Richard Anthony
Man is constantly telling you that you must identify yourself. Well, please show me from scripture where it says that you must carry papers with you at all times and submit to man whatever he wants. God defines what is good and evil; please show me in the Word of God where it says it is evil to do an act without a license from the government (i.e. such as the act of marriage, fishing, or driving). God does not say this is evil.Keep this Truth in mind...God ordained rulers with only two duties...to reward good and punish evil (John 18:23, Romans 13:3-4, 1 Peter 2:14). That's it! Anything they do beyond this is out of their ordained duties. Ask yourself this question, "Do licenses reward good or punish evil?" No, they do not. Courts are supposed to, but licenses have nothing to do with rewarding good or punishing evil.
When the powers that be say that you have to have a license to do something, we have to ask ourselves, "am I doing the will of God by taking a license?" When one gets a license, it is an agreement with the State to perform a particular duty. You are receiving a privilege, and whenever you receive a privilege from man there is a duty attached to it. And we must ask ourselves, "who are we binding ourselves with?" By receiving a privilege, we are gaining the favor of rulers; but scripture says, "Many wait on the favor of rulers; but justice comes to a man from the LORD" (Proverbs 29:26). We are not to be unequally yoked together with unbelievers (2 Corinthians 6:14).
Papers give status, dignity and privilege to the issuing authority rather than to the bearer — although the opposite is generally assumed. This is equally true in the case of passports, driver’s licenses, honorary degrees, permits to practice law, licenses for marriage, or even certificates of good health. In all such cases the individual unwittingly surrenders his right to assume command, status, or direction of himself in God's terms by acknowledging and then accepting an outside authority’s right to grant these things to him. For example:
- One who hangs a degree on the office wall unwittingly admits that he has forfeited his power of discernment to an institution.
- One who uses a drivers license has forfeited his God ordained duty to movement in exchange for a government priviledge which can be revoked at any time by the State.
- National governments use birth certificates to "prove" that the baby is national property. The birth certificate thus becomes a form of theft, the theft of the child’s true identity as a free child of God to a servant of the State. By affixing a national seal of approval to a child, the state denies the freedom, rights, and dignity that God has ordained in the scriptures.
- A national passport legitimizes and represents the arbitrary frontier of a particular nation. As property of the government that issues it, this license can be denied for virtually any reason. In essence, it is a control device, used by government to limit the movement of its citizens, and to regulate the entry and exit of ‘foreigners. When you are issued a passport, you are actually giving something up — your inalienable right to ‘leave any country’ and return again. In order to travel, you are forced to accept a bureaucratic device designed deliberately to control your movement. In legal terms, such a deceptive inducement to surrender a God-given right is called fraud. Thus, if you have such a document, in a sense you have been robbed. To put it plainly, the national passport system is a swindle, the conscious theft of the individuals right to freedom of movement. In the world of nation-states, claims that citizens have freedom of travel are a hollow mockery. All states collude in perpetuating this fraud, beginning with their use of the word ‘passport’ itself. The name of the document implies that it recognizes the right to travel when, in reality, it does just the opposite.
The basis of this argument centers around two basic tenets dear to all servants of Christ. One: "What is required to fulfill the Law?" And, two: "By whose authority do the licensers do the things they do?" The answers can be summed up in two Scripture verses. To answer the first, turn to Romans 13:8, "Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law." When you have fulfilled the law of God, what other duty is there? (Ecclesiastes 12:13). All other duties are an interposition between yourself and God. Thus, licensure is such an interposition, because it creates a new obligation to another outside of love and God. It becomes an addition to the Word of God. Licensure is not love; licensure is loveless and lawless. The term "license" is from the word "licentious", which means "morally unrestrained, disregarding rules, lascivious".
To answer the second, turn to John 3:17-18. Can the condemned create law? Can one who does not believe in Jesus Christ create law? Can one who only believes in the limited reason of man be fulfilling the Law of God? We shall see in this article.
The spirit of fear always drives you to self-will. The problems and the errors of our ways are from a spirit of fear. If you're going to allow somebody to drag you around with your fears, then you're no longer worshipping God, but you're worshipping the man who has control over you through fear.
When we succumb to intimidation from the godless rulers of our time to submit our private property, our household pets, and even our children to licensure from the State, we are acting as if Christ, the King, no longer owns and rules over all things, but has been Himself vanquished by His enemies. Simply put, we are violating the very First Commandment, which tells us, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me" (Exodus 20:3).
What does God’s Law say about licenses?
- Numbers:
All licenses have numbers attached to them. These numbers are used as an identifier. God considers it an abomination for people to be numbered by the government. For example:In the Old Testament era, King David gave a command to number the people (1 Chronicles 21:2). Joab warned King David that he would "be a cause of trespass to Israel" if he numbered the people (verse 3). But King David numbered the people anyway, knowing it was a trespass against them (verse 4). God was displeased with King David for numbering the people, so God smote Israel (verse 7). David admitted he sinned greatly (verse 8), and because the people themselves willfully took a number from their government, God sent a plague upon those people and 70,000 were killed (verse 14) [See also 2 Samuel 24 for a parallel account].
