Historically, when government is viewed as favoring Christianity and legalizing their religion, Christian people live in apparent ease and their enemies become internal ones-those they create for themselves- theological enemies. These men don’t attack the local church with swords, but with Bible arguments that result in a weakening of the local church. However, when government turns on religion and causes local church persecution, true believers scatter much as an explosion sends particles away from a formerly stable center. This persecution ultimately strengthens the faith, causes a geometric expansion of new local churches, and brings about the spread of the gospel. Living now in 2009, we can look back on history and see us coming full circle. Religion has experienced a relatively prosperous and peaceful position in America for nearly two centuries, but that time is soon drawing to a close as government realizes that it is no longer popular in a global community to be considered a Christian nation. As quickly as America became a haven for those people who suffered religious persecution at the hands of their governments and all-powerful state religious systems, America will withdraw its hand of protection from religion and turn its back on those churches which have made America the greatest nation on Earth. This is the lesson of history. This was the Apostle Paul’s experience in Rome as Roman citizen, Jew, and Christian church planter. When Judaism lost its power in Rome and Nero took the throne, Christianity was made illegal, and Paul beheaded. Nero blamed his inept governance and subsequent burning of Rome on the Christians. And, quite possibly this scenario is about to be replayed in the theatre of American history. Some great catastrophe may befall America in the near future, and government may use this crisis to label Christian people and Jews responsible, or at least the reason why a globally Muslim world would attack America.

Government has never been the guarantor of Christian safety and security. The world has never loved Christianity even though it has benefited from its religion. Safety is of the Lord, and if there is a lesson that Christians must learn it is this: Christian popularity is the devil’s Trojan horse, and the church at ease with its guard down and its hand outstretched to government, is a church that will be swallowed up by catastrophe.