And 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, – Acts 17:26
How do you feel when those who enter our country illegally riot and cause mayhem while waving the flag of their home country?[1] Don’t you think, “If you hate our country so much, why not just return to your own?” There’s something inherently wrong, offensive, ungracious, and definitely unthankful about people who do such things. It’s like someone barging into your home uninvited who then proceeds to jump on the furniture, set fire to the couch, all while complaining you haven’t cooked their next meal fast enough and to their liking. What would you do in such a situation?
The second greatest commandment according to Jesus is to love our neighbor as we love ourselves (Matthew 22:37-40). We are to love God supremely, and others sacrificially. Jesus even went so far as to say we should love our enemies! (Matthew 5:43-48). Jesus said, “inasmuch as yoo did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it for Me” (Matthew 25:40). Shouldn’t we care for people regardless of how they enter our nation? There are people who enter our country illegally seeking a better life for themselves and their family. We see that and we’re tempted to cast a compassionate eye their way, even look the other way, and condone their actions by doing nothing. Is it wrong to have borders, or limit immigration, or have requirements for people to enter our nation? Are borders wrong?
The Bible states:
Leviticus 19:33–34 (NKJV) – 33 ‘And if a stranger dwells with you in your land, you shall not mistreat him. 34 The stranger who dwells among you shall be to you as one born among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.
Does that verse support an open-door-no-borders worldview? Well, no. The word “stranger” (Hebrew ger) means, a guest, foreigner, sojourner, traveler, stranger. A “stranger” therefore, is not someone who enters the land and forces their presence on people requiring their support to live. A “stranger” here is one passing through, a guest in the land on a temporary basis. We are most definitely to be hospitable to people but are under no compulsion or without recourse if they overstay their welcome or begin to act disruptively.
Even the needy need to observe and abide by a nation’s immigration laws and restraints. When MILLIONS of people pour illegally over borders to take advantage of social service benefits, or enter the job force, it exhausts that nation’s benefits for its citizens. It robs citizens of that nation of opportunities they have earned. Citizens have pledged allegiance to this nation, abide by the laws of the land, have invested in this nation, and therefore deserve preference in receiving such social services. That is fair. That is reasonable compassion. That is just.
Borders are God’s idea. The first mention of the term “border” is found in the Table of Nations in Genesis 10. There we find reference to the “border of the Canaanites” (Genesis 10:19). “Hey,’ you say, “wait a minute, didn’t the Israelites break in over the borders of the Canaanites?” Yes, this is true. God ordained for His people to invade and displace the Canaanites who had degenerated into a pagan people with immoral practices. If you want to know what the Canaanite practices were, just look at the prohibitions God gives His people in the book of Leviticus. Do that and you’ll see why God directed His people to enter the Canaan Land to make it His Promised Land. God is sovereign and can righteously displace sinful people and raise up nations and bring down nations (Daniel 2:21).
Yes, borders are God’s creation (Genesis 1:9). God, “the Most High” is the One who set up nations with borders. The Bible states:
Deuteronomy 32:8 (NKJV) – When the Most High divided their inheritance to the nations, When He separated the sons of Adam, He set the boundaries of the peoples According to the number of the children of Israel.
God set the borders for the tribes of Israel who were entering the Promised land (Numbers 34:2-12). He oversees borders. In the New Testament the Apostle Paul addresses the free-thinking philosophers of Athens and at one-point states:
Acts 17:26–28 (NKJV) – 26 And 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, 27 so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; 28 for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’
We are not to divide racially because we all bleed the same red blood. But God has “determined the preappointed times and boundaries of their dwellings.” God is providentially overseeing the experiences of people and “the boundaries of their dwellings.” Why does God do this? He does it “so that they should seek the Lord, in hope that they might grope for Him and find Him.” God is orderly not chaotic (e.g., 1 Corinthians 14:33 and 40). Borders provide safety and orderliness which facilitates an environment in which people can seek the Lord. The hope is that all people will discover that “he is not far from each of us,” and that, “in Him we live and move and have our being.” Paul comments that even some of their own poets said things in line with this. Then Paul is inspired to say:
Acts 17:30–31 (NKJV) – 30 Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, 31 because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.”
No matter what nation you come from, it’s time to repent and bow in faith to “the Man whom He has ordained. . .. by raising Him from the dead,” Jesus.
We are therefore to recognize borders. The Bible states, “You shall not remove your neighbor’s landmark” (Deuteronomy 19:14a). Borders define nations and their territory. Borders and observing them is part of what Paul wrote to the Romans saying, “Let every soul be subject to the government authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God” (Romans 13:1). Government officials and citizens of a nation are responsible for what happens within their borders. Citizens within a nation can expect a certain amount of protection from those in leadership of the nation within which they live.