In the New Testament era, we are told that governments will, likewise, try to mark all people with a number, and that whoever refuses to take this number from the government will not be able to interact with society, such as being able to buy or sell (Revelation 13:16-18). God says those who take this mark will be punished by Him (Revelation 14:9-11; 16:2; 19:20). [Note: the term "beast" is defined as the government of a people; specifically as kings (Daniel 7:17, Revelation 17:10-12), and kingdoms (Daniel 7:18,23, Revelation 16:10) that have power to make war and kill (Revelation 11:7; 17:14)]
Now, most people are taught that the "numbering" of the people, by King David, was simply him counting the people. Well, we have to look at the intention. It is no sin to count people. There are many examples in scripture of counting the number of people in the camps in Old Testament Israel (Numbers 10); scripture records 3,000 people being added to Christ's assembly (Acts 2:41); did the ones who count these people commit a sin? Of course not. Because their intention was for God's glory, and not for evil, selfish purposes.
What appears to us harmless, or at least but a small offence, may be a great sin in the eye of God, who sees men's principles, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. But his judgment, we are sure, is according to truth.
The purpose for numbering people should be done for God's righteous purposes, and not for man's evil purposes. The law that David and the people violated can be found at Exodus 30:12-16. After being numbered, each man and woman was to give money to the sanctuary of God to attone for their souls (Exodus 38:25-26, Numbers 1:2-5; 26:2-4). Hereby they acknowledged that they received their lives from God, that they had forfeited their lives to him, and that they depended upon his power and patience for the continuance of them; and thus they did homage to the God of their lives, and deprecated those plagues which their sins had deserved. The redemption money given was used in the service of the sanctuary to further God's Will.
These people partook of David's sin, and did something to deserve death. Numbers are usually used for commercial and evil purposes by governments, and God knows this. When someone accepts being numbered for any purpose other than God's glory, these people sin. When the people allow themselves to be numbered and tracked by the government for their own purposes, that is when both the people and the government have sinned.
To accept a license from the government is to replace the name given by God with a number given by man.
- Date of birth:
The government will not give you a license unless you tell them when and where you were born. Now, there’s a problem with this. A bondservant of Christ is to always tell the Truth (Zechariah 8:16, Ephesians 4:25). But if a bondservant tells somebody when or where they were born, they would be lying. Simply because nobody remembers the day they were born! To venture a guess would be telling a lie. It would be a conclusion based upon hearsay only. Hearsay is not the truth.For example, in a court of law, before someone takes the stand, they swear, "To tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth". Now, if a witness is asked a question about the date of a particular event that happened in the passed, and the witness on the stand says, "Well, I do not have any recollection of that event at all! But my mother says it occurred at…". Objection! This statement that "someone else" told him "when" it happened is not allowed in court because it is based upon hearsay, and the law says hearsay is not the truth. If a witness did not witness an event, they cannot claim to be a witness! Period.
Someone may object by saying, "Well, if you believe in scripture, that's hearsay." But the scripture itself is not hearsay, it is a testimony, recognized by Law as Truth. Someone may also object by saying, "Well, a birth certificate is a signed testimony. Therefore, one knows when one was born if they have a birth certificate." Again, this is hearsay.
For instance, if I got on the witness stand, and was asked my birthdate, and reply, "Well, according to this birth certificate, it says I was born on so and so," the court would not admit my testimony as evidence. What good will it do to enter as evidence someone saying, "This birth certificate says so and so." The jury can see for themselves what it says! My testimony would be meaningless. I did not witness that event. Likewise, 500 people can get on that stand and say, "According to this birth certificate, it says he was born on so and so." All 500 testimonies are meaningless. Now, the court can enter the birth certificate itself as evidence, what the certificate says may be evidence, but not what someone says the certificate says. That's hearsay. On the other hand, if a nurse went on the stand and said, "I witnessed his birth." Well, now her testimony can be entered into evidence because her testimony is evidence of an event. However, someone simply saying, "This birth certificate says..." is not a witness of the birth.
Some may say, "Well, you're not in court when a cop asks you when you were born." This is not true. We set a record of our walk on earth every day. Everything you say to a cop may be used against you in a court of law. Therefore, "court" does not begin when you swear an oath to tell the truth on the stand, "court" does not only begin when the blue lights start flashing in your rear-view mirror, "court" takes place every second of every day of your life. We are not to tell the truth just when we're on the witness stand, we are to speak the truth always.
In addition, if someone asked us when we were born, they are asking us to be a witness against ourselves! They are asking us to give them information to use against us. It is their duty to gather evidence, it is not our duty to do their job for them and give them evidence to persecute us with. It is against their own laws for them to do this, as verified by their Constitution!
When someone is asked when or where they were born, do they answer according to their own personal memory of that event, or by hearsay? They go by hearsay; by what someone else told them, or by what a piece of paper tells them. The disciples of Christ are witnesses (1 Thessalonians 2:10). Therefore, we cannot answer that question truthfully as to when or where we were born because we were not a witness to that event. Remember, when you sign a license, you are swearing that you are a witness to everything stated on that piece of paper. God’s Ninth Commandment tells us never to bear false witness (Exodus 20:16, Deuteronomy 5:20), but this is exactly what one does (though unintentional it may be) when they claim they are a witness to ones birth, or if they rely upon hearsay (which is not the truth, according to both man’s law and God’s Law).
"Testimony by a witness in court in response to a question as to his own status, for example age, legitimacy, nationality, is closely related to the subject of pedigree declaration (pedigree has to do with animals). A person cannot know these facts except from hearsay information, for he cannot even be informed of these facts until an appreciative time after his birth." People v. Rath, 115 Ca.132.So, your birth date is hearsay information. This is a presumption, and they want you to confirm those presumptions. And you avoid confirming those presumptions and you rebut that with the Word of God. When someone wants to identify you, you tell them who you are according to the Word of God; how He has described you, and not how the world would like you to be described.
