A Christian prince would not dare betray his God by betraying His people. Parasite princes, however, reveal their true nature in oppressing the very ones they have been elected to represent. Persecution reveals which uniforms the sides are wearing.
Philippians 1:28-29
And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God. For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake.
Do not shrink back from suffering, but instead, lean into it when and if it comes in order to prove who you are and to reveal who your persecutors are in the process.
"If he that is persecuted, feels in his conscience, that he may do God greater service and glorify by suffering than by fleeing, he ought rather to suffer a thousand deaths, that to flee one foot. But if his conscience witnesses with him that he may do God greater glory by fleeing that by tarrying, but is bound by the commandment to depart. 'If they persecute you in one city,' says Christ, 'flee to another.' And he did not only teach it, but did it himself, forsaking Jewry, and going into Galilee, when he heard John the Baptist was laid by the heels, because the time was not yet come, wherein he was appointed to glorify God." — John Ponet, A Short Treatise on Political Power
There is glory in going down with the ship if that is the post God has called you to keep and there is no shame in living to fight another day if God has given you leave and called you to regroup in order to jump back into the fray another day. We can defend the city or we can flee the city to try to save the country and ultimately the city at a later date, but we cannot merely operate out of self-preservation for the one who seeks to save his life will lose it.
"Seeing that God wills princes commandments should not be obeyed in all things, but will have His rather suffer a thousand deaths, than do anything that is evil: and since also many evils and mischiefs may follow in this life, where wicked princes will may stand for laws, men ought, both for God's sake and commandment, abstain to obey such commandments, and cleave unto this maxim: We must obey God rather than man, for whose sake if we lose both goods and life, we ought to rejoice, that we be called to serve him, and not doubt, but as He is able to recompense it, so will He (according to His promise) reward it." — John Ponet, A Short Treatise on Political Power
Disobeying tyrannical orders honors God and loves our neighbor. We do not love God or our neighbor by complying with ungodly demands are wicked restrictions. We must not be hellbent on doing what we want, but we must not be bent over by whatever our overlords dictate. We must be willing to obey things we don't like and we must not disobey things simply because we do not like them. If our first allegiance is to God then we will do what we can to obey the state where and when we can, but we will also remember that the state is God's servant, not our god.
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