Adapted from http://jeffry.com/s_w/render.htm

SOURCE:  Great IRS Hoax, section 4.3.9, version 3.31

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"The reward of energy, enterprise and thrift is taxes." -- William Feather

There are several new testament verses that are quoted out of context by alleged government authorities and false churches in order to deceive people into believing that they should support their man-made governments and obey their man-made law.  This, however, is not the case, as God has never given His people authority to make their own law or to walk in the statutes of men.

Therefore, a more detailed look is necessary regarding these scriptures so that the deception can clearly be seen.  One verse that is relentlessly misquoted is “…render unto Caesar!” found in Mark 12:14-17, where Jesus said:

"Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's and unto God the things that are God's." 
[Mark 12:14-17, Bible, NKJV]

When Jesus said this, he was totally aware of God’s Law, and we can be sure that he was not telling the teachers of the law to do contrary to God’s Law.  Let’s see just exactly what Jesus meant by “the things which are Caesar’s” when he said this.

First of all, who was this “Caesar” that Jesus was referring to, but the equivalent of a king?  Let’s see who the king is in our society according to the U.S. supreme Court:

“Sovereignty itself is, of course, not subject to law, for it is the author and source of law; but in our system, while sovereign powers are delegated to the agencies of government, sovereignty itself remains with the people, by whom and for whom all government exists and acts.” 
[Yick Wo, v. Hopkins, 118 U.S. 356; 6 S.Ct. 1064 (1886)]

"The people of this State, as the successors of its former sovereign, are entitled to all the rights which formerly belonged to the King by his prerogative. Through the medium of their Legislature they may exercise all the powers which previous to the Revolution could have been exercised either by the King alone, or by him in conjunction with his Parliament; subject only to those restrictions which have been imposed by the Constitution of this State or of the U.S." 
[Lansing v. Smith, 21 D. 89., 4 Wendel 9 (1829) (New York)]

The real “king” in our society is not the government or anyone serving the sovereign people in the government, but the PEOPLE!  That’s you!  So even if you misinterpret Jesus’ words to mean that we should render to a corrupt government that which it illegally asks for or demands, since your own government calls you the king, then your public servants are the ones who should be “rendering” to YOU!  Render to the king (Caesar, that’s you) his due, which is everything that is his property and his right, including 100% of his earned wage.

“Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’” 
[John 15:20, Bible, NKJV]

Why does the IRS insist on arguing with the King and violating this scripture?  Therefore, covetous public servants in the government, from a Biblical perspective, simply can’t be greater than the sovereigns they serve in the public at large or they are violating God’s law.  Plain and simple, isn’t it?

The other thing that people often overlook in interpreting Jesus passage above regarding taxes is the following question:

“What exactly does belong to Caesar?“

As we pointed out earlier in section 4.1 and as we will point out later in section 5.1.2, the only thing that a sovereign (such as a government or a biological person) can “own” and control is that which he creates.  Below is a list of the many things that God created, direct from the Bible.  He “owns” all these things by implication, which means everything else belongs to “Caesar”:

^"The heavens are Yours [God’s], the earth also is Yours;
The world and all its fullness, You have founded them.
The north and the south, You have created them;
 Tabor and Hermon rejoice in Your name.
You have a mighty arm;
Strong is Your hand, and high is Your right hand.”
[Psalm 89:11-13, Bible, NKJV]

Well, if God created the heavens and the earth, then what else is there?  What is it that Caesar can “own” if he can’t own these and didn’t create these?  Even the U.S. Supreme Court confirms that a sovereign cannot destroy that which it did not create, and that the power to tax is the power to destroy.  Another way of saying this is that the creation cannot be greater than its Creator.

“Woe to him who strives with his Maker!  Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth!  Shall the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’  Or shall your handiwork say, ‘He has no hands?’ Woe to him who says to his father, ‘What are you begetting?’  Or to the woman, ‘What have you brought forth?’”
[Isaiah 45:9-10, Bible, NKJV]

“What is a Constitution? It is the form of government, delineated by the mighty hand of the people, in which certain first principles of fundamental laws are established. The Constitution is certain and fixed; it contains the permanent will of the people, and is the supreme law of the land; it is paramount to the power of the Legislature, and can be revoked or altered only by the authority that made it. The life-giving principle and the death-doing stroke must proceed from the same hand.” 
[VanHorne's Lessee v. Dorrance, 2 U.S. 304 (1795)]

The cite below from the U.S. Supreme Court proves the above conclusion.  The court was ruling on whether the federal government, which was a creation of the sovereign states, can tax it’s creator: a state of the Union.  The conclusion was absolutely NOT!

