Should a Christian Vote?
By COGwriter
The world is a complicated place with many types of problems. In the world's so-called democracies, politicians campaign to persuade us to vote for them so that they can help solve these problems. Around the world, election issues and problems usually include matters like the economy, environment, crime, international leadership, defence, and a host of social concerns. Community leaders with different ideas wish to persuade us that their group's choice is the one that will be best for the country.
Many of these leaders bring religion into the campaign.
Should Christians vote? The Bible teaches that Christians should follow Jesus' example (Philippians 2:5). So if Jesus was an American citizen, would He vote? In countries with parliamentary systems, would He vote for a certain party to get a particular prime minister? A video of related interest is available titled: Should Christians Vote?
Another video, made in 2024 is available: Trump vs Harris vs Scripture.
In the USA, some seem to think that Jesus would vote for members of the Democratic party, because Democrats are perceived by some to be more compassionate than Republicans. Others feel certain that Jesus would vote for Republicans because Republicans are perceived by some to be more "pro-life" (anti-abortion) than Democrats. Some others, noting hypocrisy in both major parties, feel that Jesus would vote for the candidates offered by the smaller political parties due to their personalities or views on different subjects.
Democracy is Not New
Democracy was known before the time of Christ. In ancient Greece, all the male citizens were expected to vote on the issues facing their society. The Greeks introduced the concept of democracy to the Romans. The Romans (who were somewhat sceptical of the Greek model) set up a modified form of democracy called a republic. In a republic, elected representatives are supposed to vote for their interpretation of the will of the people. The U.S., other "democracies" of the world (with Switzerland as perhaps the most notable exception as it is more patterned after the Greek model), and even many churches are patterned after the Roman model.
Most people in western societies seem to feel that some form of democracy is the best form of government. Would God agree? The Bible warns us, "there is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death" (Proverbs 16:25). It also warns us, "It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps" (Jeremiah 10:23).
In Genesis 2:17 God warned Adam and Eve to not partake of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. But Adam and Eve did not listen to God. After listening to Satan, they decided that they did not need to listen to God but that they should decide for themselves (Genesis 3:1-6). This is the first recorded act of human democracy in action.
Nowhere in the entire Bible do we see God sanctioning democracy.
The Bible shows that God appointed his leaders and made them known to his people. From Enoch to Noah to Moses to David to the Prophets to Jesus and even to the Apostles, we read nothing about God encouraging democracy. Actually according to the Bible, democracy is condemned. When Samuel was God's appointed leader/judge, the majority of the people wanted a king like the rest of the world. Even though there appeared to have been legitimate criticisms of Samuel's leadership, God told Samuel that the people had rejected God and not Samuel (I Samuel 8:1-9). The Bible says it was evil in the sight of God for the people to ask to have a government like the other nations around them (I Samuel 12: 17).
The Bible teaches that God sets up as leaders whomever He wants (Daniel 4:17).
The Bible records incidences of religious leaders who felt that they were as good as the ones that God appointed, but God had other ideas. For example, Korah (who was a religious leader and a Levite) was apparently in favor of voting and a republican form of government (which is what, the United States, for example, claims to have). After assembling 250 supporters (who were community leaders/representatives) he said to Moses and Aaron:
3 You take too much upon yourselves, for all the congregation is holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the congregation of the LORD? (Numbers 16:3).
God clearly did not agree with Korah's assessment and God decreed death to Korah and his followers (Numbers 16:32). When some of the people thought that God's punishment was excessive, God also severely punished them (Numbers 16:49). Thus, God did not sanction voting in a republican form of government.
The New Testament Does Not Sanction Democracy
If democracy was to be sanctioned in the Bible for Christians, most certainly it would be sanctioned in the New Testament. Greek and Roman ways were widely known. In the New Testament we read of Jesus appointing apostles. Paul writes that God first appoints apostles, secondarily prophets, etc. for the edifying the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:11,12).
When Judas needed to be replaced (after his betrayal of Jesus and his suicide), the apostles did not have an election, they followed the Biblical example of seeking God's will:
24 You, O Lord, who know hearts of all, show which of these two You have chosen...26 And they cast their lots. (Acts 1:24,26).
Notice the apostles did not decide that they were qualified to see into a person's heart.
Some have written that various forms of democracy are now acceptable because they believe certain scriptures in the book of Acts imply it. The primary verses appear to be in the story of Acts 15. In Acts 15 many of the apostles and elders met together to discuss circumcision and Gentile believers. A multitude of counsellors was used to discuss the matter. Some feel that using counsel is indicative of democracy. However, the fact that a multitude of counsellors was used does not change God's form of government. In the Old Testament we read that not only has God always encouraged this practice (Proverbs 11:14), we also read that God himself engaged in it (2 Chronicles 18;18-21); thus the fact that some of the Church leadership followed this practice only shows that God's governmental practices from the Old Testament were to be continued.