- Name:
Names, in general, are given by those in authority to those in subjection to that authority, to mark and note them.
God calls his servants by name (Isaiah 43:1; 45:3; John 10:3, Revelation 2:17). Everyone’s name is sacred, it demands respect as a sign of the dignity of the one who bears it. Now, here’s a question for you, dear reader. Have you ever, in your entire life, "signed" your name in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS? Of course not! Haven’t you always used both upper and lower case letters to sign your name? Yes. And why is that? Because that is what you have been taught since a child. Because the standard Rule of Law governing the use of English Grammar states that the correct Capitalization of Proper Names must begin with a capital letter, and the rest of the name must be spelled in smaller case letters. At Law, this lets others know you are an entity created by God, and not an entity created by man.
Now, there are entities created by man. Corporations for example. Corporations are known as "persons" created by the government. They are created on a piece of paper and brought into existence by the government. To differentiate between those created by God and those created by the government, those created by the government have their names spelled in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS. This lets others know that this entity does not have a body, soul, and spirit like man has, but that this is a fictitious entity created for the purpose of making a profit.
Now, if you look at a license, you will notice the name that appears on it is spelled in all capital letters! What this means, at law, is that the entity that is named on this license is a creature of the government, and not a creature of God. It means that entity is a servant of Caesar, and not a servant of God. In order to get a license, one must substitute one’s lawfully spelled name for a fictitiously spelled name; you must deny the name given to you by God, and accept a name given to you by Caesar in its place. Since your name is not spelled in all capital letters, the name that appears on a license is not yours! That is not who you are. And you must lie and say that this name is yours to get a license.
James 2:6-7, "…Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats? Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called?"
- Address:
Again, an address uses numbers forced by the government, including the house number, street number, and zip code [See #1 above]. These are fictions and do not exist at law. For example, the Rule of Law governing the English Language states that all numbers must be spelled out! That's why in scripture, all numbers are spelled out completely (note: chapter and verse numbers were added by man for a reference and are no part of scripture). That's why on dollar bills, you see the amount of the dollar bill spelled out completely (FIVE DOLLARS). If the writer of a bank check does not spell the amount of the check completely, the bank will not cash that check, because it is not a lawful document until all numbers are spelled out according to the law.
- State:
A license has a two letter word in place of the State’s name. Many people assume this is an abbreviation for their State, but it is not. The Rule of Law governing the use of English Grammar and Correct Punctuation states that all abbreviations must have a period after it, otherwise it is no abbreviation at all. For example, the abbreviation "No." with a period after it, is short for "number". But if "No" doesn’t have a period after it, its meaning is changed completely. The State name listed on a license is neither an abbreviation nor a name of a State. It is a fiction. It does not exist in Law.
- Pictures:
Most licenses display an image of the male or female that is being licensed. God's Second Commandment tells us not to make "any graven image or any likeness of anything...that is in the earth...Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them" (Exodus 20:4-5, Deuteronomy 5:8-9). Also:
Deuteronomy 4:16, "Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female,"In Webster's Dictionary, a picture is defined as "an image or likeness of an object, person, or scene produced on a flat surface, esp. by painting, drawing, or photography". The term "pictures" is specifically used in the scripture to describe what is evil to the Lord (Numbers 33:52, Isaiah 2:16).
Now to clarify, the mere making of an image is no sin, because God commanded Moses to make and image of a brass serpent (Numbers 21:8); God commanded the priests to make images of pomegranates on their garments (Exodus 28:33-34; 39:24); God commanded to make images of cherubim's out of gold on the mercy seat (Exodus 25:18-22; 37:7); and the sanctuary, as a whole, was richly ornamented with images. Therefore, images, or pictures, are not evil in and of themselves.
However, it is the making with the intent to give idolatrous worship that is evil in the sight of the LORD, and provokes him to anger (Deuteronomy 4:25). When the Israelites made a molten calf, it was not the image of the calf itself which was a sin, it was what the people did with the image of the calf that made them sin. It was their act of idolatrous worship with that image, not that image itself, that was an abomination to God (Exodus 32:8). And looking to the soulless state for your authority to do things is idolatrous worship.
Why does God prohibit looking to images for authority? Because God prohibits all attachments to worldly things. As God is the fountain of happiness, whoever seeks happiness in the creature is necessarily an idolater; as he puts the creature in the place of the Creator (Romans 1:25). God's Law is divinely calculated to prevent man's misery and promote his happiness, by taking him off from all false dependence, and leading him to God himself, the fountain of all good.
For example, when someone asks you to show proof of your authority for going from one place to another, what do people usually show them? Answer: a piece of paper with an image on it, which is created by Caesar. What does this "drivers license" tell people? It says you look to Caesar for your authority to do the things you do. It says you "bow down and serve" those who created that "image" that you proudly display to others, by obeying everything they tell you to do. But, for those who believe their authority comes from God himself, the scripture is all the "proof" you need to go from place to place.
God will not give his praise to images (Isaiah 42:8). Those who trust in graven images will be "greatly ashamed" (Isaiah 42:17).