“The taxing power of the federal government does not therefore extend to the means or agencies through or by the employment of which the states perform their essential functions; since, if these were within its reach, they might be embarrassed, and perhaps wholly paralyzed, by the burdens it should impose. 'That the power to tax involves the power to destroy; that the power to destroy may defeat and render useless the power to create; that there is a plain repugnance in conferring on one government a power to control the constitutional measures of another, which other, in respect to those very measures, is declared to be supreme over that which exerts the control,-are propositions not to be denied.'” 
[Pollock v. Farmers Loan and Trust, 157 U.S. 429 (1895)]

The government cannot tax the labor of a natural person because it didn’t create people -God did!  For government to tax/destroy people who were made in the image of God and are therefore servants of God is an affront to the Creator.  It also amounts to adultery by those who allow themselves to be so enslaved, because they are fornicating outside of marriage with a false idol or god called government:

“For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is His name; and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; he is called the God of the whole earth, for the Lord has called you like a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, like a youthful wife when you were refused,” says your God.” 
[Isaiah 54:5-6, Bible, NKJV]

The definition of “commerce” in the legal dictionary confirms that serving the government or sending it our money is “intercourse”.  Intercourse is illegal outside of marriage.  When we commit “intercourse” with government by sending our money to it or serving it, then we are committing adultery, because government is not our husband: only God is.

“Commerce.  …Intercourse by way of trade and traffic between different peoples or states and the citizens or inhabitants thereof, including not only the purchase, sale, and exchange of commodities, but also the instrumentalities [governments] and agencies by which it is promoted and the means and appliances by which it is carried on…”  [Black’s Law Dictionary, Sixth Edition, p. 269]

The concept of commerce with government being a form of adultery ties back to the theme we mentioned in the previous section, where we said that the government wants you to believe that the status of being a “citizen” is just like marrying the government, and God plainly doesn’t allow that.

Extending these timeless principles to the matter above of “Rendering to Caesar”: The only thing Caesar “created” was the money with his image on it, so the only thing he has the moral authority to destroy or harm using the money is only the creation itself, which is the money.  For instance, we cannot allow the use of Caesar’s money to destroy, harm, enslave, or control the people who are compelled to use it or we will violate the rulings of the Supreme Court above.  The only way that result can be guaranteed is for us to give back to Caesar’s all of his fake fiat paper money and to barter with gold and silver instead.  That, in fact, is exactly what the original founding fathers did!  We started out with currency based on gold that had value independent of the government.  This is what Jesus was indirectly implying here, and it is the only conclusion consistent with the rulings of the U.S. Supreme Court above and with Natural Order.

The context for the “Render to Caesar” quote above was that the Pharisees wanted to trap Jesus.  They were the teachers of the Law, and knew full well what God’s word says about laws and governments other than God’s.  The Pharisees knew ALL of the following:

They knew that even their own Israelite kings could not make any law, but could only administer God’s law, not turning aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left:

 [Deut 17:14]  [The word of the Lord through his servant Moses]:  When thou [Israel] art come unto the land which the LORD thy God gives thee, and shalt possess it, and shalt dwell therein, and shalt say, I will set a king over me, like as all the nations that are about me;

[Deut 17:18] And it shall be, when he sixtieth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites:  [17:19] and it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life:  that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them:  [17:20] That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand.  Or to the left:  to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel.

Not adding to it, or diminishing from it:

 [Deut 12:32] What thing soever I command you [all Israel], observe to do it:  thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.

The Pharisees knew that it was a sin to walk in the statutes of the heathen, and that if their OWN ISRAELITE KINGS made any statutes, it was a SIN to walk in their statutes as well:

[2Ki 17:6]  In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.  [17:7] for so it was, that the children of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, which had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods, [17:8]  And walked in the statutes of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they had made.  [ 2Ki 17:18] Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight:  there was none left but the tribe of Judah only.  [17:19]  Also Judah kept not the commandments of the LORD their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they made.

The Pharisees knew that God’s people have laws that are different from all other people’s [God’s Laws] and that even in foreign lands they do not keep the king’s laws:

[Est 3:8] Then Haman [the highest prince in the kingdom of the Medes and the Persians] said to King Hauser’s [the king of the Medes and the Persians who reigned from India to Ethiopia], “There is a certain people [The Jews; Judeans who were obedient to God’s Law] scattered and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of your kingdom; their laws are different from all other people’s, and they do not keep the king’s laws. . .”