It is interesting to note something else mentioned in the Book of Acts:
38 "And now I say to you, keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing; 39 but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it--lest you even be found to fight against God" (Acts 5:38-39)
Those who vote in worldly elections apparently believe they know aspects of the plan of God that there is no human way they could know. Yet, look at what God said to Samuel, one clearly called and appointed by God, when Samuel thought he knew who should be the next king over Israel:
6 So it was, when they came, that he looked at Eliab and said, "Surely the LORD's anointed is before Him." 7 But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart" (1 Samuel 16:6-7).
It is also interesting to realize that many who believe that the New Testament sanctions democracy also believe that God's future ruling government (in the Kingdom of God) will not be a democracy.
Jesus told the apostles that they would be rulers over the twelve tribes of Israel in his kingdom (Luke 22:30). Jesus chose the disciples, they did not get their positions from any form of democracy (John 15:16; 6:70). God, not man, chose David to be king over Israel originally (Acts 13:22) and has also chosen him to be king over all Israel in the world ahead (Jeremiah 30:9).
By the way, Jesus said that God the Father has reserved who will have certain positions of authority in the kingdom of God (Mat 20:23). The rewards in the kingdom will be Jesus' to give (Revelation 22:12); they will not be for the people to take for themselves.
Democracy will not be God's form of government in His kingdom.
Why?
One of the many problems of voting is that no human thinks the way God does.
8 'For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways', says the LORD (Isaiah 55:8).
When Jesus was on Earth he proclaimed the gospel of the kingdom of God and told people to repent (Mark 1:14-15). Jesus refused to participate in even the most elementary governmental decisions while He was on the earth (Luke 12:13-14).
Although Jesus taught that we were to pay taxes (Matthew 22:17-21), He also taught that His kingdom was not of this world (John 18:36). Jesus taught His disciples to go into the world and preach the gospel to everyone (Matthew 28:19,20). Jesus said that His disciples were to be in the world, but not of it (John 17:11-16).
The apostle Peter clearly understood this. He wrote that being part of God's people made one part of a holy nation (1 Peter 2:9). The apostle Paul wrote that this present world was evil (Galatians 1:4).
The Apostle John was inspired to write:
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life — is not of the Father but is of the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. (1 John 2:15-17)
The Bible warns of the consequences of being part of the world's systems and its governments and tells us to come out of it and to be separate:
17 Therefore
"Come out from among them
And be separate, says the Lord.
Do not touch what is unclean,
And I will receive you. (2 Corinthians 6:17)
2 And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, "Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird! 3 For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury."
4 And I heard another voice from heaven saying, "Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. 5 For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. (Revelation 18:2-5)
The world's system is evil and unclean. We strive to be separate from it.
Look at what the Bible teaches will happen in the Last Days and what Christians are to do about it,
1 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! (2 Timothy 3:1-5).
Note that God's word does not encourage voting as the solution.
Paul said that Christians are to be ambassadors for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20).
What is an ambassador? Merriam-Webster has the following definition:
1 : an official envoy; especially : a diplomatic agent of the highest rank accredited to a foreign government or sovereign as the resident representative of his or her own government or sovereign or appointed for a special and often temporary diplomatic assignment
2 a : an authorized representative or messenger
If you are a real Christian, you are an authorized, official envoy, for Christ!
Ambassadors often live in alien nations, some of which are clearly hostile to their beliefs. Ambassadors, though they live in other societies, do not involve themselves in the politics of the societies that they live in. There is a time for God's people to take over the governments of this world, but it is not yet (John 18:36, Daniel 7:17-18). It will be after the second coming of Jesus (2 Thessalonians 4:16, Revelation 11:15).
To Christians, Peter wrote:
9 But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God's OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY. 11Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul. 12 Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation. Honor Authority 13 Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, 14 or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. 15 For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. (1 Peter 2:9-15, NASB).
Aliens and strangers in a land do not vote.
Now the Bible does mention one particular vote by the Apostle Paul (while he was still Saul and thus unconverted). Notice what he later said about it:
9 Indeed, I myself thought I must do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 10 This I also did in Jerusalem, and many of the saints I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them (Acts 26:9-10).
And while the above is not of itself a blanket condemnation of all voting, it is the only time the word "vote" or "voting" is in the Bible. And it does show that even religiously zealous/conservative/liberal individuals do not always vote correctly and can do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
As far as church governance is concerned, consider reading the article The Bible, Peter, Paul, John, Polycarp, Herbert W. Armstrong, Roderick C. Meredith, and Bob Thiel on Church Government.