- Signature:
By signing this ungodly piece of paper, you are claiming you are a "citizen" of some man’s government, but the scriptures say we are "...fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God" (Ephesians 2:19). Christ’s kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36). We are in this world, but not of this world. A license is a contract, and you are bound to abide by the terms of that contract. By signing a license, you agree to place man’s law above God’s Law. This is idolatry. This is placing something else higher than God. By signing a license you are signing away God's existence. Man says, "We ought to obey men rather than God." But God says, "We ought to obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29). Who will you follow? The will of man or the Will of God?
When you sign a license, you stand as surety for the fictitious entity created by the state. Similar to how a man stands as surety for a corporation (meaning if the corporation does something wrong, the man will go to court and answer to the charges against the corporation). This is what you do when you stand as surety for that fictitious name on that license. But the scripture is clear that we are not to stand as surety (Proverbs 6:1-2; 11:15), In 2 Kings 18:23,31, the people refused to stand as surety (pledges) for their king (government).
License: The lawful definition of a license is, "A permit to do that which, without the license, would be illegal to do". In other words, the government makes something that was lawful to do, illegal. Then they tell you that if you pay the government money (a bribe), then they will turn their backs and give you a permit that allows you to break the law that they just said was illegal to do!
All licenses issued by the government are ungodly. Here are a few examples:
- Marriage license:
Marriage was ordained by God (Genesis 2:23-24, Mark 10:6-9, 1 Corinthians 7, 1 Timothy 5:14, Hebrews 13:4). Speaking of marriage, Jesus himself said, "What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder" (Mark 10:9). Yet, this is exactly what the men of government do today by saying marriage is illegal; they put asunder the institution of marriage! Remember, if anyone does anything today without a license from the government, it is an illegal act; and there's a strong possibility of getting penalized, fined and imprisoned. Marriage is no exception. Marriage is illegal!
If it is God’s Will to bring two souls together in Holy Matrimony, what right does mere man have to say two souls cannot get married, until they ask the government for permission?! Until they pay the government their hard earned money to get a license to exercise God’s Will? Does mere man have authority, at law, to interpose himself, or his purported law, between God’s Will, and to bring punishment on a servant of Christ for exercising God’s Law? Could it be evil to execute the Law of God? Could it?
- Preaching license:
Jesus commanded us to preach (Matthew 10:7, Mark 16:15, Luke 9:2,60, 1 Corinthians 1:17; 9:14,16, 2 Timothy 4:2). What right has man to say we cannot preach anymore until we bribe the government with a fee to get a license to do what God has already commanded us to do? According to the scripture, man is forbidden to charge a fee to preach the gospel of Christ: "What is my reward then? Verily that, when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel." (1 Corinthians 9:18).
- Fishing license:
God has already given us permission to fish freely (Genesis 1:26,28, Habakkuk 1:15, Matthew 17:27, John 21:10). What right has mere man to say it is now illegal to do what God has already told us is lawful to do? Who owns the fish and water anyway? (Exodus 19:5, Psalm 24:1, Isaiah 44:24, 2 Corinthians 5:18).The Lord has provided those fish for us. The natural man does not have dominion over those fish. The Lord uses him to make sure those things are not ravished, but if you're fishing for whatever you need at that time to eat, then there's no license that controls that; those are a gift from God. And if someone says to you that you must have a license to fish, you may reply, "My Father has provided these fish for me. And nowhere in His Word does it say that I have to have a license to eat those fish. I'm not here for my wants. I am not abusing the fish, I am only going to take what I need."
Now, if you're fishing for commercial gain, then you're engaged in commerce and you've come under the commercial laws, because you're trying to profit off of God's creation. And the natural man will have jurisdiction over that because you're engaged in evil. We're not to profit off of His creation; we don't need to because he provides for our needs through our labors. When one goes to commercial activity and gain, they're actually trying to grasp more than what we really need, and that goes to the wants.
If you have enough, then you're blessed. Why do you need to spend your life constantly trying to scrape up more? And when all of your needs are met, you have less than everyone else but that's actually a blessing because of the Peace in it. And that's the true Peace of the Lord, not the peace that the world thinks they know, because there's no peace in the world.
- Pet license:
God’s very first command to man was to take care of the creatures upon the earth (Genesis 1:26-28). What right has the government to say it is now illegal to take care of God’s creatures? Who owns the animals? (Exodus 19:5, Psalm 24:1, Isaiah 44:24, 2 Cor.5:18). How can we register with Caesar (the State) those things (animals) that belong to God? (Mark 12:17).
- Birth license:
Also known as a birth certificate. Since it is almost impossible to get a license today without a birth certificate, and it is almost impossible to do anything today without a license, then one cannot interact in society without this permission slip issued by Caesar. How ridiculous that anyone would ask for "proof" that you were born! That is basically what a birth certificate is. But is not the fact that you are breathing proof enough that you were born?God says he knows us and sanctifies us before we are formed in the belly and before we are physically born (Jeremiah 1:4-5). So, according to God, we come into existence before our physical birth. The government says we come into existence after our physical birth, thus denying the scriptures. To a bondservant of Christ, it is not the first birth from corruptible seed that’s important (1 Peter 1:23), but our second birth, when we’re "born again" (John 3:3,7), that’s important. The first birth is of the world, the second birth is of God (John 1:12-13). If we say we were "born" after we came out of the womb, then we are denying we were born of God. We are then of the world, and not of God.