The Pharisees knew the principle that consenting with a thief, be he king or commoner, makes one a partaker with that thief –and an apostate:

[Ps 50:18] When thou sawest a thief then thou consentedst with him, and hast been partaker with adulterers.

Adulterers—Strong’s reference number:  5003

Hebrew:  na’aph

Definition:  to commit adultery; fig. to apostatize

The Pharisees knew that those who participate in evil through the use of an agent are guilty of the act themselves:

 [2 Sa 11:14] And it came to pass in the morning, that David wrote a letter to Joab [his agent], and sent it by the hand of Uriah.  [11:15] And he wrote in the letter, saying, Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye from him, that he may be smitten, and die.  [11:16] And it came to pass, when Joab observed the city, that he assigned Uriah unto a place where he knew that valiant men were.  [11:17] And the men of the city went out, and fought with Joab:  and there fell some of the people of the servants of David; and Uriah the Hittite died also. 

[2 Sa 11:26] And when the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she mourned for her husband.  [11:27]  And when the mourning was past, David sent and fetched her to his house, and she became his wife, and bare him a son.  But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD.

[2 Sa 12:9] [Then Nathan said to David]  Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight?  thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, [through the use of an agent] and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.

Therefore, by the same principle, the Pharisees knew that participating in a heathen government by financing someone else [an agent] to enforce heathen laws makes the one who pays the tribute guilty of the acts of the heathen government.

The Pharisees knew that those who are obedient to God will not pay toll, tribute, and custom to a heathen king [“Caesar”]:

 [Ezr 4:6] Now in the reign of Ahasuerus [a heathen king (“Caesar”)], in the beginning of his reign, they [the king’s people through their agents, the counselors] wrote an accusation [to the king] against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.  [saying the following:][4:12] Let it be known to the king that the Jews [who obey God’s law, not the king’s law] who came up from you have come to us at Jerusalem, and are building the rebellious and evil city, [from the king's point of view only; righteous and obedient from God’s point of view] and are finishing its walls and repairing the foundations.  [4:13] Let it now be known to the king that, if this city is built and the walls completed, they will not pay tax, tribute, or custom, and the king’s treasury will be diminished.  [They will pay no tribute to “Caesar”].  [NKJ]

[4:16] We certify the king that, if this city be builded again, and the walls thereof set up, by this means thou shalt have no portion [no tribute to “Caesar”] on this side the river.  [KJV]

The Pharisees knew that the throne of iniquity cannot have fellowship with God:

 [Ps 94:20] Shall the throne of  iniquity [wicked rulers] have fellowship with thee, which frameth mischief by a law?  [make enactments or decrees which condemn innocent blood by adding to or diminishing from God’s Law]

The Pharisees knew that the people in whose heart is God’s law are to obey His Law and are not to fear the reproach of men:

 [Is 51:7] Hearken unto me [the Lord], ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings.

[Is 51:12] I, even I, am he that comforteth you:  who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass…”

The Pharisees knew God’s admonition about doing after the manners of the heathen:

[Eze 11:10] Ye [Israel] shall fall by the sword; I [the Lord] will judge you in the border of Israel; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

[Eze 11:12] And ye shall know that I am the LORD:  for ye have not walked in my statutes, neither executed my judgments, but have done after the manners of the heathen that are round about you.

Note:  The Hebrew word translated to “manners” speaks specifically of governmental and judicial activity.  Here, Ezekiel is not speaking of “ways or customs” of the heathen, he is speaking about the “statutes, ordinances, judgments, laws and government” of the heathen.

Manners—Strong’s reference number:  4941
Hebrew:  mishpat
Derivation:  Derived from 8199
Definition:  prop. a verdict (favorable or unfavorable) pronounced judicially, espec. A sentence or formal decree (human or [partic.] divine law, individual or collect.) include. The act, the place, the suit, the crime, and the penalty; abstr. justice, include. right, or privilege (statutory or customary), or even a style

Manners—Strong’s reference number:  8199
Hebrew:  shaphat
Derivation:  A primary word.
Definition:  to judge, i.e., pronounce sentence (for or against); impl. vindicate or punish; by extens. To govern; pass.  To litigate (lit. or fig.)

