doesn't mean that there isn't any earthly consequences
Correct.
the bad guys will get theirs in the end... somehow?
Christ didn't preach to Caesar.
The bible DOES NOT (unlike many religions) set out to establish the earthly laws of Christendom. There is no Leviticus in the Synoptic Gospels. The bible preaches forgiveness because forgiving others is the best for YOU, not those who transgress against you.
The medieval conception of the divine right of kings came later, to explain how Caesar can be Christian. Because a just Caesar must do things which are decidedly un-Christian in order to create and preserved Christendom, creating law, imposing it, and condemning those who transgress it.
Correct.
Christ didn't preach to Caesar.
The bible DOES NOT (unlike many religions) set out to establish the earthly laws of Christendom. There is no Leviticus in the Synoptic Gospels. The bible preaches forgiveness because forgiving others is the best for YOU, not those who transgress against you.
The medieval conception of the divine right of kings came later, to explain how Caesar can be Christian. Because a just Caesar must do things which are decidedly un-Christian in order to create and preserved Christendom, creating law, imposing it, and condemning those who transgress it.