- Work license:
God says, "...the labourer is worthy of his hire" (Luke 10:7) and "six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work" (Exodus 20:9), but man says the labourer is not worthy to be hired, and shall work zero days per week, especially if he doesn’t have a number issued by the government. God says, "... The labourer is worthy of his reward.." (1 Timothy 5:18), but man says the labourer is only worthy of half his reward, the other half must be withheld from his pay. God says, "...the workman is worthy of his meat." (Matthew 10:10), but man says the workman is only worthy of half his meat, the other half must be withheld from his pay. But God condemns the withholding of wages (Jeremiah 22:13, Malachi 3:5, James 5:4, Deuteronomy 24:14).
- Drivers license:
Liberty is given to us by God (Galatians 5:1). Liberty is the freedom to go from one place to another without interference. Jesus Christ already set us at liberty (Luke 4:18, Romans 8:13, 2 Corinthians 3:17), and there are already restrictions in the scripture for using our liberty (Galatians 5:13, 1 Peter 2:16).
As Paul says, "…why is my liberty judged of another man's conscience? For if I by grace be a partaker, why am I evil spoken of for that for which I give thanks?" (1 Corinthians 10:29-30).Why does government, "…spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage" (Galatians 2:4). "While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage" (2 Peter 2:19).
Summary
To summarize, a license requires us to
All of which provokes God to anger.
- make an image, a picture,
- accept a number (mark) from the government (beast),
- lie about being a witness to our own birth,
- deny our lawfully spelled Christian name and accept a fictitiously spelled name in its place, and,
- commit idolatry by giving allegiance and preference to the laws of man above the Laws of our Creator.
Dear reader, who do you place as Lord over your life? Who do you look to for your authority for doing the things you do? What do you claim is your authority for marriage, preaching, fishing, having pets, working, or driving a car? If you have a license from the government to do these things, then you look to Caesar for your authority to do the things you do. If you rely solely upon the Scriptures to do these things, then you look to God for your authority to do the things you do. Either you believe, "I can do all things through the government which strengtheneth me", or you believe, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me" (Philippians 4:13). You cannot serve two masters (Matthew 6:24, Luke 16:13).
The Purpose of Licenses
The only purposes of a license is to regulate commercial activity which is subject to the police power.
A license is "a permit granted by an appropriate governmental body generally for consideration to a person, firm, or a corporation to pursue some occupation, or to carry on some business, which is subject to regulation under the police power." Rosenblatt v. California Board of Pharmacy, 69 Cal. App. 2d 69, 158 P.2d 199, 203.Are the godly works of God done as business? Are godly works under the police power? You decide. Also, if you get a drivers license, they require you to get insurance. But what does the scripture say about insurance?
Insurance
If the scripture could be summed up in one word, it would be "accountability". Every man is accountable and responsible for his own actions (Exodus 21:32-34). If you sin, you'll be punished. If you are righteous, you'll be rewarded. If you steal or damage someone's property, you must pay restitution to the victim. The scripture teaches us that only the one who commits a wrongful act must take the responsibility.
If I were to take insurance, I would be forsaking God's Law by taking accountability away from myself, and forcing it upon others. If I were in an accident, others would pay the cost of my negligence, and not I, as God commands. When responsibility is taken away from people, and accountability is not a deterrent, then people are free to commit wrongful acts without fear of punishment. How many times have you heard someone say the phrase, "I don't care what happens to that, it's insured!"?
Getting insurance is done out of the "fear of man", Out of the fear of having an accident, out of fear of having your car stolen by a thief, out of fear of being fined and thrown in jail for not having insurance, or out of fear of having your car impounded for not obeying man's insurance laws. But we are commanded to not fear man.
Hebrews 13:6, "...The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me." (See also Psalm 56:4; 118:6, Isaiah 51:7, Matthew 10:28).Insurance is saying God is not sufficient. We don't need insurance from man, because we have assurance from God:
Isaiah 32:17, "And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever."Hebrews 10:22, "Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water."
Another form of Taxation
In addition, licenses cost money. The government is giving us things at a cost. God himself said he would "freely give us all things" (Romans 8:32). What right has man to charge for something God already gave us for free?
A license is just another form of taxation. By requiring a license, the state is claiming complete control and ownership over a disciple's life, liberty, and property. In demanding licensure from the servants of Christ, the State is asking that we render to it the submission and tribute that scripture requires us to give to God alone (Matthew 4:10). Christ's assembly does not exist on paper, but in the hearts of men, and is expressed in their outward acts. Because there is no breath of Life from God in such pieces of paper, we should not look to them for any authority for doing anything. Christ is our authority for doing the things we do (Philippians 4:13). Man is ruled by Law, not by the will of man.
The most important Law to Know
We should indeed obey that government instituted by the Spirit of God in Christ Jesus; but not a usurper or pretender to His Throne (Hosea 8:4). It is necessary to draw the distinction between those who exercise Godly Power in Lawful Execution of God’s Will from those who exercise a "power" for their own private purposes and claim to be doing God’s service. The giving of a "name", "birth date", "address", and a "socialist security number" are all identifiers of crafty men that confirm one to be the property of the Babylonian system which created and uses those identifiers to mark its property. That's why it's so very important not to carry an I.D. because any kind of identification you carry describes you according to the State and not according to the Word of God. It's not you, it's an image of you, and it's an image described by men
The giving of a "name," "birth date," "address," all forming a "legal description" of a "legal personality" are all identifiers of crafty and deceitful men forming their seal made in their image and likeness that confirm one to be the property of the Babylonian system which created and uses those identifiers to mark its property.
