“No Kings” is a Biblical Theme

Millions of Americans will again gather tomorrow in “No Kings” demonstrations.  

Resistance to kings and emperors has roots in the Bible. 

It was Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, who resisted God’s call through Moses to let the Hebrew slaves go free. 

When the people of Israel later decided they wanted a king to govern them and strengthen their defense against foreign aggression, the prophet Samuel warned them that a king would take their sons to be soldiers, make them pay heavy taxes, and take their lands and labor to maintain his officers and make himself wealthy.

The books of Kings and Chronicles report the history of the kings of Israel and Judah. With a few exceptions, it’s a report of disobedience to the law of Moses, oppression of the people, and fratricidal struggles among royalty. The main message of the prophets was criticism of idolatry and injustice among the people and their kings. The historical and prophetic books of the Bible both say that these internal failures led to the conquest of the two parts of Israel by the empires of Assyria and Babylon.

Prophets then rose up among Jewish exiles in Babylon—Jeremiah, a second Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. The book of Daniel reports visions of the rise and fall of kings. Daniel and the book of Esther tell stories of faithful Jews under the emperors of Babylon.

Cyrus of Persia is the only emperor who is praised in the Bible. His policies toward conquered people were relatively liberal, and he allowed Jewish exiles to return to Judah and rebuild Jerusalem.

The New Testament takes place during the Roman Empire. The Romans used local authorities to impose heavy taxes on the peoples they conquered. The religious authorities in Jerusalem collected Roman taxes in Judah. They urged Pontius Pilate, the Roman prelate in Jerusalem, to execute Jesus, because Jesus’ main message was that God’s kingdom is coming into the world—a kingdom of love and justice, very different from the kingdoms that earthly kings and emperors impose. 

The High Priest and Sanhedrin said to Pilate, “If you release this man, you are no friend of the emperor.” That convinced Pilate to order crucifixion, a form of punishment reserved for people who stood up against Roman authority.

Many of the early Christians suffered persecution, partly because they refused to worship Caesar or other Roman gods. The last book of the Bible, the book of Revelation, ends with a vision of the final fall of empires and kings and the coming of a new Jerusalem, when God makes his home among us.

President Trump has seized more power than any prior U.S. president. He has used it to enrich and glorify himself, to serve the interests of wealthy people, bully other nations, and make life harder for people in need.

It’s an old story. The Bible teaches us to pray for all those in authority and stand up against their abuses.

David Beckmann is the author of Poverty Abolitionists: Faith, Activism, and Hope for Difficult Times, available May 28, 2026. Pre-order your copy at your favorite bookseller.