The Pharisees knew that God’s people do not obey wicked governments that have other gods even if they are thrown into a fiery furnace:

 [Dan 3:16] Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter.  [3:17] If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king.  

[3:18] But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”  [NIV]

[3:19]  Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury, and the expression on his face changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego.  Therefore he spoke and commanded that they heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated.  [3:20] And he commanded certain mighty men of valor who were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Negro, and cast them into the burning fiery furnace.  [NKJ]

The Pharisees knew that God’s people do not obey wicked governments even if they are thrown into a lion’s den:

 [Dan 6:7]  All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, and the princes, the counselors, and the captains, have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a firm decree, that whosoever shall ask a petition of any god or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions.  [Dan 6:10] Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.  

[Dan 6:16] Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. . .”

The Pharisees knew that those who have set up kings and princes [governments] but not by God’s hand, have trespassed against His law:

 [Hos 4:1]  [The word of the LORD through the prophet Hosea]:  Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel:  for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.

[Hos 8:1] Set the trumpet to thy mouth.  He [the enemy] shall come as an eagle against the house of the LORD, because they [Israel] have transgressed my covenant, and trespassed against my law.

[Hos 8:4] They have set up kings, but not by me:  they have made princes, and I [the Lord] knew it not: of their silver and their gold have they made them idols, that they may be cut off.

The Pharisees knew that it is a sin to keep statutes made by Israelite kings, let alone a heathen “Caesar”:

 [Mic 6:13] [The warning of the Lord through his servant Micah]:  Therefore also will I [the Lord] make thee [Israel] sick in smiting thee, in making thee desolate because of thy sins.

[Mic 6:16] For the statutes of Omri are kept, and all the works of the house of Ahab [kings of Israel who made their own statutes], and ye walk in their counsels; that I should make thee a desolation, and the inhabitants thereof an hissing:  therefore ye shall bear the reproach of my people.

The Pharisees were fully aware that God only allowed “Caesar” to be in power to prove Israel to see whether they would keep the way of the LORD to walk therein, as their fathers did keep it, or not:

 [Jdg 2:21] I [the Lord] also will not henceforth drive out any from before them [Israel] of the nations [heathen Caesars, etc.] which Joshua left [unvanquished] when he died: [2:22] That through them [the heathen governments] I may prove Israel, whether they will keep the way of the LORD to walk therein, as their fathers did keep it, or not.

[Jdg 3:4] and they [the nations which the LORD left] were to prove Israel by them, to know whether they [Israel] would hearken unto the commandments of the LORD, which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses.

And the Pharisees were aware of the conclusion of the whole matter:

 [Ecc 12:13] Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:  Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

And finally, the Pharisees knew that when a people, and especially believers, refuse to correct or rebuke sin in their society, then the unrebuked sin of even one evil man could curse the whole society and separate that society from the blessings of the Lord.  In the Pharisees time, the evil was that of the King named Caesar, which they could not and would not rebuke and thus became hypocrites, as Jesus called them.

[Matt. 23:23, Bible] “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith.  These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.”

The Pharisees knew their hypocrisy in the matter of rebuking sin at the time they asked the question of Jesus about rendering taxes to Caesar because the Book of Joshua, Chapter 7, written 1400 years earlier, tells the story about Moses’ successor Joshua, who lost a war with the Amorites and the blessings of God because one of his men illegally stole a treasure that was the spoils of war and hid it under his tent and would not confess or right his wrong before God and his people, and preferred to lie about it.  The result was that the people felt guilty and cowardly in battle and ran away from the enemy to become the laughing stock of the land.  They were cursed by God because they would not confront and correct this evil in their society, which consisted of theft and deceit:

[Joshua 7:11-13] “Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them.  For they have even taken some of the accursed things, and have both stolen and deceived [the IRS]; and they have also put it among their own stuff.

“Therefore, the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they have become doomed to destruction.  Neither will I be with you anymore, unless you destroy the accursed [the IRS and the Federal Reserve in our day and age] from among you.

Get up, sanctify the people [clean up this mess!], and say ‘Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow, because thus says the Lord God of Israel; “There is an accursed thing in your midst, O Israel; you cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the accursed thing from among you.”.