A King rules by his law; likewise, God rules by his law, and His Law is the Word of God. We honor Christ by obeying him (John 14:15 "If ye love me, keep my commandments"), not by substituting man-made requirements in place of His. When there is a conflict between God’s law and man’s law, we must choose whom we will serve, because "No man can serve two masters" (Matthew 6:24). All one must do to decide which law to follow is to search the scriptures:
Acts 5:29, "Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men." .
Isaiah 33:22, "For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; he will save us." (see also James 4:12).
Jeremiah 17:5, "Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man."
Psalms 118:8-9, "It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man…than to put confidence in princes."
Psalms 146:3, "Put not your trust in princes."
Ecclesiastes 12:13), "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God [*not man], and keep his commandments [*not man’s commandments]: for this is the whole duty of man."
The most important law to know is God's Law because it is our standard by which we measure and judge all other systems of law. Then, when we confront other laws and measure it by God's standard, we can judge whether such laws are godly or not.
Think about this. We are "to be conformed to the image of his Son" (Romans 8:29), which is Jesus, the Christ. When we look to a State ID and say, "Yea, that's me, that's who I am," then who are we being conformed to? When we receive identification from the State, then we're made in the image and likeness of Caesar.
True Accounts of Believers not needing Identification
Flying on an Airplane: It is very hard to fly today without ID, unless one uses a private airline. However, the following is a true account of two brothers who flew on a commercial airline a week after the terrorist attacks on 9/11/2001, without any identification.
"Well, I was in the Hotel across from the Airport for my flight the next morning. I awoke at 3:32 AM who knows why? I turned on the TV and there was the burning building on TV. I phoned Mara in Hawaii, woke her, and said turn on the TV. Just then the second plane hit the second tower. One week delay."My friend William and I went to the Airport for our flight to Hawaii. Both under the name of: Sonne of man: house of Israel . After we waded through agents three deep in the terminal, with not one look at them, we waited for about 40 minutes in line. The lady agent was greeted in the name of our Lord and Saviour, and when she asked for our ID I told her, 'We are not permitted to have those things by our Father and it says that right here in the second commandment.' She asked if we had any luggage to check, we said no and she said, 'Fine. Here's your ticket.' Easy.
"We than proceeded to the tram ride to our gate but before we could get on the tram they had an ID check and ticket check. The guy asked for ID and I told him we weren't permitted to have those, and he said, 'Well, I'm not permitted to let you through because I have my orders.' So I told him that I would go and get a note from our teacher and that I'd be right back.
"I went to the lady and told her that some guy was downstairs scaring all the people with some ID thing. Then I asked her if she could she help. She called over a supervisor and asked him nicely if he would accompany us. He led us to the security check and told the guy that we were permitted to go without ID and everybody was happy. I gave the supervisor a hug and thanked him for being a brother and off we went. My Father and my brother were at my side every moment. I could feel them."
Riding on Trains and Buses: In September of 2002, I (Richard Anthony) was to take a trip from Canoga Park to Anaheim, California, some 50 miles distance, to meet with my Dad who would be there for a week. Metrolink is the name of the county train system here. The same train track is also used by Amtrak. I called "Metrolink Information" by phone, and the "computer-assistant" said it would cost twelve "dollars" one-way. When Randy Lee and I went to the local Metrolink Station, the only way to acquire the tickets was through a vending machine. However, to go between the two cities, the machine only required $6.25 for the ticket. We wondered why it was almost half the price quoted, vended the ticket, and inquired no further.Shortly thereafter, a double-deck train pulled up to the station (Metrolink has double-deck), and I waited outside for a while before boarding. From inside of the station, Randy Lee got a current train schedule for me. The train was supposed to depart at 11:13 A.M. I boarded the train shortly before this time. After I sat down, in front of me was a digital sign that displayed the next stop. I looked at the train schedule to verify that was the next stop. And sure enough, it was the same. The train departed at 11:13 A.M., and according to the schedule, it was supposed to depart at 11:13 AM. There was no other train in the station, so I was confident I was on the right train. I laid back in the chair and relaxed. There were a few people sleeping in their chairs next to mine.
Little did I know that God was going to tap me on the shoulder and remind me that things are not always as they appear, but that no matter what happens, all things work together for good to them who love Him.
Soon after departure, the train conductor approached me. The following is a paraphrase of what happened.
Conductor: Where ya headed?
Richard: Anaheim! (I said this with a smile. The conductor took out the Anaheim colored strip of paper and inserted it into the slot above my seat. Then I handed him my ticket).Conductor: You're on the wrong train!
Richard: Pardon? (I thought he was jesting. A visual checklist ran through my head.(I thought I heard that too familiar voice from the 1950's…"You have just entered the Twilight Zone…")
- Train pulled into station on time.
- This is a double-deck train. Metrolink is a double-deck train.
- The next stop for this train was the same stop as stated on the Metrolink schedule.
- Train departed on time, and was the same departure time as stated on the Metrolink schedule, and the same departure time as the previous phone call to Metrolink confirmed.
- There was no other train in the station for me to board!
Conductor: Your ticket is for the Metrolink.
Richard: Yes.Conductor: This is Amtrak.