We live in a fallen world overflowing with sin. There are those who enter our country with ill intent to literally rape, steal, do criminal acts, misuse and abuse the generosity of America. There are those who enter our nation illegally with the intent on destroying our nation from within. They do this by attending our schools and pushing their evil influences. They do this through criminal means like pushing fentanyl, sex trafficking, and the most disruptive depraved means their evil despicable minds and hearts can concoct. Borders are one line of defense against such things. To be a country requires borders. To ignore borders is to disobey God and destroy a nation and its citizens with all the consequent added financial and societal burdens of the mass influx of immigrants.
Without borders we have no more nations. “Good!” You might say. “We are the world!” You might sing. But have you really thought about the consequences of a borderless world? In a borderless world someone is going to lead, to control, to decide who gets what services and supplies, and how much. Who will lead? There are those pushing a “Great Reset,” a world without borders is part of that.[2] I can tell you who definitely will not lead such a reset world. “We the people” will not lead such a world. Sinful men in privileged positions will take over. They will use every form of technology to enforce their will on people from AI to robots, to transhuman combinations of both. They will decide how you live your life, “for the common good.” Who decides what “the common good is”? They do, those in power now who are pushing a reset borderless world overseen by a select few who will play puppeteer to our puppet positions.
Those promoting a Great Reset borderless society know that borderlessness is only a means to their end. Otherwise, why would they then promote the idea of fifteen-minute cities where people will have to get permission to cross the parameters of borders set for fifteen-minute distances.[3] I don’t know about you, but I want the freedom to travel where I want, when I want, as long as I want and as far as I want. I love long boring rides! In recent years we have also seen forced inoculations en masse under threat of job loss and isolation inside if you don’t comply. These authoritative agents are planning to use artificial means to control people. The new Grok technology has even Elon Muck “terrified.”[4] Yes, don’t be so quick to tear down the border walls and give up on the last bastion of sweet liberty, the good old US of A.
Illegal immigrants who enter a country illegally and then through demonstration, clandestine influencing, rioting, and waving their home country flag do harm to the homeland and its people they have invaded. Even those who crowd through our borders looking to personally profit need to check themselves in by our nations prescribed legal means. There are provisions for those in danger seeking asylum in America. Our nation has an excessively big heart in that regard. But not all the millions of immigrants are asylum seekers.
Church Borders?
There is another area of borders, the Church. The border of the Church is truth. The Church is ordained by God to be the “pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15). God’s truth is found in God’s word (John 17:17). We are to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). But love does not tone down truth, it is defined by the truth. Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15). Jesus said, “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him” (John 14:21). The border of the Church is the truth of God found in His word.
How do such borders look? Well, the Bible says, “If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth” (1 John 1:6; cf., also 1 John 2:4). Walk in the darkness of sin and overstepping the parameters of God’s word, and you’ve crossed a border that sets you at odds with God. Our sins or illegal border crossings separate us from the God of borders (e.g., Isaiah 59:1-2).
We deal with borders and border breakers wherever they are. We do that by honoring God’s desires and truths for all involved. Even though border breakers are escorted out, sometimes incarcerated, and leave hurting victims, our hope for all is not mean spirited. For all people in all border situations, our hope is that, God would, “open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me” (Acts 26:18). The most impassable border is the one that separates hell from heaven. That border is the destination of every person who hasn’t received jesus as Savior. Only the cross of Christ can bridge the chasm, the border God has set in place between hell and heaven. That border is there for a reason. No one with hellish intent will ever be allowed to pollute heaven with their sin. That’s what makes heaven, heaven. Yes, border are God’s idea; and they are important.
“The Lord. . . is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” and saving faith in Jesus (2 Peter 3:9). The redemption of the lost must always be a priority in the border discussion. But we are not to use such a hope as an excuse to overlook justice, or disregard the borders set by God’s truth.
It’s important we love in truth and live within those borders set by God. We must practice what Jesus, and the word of God teaches (1 John 3:18-19). Therefore, protecting the borders of God’s truth is important. We live within God’s border truth, and we need to protect His border truth. How do such protections look?
Church Border Breakers
Wolves in sheep’s clothing. There is another area where borders are being crossed with evil intentions. There is a similar type of invasion taking place in churches today. Jesus described it like this:
Matthew 7:15-20 (NKJV) – 15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.
