Long overdue. I know.
Life has really been hectic for me. But, I’m back! Picking up right where I left off.
Citizenship
Now that I have a better understanding of how Rome became one of the greatest empires, I wanted to keep digging. If you missed Part 1 of Citizenship, please read it because it explains how this whole citizenship journey started.
My original goal was simply to understand the roles of the Romans and Greeks during biblical times. But you know how curiosity works. One question leads to another question, which leads to another question, and before you know it, you are studying empires, wars, religion, and wondering how you got there.
But what I discovered started to connect.
Governments changed. Rulers changed. Cultures changed.
Yet God’s relationship with His people remained.
Earthly kingdoms came and went, but God’s Kingdom was never dependent on who sat on the throne.
Following the Persians’ conquest of the Babylonian Empire, Cyrus the Great allowed the exiled Israelites—God’s chosen people—to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their temple.
The Persians ruled the region until Alexander the Great conquered it. After his death, the area eventually came under the Seleucid Empire.
One of the Seleucid rulers, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, enforced Hellenization, attempted to force Greek culture and pagan religious practices upon the Jews, and even profaned their temple.
Let me make it clear that the temple was not just a building.
It was the spiritual center of their faith.
So, what happened after the Seleucids disrespected the temple?
It was time for battle!
But before we go there, let me quickly explain Hellenization, because I promise I’m taking you somewhere with this.
Hellenization refers to the spread and adoption of Greek language, culture, religion, and customs among non-Greek people. Greek culture became extremely influential throughout the region, and many Greeks considered their language and culture superior to those of others.
People who did not speak Greek were often referred to as “barbarians.”
The Greek language became so widespread that the Hebrew Scriptures, what we now call the Old Testament, were translated into Greek. This translation became known as the Septuagint and made the Scriptures available to Greek-speaking Jews and others who spoke Greek throughout the region.
So this was bigger than language.
It involved taking the original language, identity, and traditions of one nationality and making them accessible within another culture. And when language, culture, and identity begin to blend, it can affect how people see themselves, where they belong, and even what they believe.
But the Jews were not easily persuaded to abandon their faith or their belief in God. They understood the importance of standing firm in who they were and what they believed, even when another culture was pressuring them to change.
And eventually, that pressure led to a battle.
To me, this is a powerful example of standing up for your faith when the surrounding culture is trying to persuade you to abandon it.
The Jews, outraged by the desecration of their temple, rose in revolt. The uprising was led by a Jewish family known as the Maccabees and became known as the Maccabean Revolt. During this period, the Maccabees also formed an alliance with the growing Roman Republic.
Eventually, Rome became more involved in the region and later became the dominant power over Judea.
Unlike the Seleucid rulers, the Romans generally allowed conquered people to continue practicing their religions as long as those practices did not threaten Roman authority.
In other words:
Worship your God.
Follow your customs.
Just don’t cause Rome any problems.
And as I was studying this, I started thinking…
Wait a minute.
This sounds familiar.
Hidden Diary Secret of the Heart Moment:
“Maybe history really does repeat itself.”
We can see similar patterns throughout the history of the United States.
Think about Native Americans and African Americans.
Both experienced another group gaining power over their lives, land, freedom, or government. People were killed, displaced, enslaved, held in captivity, or pressured and forced to follow the culture and systems of those who held the power.
Although Native Americans were the original inhabitants of the land, their citizenship within the United States still had to be legally recognized by the government that now controlled that land.
That caught my attention.
Because wasn’t that one of the things we saw in Part 1 with citizenship in the ancient world?
Those in power often determined who belonged.
Who had rights.
Who received protection.
And who did not.
According to the U.S. Department of the Interior, some Native Americans began receiving citizenship as early as 1817. Yet it took more than a century—until 1924—for Congress to extend U.S. citizenship to all Native Americans born within the United States.
Now, when we think about African Americans, I see similarities to the Greek idea that belonging and rights could depend heavily upon who you were and what group you belonged to.
The ratification of the 14th Amendment in July 1868 established citizenship for people born or naturalized in the United States, including formerly enslaved African Americans.
But receiving citizenship on paper did not automatically mean receiving equal treatment.
And history has shown us that citizenship does not always guarantee equality.
People may legally belong to the same country yet experience very different levels of treatment, protection, opportunity, and acceptance.
Is it not sad that the basic concept of citizenship has not changed as much as we might think from ancient times?
Don’t get me wrong. I understand that as citizens, we live under governing laws. We are required to follow rules and regulations involving taxes, property, housing, interest rates, and many other areas of our lives.
A little off topic, but you should know that I’m going to share what I feel in my heart. With that said, I totally disagree and wonder why we pay for things God gave us for free.
Like water.
God sends the rain.
Yet somehow somebody still sends me a bill.
God created the land.
Yet I have to pay property taxes for the land that wasn’t created by mankind.
I’m just saying.
But whether I agree with paying for water, electricity, property taxes, or any of the sort really does not matter. As a citizen, I am required to follow the laws of the land.
However, I should never allow myself to become so consumed with the laws, politics, debates, and systems of this land that I forget—or forsake—the laws and commandments of God.
Because I have dual citizenship.
I am a citizen of this earthly kingdom, and I am also a citizen of the Kingdom of God.
I have always known that I belong to the Kingdom of God, but this study gave me a sense of relief as I thought more deeply about what that really means.
My earthly citizenship connects me to this country, its laws, its responsibilities, and its systems.
But my citizenship in God’s Kingdom reminds me that this earthly kingdom is not all there is.
I belong somewhere beyond this.
And there is comfort in knowing that no matter what happens with governments, politics, laws, economies, or society, I have another citizenship that is not controlled by any earthly power.