Richard: (I was dumbfounded. But then I realized that there must be a purpose for this. So I put my faith in God and just went with the flow.) What do I do?Conductor: (He took out an Amtrak book from his pocket and flipped through the pages. This train had the same stops as Metrolink, and ended up at the same destination). How much did you pay for your ticket?
Richard: (I looked at the ticket) It says six-twenty-five.Conductor: Amtrak charges twelve dollars....
Richard: (My thoughts were—Well, this explains why the telephone call to Metrolink said it would cost twelve dollars. But there is no explanation why there is such a large difference in the price. Before I could answer, he said:).Conductor: Let me see your I.D.
Richard: Oh. I don't have any.Conductor: You don't?!?!? (As he raised his voice with this question, he woke up those on the train who were sleeping. Now all eyes were on us).
Richard: No. Why?Conductor: You must have I.D.! You cannot be on this train unless you have I.D. You can't even buy an Amtrak ticket without I.D. (He was looking at seated passengers as he spoke, as if to warn others that there was "a possible criminal" in their midst).
Richard: Well, I'm a minister for Christ Jesus. I don't have any I.D. I go from place to place doing the Lord's Will. (I grabbed my bible cover, which had my bible in it).Conductor: Well, let me see what you have there.
Richard: (He was expecting to see some kind of identification papers, but when I opened it up, there was only my bible).Conductor: (He scoffed and turned his head away). The Bible! (Shaking his head, as if to say, "Poor fella. That won't do you any good.")
Richard: The scripture "identifies" me as a Minister for Christ. That is who I am.Conductor: You must have I.D. It's the law!
Richard: Well, yes, it might be the law for residents, but I am not a resident. The government will only give I.D. to residents. If I were to try to get California I.D., and they asked me if I'm a resident, I would have to say, 'No, I'm just passing through,' they would then say, 'Oh, we can't give you I.D. unless you're a resident.' (I could have additionally pointed out to him that they also require a Social Security Number, which I don't have, in order to get an I.D. card).Conductor: Well, things have changed since 9-11.
Richard: Hmmm. I'll have to look into that. Is there someone higher-up here that I can talk to?Conductor: (He pointed to himself, implying that he is the one who will determine my "fate." Then he showed me his walkie-talkie). If I contact Amtrak, they'll tell me to kick you off the train.
Richard: So, what do you want me to do? Do you want me to get off at the next stop? (Which I was willing to do without any argument).Conductor: (After a long pause, and with a squinty-eyed stare looking deep into my eyes, as if to see if my eyes will suddenly yell "I'm a terrorist!" he said…) Naaaa. I'll let you stay on.
Richard: Thank you. What do I owe you for the ticket?Conductor: Don't worry about that (he didn't even charge me!).
Richard: Well, thank you.Conductor: But look into getting some kind of I.D. (Then he walked off down the isle).
Richard: God Bless you! (He acted like he didn't hear me).God has blessed me in similar situations previously, since the September 11th terrorist attacks. About a month after the "attacks," my mother and I took a train from North Carolina to New Jersey for a family reunion. We were told that we needed I.D. to buy the tickets and I.D. to get on the train. However, Mom bought two tickets through a travel agent, and the agent just warned my Mom that her son (me) needed to show I.D. when I boarded the train.
Well, when we got to the train station, we checked-in our luggage and showed them our train tickets. The clerk did not ask for I.D. I can only presume that he thought we must have showed I.D. when we bought the tickets. None asked for I.D. during boarding and the entire train ride, either. Not even when we picked up our baggage at the final destination.
And in November of 2001, I left North Carolina to sojourn with Randy Lee in California. I took a Greyhound bus. Since the bus ticket was half-price if purchased a week in advance, I bought the ticket in advance. I was told by Greyhound that I.D. would need to be presented when using this advanced ticket ("to avoid people buying tickets for somebody else"), and that I would also need to show I.D. to pick up my baggage at my final destination.
Well, I was never asked for I.D. at the bus station when I left North Carolina, during the bus ride, nor at my final destination to claim the baggage.
An interesting thing happened while I was changing buses in Houston, Texas. After exiting the bus, and going into the bus station to re-board another bus, there was a very, very long line for that bus. I was waiting towards the end of the line, when several local policemen went to the front of the line, and were physically searching everybody's "person" and "belongings," and asking for I.D., before boarding the bus. The police had a cart with them, which was full of people's confiscated items, such as Swiss army knives, files, tools, and anything else that they thought could be used as "a weapon."
However, somebody behind me noticed an unguarded door further past where the police were, with a bus parked in that space. He walked to the door, and onto the bus, and asked the driver something, and then walked back towards me (he left his luggage and friend behind me). I heard him say that that bus was heading to the same place we were going! It must have been a bus in reserve since the one we were boarding was so overcrowded. So, we all casually walked past the police, to the unguarded door, and walked onto the empty bus, and avoided the Gestapo search to get onto the other bus!
The Lord works in mysterious, but always wonderful, ways. And He always provides a way out.
Riding in Cars: Randy Lee, from the Christ's assembly at California, has been exercising his duty of movement on the common ways for many, many years. He has been pulled over many times. Most of time, after Randy spoke the truth to them, and knowing that Randy had no license, tags, registration, title, insurance, and so forth, the police would let him go and continue on his way, and did not arrest him nor impound the car .It is interesting to note that every time the police let Randy go, the car he was in did not have any marks of Caesar (i.e., no State issued license plates, title, registration, insurance, etc.). There were only two times when the police impounded the car, and both times were when Randy was in a car that had State issued license plates.