Does the Old Testament Sanction Democracy?
Some have pointed to a couple of portions of the Hebrew Bible (also known as the Old Testament) which they feel support voting.
So, let's look at some scriptures there.
Notice the following:
13 Choose wise, understanding, and knowledgeable men from among your tribes, and I will make them heads over you. (Deuteronomy 1:13)
God had the nation of the children of Israel choose wise understanding men from their tribes, and He said He would make them leaders. Probably no one that is on the ballot anywhere is a "wise, understanding, and knowledgeable" man and few would even be from the same tribe in places like the USA. So, no that is not an endorsement for modern voting.
Notice also the following:
14 When you come to the land which the Lord your God is giving you, and possess it and dwell in it, and say, ‘I will set a king over me like all the nations that are around me,’ 15 you shall surely set a king over you whom the Lord your God chooses; one from among your brethren you shall set as king over you; you may not set a foreigner over you, who is not your brother. (Deuteronomy 17:14-15)
Now that seemingly suggests the people pick the top leader. But there are at least three issues which show that was not really the case:
- The king was to be the one "whom the Lord your God chooses"--this was not a king voted in by the people.
- The Bible shows that God says by asking for a king, the children of Israel rejected Him ruling over them per 1 Samuel 8:6-7--which shows they were wrong to go even that far.
- God, Himself, did directly chose the first kings of Israel (1 Samuel 9:15-17; 1 Samuel 16:1-13), so this was not a voting election by the people.
Another issue here was the the children of Israel were supposed to be God's people with His laws and function as a physical nation. No nation currently on the earth makes any serious effort to function according to the laws of the God of the Bible.
Whose World is it Now?
Various ones claim that it is the duty of Christians to vote.
Most who profess Christ do not believe that the Kingdom of God is the answer for what is facing their nation or the world. Although the Bible says Christians are to "walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7), they reason that God would want them to do something God does not command.
Consider also the following scriptures:
3 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. (2 Corinthians 4:3-4)
The gospel is hidden to those who involve themselves in Satan’s political world.
How? They are submitting to the devil's authority, not God’s. They fail to do take the following seriously enough:
2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. (Colossians 3:2)
The Bible also teaches that the "serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan ... deceives the whole world" (Revelation 12:9).
The solution to the world's ills is the return of Jesus and the establishment of the Kingdom of God, not political leaders,
When people get wrapped up in the world’s politics and his governments, they are submitting to Satan’s idea of how to run things apart from God. Many seem to place more hope in elections than the Kingdom of God.
What is a Christian to do?
Notice what Jesus prayed:
14 I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. (John 17:14-17)
True Christians are in the world, not of it. This age is Satan's according to the Bible. The biblical truth is that Christians are not to be partakers of Satan's worldly system (see also Mystery of Civilization).
Even Some Roman Catholics Understand Some of the Problems in Democracies
Zenit.org, a Vatican-supporting news source, reported the following given by a Roman Catholic priest named Michael Hull:
"Democracy" is difficult to define, and its foundations are difficult to articulate, because the word is used in many and diverse ways, especially by special-interest groups including political parties, the media, and governments.
At its root, democracy means "rule by the people" (Greek: democratia)...
Without the recognition of the primacy of natural law, democracies are condemned to little more than tyranny of the majority, not to mention a plethora of social and moral evils.
The single, clearest example of such evil is found with respect to every human being's right to life. Recall for a moment those millions upon millions of babies legally murdered in their mothers' wombs in so-called democracies like the United States and most European countries...
But we know for sure that something better is coming along at the end of time: the reign of Christ the King (The Foundations of Democracy According to Theologian Father Michael Hull. Zenit.org September 1, 2006 Code: ZE06090135).
While we in the Continuing Church of God would have tended to use the term God's law instead of natural law, in general we agree that rule by the majority can lead to tyranny as well as to many social and moral evils. We also agree that Christ will reign, and that form of governance is much better than democracy.
Doug Casey and Mac Salvo Give Secular Reasons
International author Doug Casey gave his reasoning about voting:
5 Reasons Not to Vote
March 29, 2019
Democracy is vastly overrated. ...
Most of the founders of America were more concerned with liberty than democracy. Tocqueville saw democracy and liberty as almost polar opposites.
Democracy can work when everyone concerned knows one another, shares the same values and goals, and abhors any form of coercion. It is the natural way of accomplishing things among small groups.
