(Romans 13 does not appear to discuss (for example) the case of defections to North Korea to serve alternative "hyer powers".)

The editors of the King James Version adopted the phrase, but modern translations prefer a less archaic wording: it's "the authorities that exist have been established by God" in the NIV.

Modern English vernacular language uses the phrase "the powers that be" with the same meaning ("the government"), usually in a satirical way. In the jargon of conspiracy theorists though, it is used as a placeholder name for whatever sinister forces CTs imagine to be actually ruling the world. (Partially because they can't reach an agreement whether it's ruled by the Freemasons, the Illuminati or the Jewsreptilian aliens.) The phrase is usually abbreviated to TPTB, and it's often used by the rank-and-file inhabitants of forums like Above Top Secret and Godlike Productions.