Jesus emphasized that in the Last Days deception would threaten His followers (Matthew 24:4). Earlier Jesus described such deceivers as wolves in sheep’s clothing. They would come in among His people looking harmless like sheep. Looking like the rest of the flock, but they would be wolves. And not just wolves, but “ravenous” wolves. “Ravenous” (Greek harpax) means rapacious, looking to rob and extort, looking to prey on people for their own consumption. Jesus said we would need to look beyond appearances to what they produced. What a person produces defines who they really are.
Therefore, Jesus said, “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.” (Matthew 10:16). It will take the wisdom gleaned and based on God’s word and the direction and power of the Holy Spirit for us to be protected by such stealthy predators.
Three Kinds of Church Border Breakers
Cultists.[5] There are wolfish people who cross the border into a church looking to steal sheep. They do this by promoting heretical cultic doctrines that diminish the nature of Jesus, speak a different gospel, and are delivered in a different spirit. Paul warned against this when he wrote:
2 Corinthians 11:3–4 (NKJV) – 3 But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. 4 For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it!
Galatians 1:6–8 (NKJV) – 6 I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, 7 which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.
As you can see, when someone comes into a church presenting a Jesus different than the one revealed in scripture, or a gospel not by God’s grace through faith as taught in scripture, in a “spirit” unlike the Holy Spirit of love, they are nothing more than predators looking to steal sheep.
Hopefully, the sheep have been well fed by their shepherd directing them to graze in the rich green blades off scripture truth. Hopefully, the scripture-based gospel has been resounded loud and clear in the power of the Holy Spirit, and the sheep are able to discern the voice of their Great Shepherd Jesus (cf. John 10:16). Beware of the person or person’s who enter your church flock and who come in a “spirit” other than loving truthfulness. Those pitching falsehood to lure away and capture sheep from God’s flock are doomed to be “accursed.” There can be no compromise on such issues.
But don’t cultists say that they have the truth? And don’t they say what they believe is based on the Bible too? Yes, they do. That is why we all need to pay attention when our pastoral shepherd is teaching and have a regular time of study in God’s word. Only then will we be protected. We need to, “Be diligent to present yourself approved of God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). Pray. Pay attention. Take notes. Learn. Share. Grow in your faith.
People thieves. People thieves are those who cross the border into a church and aren’t really interested in assimilating and joining the vision of ministry in that church, they are looking for followers. They subtly promote their intellect or views on things to gain a personal following. Jesus said when the Holy Spirit came He would point people to Jesus (John 15:26; 16:14). You can spot a people thief because they aren’t really promoting Jesus as much as they are using Jesus to draw people to themselves. These are people who don’t care about causing division. They enjoy division and use division if it means people will take their side and follow them. These are people who fit the description as, “Their mouth is an open tomb; with their tongues they have practiced deceit; the poison of asps is on their lips” (Romans 3:13). Their mouth is an open grave because they kill fellowship and poison Christians against each other.
Porcupines. There are people who cross the borders into a church who are self-proclaimed theologians. They are people with a lot of points they want to make, but are so filled with points they seldom get close enough to people to actually minister to them. There is little depth of love in such people but much shallow self-centeredness. They establish their beliefs based more on the popularity of YouTube os social media preachers than they do on personal Bible study. They are those with theology and doctrines different from the church they invade who try to undermine the pastor and leadership, force their particular views into the church conversation to influence people out of that church to follow them. These are the blind leading the blind who Jesus said to leave alone (Matthew 15:14). These are people who arrogantly try to steal the church to their doctrinal positions. They are like spiritual “children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine,” oftentimes not realizing they themselves are victims of “the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting” to get more clicks or followers (cf. Ephesians 4:14). Like Jesus said, stay away from them.
The porcupine border abuser crosses the border packing tons of opinions. They find immense pleasure playing the “devil’s advocate.” They play the devil to get exactly what the devil himself was seeking, attention from subjects and those who would follow him even to the depths of hell.
Protecting Church Borders
We are who we are by God’s grace (1 Corinthians 15:10). We should never respond to church border predators by a cold shotgun blast of some kind. (Though you will be tempted to do so.) We are to respond in grace but not compromise God’s truth. All that we do must be done in love, otherwise it is useless and counterproductive (cf. 1 Corinthians 13). We need to follow the leading and empowerment of the Holy Spirit in dealing with such intruders (John 14:26).
How should we respond to protect the righteous borders of the Church?
- Shine the light on the border breakers –
Psalms 119:105 (NKJV) – נ NUN – Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.
Ephesians 5:11 (NKJV) – And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.