But once belief in democracy becomes a political ideology, it's necessarily transformed into majority rule. And, at that point, the majority (or even a plurality, a minority, or an individual) can enforce their will on everyone else by claiming to represent the will of the people. ...
None of the Above
At least 95% of incumbents in Congress typically retain office. That is a higher proportion than in the Supreme Soviet of the defunct USSR, and a lower turnover rate than in Britain's hereditary House of Lords where people lose their seats only by dying.
The political system in the United States has, like all systems which grow old and large, become moribund and corrupt.
The conventional wisdom holds a decline in voter turnout is a sign of apathy. But it may also be a sign of a renaissance in personal responsibility. It could be people saying, "I won't be fooled again, and I won't lend power to them."
The first step in solving the problem is to stop actively encouraging it. Many Americans have intuitively recognized that government is the problem and have stopped voting. There are at least five reasons many people do not vote:
- Voting in a political election is unethical. The political process is one of institutionalized coercion and force. If you disapprove of those things, then you shouldn't participate in them, even indirectly.
- Voting compromises your privacy. It gets your name in another government computer database.
- Voting, as well as registering, entails hanging around government offices and dealing with petty bureaucrats. Most people can find something more enjoyable or productive to do with their time. Voting encourages politicians. A vote against one candidate—a major, and quite understandable, reason why many people vote”is always interpreted as a vote for his opponent. And even though you may be voting for the lesser of two evils, the lesser of two evils is still evil. It amounts to giving the candidate a tacit mandate to impose his will on society.
- Your vote doesn't count. Politicians like to say it counts because it is to their advantage to get everyone into a busybody mode. But, statistically, one vote in scores of millions makes no more difference than a single grain of sand on a beach. That's entirely apart from the fact that officials manifestly do what they want, not what you want, once they are in office.
Some of these thoughts may impress you as vaguely "unpatriotic"; that is certainly not my intention. But, unfortunately, America isn't the place it once was, either. The United States has evolved from the land of the free and the home of the brave to something more closely resembling the land of entitlements and the home of whining lawsuit filers.
The founding ideas of the country, which were highly libertarian, have been thoroughly distorted. What passes for tradition today is something against which the Founding Fathers would have led a second revolution. .https://internationalman.com/articles/5-reasons-not-to-vote/
It is true that the USA is not like what its founding fathers envsioned. Actually, they tried to prevent a lot of what it has become.
Notice something now from Mac Salvo:
September 6, 2020
The plans for the 2020 election have been in the works for a long time ... we know that our votes don’t matter ...
We are being played. The only way to win their rigged game is to refuse to play anymore. Stand up, be aware of what’s going on, prepare, and refuse to live in fear. That’s the best solution right now. https://www.sgtreport.com/2020/09/more-evidence-the-plan-is-to-commit-election-terrorism-this-november/
While political leaders treat aspects of elections as games, the only way to win is to pray and follow Jesus. Having confidence in political leaders often leads to disappointments.
But, yes, Christians should not live in fear (watch also Ten Plus Steps to Rid Yourself of Fear).
Social Scientist Says Humans Are Not Built for Democracy
Consider something that the prophet Jeremiah was inspired to write:
23 O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps. (Jeremiah 10:23)
Understand those statements as biblical proof democracy is not the way for humanity to go.
Now, there is a social scientist who has concluded that the human brain is not made for democracy:
September 9, 2019
Everything was unfolding as it usually does. The academics who gathered in Lisbon this summer for the International Society of Political Psychologists’ annual meeting had been politely listening for four days, nodding along as their peers took to the podium and delivered papers on everything from the explosion in conspiracy theories to the rise of authoritarianism.
Then, the mood changed. As one of the lions of the profession, 68-year-old Shawn Rosenberg, began delivering his paper, people in the crowd of about a hundred started shifting in their seats ...
As much as President Donald Trump’s liberal critics might want to lay America’s ills at his door, Rosenberg says the president is not the cause of democracy’s fall—even if Trump’s successful anti-immigrant populist campaign may have been a symptom of democracy’s decline.
We’re to blame, said Rosenberg.As in “we the people.” ...
His prediction? “In well-established democracies like the United States, democratic governance will continue its inexorable decline and will eventually fail.” ...
Rosenberg, who earned degrees at Yale, Oxford and Harvard, may be the social scientist for our time ...
Citing reams of psychological research, findings that by now have become more or less familiar, Rosenberg makes his case that human beings don’t think straight. Biases of various kinds skew our brains at the most fundamental level. For example, racism is easily triggered unconsciously in whites by a picture of a black man wearing a hoodie. We discount evidence when it doesn’t square up with our goals while we embrace information that confirms our biases. Sometimes hearing we’re wrong makes us double down. And so on and so forth.
