture is quoted alongside them. No government, including our own, possesses divine authority to redefine good and evil or cloak its monstrous actions in the language of God’s calling.
There is another important issue that should concern every true, liberty-minded American, whether Christian or not. A federal agency has no business invoking sacred Scripture to promote its mission, justify its actions, or inspire military service abroad. The government is not the church, and the church is not the government. Scripture was not entrusted to the state as a recruitment slogan, a public relations campaign, or a means of placing divine approval upon an earthly power’s actions.
Many Christians would immediately recognize the problem if an administration posted verses from the Qur’an to inspire military service, war, or justify the actions of a federal agency. Would you not? The standard shouldn’t change merely because the text being used is one you personally hold sacred. In fact, because we believe the Bible is the Word of God, we should be even more disturbed when the state appropriates it for purposes it was never given to serve.
The state bears the sword. The Church bears the Gospel. Those are not the same calling.
Many people recognize the phrase, “Here am I. Send me,” because it became embedded in the modern military imagination through the film “Fury.” But Hollywood is not the context of Isaiah. Scripture is.
Isaiah was not volunteering to fight the wars of an earthly kingdom. He was answering the call of the living God to proclaim His Word to a rebellious people, fully aware that he would be rejected. In fact, immediately after saying, “Here am I. Send me,” the Lord tells him to proclaim judgment to a people who would hear but refuse to understand (Isaiah 6:9-13). His mission was not military conquest. It was faithful proclamation. It’s use in this way is blasphemous.
The broader message of Isaiah makes the misuse even more apparent. The same prophet declares, “They will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, and never again will they learn war” (Isaiah 2:4). Throughout the book, Isaiah repeatedly warns against trusting horses, chariots, military strength, and political alliances instead of trusting in God. Yet one verse is removed from that message and repurposed by those in power to support an entirely different one.
This is not an isolated example. I recently wrote about Genesis 12:3, which is perhaps one of the most frequently misquoted passages in modern American evangelicalism. I won’t revisit that here because this is about Isaiah, but it illustrates the same problem. Not only is Genesis 12:3 routinely removed from its covenantal and biblical context, but words are also added to the text to make it say something it never says. We should never become comfortable adding to His Word or removing it from its context simply because it supports a cause we already believe in.
This is how deception works. False teaching rarely begins by denying Scripture outright. More often, it begins by quoting Scripture selectively. It isolates verses from their context until God’s Word appears to endorse whatever ideology, movement, or institution people already wish to defend. That has always been one of the defining methods of cults. They teach people to trust approved interpretations rather than faithfully examining the Scriptures for themselves.
Jesus warned that false christs and false prophets would arise and, if possible, mislead even the elect (Matthew 24:24). That warning should humble every one of us. If even the elect are warned to be on guard against deception, none of us should assume we are beyond being misled. The safeguard is not patriotism, political identity, denominational tradition, or charismatic personalities, no matter how much money and influence they possess. The safeguard is abiding in Christ, rightly handling the Word of Truth, and testing everything by the Scriptures.
Sadly, much of the Church in the West has become so intertwined with worldly power that many no longer recognize the difference between allegiance to Christ and allegiance to the kingdoms of the earth. Rather than standing as a prophetic witness that calls every people and every government to repentance, too many have become comfortable baptizing the ambitions of earthly power with isolated Bible verses.
Scripture tells us, “the whole world lies in the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19). It also reveals a beastly kingdom that demands the loyalty, fear, and devotion that belong to God alone. At its heart, the beast is power without restraint, authority without humility, and strength divorced from self-giving Love. It seeks to justify itself rather than submit itself to God.
When the Church ceases to examine the state in the Light of Scripture and instead uses Scripture to sanctify the ambitions of the state, it risks becoming the religious voice of the kingdoms of this world rather than the prophetic voice of the Kingdom of God.
Christ reveals an entirely different Kingdom. The kingdoms of this world preserve themselves through the sword. Christ conquers through the Cross. Earthly kingdoms seek domination. Christ lays down His Life. One is built upon power. The other is built upon Love.
Jesus did not say, “My Kingdom is of this world.” He said, “My Kingdom is NOT of this world” (John 18:36). That Truth should shape how we read every headline, every political speech, every sermon, and every government post that invokes the Scriptures.
Our first allegiance is not to a country’s flag, a political party, a military force, or especially a politician.
Our allegiance is to Christ, who is The Truth.
No, this post by the “Department of War” does not project patriotism or strength. It reveals something far more sobering than its ignorance. It reveals how easily earthly power cloaks itself in the language of God.
That is precisely why Christians must exercise proper discernment. The misuse of Scripture is rarely obvious to those whose loyalties have already been captured. It sounds righteous. It feels patriotic. It stirs emotion. That is precisely why it is so effective. But when God’s Word is detached from its context to sanctify the ambitions of earthly kingdoms, it no longer points to Christ. It points toward power.
Understand that the whole world is watching. Many are beginning to see what much of the Western evangelical Church has refused to acknowledge for far too long. Believers, do not allow patriotism, political loyalty, misguided fear, or years of propaganda to blind you to what is happening before our very eyes. The evidence is abundant. There are no excuses, friends.
Pray for illumination. Ask God to remove every idol, every prejudice, every erroneous presupposition, and every allegiance that competes with Christ. Ask Him for the humility to let His Spirit correct you instead of twisting His Word, as the evil one does, to justify you in your pride.
Instead, do what the Bereans did. Read the passages. Read the chapters. Read the books. See the evidence. Look at the history. Test everything. Receive the whole counsel of God. The Truth has nothing to fear from careful examination.
The Church was never called to be the religious voice of the kingdoms of this world. She was called to proclaim the Kingdom of God and to call every nation, including our own, especially our own, to repentance.
May we never confuse the voice of the Shepherd with the voice of the state. Please listen to His voice.
Repent.
Originally posted to Facebook by Ben Kiger, Contact him at; https://www.facebook.com/ben.kiger?
Reposted with permission.
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Absolutely well said