Therefore, knowing all of the above scriptures, the Pharisees laid a trap for Jesus similar to the question:  “Have you stopped beating your wife yet?”  They were certain that they could trap Jesus into affirming that either:  it was lawful to pay tribute to “Caesar”, which they knew to be against God’s Law, and thereby condemning him under God’s Law to pay tribute to a heathen government [Caesar], thereby condemning him under “Caesar’s” “law”.  Then the Pharisees could go tell “Caesar”, and thereby get rid of Jesus with the sword of Caesar:

 [Mat 22:17] [The Pharisees sent their disciples to Jesus, who said,] Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou?  Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?

Jesus was also versed in the above scriptures.  He was fully aware that it is against God’s Law to give tribute to a heathen “Caesar”.  He also knew that it would enrage “Caesar” for him to say so.  Jesus knew that giving the correct answer was a trap laid for him by the Pharisees, and he evaded their trap by the following:  He didn’t define what was or was not “Caesar’s.  He didn’t even affirm that the penny with “Caesar’s” image and superscription was to be rendered to “Caesar”.  Jesus’ answer was that the Pharisees should render to “Caesar”, a heathen who did not know or obey God’s Law, exactly what was due to any heathen or Israelite who did not obey God’s Law:

 [Num 15:15] One ordinance shall be both for you of the congregation [of Israel], and also for the stranger [foreigner; non Israelite] that sojourneth with you, an ordinance for ever in your generations:  as ye are, so shall the stranger be before the LORD.  [15:16]  One law and one manner shall be for you, and for the stranger that sojourneth with you.  (i.e.:  death for breaking God’s Law:  [Deu 27:26] Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law [God’s Law, not Caesar’s law] to do them.  And all the people shall say, Amen.)

Therefore, the Pharisees knew that what they had just been told was to render unto”Caesar” what God’s Law required:  death, and since they were declining to carry out the sentence of the law, they were hypocrites, since they were the enforcement officials of God’s Law and knew what “Caesar” was due under God’s Law.  They had also been told that they were doing presumptuously by not harkening to carry out the sentence of the law and they themselves should be put to death along with “Caesar” in order to put their own evil away from Israel:

 [Deu 17:11]  According to the sentence of the law which they shall teach thee, and according to the judgment which they shall tell thee, thou shalt do:  thou shalt not decline from the sentence which they shall shew thee, to the right hand, nor to the left.  [17:12]  And the man that will do presumptuously, and will not hearken unto the priest that standeth to minister there before the LORD thy God, or unto the judge, [and render unto Caesar what Caesar was due, death in this particular case] even that man shall die [the Pharisees, for not carrying out the sentence in this particular case]:  and thou shalt put away the evil from Israel.

This is obviously why the Pharisees marveled at him.  They were not about to tell “Caesar” that God’s Law required him to be put to death, because “Caesar” would have then come after the Pharisees.  In addition, Jesus had just rebuked both “Caesar” and the Pharisees by stating publicly that both “Caesar” and the Pharisees should be put to death, and the Pharisees who hated Jesus knew it but couldn’t go tell “Caesar” in order to get Jesus in trouble.  Also, “Caesar” and his agents didn’t know enough about God’s Law to realize that Jesus said that “Caesar” should be put to death, and “Caesar” thinks to this very day that Jesus was saying to pay tribute.  Checkmate.  Jesus will, incidentally, render to “Caesar” what is “Caesar’s” at His coming:

 [Luk 19:27] [Jesus, speaking of himself in a parable said,] but those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them [kings, “Caesars”, judges of the earth and their followers at His coming], bring hither, and slay them before me.

 [Pas 2:7] [The psalmist foretelling that Jesus will “render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s at his coming]: I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son [Jesus]; this day have I begotten thee. 

 [2:9] Thou [Jesus] shalt break them [the heathen kings (Caesars) and judges] with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.  [2:10] Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: [“Caesars”] be instructed, ye judges of the earth.  [Note: These verses in Psalm 2 are confirmed to be about Jesus in Acts 13:33; Heb 1:1-5; Heb 5:5, and by Jesus Himself in Rev 2:26-27].

 [Zec 14:9] [Zechariah prophesying that Jesus will “render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s” at His coming]: And the LORD [Jesus] shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.

 [14:12] And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD [Jesus] will smite all the people [kings, “Caesars”, judges of the earth and all who follow them] that have fought against Jerusalem [Jesus’ capital city when He comes with his saints]; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.  [Note:  These verses can be seen to be about Jesus in Mat 25:31-32; Mat 28:18; Joh 18:37; 1Ti 6:13-15; Rev 11:15; Rev 19:14; Rev 20:4-6].

