God reigns

“God reigns over the nations; God is seated on His holy throne.” Psalm 47:8
There should be no doubt in anyone’s mind as to who has ultimate authority in the world. While Satan may be the prince of the world (John 12:31), God is the King. While Satan has the world in his clutches, he cannot do anything that God has not given him permission to do.
And God has established human authority in reigning over the nations. Paul wrote, “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God” (Rom. 13:1). This was in a time when the governing authority of his time and place – the Roman empire – was actively persecuting Christians. Yet Paul says, submit to them. Some of the laws may seem stupid to us, or annoying. For instance, speed limits on roads. We might be in a hurry to get somewhere, or there might be no other cars around. But the law says you can only go so fast in this area, and if you go faster and are caught you will have to pay a fine.
However, if our government demands that we do something contrary to the Word of God – such as will happen during the Tribulation, when everyone will be forced under penalty of death to worship the Antichrist – then we do not have to submit to that law. In that case, we are to submit to God’s higher authority. There aren’t many examples of this in our western society today, however. Our governments will give account for how they ruled over their people, with the authority God gave them. If they treated their citizens well, they will be blessed; if they were oppressive, they will be judged. All the same, we are to submit (except for the case above).