Posted on 01/19/2021 8:17:41 AM PST by SeekAndFind
(Please note: I wrote this on December 11, 2020, during a one-week prayer retreat alone in Texas, but I have waited to release the article until now. With the storming of the Capitol on January 6th and the loss of Republican power in the Senate on January 5th, every line that follows is now underscored.)
Like many of you reading this article, I voted for Donald Trump, which means I voted against Joe Biden. I have also written articles calling out the radical nature of the Democratic platform, drawing attention to Biden’s extreme, “transgender rights” position, and pointing to his continued shift to the left on abortion. And I have warned of the potential dangers of a Kamala Harris presidency.
Like many of you, I am deeply concerned about the direction America could be heading under a Biden-Harris administration, including potentially destructive dealings with China and Iran.
At the same time, I believe that the election of Joe Biden might be in the best interest of the Church of America.
How can I say such a thing?
Simply stated, it is because many of us Christian conservatives put too much trust in a man. (If you didn’t, fine. I said “many of us,” not all of us.)
We were looking to a man to preserve our religious freedoms.
Looking to a man to overturn Roe v. Wade through the courts.
Looking to a man to fight our battles, to be our champion.
Looking to a man to push back against the evil agendas of the radical left.
Looking to a man to bring peace to the Middle East.
Such an attitude is never healthy, especially when that man is Donald Trump, a man who could be as abrasive and destructive as he could be winsome and uniting.
And when it seemed that Trump might be losing the election, we turned to God in fervent prayer and fasting. But it was not so much for revival in the church and mercy on America as much as it was for Trump’s victory, as if only a Trump victory stood between America’s freedom and America’ collapse.
As I recall, Jesus taught us to pray that the Lord’s name would be hallowed and that His kingdom would come and His will be done, rather than to pray for the election of a particular individual or the success of a particular party.
To be sure, many were praying for justice, praying to “Stop the Steal.” Yet our prayers for the reelection of Donald Trump were far more passionate than our prayers for other critical issues, such as stopping the pandemic. Or our prayers to see our neighbors come to Jesus. Or our prayers for the safety of our persecuted brothers and sisters around the world.
How could this be right?
As things stand, I truly believe that four more years of Donald Trump would have led to greater spiritual complacency and even triumphalism, not to mention the vulgarizing of our own souls.
Four more years of Trump (for which I, too, voted) would have led to even greater trust in a man, only deepening our dangerous trend.
Four more years of Trump would have destroyed our witness even more severely, as evangelical Christians (in particular, white evangelical Christians) would have been better known for association with Trump than association with Jesus. (As it is, much damage has been done and we have much ground to recover.)
Four more years of Trump would have kept our focus on the government, as if the White House or Congress or the Supreme Court could slow the national hemorrhaging or stop our downward moral and spiritual slide.
“But,” you say, “a Biden-Harris presidency means more babies slaughtered. That alone tells me you are wrong. Surely God doesn’t want more innocent blood being shed.”
Certainly, I share your pro-life passion, and I fully understand the implications of a Biden-Harris administration when it comes to the unborn. Absolutely, 100 percent.
But let’s face the facts.
Babies were slaughtered at a horrific rate through the Republican presidencies of Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, George W. Bush, and Donald Trump. That’s a total of 24 years and more than 22 million babies, which is far more babies than were aborted during the 16 years of the Democratic presidencies of Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.
At the same time, progress is being made every year in reducing the number of abortions through other legislative and grass roots efforts, all while we continue to press for the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
“But,” you say, “a Democratic victory now could mean the packing of the courts and the end of free and fair elections as we know it. We will never recover from this.”
You could be right, in which case, the situation is dire. On the other hand, now is the time to stand up boldly and exercise our faith. Why must we be so fatalistic?
The possibilities are indeed grave, but they are certainly not written in stone.
Personally, I do not believe most Americans will support the increasingly radical leftist agenda. In fact, it could be that the best thing that could happen to our country is for the radical left to show its real hand and for its fangs, so to say, to be exposed.
The more that BLM and Antifa terrorize our streets, the less popular they will be.
The more people see where a Green New Deal will lead (especially in their paychecks and freedoms), the less they will like it.
The more the Democrats seek to remake America, the more Americans will not want Democrats in power.
The more people realize that Big Tech is trying to rule their lives and the mainstream media is lying to them, the more they will resent this hostile takeover.
