Immigration

Immigration has been a hot topic lately due to a new Arizona law giving police more authority to deal with crime from illegal aliens. I’ve been amazed by all the attention this topic has been getting in the media, but I think there are good reasons for this…

Conservatives are making a big issue out of demanding that laws be enforced to stop the growth of illegal aliens. But there can be no useful immigration reform unless we can control our borders. Our federal government has not demonstrated the will to do any serious control of our borders. I think one reason for this is that there are powerful political forces in this country who would really like to see no distinctions between nations; they envision one big worldwide community.

A desire to break down the boundaries between nations is evidence of the spirit of Antichrist who “shall intend to change times and law” (Daniel 7:25, NKJ). The law this is referring to is God’s law including His setting the boundaries of the nations… “He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord” (Acts 17:26-27).

God has a purpose in maintaining boundaries between nations. Those who oppose the Lord seek to break down those boundaries. Psalm 2:2-3 expresses this attitude, “The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying, ‘Let us break Their bonds in pieces and cast away Their cords from us.’” Psalm 2 goes on to relate the consequences of such opposition to God.

There are very good reasons why we should encourage immigration but it does need to be controlled. We should encourage a lot of immigration because it would make up for the diminishing birth rates of this country. God has told us how we should regard immigrants… Leviticus 19:33-34 says, “When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt” (NIV). As God brought people to Israel so that they could learn about Him and be saved, the US is one place in the world where this can happen today. We don’t have to go to all the world to teach the gospel if representatives from all the world come here.

One reason why liberals would like to see people struggling over the immigration issue is that it has the potential to divide conservatives. I’m a conservative who would like to encourage more immigration because of its benefits; the more people assimilated into our way of life, the better. But I acknowledge that immigration needs to be controlled with secure borders. I know that there are other conservatives who even want to deport long term residents of this country. That would cause more problems than it would solve. Liberals would like to see us at odds with each other over these differences so that they can stay in power.

The reason many conservatives cite for needing to control our borders is that it would be a hedge against terrorism. We should do our due diligence to control our borders but to think that this is what will keep us safe from terrorism is misguided. The 9-11 terrorists were all here legally. “Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain” (Psalm 127:1, NIV). Let’s not lose sight of the real source of this nation’s security. When we are attacked, God allows this to happen for a reason… it should shake us up enough to seek His deliverance.

Longer term, I expect the politicians running our government would like to see the immigration issue become even more of a crisis. That way they can institute some sort of national identification system to have more control over people. Certainly our liberal government has been doing everything they can to usurp more and more power from the people. Any move toward a universal identification system prepares the public for the day when the Antichrist “causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name” (Revelation 13:16-17, NKJ).

It is amazing to me how those who oppose God look forward to a good crisis. They see this as a way to make changes that would otherwise be rejected by the public. This is one reason why I think the return of Christ is near. God has been allowing His enemies to cause crises and prolong them with increasing frequency. This trend will eventually culminate in the Tribulation when God allows mankind’s evil to come to a head.

Call me an escapist if you will but it is comforting to me that the most literal interpretation of Scripture reveals a pre-Trib Rapture. Come soon Lord Jesus!