Our brains, says Rosenberg, are proving fatal to modern democracy. Humans just aren’t built for it.
People have been saying for two millennia that democracy is unworkable, going back to Plato. https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2019/09/08/shawn-rosenberg-democracy-228045
Well, as the passage from Jeremiah shows, questions about democracy preceded Plato.
Democracy is not the answer for what ails the USA, the Kingdom of God is.
'Why Voting for Donald Trump Is a Morally Good Choice'
Various ones claimed that Hillary Clinton was so bad that Christians needed to vote for Donald Trump. Someone sent me a link to one such view written by Wayne Grudem titled Why Voting for Donald Trump Is a Morally Good Choice:
July 28, 2016
Some of my Christian friends tell me they can’t in good conscience vote for Donald Trump because, when faced with a choice between “the lesser of two evils,” the morally right thing is to choose neither one. They recommend voting for a third-party or write-in candidate.
As a professor who has taught Christian ethics for 39 years, I think their analysis is incorrect. Now that Trump has won the GOP nomination, I think voting for Trump is a morally good choice.
American citizens need patience with each other in this difficult political season . . .
I did not support Trump in the primary season. I even spoke against him at a pastors’ conference in February. But now I plan to vote for him. I do not think it is right to call him an “evil candidate.” I think rather he is a good candidate with flaws . . .
He is egotistical, bombastic, and brash. He often lacks nuance in his statements. Sometimes he blurts out mistaken ideas (such as bombing the families of terrorists) that he later must abandon. He insults people. He can be vindictive when people attack him. He has been slow to disown and rebuke the wrongful words and actions of some angry fringe supporters. He has been married three times and claims to have been unfaithful in his marriages . . .
Seek the good of the nation
Should Christians even try to influence elections at all? Yes, definitely. The apostle Peter says Christians are “exiles” on this earth (1 Peter 1:1). Therefore I take seriously the prophet Jeremiah’s exhortation to the Jewish people living in exile in Babylon:
“Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare” (Jeremiah 29:7).
By way of modern application, I think Christians today have a similar obligation to vote in such a way that will “seek the welfare” of the United States . . .
Some may feel it is easier just to stay away from this messy Trump-Clinton election, and perhaps not even vote. But the teachings of Scripture do not allow us to escape moral responsibility by saying that we decided to do nothing. The prophet Obadiah rebuked the people of the Edom for standing by and doing nothing to help when the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem: “On the day that you stood aloof, on the day that . . . foreigners entered his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem, you were like one of them.” (Obadiah 1:11). http://townhall.com/columnists/waynegrudem/2016/07/28/why-voting-for-donald-trump-is-a-morally-good-choice-n2199564
Let’s actually examine the two scriptures Wayne Grudem quoted are teaching.
Jeremiah 29:7 is not a command to vote. Jeremiah 29:7 it says to seek the welfare of the nation and pray. It does not say to get involved in worldly politics, but the command is to pray to the LORD on its behalf. That verse most definitely does not say to seek the welfare by doing something like voting.
And what about Obadiah?
That was also not a discussion about voting. Praying, such as is mentioned in Jeremiah 29:7 and also commanded in 1 Timothy 1:2-3, is certainly not “standing aloof.”
Praying, not voting, is the morally good choice for Christians.
As far as Donald Trump goes, check out the article Donald Trump in Prophecy.
As far as Hillary Clinton goes, check out the article Hillary Clinton in Prophecy.
Both support the LGBT agenda which is evil and will end in death (Romans 1:18-32).
They also have other issues.
Voting for either of them was not the 'morally good choice.'
2024 Looks Bad
Here is something from Doug Casey related to the 2024 US presidential election:
It’s funny how these people talk about democracy and freedom, even as those concepts are being banished from the US, which is rapidly becoming a police state. Harris and Walz are ideological communists. Of course, they don’t call themselves communists, but their beliefs and lifelong histories tell the tale. They’re not just garden-variety leftists. They’re far worse; they’re malevolent buffoons, veritable lowlifes. We’ve come a long way from the Founding Fathers, who were classically educated, thoughtful, independent men of property.
It’s perverse that the only hope to save what’s left of America from the Evil Party is the Stupid Party. Even though the stupidity represented by the Republicans might be even more dangerous, at least evil can be identified and countered; stupidity is amorphous, nebulous, and like drowning in a cesspool. ...
Worse, the problem is much bigger than two corrupt political parties. It’s that nobody in politics, the media, academia, entertainment, the business world, or frankly anywhere, decries the moral rot that has allowed these people to rise to the levels they have.