As for the Church, the more we realize that we cannot look to the White House or Congress to do our bidding, the more we will get back to gospel basics. And it is those basics alone that can save the nation.
To quote the words of the Psalms, “It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes” (Psalm 118:9). And, “Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save” (Psalm 146:3). Today, we could substitute the word “presidents” for “princes.”
Of course, these verses do not mean that we become passive and complacent when it comes to the political system. They do not mean that we have a kumbaya mentality when it comes to laws and policies.
But they do mean that we must not put our full trust in earthly leaders or earthly powers. And they do mean that our trust in God will be rewarded.
The truth is that, quite often in life, the worst things turn out to the best things. And as the saying goes, if it doesn’t kill you, it makes you stronger.
A Biden-Harris presidency will not come close to killing us. Didn’t Jesus say that the gates of Hades would not prevail over the Church, meaning the powers of death itself?
Instead, an adversarial presence in the White House could be the best thing that happened to the Church of America in years.
Maybe this is what it will take to wake us up. An awakened Church remains the hope of the nation.
It is that force alone – the force of the gospel lived out – that can change hearts. Then, people with changed hearts can reshape the government and the courts. Then we will have change that can last.
“This morning my daily Bible verse app sent me Paul’s admonition from Romans, reminding me that I am required to submit to the government above me, because it exists from the will of God.”
Remember how Paul describes a legitimate government:
“For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; 4 for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil.”
Arguably, Paul is saying a government that does not do those things is illegitimate in the eyes of God.
“Their requirements “may be” opposed to the Law of God, and then we are to obey God rather than man; Acts 4:19; Acts 5:29. But it is meant that the power is intrusted to them by God; and that he has the authority to remove them when he pleases. If they abuse their power, however, they do it at their peril; and “when” so abused, the obligation to obey them ceases. That this is the case, is apparent further from the nature of the “question” which would be likely to arise among the early Christians. It “could not be” and “never was” a question, whether they should obey a magistrate when he commanded a thing that was plainly contrary to the Law of God. But the question was, whether they should obey a pagan magistrate at “all.”.....” - Barnes Notes on the New Testament
They will tax churches right out of the gate. Hope the social justice Christians will see that a Sniffer vote was suicide, but not holding my breath.
What’s “The Church Of America”?
It is an illegitimate government and God will treat it as such. If they think its going to be business as usual they are in for a rude awakening.
Do not believe he screwed up. The direction applies until the “authorities” break God’s laws. We are WAY past that with this new “administration.”
That was nothing but Paul trying not to get in trouble with the Roman government. His effort in saying that was to stay out of hot water with the Roman emperor.
God didn’t place the Borgias in the Vatican, King George or Henry the VIII on the throne. He didn’t put Atahualpa in charge of the Incas. He didn’t entrust power to Hitler or Stalin.
Our Founders weren’t sinning at Lexington.
As Thomas Paine said if the king is there by divine right, why is there a need for a parliament? Why would there be a need for other men to reign in Gods trusted man on the throne?
One has to listen to Jesus. You can evaluate Paul like you can any other preacher. He had some very good moments, and pulled some boners. That was one. And Rome, the Byzantines and a string of monarchs used that verse to justify divine right to the world’s detriment. That bit of sophistry hasn’t stood the test of time.
Let’s assume, as I have since 2016 and Rabbi Cahn assumed about the same time, that Trump is/was today’s Jehu, a “vulgar man” chosen by God to rid (northern) Israel of Jezebel and the priests of Baal—in our case, the Clinton/Obama axis and the abortion-loving, homosexual-promoting, racism-baiting, Christ-hating deep state.
Now, imagine that, instead of Jehu slaying Jezebel and all the priests of Baal as described in the Bible, he decided to let Jezebel live, and thought he could overcome the priests of Baal with those who would support him and with the YHWH priests.
What would have happened? We know what would have happened: Jezebel would have spent her time attempting to destroy Jehu, the priests of Baal would violently take over the Israelite cities, and the YHWH priests, who liked being without authority but with perks, would have betrayed Jehu and joined with the Baal priests—and then every one of Jehu’s supporters would have been hunted down and forced to either sacrifice to Baal or be ruined.
That is what has happened to Trump. He couldn’t get rid of them all, so they got rid of him. Incidentally, the story doesn’t end well: even with Jehu’s success, within a few generations northern Israel was destroyed by Assyria, never to return.
