The Kingdom of God Is Not an Empire
In Luke 4:5–8, Satan tempts Jesus with power over “all the kingdoms of the world.” All he has to do is bow. Jesus doesn’t argue that Satan has the power to offer them, he just refuses to worship at that altar.
Jesus didn’t come to tweak the empires of the world. He came to expose and dismantle them. Most importantly, not with violence, but by flipping every value system upside down. There’s a whole discussion of “the upside down kingdom” coming.
But for now…
- Empires are obsessed with control. Jesus came announcing freedom.
- Empires demand allegiance. Jesus invites surrender.
- Empires enforce peace through violence. Jesus offers peace through mercy.
In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5), Jesus lays out a vision that would’ve sounded ridiculous to Rome. Blessed are the poor? The meek? The persecuted? That’s not how empires work. That’s not how our systems work either.
But that’s the Kingdom. And the Kingdom will shake empires to their very foundations. Jesus’s kingdom is not built on domination. It’s built on love. Not coercion…invitation. Not conquest…community.
Why This Still Matters
We’re still being offered the same temptation Jesus was. American culture is strikingly similar to Roman culture, and there are a great many Pharisees among us….mostly in the guise of Christian Nationalism.
These powers and principalities say: Choose comfort over conviction. Choose nationalism over loving our neighbor. Choose empire dressed up in religious language—and call it holy.
But Revelation 18 shows us how that ends: with empire collapsing under the weight of its own greed and injustice. God doesn’t save empire. God judges it. We can’t pledge allegiance to both empire and the Kingdom. Eventually, we have to pick.
Where Have We Gotten Too Comfortable?
This isn’t just about politics. It’s about posture. Where have we traded the radical love of Jesus for the safety of power structures? Where have we confused empire loyalty with Christian faith? We have to keep asking.
Scriptures for Reflection:
- Luke 4:5–8 — The temptation of Jesus
- Matthew 5 — The Sermon on the Mount
- Revelation 18 — The fall of Babylon (symbol of empire)
Questions to Think About
Where have you seen Christians confuse empire values with the Kingdom of God? And where are you still wrestling with that in your own life?
Rowdy and Redeemed 