The Republicans don’t decry the Democrats for promoting evil ideas. They just say that they have unworkable ideas or that they’re going too far too fast. ...
Anyway, the discussion shouldn’t be about what might be the "best" or "fairest" or most "efficient" new taxes or how to change existing taxes. The problem is that there’s absolutely no discussion, by anyone, of basic principles of what’s right or wrong, good or evil. (Doug Casey on the 3 Most Radical Ideas From the Democratic Convention. email 08/28/24)
It is a sorry state of affairs.
Related to it, the Continuing Church of God (CCOG) put out the following video on our Bible News Prophecy YouTube channel:
Here is a link to our video: Trump vs Harris vs Scripture.
Regarding warnings about the Biden-Harris Administration, check out the post: Joe Biden- Kamala Harris Administration fulfilling 20 warnings/predictions/speculation in the 2021 book ‘Biden-Harris: Prophecies and Destruction’.
As for Donald Trump, here is a link to my article Donald Trump in Prophecy, which has a lot of information about him and many of his issues.
As far as individual faiths, Kamala Harris claims to be a Baptist and Donald Trump claims to be a Presbyterian.
Without going into unique specifics about either, let’s consider how they are both similar:
- They do not live like a member of their professed faiths is supposed to try to live.
- They support LGBTQ matters.
- They have not called for national repentance.
- They have not sought first the Kingdom of God.
- One is an adulterer and the other an adulteress.
- They have all been involved in Administrations that greatly increased USA debt.
- They have all been involved in Administrations that have upset the Europeans.
- They have all been accused of hypocrisy.
- They both have made a lot of public lies.
- None have the real solutions for what the USA needs.
Now, I am not trying to say that there are no differences. Yes, I know they have differing economic and climate policies as well as different views on abortion and racial matters. But neither are truly Christian.
Notice that simply approving the LGBT agenda is condemned by the Bible:
26 … For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. 27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, 30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; 32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them. (Romans 1:26-32)
Yes, the USA election is a choice between evil ones. But do not place your hope in any human political leader.
The 2024 presidential election features people who are against many aspects of biblical morality.
Politicians are Not the Answer, the Return of Jesus Christ Is
Notice a secular view related to the 2012 USA presidential election as it has some ideas to ponder related to the 2024 campaign as well:
When confronted with the false dilemma of the democratic political process, many individuals settle for the “less of two evils” as a kind of compromise. But one suspects (or hopes) they do so with a certain degree of moral discomfort. Ask a disciple of the Elephant Party, for example, if he agrees with the murderous drone attacks this moment underway in Pakistan and you will likely offend a delicate delusion of “Democrats for Peace.” Similarly, press any Donkey Party advocate on the issue of economic freedom and watch them squirm under close scrutiny of their own candidate’s position vis-Ã -vis the IRS, the Federal Reserve, the indigestible, 75,000- page tax code, etc., etc., etc., . . .
Contrary to the popular snipe that “only those who vote have the right to complain,” common sense leads us to quite the opposite conclusion. It is only those who have not aggressed against others who have the right to complain when they are aggressed against. Those who, to invert a phrase, “feed the mouth that bites them,” may stand firmly, but do so on shaky ground.
A vote for either evil is nonetheless a vote for evil. (Daily Reckoning, October 19, 2012)
It is interesting to see a secular source coming to similar conclusions regarding the ‘democratic system’ and the US presidential election.
Notice also the following:
The World Wants to Be Deceived
April 3, 2024
“Mundus vult decipi, ergo decipiatur” — the world wants to be deceived, so let it be deceived.
We believe there is vast justice here. The world yearns to be deceived, eternally and infinitely deceived.
Why else — sisters and brothers — do people attend magic shows… consult psychics… or read New York Times editorial columns?
Why, indeed, do people vote?
The answer, so far as we can discern, is because they wish to be deceived. https://dailyreckoning.com/the-world-wants-to-be-deceived/
It is a deception, at least from the perspective that humanity can solve its major problems itself ignorning the word of God and not placing its hope in the return of Jesus and the establishment of the Kingdom of God.
The Bible teaches:
14 Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. 15 But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie. (Revelation 22:14-15)
Of course, many professing Christians believe that they need to vote even though that concept is not endorsed in the Bible. But notice two concepts that are:
20 Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil (Isaiah 5:20).
2 You shall not follow a crowd to do evil (Exodus 23:2)
The “lesser of two evils” is still not good.
Neither the current US President nor the last one (Donald Trump) have called for real national repentance and, even if any did, it is not likely that they would call for repentance for Americans to go to the faith of the original Church of God of the New Testament.