Agree. God does not place our leaders over us, with the possible exception of George Washington. When anyone uses fealty to a temporal government as a test of Christian faith, you can be sure you are dealing with a fraud.
He screwed up. God doesn’t put our leaders into the seat of power anymore then he gets you out of car wrecks like in that idiotic song “Jesus take the wheel”.
The concept of freewill would be negated if he placed temporal leaders above us.
freewill means WE are the standard of value as individuals. We man band together with other freemen, and express OUR freewill to choose a leader.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That, to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. “
Governments are created by men with rights endowed by god. And the ONLY justification for a leader is the consent of the governed. Anything else is not of God. Most of humanity has never experienced this condition. Nobody under a monarch or any form of socialism has.
In any case, it’s a lead pipe cinch that supporting Biden and Kamala is unbiblical. And a good Christian should throw sand in the gears wherever we can.
When some says “I truly believe,’ I wonder why he says “truly.” I suspect he is trying to convince himself.
After reading this I am reminded of the 70 years following the Crucifixion of Jesus and the events which transpired during that time.
The Holy Spirit fell on those in the upper room on the day of Pentecost. And while the Disciples were tortured and ultimatly killed, the Lord Jesus appeared to a man named Saul as he traveled enroute to Damascus with an agenda to attack the newly formed Christian Church.
With that appearance, the Lord Jesus began His conversion of a man named Saul to a man named Paul. And with this conversion the Lord revealed His message to the Gentiles. This message was the message and Gospel of Grace to undeserving man through Faith in Jesus Christ.
During the early days of the church, while under great persecution from the religious proponents of the law, the church grew in both numbers and the understanding of Grace which was previously hidden through the ages and now revealed.
During this time and shortly following, man was given 27 epistles and letters we’ve come to know and accept as the New Testament, leading to the Salvation of untold millions.
While many retained their faith in religious leaders of the time, others received Salvation through GRACE.
70 years after the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ at the hands of religious zealots, came the attack by Rome leading to the destruction of Jerusalem. And with that the fleeing of the Jewish people around the globe.
Fast forward 2,000 years and we are now witnesses to the rebirth of the fig tree in 1948. The great outpouring of the Holy Spirit and growth in the church.
In these last days of the church age dispensation, we again see the persecution of the church at the hands of the religious zealots (believing they are performing a service to God)
But with persecution comes a renewed growth in the Stedfast Faith in Jesus Christ and the Grace He has given us through His shed Blood.
Time is short and both the Jews and the church will come under even greater persecution. This time led by the religious zealots of the one world church. But there is hope for the church. It is found in 1’st Thessalonians 4:13-18. And that Trump (as in the Trump of God) is about to sound.
Even so, come Lord Jesus.
The church has always grown under persecution.
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Not always...the Japanese all but obliterated it in thier country for centuries under the Shogunate until the persecution ended during the Meiji Restoration.
When Islam spread throughout the Middle East, the growth of Christianity in those areas dropped considerably. Since 1900 to the present day, the number of Christians in the Middle East have literally been cut in half according to Pew Research.
It’s not just that Christianity can be slowed in growth. If that were the case, then it would still just be a matter of time until Christianity (and Christian Culture) became dominant, but to the contrary unless people band together and defend their Christian culture, history has demonstrated that it can effectively be wiped out (or greatly diminished).
Daniel 2:20-21 (NASB)
20 Daniel said, “Let the name of God be blessed forever and ever, For wisdom and power belong to Him.
21 “It is He who changes the times and the epochs; He removes kings and establishes kings; He gives wisdom to wise men And knowledge to men of understanding.
“You can evaluate Paul like you can any other preacher.”
Not if you are a Christian who believes scripture is divine revelation.
“God does not place our leaders over us, with the possible exception of George Washington.”
Disagree. At a bare minimum, God allows people to have power. Otherwise God is not in control.
“And on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.” - Acts 8
Persecution of Christians CAN be God’s will. God scattered the church and apostles so the church could grow. God never promises us a comfortable life. Quite the contrary:
“Blessed are you when people hate you,
when they exclude you and insult you
and reject your name as evil,
because of the Son of Man.” - Luke 6
Looks like it is about to be the turn of Christians in America.
If you aren’t yet, you soon will be.
2021 here we come..
The authority is the Constitution, the Decleration, and the Bill of Rights.
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