I Timothy 2:1  I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;
2  For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.

We want these devotionals to be helpful to all who read them. The Bible tells us we are living in the last days. The last days will be noted as perilous times. We can certainly see this all around.
Yesterday, the Rouleau Report was released. This report was supposed to tell us if the federal government had acted appropriately a year ago when it enacted the Emergencies Act. Some of us knew this report would not be helpful. It was organized by a corrupt government who enlisted a corrupt judge to be in charge of the inquiry. You cannot expect good fruit from a corrupt tree.
The impetus for this action of the federal government goes back at least three years. It was all the result of a tyrannical government that wanted to test how far it could go in suppressing the freedoms of its citizens. Canada was not alone in this decision. This was a worldwide decision that had been discussed before it was even announced. The plans were in place and more were added as the scene unfolded.
The Canadian government took some very extreme measures that did not follow any true science. They mandated masks and they demanded social distancing and the closure of businesses and even churches. Families were not allowed to visit loved ones in hospitals and nursing homes. The P.M. insisted the only way out of this situation was going to be through a “vaccine” that they claimed had not yet been developed. There were others drugs that were working successfully to address those who had problems related to the virus. The governments were quick to shut down those drugs and punish doctors who tried to use them.
After they announced the development of the “vaccine” they mandated that everyone should get the shot. Those who refused would be restricted in travel and even in certain work places. There was no recourse. Politicians of just about all stripes agreed to the government’s position and supported the evil demands. Only one party stood against this plan and its leader was arrested and even imprisoned for a time. A few other politicians stood against their leader’s wrong demands and they were fined and some imprisoned briefly.
Alberta seemed to be the worst province to go after religious leaders. Other provinces also attacked some religious leaders, but Alberta was the fiercest. This is interesting since Alberta used to be known as the “Bible belt”.
Eventually many people were so frustrated with the inability to talk to politicians and get any kind of reasonable dialogue going, that a massive freedom rally was planned and enacted. Thousands of truckers and others gathered in various places to express their disgust with what was going on. There were a few that wanted to overthrow the government, who infiltrated this movement. The P.M. enlisted the help of the government propaganda machine (the mainstream media) to exaggerate this situation and he refused to talk to anyone associated with the protests. There was hardly any politician who would talk to them at first. Over a few weeks some realized it would be good to give some respect to this large group of people.
Eventually the P.M. and his goons enacted the Emergencies Act to force an end to what was a peaceful protest against very bad government policies. As I have mentioned in the past, I was never in support of these protests. Christians do not win by such methods. Christians win by serving the true God.
Jesus Christ lived during a time of government tyranny. The Roman government was a wicked government. They had their false religion and they tolerated true Christians for awhile. The false Jewish religions were respected by the government and they stirred up the government to go after true born again Christians. Throughout all the persecution that true Christians faced, they never organized protests to go after the government. Jesus did not do that and His apostles did not do that either.
Jesus Christ was eventually crucified under the support of the governor of Rome. Many of the apostles were imprisoned and treated cruelly and most were killed by violent extremists. Many other Christians were also persecuted and killed. Through all of that, they never organized public protests. They gathered for Bible studies and prayer meetings and they witnessed to others and people were getting saved. True churches were established and the Word of God kept being preached.
Even in the “dark ages” of the Catholic inquisitions, the true Christians did not protest. They did not call on the government for protection. The government was complicit in the persecution of that time. Christians continued to meet and to serve God as best they could. Many true Christians were murdered by the Catholics in those dark days. However, the Word of God continued to be preached and souls were saved.
Today, we live in a time of wicked government as well. Personally, I never expected anything good to come from this inquiry. We have seen enough of the nature of this government that we know they are evil to the core. They have their idea of “misinformation and disinformation”. They have claimed that the science is on their side, when it is not. They have hidden behind the WHO which is a corrupt organization. They have allowed Klaus Schwab and Bill Gates and George Soros and others to influence them. They signed agreements with a few drug companies to develop and distribute the poison shots and many people have taken them. Many have died and others are permanently damaged as a result of the shots. Of course the government calls that misinformation and disinformation. So be it.
Christians today need to continue to have their hope in God. These past three years have been a wake up call. Many are still asleep. True Christians need to gather together in true churches and study God’s Word and pray together. We need to trust in Him to provide for and to protect us in the midst of ungodly governments.
As we have been seeing in the book of Job, God is still in charge. No government is big enough to overthrow God. He is big enough to overthrow governments. He shows us that our hope is not in government. He established government in the first place. His design is for government to function in the fear of God. He knows that most have not. He is in charge and throughout the centuries many true born again Christians have suffered and died at the hands of wicked governments. God knows all about this and He holds each person accountable for their actions.
As our verses state, we need to pray for our governments. We need to pray for the salvation of high officials. Paul was not ashamed of testifying before governors and kings. We should not be ashamed of doing so either. We do not need to hide behind lawyers. We need to be faithful servants of God who trust Him to give us the words we need to speak at the right moment. If we are faithful in our study of His Word, He can guide us in our needs.
Those who are saved need to desire to be able to live quiet and peaceable lives in all godliness and honesty. As we do that, we can impact others for good even in the midst of a wicked governmental system.
Pastor Bartel