The first time the car was impounded was when he borrowed his friend's car (which was registered with the State). After the police pulled him over, the only thing Randy gave them was his "name." They arrested Randy Lee and impounded the car. However, Randy did not sign anything nor give them fingerprints or a mugshot while in their custody. He also went on a fast while in jail (which concerned the jailers greatly).
When they brought him before the judge, the judge told Randy that he could go home if he would pay a $400 fine and agree to 6 months of probabtion. Randy replied, "I cannot pay a fine because I have no money. And I cannot agree to probation because I cannot enter into any agreements with you." The judge did not even ask why, and sentenced Randy to a legthy jail term. (Keep in mind that the courtroom was filled with many people, and the judge had to act like he was in charge).
However, that same night, Randy received a note from the judge stating that he would be released in three days, and he was! Why? Because without an address, birth date, birth place, social security number, signature, etc., the COUNTY is not able to bill the STATE for the cost of keeping you in their facilities!
Anyway, in California, when the State impounds the car, they must hold it for 30 days. After the 30 days, the cost to get it back might be more than the car is worth. So Pat (the "registered owner" of the car) visited the police chief in person and begged for his car back. The police chief agreed to give him the car back and waive the 30 days law, but he warned him that if it happens again, they will hold it for the full 30 days.
The second time the car was impounded, Randy was in the same State registered car when he got pulled over again, but this time, when Randy gave them his name, the cop ran his name through his computer in his police car. Obviously, what transpired with Randy the previous time must have appeared on his terminal. When the poilicman approached Randy, he told him that he was free to go, but he had to impound the car.
One may ask "Why did they impound the car, but not arrest Randy?" Well, the car was registered with the State, and was under the jurisdiction of the State. They had full control over it, since it had the identification marks of the State. However, Randy Lee did not have identification from the State, and since he did not commit any evil acts against another, they had no jurisdiction over Randy, and they let him go.
Riding in Ships: An alternative to flying in planes to go overseas is to sail on a freighter ship (the kind where they transport cargo on board, not a cruise liner). There are usually a few cabins set aside for passengers. These ships do not require a passport to take passage on their ships. And there is usually no border patrol where they dock. If there happens to be a border patrol, simply go to an area where there are no border guards and cross there! "Borders" are huge, and 99.999 percent of borders have no guards.
Identification Card and Residency Requirements
(from the California Motor Vehicle Code):§ 516. "Resident' means any person who manifests an intent to live or be located in this state on more than a temporary or transient basis. Presence in the state for six months or more in any 12-month period gives rise to a rebuttable presumption of residency. The following are evidence of residency within this state:
(a) Address where registered to vote.
(b) Location of employment or place of business.
(c) Payment of resident tuition at a public institution of higher education.
(d) Attendance of dependents at a primary or secondary school.
(e) Filing a homeowner's property tax exemption
(f) Renting or leasing a home for use as a residence.
(g) Declaration of residency to obtain a license or any other privilege or benefit not ordinarily extended to a non-resident.
(h) Possession of a California driver's license (or identification card).
(i) Other acts, occurrences, or events that indicate presence in the state is more than temporary or transient.§ 12505. (a) For purposes of this division only and notwithstanding Section 516, residency shall be determined as a person's state of domicile. "State of domicile" means the state where a person has his or her true, fixed, and permanent home or principle residence and to which he or she has manifested the intention of returning whenever he or she is absent.
§ 13005. (a) The identification card shall resemble in appearance, so far as is practicable, a driver's license issued pursuant to this code.
§ 12800. Every application for an original or a renewal of, a driver's license (or identification card) shall contain all of the following information:
(a) The applicant's true full name, age, sex, mailing address, residence address, and social security number.
Conclusion God does have patience with us, but His patience, as His Word shows, does run out. And we have to take those things into consideration. In other words, when you learn these things, you don't have to go out and get rid of all your licenses immediately, we're not promoting that idea. But consider these things and say, "Am I attached to these things through the Will of God or though the will of man?" That's what we're talking about. We need to proceed cautiously as the Spirit of God leads us, and don't make any rash decisions. You have to go to Him and pray, because He will show you the way out of these things. Everybody's situation is different.
We are not here to judge anybody and say, "Well, you're a heathen because you have all these licenses." Well, we used to have all these licenses, we don't have them anymore, but we understand your situation. We have all had this over-whelming feeling when this Truth was revealed to us. And it looks like an insurmountable thing to do away with them, but it isn't because we have eliminated them all out of our lives, but we've done it over a period of time. Sometimes it takes years. In most cases, especially when you have a family, we have to consider that the Lord says he who does not take care of his family is worse than an infidel. We have responsibilities before the Lord, and if we have to remain in servitude and slavery to fulfill those obligations, then we have to do that with patience, looking to the day when you can be free from debt, free from licensure, and free from all these obligations that you've gotten yourself into.
The important thing is to know that they are not of God, and once you do that, He knows your heart and He will give you the time to do those things, if you willingly submit to Him. By "willingly," I mean when that call comes to you, you don't resist it. Only God can set you free. Once you get rid of all the licenses and burdens of the world, your heart still has to be true.
Return to Christ's Lawful Assembly
Home | Greetings | Who We Are | Helpful Info | Rest Room | Search | Contact Us |