When Hussein died at the end of 2006, many in the world again raised the issue of capital punishment. Never mind that he was responsible for killing thousands. Some misguided Christians also think that the death penalty died with the end of the dispensation of the Law. What is interesting is that many who raise that issue have not the slightest clue what dispensationalism is all about!

God proscribed the death penalty for many heinous crimes but does the death penalty continue in the present dispensation, the age of grace?

First of all, the dispensation of grace has to do with what the Lord is doing with the church, and not what He wants to take place in the governments of the world. You cannot tie capital punishment to church issues. This has to do with the responsibility of government to maintain peace and to punish societal evil doers.

The apostle Paul makes it clear that government has a God-given mandate to slay grossly evil perpetrators (Rom. 13:1-7). No government carries out its good laws without the work of God in that government. All authority to government comes from God (v. 1), and it then carries out “the ordinance of God” (v. 2a). Those who oppose law and order “will receive condemnation to themselves” (v. 2b). Even Christians are to be law abiding in order to have praise from government for their good behavior (v. 3).

Government is “a minister of God for good” and it “does not bear the sword for nothing” (v. 4). In other words, governments can chop off heads or hang evil doers. A sword is not wielded for nothing! It is to be used on the wicked! Government then is (1) a minister of God; (2) an avenger which (3) brings wrath “upon the one who practices evil” (v. 4b), and, the ministers of government (4) “are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing,” i.e. to administer peace to the society (v. 6).

Even Christians can die by the sword of government if they do wrong (v. 5).

Unfortunately, many Christians who do not know their Bible have become bleeding hearts, opposing capital punishment, even for a Saddam Hussein.

Isaiah created a poem-like description of what happens to the evil kings and rulers of the earth when they die (Isa. 14:9-11). It is as if the dead leaders and kings who have gone before rise up and welcome the unfortunate cruel monarchs to the pit of hell, Sheol. They say, “You have become like us. … You have been brought down to Sheol; maggots are spread out as your bed beneath you. And worms are your covering.” Though this is a terrible picture, it describes a just end for the tyrants of the earth, like Saddam Hussein.

In so many ways the justice of the government of Iraq is far better than in America where we often take decades to kill the wicked offender. The government leaders in foolish America do not know Ecclesiastes 8:11 that says: