Gabriel the angel was sent to Zechariah to announce that he would have a son, who would become John the Baptist. Zechariah said, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.” Now Zechariah was a priest, and he was supposed to be a religious leader and model to the people, but he responded in unbelief. When God tells us something or makes a promise to us, we must believe it even if we have never experienced anything like it, and even if no one else has ever experienced anything like it. There is never an excuse to doubt God, but even if there is ever an excuse, Zechariah did not have one. He knew the story of Abraham and Sarah, who received Isaac by the promise of God when they were old. He knew of other individuals in Scripture who received sons and daughters even though they were barren. In fact, even if he had never received this vision, he could have believed God and received healing. His faith could have renewed his youth and overturned the barrenness. As it is written, “I will take away sickness from among you, and none will miscarry or be barren in your land. I will give you a full life span.” Like most Christian teachers in our day, Zechariah was a religious leader but did not believe the Scripture, and he answered in unbelief. So the angel said, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their proper time.”

People often read their political and ethical ideals into the word of God. They think that good politics is also good dogmatics. They think that democracy is good for government, so the kingdom of God must also be a democracy. But the kingdom of God is not a democracy, but a monarchy, even an absolute and eternal dictatorship — Jesus Christ is king forever. You say, “Didn’t they vote to nominate deacons in the Bible? And don’t we vote on things in our churches?” Of course. Even under a dictatorship, members of a family unit might vote on what they will have for dinner, but they cannot vote to change the law of the nation. They cannot even vote to decide what the law means, and then follow that interpretation instead of the law. Thus members of a church might vote on certain items to maintain order in the congregation, but they cannot vote to change the word of God. And they cannot vote to decide what the word of God means, and then follow their creed instead of the word of God. But so many people who claim to be Christians have done this evil thing. This is how they have operated their institutions for hundreds of years.

People’s own political and ethical ideals are not always what the word of God teaches. Free speech might be good for a democracy, but the kingdom of God is not a democracy, and there is no free speech in the kingdom of God. You are not allowed to say anything that God disapproves. You might not always be punished for it, at least not immediately, but as Jesus said, “But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” This is shocking to historic pagan Christianity. Shouldn’t we have free debates and airing of opinions in the church? Of course not. You are not allowed to utter blasphemy. You are not allowed to teach heresy. Even if these two restrictions are grudgingly admitted by some Christians, they would likely regard the third one as extremism. Christians cherish this kind of speech, and they use it to define much of their orthodoxy. Thus they would react with indignation when you tell them it is forbidden in the kingdom of God. What is this third kind of forbidden speech? Unbelief. No one is allowed to speak unbelief.

Unbelief is banned. Doubt is illegal in the kingdom of God. If God says that something would happen, you are not allowed to wonder if it really would happen. If God says that you are able to do something, you are not allowed to suppose that only other people or special people were able to do it, or that it has passed away so that now no one is able to do it. If you doubt God, then God wants you to shut up. Shut your stupid mouth. Here he did not only correct Zechariah or made him shut up about this one thing, but he did not permit the man to speak at all. He shut him up by a miracle. Unbelief is this vile in the sight of God. Do you think that he would want someone who speaks doubt in a position of leadership, or to even teach his people? Do you think that God would want you to write unbelief into your creeds, and then build a denomination on top of it? Do you think that he would want you to give any money to a church who orders people to doubt his promises and his commands? Or would he want the whole bunch of you to shut up? Shut up until you repent and learn to talk some faith.

You protest, “Wait a minute. Do you mean that in a Christian church or institution, if the Bible says that a miracle can happen when we have faith, but a leader speaks doubt concerning this, he should lose his job?” YES. Absolutely, YES. If his job has to do with speaking, and especially teaching, then he should lose his job. He should not be permitted to pray in public, or for example, to even offer a public report on the organization’s financial situation — because he will speak unbelief about it. Upon investigation, if we perceive that it is a matter of spiritual sickness, and that he wishes to have faith but finds himself unable at this time, then he can probably be transferred to another position that does not need him to speak or to teach, such as the accounting or janitorial department. But to be a pastor or professor? NO, NO, NO. The church should react against doubt speech far stronger than the world reacts against “hate speech.” No Christian organization should allow unbelief to speak. This must be specified in an institute’s academic standard and code of conduct.

Christians supposedly would not allow an atheist to become pastor and preach to them, but they would welcome someone who doubts the promises of the gospel to indoctrinate them week after week, month after month, year after year. They would pay someone like this to become a professor in their seminaries to train future leaders of the church. If someone does not believe in healing the sick in the name of Jesus, he should not be speaking to God’s people. If someone does not believe in visions, dreams, and prophecy from the Spirit of God, he should not open his mouth in public. If someone doubts that when we seek first the kingdom of God, all the things that the pagans seek will be added to us, then he should not have a speaking job in any Christian institution. But Christians have itching ears for unbelief. If someone like this writes a book on accepting pointless suffering, Christians would give him an award. Another person who merely repeats what the Bible promises is called a heretic, a fanatic, someone who teaches eastern religion, or some such thing. “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” Why is the church in the state that it is in? For that matter, why is the world in the state that it is in? Christians wish to blame the politicians. Then they want to blame the charismatics. No, the problem is YOU. It has always been you, if you speak unbelief, if you permit unbelief, and if you finance unbelief.

Someone doubted a message of healing delivered by an angel, and he was forced to silence by divine power. Now someone greater than Gabriel had spoken. He is so much greater that Gabriel himself would fall down and worship him. This one said that if we have faith, we can perform a miracle of nature like he did when he spoke to a tree, and that if we have faith, we can even speak to a mountain and command it to move. He said that we can heal the sick and cast out demons. He said that we can perform the same miracles that he did, and even greater miracles. He said that God would give us whatever we ask in his name. He said that we would receive the same power that he had, by the same Spirit that he had, so that we would receive visions, dreams, and prophecies. If a man was silenced because he doubted an angel, can we afford to doubt someone so much greater than an angel, and who delivered such greater promises? Let us not lie to ourselves. God is not mocked. We will reap what we sow.