God’s word lights our path in the dark world. Where the light of God’s word exposes darkness, we don’t only refrain from it, but we expose it and deal with it. We can’t walk away from the responsibility to defend the borders of God’s church. Remember, “The gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). Those are words of offense not merely defensive response.
- Recognize the truth and motives of the border breakers –
Romans 16:17-20 (NKJV) – 17 Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. 18 For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple. 19 For your obedience has become known to all. Therefore I am glad on your behalf; but I want you to be wise in what is good, and simple concerning evil. 20 And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.
When people enter the church and they become the center of attention, and divisions are caused, “contrary to the doctrine which you learned,” then do what the scripture says, “avoid them.” Don’t feed the fire they’re trying to start. Don’t fatten them up with attention. You stay on the straight and narrow of obeying the Lord. Give your pastor something to be glad about as you are “wise in what is good, and simple concerning evil.” Do that, “And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly.” Don’t forget, “the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Be with you.”
- Be humble and prepared, wary of the border breakers –
1 Peter 5:6-11 (NKJV) – 6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. 8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. 10 But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. 11 To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Live with a humble dependent spirit before the Lord and He will look after you. But also be prepared and cognizant of the fact that the devil is on the prowl through such border breakers. God cares for us, but we still have to live soberly, vigilantly, and mindful of the devilish predators that cross our borders from time to time. “Resist him, steadfast in the faith,” and know that such difficulties are not uncommon, especially in the days in which we live. Stick close to and support your brothers and sisters in Christ. We may experience difficulty, but in the end, He will bring us to victory. And let’s pray that no matter what, “To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”
- Have a shepherd’s heart and protect the flock against border breakers –
Psalms 23 (NKJV) – A Psalm of David. 1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. 3 He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever.
The shepherd had two tools, a rod, and a staff. The staff was to guide the sheep in the right direction. The rod was a weapon to ward off the wolves. Whether you’re a pastor or not, have a shepherd’s heart to guide the sheep in the right direction and protect them from the border crossing wolves that creep into the church. Stay close to the Shepherd Jesus; He will give you rest, feed you, protect you, encourage you, even prepare a meal for you before your enemies. Jesus will anoint you for whatever you face. Your cup will run over with His provision and blessing.
- Don’t Be a Hireling but sacrifice to protect church borders –
John 10:11-13 (NKJV) – 11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. 12 But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. 13 The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.
A hireling is someone who lives by the motto, “what’s in it for me?” They take a stand based on how an action benefits them. That’s not Jesus. Jesus gave His life for His flock. We are to follow in His footsteps and have a sacrificial spirit that moves us to step in even when doing so will cost us comfort, reputation, or in some other way. Some good can come from beating back the wolves in that it is part of conforming us to the likeness of Jesus (Romans 8:29; 1 Peter 2:21; 1 John 2:6). That is a tremendous blessing.
- Defend Church Borders –
Jude 1:3-4 (NKJV) – 3 Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. 4 For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.
Defending church borders is worth it. We need to be diligent in defending the borders God has ordained. Our church borders are not new or unstable, but “settled in heaven” (Psalm 119:89). The borders of the Church of God are strong and true. Spurgeon used to say, “The word of God is like a lion. It doesn’t need to be defended but let loose.” That is true, but that lionlike word also commands us regarding those who cross the borders of the church with ill intent. God is a God of borders. He has commissioned us to live within His borders and defend those within those borders. Borders are important, for nations, and for churches. In the name of Jesus, in the power of the Holy Spirit, for the glory of God, we will defend His borders, by grace, through faith, in love, by the Spirit. In Jesus’ name. Amen
[1] https://nypost.com/2025/06/08/us-news/mexican-flag-waving-masked-protester-becomes-the-symbol-of-la-anti-ice-riots/
[2] https://imprimis.hillsdale.edu/what-is-the-great-reset/
[3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfX7XrtpuYc
[4] https://www.theepochtimes.com/tech/elon-musk-unveils-grok-update-after-controversial-posts-by-the-ai-chatbot-5885510?utm_medium=GoogleAds&utm_source=PerfmaxM&utm_campaign=PM_max-G_WeaponizeBJ_Cons51_M_gl-mik-20250709&gl=reg&gad_source=5&gad_campaignid=22786295954&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIuoiU9ZDqjgMVbWVHAR2_KhmHEAAYAyAAEgKh7_D_BwE
[5] Examples: Jehovah’s Witnesses; New Age Cults; any teaching that denies the nature of God as Triune and Jesus as God in the flesh, etc.