That is the beauty of dual citizenship.
I can live here.
I can fulfill my responsibilities here.
I can fulfil my purpose here.
I can respect the laws of this land.
But I can also remember that I belong to another Kingdom.
And when the values of this earthly kingdom compete for my heart, when culture is pressuring me to change my values and morals, my loyalty to God’s Kingdom should always guide me.
I’m reminded of Matthew 22:20–21:
“And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? … Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.”
Jesus was responding to a question about paying taxes to Caesar.
And when I read that Scripture through the lens of citizenship, I see dual responsibility.
We have responsibilities here.
We live in this earthly kingdom.
We work.
We pay taxes.
We follow laws.
We own property.
We participate in society.
We pay bills.
Even the water bill.
But we also belong to God’s Kingdom.
So while we render unto Caesar what belongs to Caesar, we must never forget to render unto God what belongs to God.
That is what dual citizenship means to me.
I have responsibilities as a citizen of this earthly kingdom, but I also have responsibilities as a citizen of God’s Kingdom.
And my Kingdom citizenship should guide how I live as an earthly citizen.
Jesus also taught:
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
— Matthew 6:33
That Scripture reminds me that God’s Kingdom must come first.
We cannot simply say that we belong to God.
Our priorities should reflect it.
Our choices should reflect it.
And the way we live should reflect it.
Earlier, I mentioned that Rome generally allowed the Israelites to worship their God as long as they did not create problems for Roman authority.
Similarly, the First Amendment guarantees religious freedom in the United States.
But that also made me think.
What happens when someone’s religious beliefs or practices conflict with government rules, workplace policies, school policies, or another person’s rights?
We have seen debates about prayer in public schools, religious conversations in workplaces, immigration policies, and many other situations where religion and government intersect.
I find all of this interesting for a country whose official motto is:
“In God We Trust.”
The relationship between government, citizenship, religious freedom, and faith has always been complicated.
Ancient Rome dealt with it.
America deals with it.
And believers deal with it.
Because having dual citizenship eventually requires us to ask ourselves:
When these two kingdoms pull me in different directions, whose laws have the greatest authority over my life?
For me, the answer is God.
The way the world is now, time is of the essence.
We should strive to put God’s commandments first when everything around us exhibits something different.
The Greatest Commandment is in Matthew 22:37–39:
“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”
I don’t know about you, but I’m relieved that mankind cannot grant or revoke my citizenship in God’s Kingdom the way earthly governments have historically granted, restricted, or revoked citizenship.
Think about that.
Governments change laws.
Governments change requirements.
Governments decide who qualifies for certain benefits or protections.
Governments have historically decided who was considered a citizen and who was not.
But mankind does not control my citizenship in the Kingdom of God.
And that gives me peace.
Jesus said:
“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.”
And He promised that He would return and receive His people unto Himself.
Now that is citizenship worth holding onto.
Some African Americans today may also qualify for citizenship in certain African countries through ancestry or other citizenship programs.
Is it not amazing that a person can be connected to one nation while also having citizenship in another?
As believers, we experience something similar spiritually.
We live here.
We have earthly citizenship
.
We have responsibilities here.
But we also have citizenship in the Kingdom of God.
And although I must function within the systems of this world, I should never forget which Kingdom ultimately defines who I am.
God has loved us from creation, from conception in our mother’s womb.
So maybe it is time for some of us to reestablish our citizenship.
Not because God forgot who we were.
But maybe because somewhere along the way, we forgot where we belonged.
We became busy being citizens of this world.
Working.
Paying bills.
Arguing politics.
Watching the news.
Trying to survive.
Trying to succeed.
Trying to keep up with everything happening around us.
And somewhere in all of that, it can become easy to forget that we hold citizenship in another Kingdom.
A Kingdom beyond this earthly one.
A Kingdom that should influence how we think.
How we speak.
How we treat people.
How we respond.
How we live.
Unlike the citizens of Ancient Greece and Rome, where rights and privileges could depend upon your birthplace, ethnicity, wealth, gender, or social status, God’s Kingdom is different.
In His Kingdom, our worth is not determined by the social class mankind assigns to us.
Scripture says:
“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.” — 1 Peter 2:9
A chosen generation.
A royal priesthood.
A holy nation.
That sounds like citizenship to me.
So yes, I am a citizen of the United States.
I have responsibilities here.
I have laws to follow.
I have taxes to pay.
And apparently, I still have to pay for water.
But I also have another citizenship.
I am a citizen of the Kingdom of God.
I may live under the laws of this earthly kingdom, but I belong to God’s Kingdom too.
I have dual citizenship.
At the end of the day, I will choose God’s Kingdom that will reign forever.
“And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.” — Luke 1:33
When the two conflict, which citizenship will you choose: this earthly kingdom or God’s Kingdom?
As always, stay in this journal with me.
Lady K
References:
Encyclopaedia Britannica.
Ancient Rome | History, Government, Religion, Maps, & Facts.
https://www.britannica.com/place/ancient-Rome
MyVeniceLife.
Distinctions Between the Roman and Greek Citizenship System.
https://myvenicelife.com/blogs/news/distinctions-between-the-roman-and-greek-citizenship-system
U.S. Department of the Interior, Indian Affairs.
Are American Indians and Alaska Natives Citizens of the United States?
https://www.bia.gov/faqs/are-american-indians-and-alaska-natives-citizens-united-states
U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs.
Dual Nationality. Last updated August 28, 2026.
https://travel.state.gov/en/international-travel/planning/personal-needs/dual-nationality.html
Embassy of Ghana / Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration.
Dual Citizenship.
https://brussels.mfa.gov.gh/DualCitizenship.aspx
Holy Bible, King James Version.