Repentance could delay the disaster coming to the USA (cf. Daniel 4:27)--but is not expected (Hosea 11:3a, 5b-7)
Consider the following:
14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14)
National repentance and prayer is what the USA needs or it is biblically-doomed (cf. Habakkuk 2:6-8; Daniel 11:39). The same holds true for its Anglo-Saxon descended allies such as the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. The whole world needs to repent.
Although many sincerely believe that it is their "Christian duty" to vote (even though that "duty" is not specified in the Bible), some seem to have overlooked some prophecies related to political leaders in the end times:
12 As for My people, children are their oppressors, And women rule over them. O My people! Those who lead you cause you to err, And destroy the way of your paths.” (Isaiah 3:12)
16 For the leaders of this people cause them to err, And those who are led by them are destroyed (Isaiah 9:16).
It should be clear that Isaiah prophesied that there would be end time leaders that cause people to err. This is what many politicians, directly and indirectly do.
Let’s look at some of what the scriptures teach are to be traits of godly leaders:
19 Listen now to my voice; I will give you counsel, and God will be with you: Stand before God for the people, so that you may bring the difficulties to God. 20 And you shall teach them the statutes and the laws, and show them the way in which they must walk and the work they must do. 21 Moreover you shall select from all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. (Exodus 18:19-21)
2 “The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me,
And His word was on my tongue.
3 The God of Israel said,
The Rock of Israel spoke to me:
‘He who rules over men must be just,
Ruling in the fear of God. (2 Samuel 23:2-3)
Few politicans endorse His laws and statutes and do not possess covetousness. Hence they are not people that Christians should endorse.
While it is true, that like the King of Ninevah (Jonah 3:5-6), political leaders could call for national repentance after enough people begin a fast, the reality is that this simply is not something that many of them ever seriously consider, let alone do. It seems that this will not happen (unless perhaps after the prophesied destruction).
God will decide who He wants in various offices:
17 'This decision is by the decree of the watchers, And the sentence by the word of the holy ones, In order that the living may know That the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, Gives it to whomever He will, And sets over it the lowest of men.' (Daniel 4:17)
By voting, one could be voting against God's will. God's people do not want to be found fighting against God (Acts 5:39). Once, in the 1970s, I actually voted in an election. But for some reason, I decided not to vote for attorney general. If I would have voted for the office, I probably would have voted for the man that won--a man that later had a massive lawsuit against the Church of God I was part of in the late 1970s. Obviously, I would not have done that on purpose, but am glad that I did not accidentally assist in empowering one who was against the COG.
Notice also a disturbing comment from a secular source that generally supports democracy:
All political campaigns lie and mislead. We all know that, and that knowledge is “baked into the cake,” so to speak, when it comes to assessing candidates. (Bookman J. GM on Romney: ‘Campaign politics at its cynical worst.’ Atlanta Journal Constitution, October 31, 2012. http://blogs.ajc.com/jay-bookman-blog/2012/10/31/gm-on-romney-campaign-politics-at-its-cynical-worst/)
No candidate should lie or mislead. And while I am not agreeing with the statement that they all do, the reality is that it is not godly conduct to lie or mislead, and that not only reflects unfavourably on the candidates, but also the process of modern democracy.
As far as lying goes, consider the following related to the first US presidential debate in 2016 between the two leading candidates:
September 27, 2016
AP FACT CHECK: Trump, Clinton deny their own words in debate
WASHINGTON (AP) - Donald Trump's habit of peddling hype and fabrication emerged unabated in the first presidential debate while Hillary Clinton played it cautiously in her statements, though not without error. They both denied making statements that they are on the record as saying. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CAMPAIGN_2016_DEBATE_FACT_CHECK?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2016-09-27-03-38-37
If those running for office will not tell the truth related to their own public statements, how can they be trusted to do what is right? (See also the video 10 Reasons Not to Vote for Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton.)
Should they be called out for their sins? The Bible teaches:
1 Cry aloud, spare not;
Lift up your voice like a trumpet;
Tell My people their transgression,
And the house of Jacob their sins. (Isaiah 58:1)
The Bible is clear that humankind, apart from God, cannot solve its problems. Jesus will return and He will be the non-humanly elected King of Kings (Revelation 17:14). Problems all humans have faced will be solved by the return of Jesus Christ and the establishment of the Kingdom of God:
3 "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away." 5 Then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." (Revelation 21:3-5)
No matter which politician gets elected in carnal governments, human political leaders will not bring this about (see also Did The Early Church Teach Millenarianism?).
What if You are Legally Required to Vote?
Now there are some nations that require their citizens to vote.
So what should a Christian do?
