A major lesson repeated many times in the Old Testament is that Israel was not to make alliances with the nations of the world. They did anyway, many times, and always suffered for it.
Instead of trusting the promises of God to protect them, they feared the threat of other nations who seemed more powerful. To protect themselves, they often invited these nations in. It always resulted in two things:
1. Israel had to and/or began to compromise their practices, worshiping pagan idols and small gods, and participating in the rituals of the nations.
2. The nations they invited in and allied with eventually took them over and subjugated them anyway.
The Christian church now fulfills the role of Israel, acting as a priest to the nations. The church faces this same temptation the world over – to ally with the nations for their protection. It carries the same dangers.
The church feels threatened, and that if they only figure out a way to work with the kingdoms of this world, they can be preserved. Rather than trusting God, who promises His church will be preserved even in the midst of persecution, we want to avoid all that.
Like Israel in the Old Testament, when the church cozies up to the kingdoms of this world, they always believe, “This time it will be different.” But it never is. The church begins to mingle with the rituals and false gods of the nations, and the nations eventually turn on them.
Trust not in Princes.