Continuing with Jesus’ answer to the Pharisees:

 [Mat 22:18] But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites?  [22:19] Shew me the tribute money.  And they brought unto him a penny.  [22:20] And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription?  [22:21] They say unto him, Caesar’s.  Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s.

 [Mar 12:14] And when they [certain of the Pharisees and of the Herodians] were come, they say unto him, Master, we know that thou art true, and carest for no man: for thou regardest not the person of men, but teachest the way of God in truth:  Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not?  [12:15] Shall we give, or shall we not give?  But he, knowing their hypocrisy, said unto them, Why tempt ye me?  Bring me a penny, that I may see it.  [12:16]  and they brought it.  And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription?  And they said unto him, Caesar’s [12:17]  and Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.  And they marveled at him.

 [Luke 20:22] [The chief priests and scribes asked Jesus,]  Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar, or no?  [20:23]  but he perceived their craftiness, and said unto them, Why tempt ye me?  [20:24]  shew me a penny.  Whose image and superscription hath it?  They answered and said, Caesar’s.  [20:25]  and he said unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar’s,  and to God the things that are God’s.

From that day forward, the Pharisees and the Sadducees would not ask Jesus any further questions:

[Mat 22:46] And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare question Him anymore.  [NKJ]

[Luk 20:39]  Then some of the scribes answered and said, “Teacher, You have spoken well.”  [20:40]  but after that they dared not question Him anymore.  [NKJ]

Jesus was not calling for revolution against Rome, even though it was an oppressive conqueror of Israel.  On the other hand, his apostles refused to obey a government order not to preach and teach in Jesus' name (Acts 5:27-29).   On that occasion, one of Jesus' apostles said "We ought to obey God rather than men."

The same admonition to obey God rather than man is found in Psalm 118:

“It is better to trust the Lord
Than to put confidence in man.
It is better to trust in the Lord
Than to put confidence in princes.”

Finally, the Apostle Paul agreed with and reiterated these conclusions by saying that it is scandalous for Christians to use civil rather than ecclesiastical courts in order to settle our disputes:

1Corinthians 6:1 Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints?

1Corinthians 6:7 Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law [in a civil rather than ecclesiastical court] one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather [suffer yourselves to] be defrauded?

The Roman Tribute Coin

 5. Tiberius; 14 - 37 A.D.; AR denarius; the "Tribute Penny" of the Bible. In Mark 12:14-17 the Temple priests, testing Jesus, asked Him:

And when they were come, they say unto him, "Master, we know that thou art true, and carest for no man: for thou regardest not the person of men, but teachest the way of God in truth: Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not? Shall we give, or shall we not give?"

But he, knowing their hypocrisy, said unto them, "Why tempt ye me? bring me a penny (denarius), that I may see [it]."

And they brought [it]. And he saith unto them, "Whose [is] this image and superscription?" And they said unto him, "Caesar's."

And Jesus answering said unto them, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." And they marvelled at him.

Obv: Laureate head of Tiberius, r. Rev: Livia, as Pax, seated on the reverse. 

 

The account of the Tribute to Caesar is more extensively covered in Matthew, chapter 22.  In this account, and others, the bible clearly shows that as soon as the Herodians understood the answer that they received, they marveled at the answer, and went on their way.  After that time, they ceased to question Him any more. 

When you research out the origin and lineage of the term “Pontifus Maximus”, you find the Babylonian origin.  Essentially, it is saying that “Caesar is God.”  This title was later adopted by the Roman Popes.

Conclusions

Aren't we supposed to obey the authority over us? Yes, as long as there is no conflict with God's law.  Blind obedience to all civil authority dictates, wishes, whims etc. is not always necessary though.  Furthermore, if blind obedience to civil authority is really the rule to live by, I have some thought provoking questions for those who preach that false doctrine to answer:

1. Was it right for Moses parents to disobey the civil authority over them and not kill their baby? The Hebrew midwives disobeyed the civil authority and God blessed them. See Ex. 1.
2. Was it right for Peter and the disciples to disobey civil authority and keep preaching Christ? See Acts 5.
3. Was it right for Samson to disobey the civil authority (the Philistines ruled the land)? See Judges 16.
4. Was it right for the prophets to disobey the civil authority and proclaim their message at the risk of life, limb and property? See Hebrews 11.
5. Was it right for Daniel to disobey the civil authority and pray to God in spite of the command by the absolute dictator not to do so? See Daniel 6.
6. Was it right for the founding fathers like Patrick Henry, George Washington, etc. to disobey King George, the civil authority over them, and begin this great land we now freely enjoy? I suggest you re-read the Declaration of independence and try to see the motive of those great and godly men.
7. If tyranny is not the government ordained by God, is it right to resist tyranny? See the entire history of the nation of Israel in their struggle against various tyrants.
8. Was it right for the Germans at the concentration camps to obey their elected or appointed civil authority and kill the Jews?
9. Have the IRS's chains of slavery become comfortable to you and you prefer them and the peace and safety of not standing for what is right over liberty?   See Patrick Henry's famous speech. It applies very well here.
10. Was it right for the French underground to disobey the civil authority and blow up German tanks, bridges etc during WW II?
11. Was it right for the men in the book of Judges to disobey the civil authority over them and rebel against their rulers?
12. Was it right for the united States to oppose the aggression of Hitler? Sadam Hussein? Japan at Pearl Harbor? Etc.
13. If someone steals your car, kidnaps your kids or rapes your wife will you call the police (use the civil authorities and legal system) and/or defend your family physically and legally?
14. If the pacifist position is what some are now preaching, should Bible colleges and churches expel students and church members who go into the military or refuse entrance or membership to those who are in or have been in the military in order to be consistent?
15. Was it right for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to disobey the civil authority by not bowing on command? See Daniel 3.
16. In Acts 5 and 12 Peter disobeyed the civil authorities over him. He walked past the sleeping guards, out of jail and fled the country. This was illegal for him to do. Is this the same Peter who wrote the I Peter passage we preach from about obeying authority?

When one understands that the answer Jesus gave to whether we should pay taxes was given under Hebrew law, then they understand that the same fate awaits all who pay the tribute to Caesar that God will mete out for Caesar, then we can see that Jesus was clearly saying, “Do not pay taxes unto Caesar”, as was alleged at His trial.   See Luke 23:2, where the people accused Jesus of forbidding the payment of taxes to Caesar, which said:

[Luke 23:2, KJV]  And they began to accuse him, saying, We found this [fellow] perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that he himself is Christ a King.

See also: 1 Samuel 8:7-19 in which we learn God’s displeasure with those who refused to be governed by Him and instead decided to elect their own King [government], who God said would oppress them.

And the Lord said to Samuel, “Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them.

“According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt, even to this day—with which they have forsaken Me and served other gods—so they are doing to you also.

“Now therefore heed their voice, However, you shall solemnly forewarn them, and show them the behavior of the king who will reign over them.”

So Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who asked him for a king.  And he said, “This will be the behavior of the king who will reign over you: He [IRS] will take your sons and appoint them for his own chariots and to be his horsemen, and some will run before his chariots.

“He will appoint captains over his thousands and captains over his fifties, will set some to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and some to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots.

“He will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers.

“And he will take the beast of your fields, your vineyards, and your olive groves, and give them to his servants.

“He will take a tenth of your grain and your vintage, and give it to his officers and servants.

“And he will take your male servants, your female servants, your finest young men, and your donkeys, and put them to his work.

“He will take a tenth of your sheep. And you will be his servants.

“And you will cry out in that day because your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, and the Lord will not hear you in that day.”

Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, “No, but we will have a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.”

What God was saying is that we should not appoint our government to rule over us, but to have them serving us and for God to rule over us as the sovereigns in charge of the government.

“Away with you , Satan!  For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him ONLY [NOT the government!] you shall serve.’” 
[Matt. 4:10, Bible, NKJV]

He was saying this because he knew that tyranny and a dictatorship would be the ultimate result, which would be oppressive and sinful.

“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them.  Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant.  And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave---just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” 
[Matthew 20:25-28, Bible, NKJV]

Is our present government our servant?  Does the Internal Revenue SERVICE serve you?    Our founding fathers ensured that the U.S. government started out in 1776 as our servant by limiting its power with a masterful system of checks and balances.  They did this because the abuses and tyranny of the British king were fresh in their minds.   But since then, we have forgotten what God told us and looked the other way while our President/Congress [the equivalent of the king in biblical times] and its henchmen in the IRS [the king's tax collectors] have transformed themselves from servants to tyrannical dictators by slowly but systematically rewriting the laws because the apathetic populace they created using the public education system they created let them get away with it.  Revelation 18:3-4 describes what the reward is to be for those who seek to be part of such a corrupt government or those who trust in and do not rebel against such a government:  God is talking below about Babylon, which is a metaphor for all the graft and corruption that results from human government unrestricted by the checks and balances that our founding fathers put into the U.S. Constitution and unaccountable to God.    Earlier in Revelation 17, Babylon the Great is described as “The Great Harlot who sits on many waters with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication” (Rev. 17:1-2).  We believe that this great Harlot is really the bride of Christ (His church/people) described by Paul in Eph. 5:22-24 which never married her husband, Christ, and therefore becomes a harlot and commits fornication with Satan.  Here’s Rev. 18:3-8:

“For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury.”

And I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.

“For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.

“Render to her just as she rendered to you, and repay her double according to her works; in the cup which she has mixed, mix double for her.

“In the measure that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment and sorrow; for she says in her heart, ‘I sit as queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow.’

“Therefore her plagues will come in one day—death and mourning and famine.  And she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judges her.” 
[Rev. 18:3-8, Bible, NKJV]

Look above again at what is REALLY supposed to be "Rendered to Caesar [Babylon]" in Revelation 18:6-8:

“Render to her just as she rendered to you, and repay her double according to her works; in the cup which she has mixed, mix double for her.

“In the measure that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment and sorrow; for she says in her heart, ‘I sit as queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow.’

“Therefore her plagues will come in one day—death and mourning and famine.  And she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judges her.”

Notice above the phrase: “in the cup which she has mixed, mix double for her.”  That phrase ought to look very familiar to those who have read the Bible.  In particular, we believe it refers to the following Bible passage, which talks about how to discipline a THIEF.  Babylon the Great Harlot is simply an ignorant people who consented with a thief called government.  That thief was empowered to commit its deplorable acts of injustice by two things:  1.  The vote of the democratic majority; 2. The collective indifference of the people towards the criminal acts of their government.

"If a man delivers to his neighbor money or articles to keep, and it is stolen out of the man's house, if the thief is found, he shall pay double.  If the thief is not found, then the master of the house shall be brought to the judges to see whether he has put his hand into his neighbor's goods.” 
[Exodus 22:7-8, Bible, NKJV]

The phrase “his neighbor’s goods” above, by the way, includes both the labor and the property of your neighbor.  If the government as your agent pilfers or steals the labor of your neighbor to support you by misrepresenting what the tax laws say, then it is a thief and you are consenting with a thief by receiving such stolen property.  Consequently, you are part of Babylon the Great Harlot, and you will get a double dose of the abuse you heaped on others in the process according to the above!

Based on Rev. 18:6-8, the ultimate reward for trusting government to rule us or allowing a king to rule over us instead of God is death and famine.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” 
[Romans 6:23, Bible, NKVJ]

Why is this the reward to be rendered to Caesar?  Because doing so violates the first and most important commandment!:

You shall have no other gods before Me.  You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down or serve them.  For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. 
[Exodus 20:3-6, Bible, NKVJ]

The Bible is replete with examples of those who were killed at the command or with the blessing of God for the idolatry of worshipping other gods. Below are just a few examples:

Ezekiel 9:5 "And I heard God say to the other men, 'Follow him through the city and kill. Spare no one."'

Ezekiel 9:6 "Kill the old men, young men, young women, mothers and children."

Ezekiel 9:7 "God said to them, 'Defile the Temple. Fill its courtyards with corpses. Get to work!' So they began to kill the people in the city."

Ezekiel 9:11 "Then the man wearing linen clothes returned and reported to the Lord, 'I have carried out your orders."'

The only thing the bible says is to be rendered to Caesar is death and mourning and famine.  Render to him his due!  Now do you understand what Jesus was saying and why both the Government and the Pharisees wanted to crucify him?  We aren’t suggesting here that you should take the law into your own hands and subvert the sovereignty of God through vigilante justice in fulfilling Jesus’ command above, but we are showing you what Caesar really deserves and what only God in His righteousness can give him.  Note that Jesus also took the trouble here to hide or encrypt His subtle message, so that it would survive the ages and time and appear in the version of the Bible we have today.  Otherwise, the government would have destroyed the Bible message long ago.

Luke 10:21, "In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent [of the world], and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight."

The Bible is radical and revolutionary when you really understand what God says.  Is it any wonder our Christian founding fathers rebelled against Britain so they could restore God to His rightful role over them?  Those who truly believe that we should "render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's" can't in good conscience support the notion of the American Revolution, which at the time accomplished the opposite goal and was an armed rebellion against "Caesar".