From reading world history war between nations and civil war inside nations is clearly a messy business. Right now the war in Ukraine is the easiest to point toward for a situation where authority could be questioned. Since if you are a citizen of Ukraine, but your town gets taken over by Russia and your nation orders you to fight them even though you are under occupation.

It brings the question of what authority should the Christian obey. As at what point does the new authority become the legit one the Christian should obey? In this case would you be sinning by following the orders of the nation you are a citizen of, by rebelling against the new authority that has occupied your area?

That might sound like a simple question until I get to why I am asking this civil war question. I do not think if the United States has a civil war it will be clear who the legitimate government is.

Because of Qanon. I am not joking about this. There are Trump supporters that actually think the military is about to suddenly jail democrats and non-supporting republicans. And there are DEMOCRATS yes democrats who fear that Qanon is so deeply embedded within "MEGA republicans" that the military will actually do what Qanon promised to put Trump back into power. I actually hear more from democrats now about how Trump literally tried a military coup and is somehow plotting to do another military coup again by using Qanon signals at rally's.

So lets say it's 2024. Trump is arrested and in jail waiting for trial while running for election. China invades Taiwan and because of high tensions they sink a US warship nearby. Joe Biden does very little when Military generals are practically screaming at him so they decide to arrest him and a bunch of democrats in congress for treason. Put them in military tribunals and then hang them on live TV for acting as agents for mainland China. And then declare Trump the winner of the 2024 election to make him head of state.

Other parts of the military rebel against the coup along with democratic states breaking off from a federal government now ruled by Trump. That as the democrats fear becomes a dictator obsessed with punishing whoever is not politically on his side.

So the Democrats have a parallel government they claim is also the United States federal government and claim that Trump along with the military has a fake government or whatever to deleigtmize their position.

The actual question is that enough chaos happens where no one knows who the legit government authority is. And that two or more government body's claim authority where you live where at any moment actual control over your home might flop between two different opposing authority's. So who is the Christian supposed to obey?