Romans 13 and Daniel 2: 

The Lie of Ordained Nationalism 

Romans 13 and Daniel 2: The Lie of Ordained Nationalism

Right‑wing evangelicals have twisted Romans 13 into a weapon of nationalist idolatry. They declare their ruler is “ordained by God,” sanctifying their favored leaders while demonizing their opponents. They invoke Acts 5 as a partisan escape clause, misusing apostolic defiance to justify rebellion when liberals govern. This is hypocrisy, delusion, and rebellion dressed in scripture.

God removes kings, God sets up kings, God judges kings.

The Divine Order vs. False Sanctification

Romans 13:1 states that God arranged authority—He set civic order in place. Daniel 2:21 declares that God “changeth the times and the seasons: He removeth kings, and setteth up kings.”

These texts proclaim God’s sovereignty over order and history, but they do not sanctify every ruler’s rise, nor baptize every policy in divine approval. God arranges authority, but He does not script every throne. He removes kings when corruption ripens, He sets up rulers when His purposes demand, but He allows human freedom—even when it produces tyrants.

To confuse divine order with divine sanctification is idolatry. It enthrones human ambition as holy decree.

God removes kings, God sets up kings, God judges kings.

The Delusion of Selective Obedience

The misuse of Acts 5 exposes this selective piety. Acts 5 is about apostles forbidden to preach Christ. It is about gospel proclamation under persecution, not about resisting tax codes, defying domestic policy, or expressing contempt for civil law.

Yet in the fevered atmosphere of partisan politics, evangelicals twist Acts 5 into a shield. They champion Romans 13 when conservatives rule, but they immediately invoke the apostolic right to “stand against” (anthistēmi) when liberals govern.

This is hypocrisy laid bare. Paul wrote Romans 13 under pagan Rome, under emperors who knew not Christ, yet he commanded submission to civil order. Daniel 2:21 proclaims that God removes kings in His time. If God can remove rulers, then rebellion is not the believer’s task. To resist lawful authority simply because it offends partisan politics is to oppose God’s ordinance.

Selective obedience is not obedience at all—it is rebellion cloaked in scripture.

God removes kings, God sets up kings, God judges kings.

The Kings of Israel: Not All God’s Choice

The Old Testament monarchy itself refutes the nationalist claim that every ruler is ordained.

• Saul was chosen but ultimately rejected.

• Jeroboam rose through rebellion.

• Ahab reigned through dynastic succession, yet his idolatry brought judgment.

These kings were permitted by God’s providence, but not all were sanctified by His choice. The record of Israel proves that many rulers were human choices, tolerated but judged. Daniel 2:21 shows that God removes kings when corruption ripens. To claim that every ruler is ordained is to ignore scripture’s clear witness and to sanctify human ambition as divine decree.

God removes kings, God sets up kings, God judges kings.

God’s Dynamic Sovereignty

Romans 13 and Daniel 2 together reveal God’s sovereignty as dynamic providence, not rigid determinism. He arranges order and sets seasons, but He does not script every decree or sanctify every policy. His sovereignty includes the capacity to tolerate human freedom, even when that freedom produces corruption and tyranny. He holds rulers accountable when they corrupt justice.

Nationalist theology collapses under this truth. To sanctify every ruler as “ordained” is to excuse tyranny, baptize injustice, and silence prophetic critique. Daniel 2:21 proclaims that God removes kings; therefore, no ruler is beyond judgment. Romans 13 proclaims that God arranges authority; therefore, no partisan can claim divine endorsement for every regime.

God removes kings, God sets up kings, God judges kings.

Conclusion: The Prophetic Word

The prophetic word stands against nationalist idolatry.

• Daniel 2:21 declares that God removes kings—rulers are temporary, accountable, and judged.

• Romans 13:1 says God arranged authority—order is divine, but partisan convenience is not.

To resist lawful authority for partisan convenience is to rebel against God’s ordinance. To sanctify injustice in the name of God’s arrangement is to betray His word.

The prophetic word declares: God honors freedom, God holds rulers accountable, God reorders history according to His justice.

God removes kings, God sets up kings, God judges kings.