Vote for as few items as you are legally allowed to.
But first, pray that God's will will be done and unless something is a clear moral issue (like voting to specifically allow homosexual marriage or some other straight forward moral choice), basically randomly vote.
However, since most nations do not require citizens to vote, it is best not to.
What Should Christian Do About Leaders?
If Christians are not supposed to vote to select leaders, what should we do about leaders?
Pray for them!
Notice what Paul wrote:
1 Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior (1 Timothy 2:1-3).
So, if you want to do something that "is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior," then pray for your political leaders. Christians are instructed to pray for worldly leaders and those that have authority over us so that we may lead a quiet and peaceful life. Nothing like this is said for voting that many falsely claim is their "Christian" duty--prayer for leaders is.
We are also to pray for our spiritual leaders. Notice what Jesus taught:
2 The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest (Luke 10:2).
Notice what Paul taught:
25 Brethren, pray for us (1 Thessalonians 5:25).
1 Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified, just as it is with you, 2 and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; for not all have faith (2 Thessalonians 3:1-2).
We also are to pray:
14 The will of the Lord be done (Acts 21:14).
Similarly, Jesus taught:
7 And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. 9 In this manner, therefore, pray:
Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:7-10).
And that, I believe, should be the type of prayer that Christians have about elections. Followers of the true God are also told to:
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the LORD and depart from evil (Proverbs 3:5-7).
Voting for one promoting evil (abortion in the case of most USA Democrats and “country first,” in violation of the first commandment, in the case of certain USA Republicans) is not a Christian thing to do.
Many people, however, apparently are not satisfied with the biblical admonitions to trust God to choose political leaders. This is not new (1 Samuel 8:6-7).
And while I can certainly understand that people often feel that they should do more, people often forget that God inspired Jeremiah to write:
23 O LORD, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps (Jeremiah 10:23).
Also notice what Hosea was inspired to write:
6 Observe mercy and justice, And wait on your God continually (Hosea 12:6).
Some of those that vote seem to forget what God said:
8 "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," says the LORD. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts..."(Isaiah 55:8-9).
17 'This decision is by the decree of the watchers, And the sentence by the word of the holy ones, In order that the living may know That the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, Gives it to whomever He will, And sets over it the lowest of men.' (Daniel 4:17).
It may be of interest to point out that Jesus suggested that people would take matters in their own hands thinking that they are doing God a service (John 16:2). And while this referred to killing, the principle is still that one should not violate what God instructs and justify it by thinking that is what God wants one to do.
Should a Christian vote?
Christians are not to be part of this world (Revelation 18:1-4), but are to be ambassadors for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20). True Christians "keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ" (Revelation 12:17).
Jesus said that Christians should seek first the kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33). Voting and getting involved in the world's politics takes away from that focus and is often also divisive.
Jesus did not vote while He was on this earth. A Christian ambassador should follow the leadership of Jesus Christ and the Bible and not vote. Neither will I.
The Bible never enjoins voting or democracy. The Bible condemns both individual and republican voting. The Bible teaches that Christians should pray about their governmental leaders (1 Timothy 2:1-3)--it never teaches that voting is a Christian duty.
Those truly concerned about the selection of leadership of their countries should pray (and if safely possible fast) for “The will of the Lord be done” (Acts 21:14).
A video of related interest is available titled: Should Christians Vote?
Another video that may be of interest is titled: Trump vs Harris vs Scripture.
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B. Thiel. Should a Christian Vote? www.cogwriter.com/vote.htm (c) 1998/2004/2006/2007/2008/2010/2011/2012/2015/2016/2019/2020 / 2022 / 2023 /2024 1031
Appendix A: Religious Leaders
Notice what the Apostle Paul wrote about Jesus' idea of governance:
And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head--Christ-- from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love (Ephesians 4:11-16).
So God appoints true religious leaders.
Also, God has not left us without any guidance to know who his leaders are. Jesus said that His religious leaders on the earth would be known for their fruits:
Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them (Matthew 7:15-20).
Notice He did not say that you will know them because they got the most votes, but that their prophetic and other fruits would show their genuineness.
Jesus also continued with,
Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!' (Matthew 7:21-23).
Those leaders who do not preach obeying the laws of God are false prophets even if they talk about Jesus (Matthew 7:15,22,23). Obeying the laws of God certainly includes preaching the gospel to all the world (Mat 28:19,20) in order to bring forth good fruit (Matthew 7:17-20). Therefore, the true leaders that God has appointed preach the gospel, do not preach lawlessness, and obey the laws of God themselves.
More on church governance is included in the article The Bible, Peter, Paul, John, Polycarp, Herbert W. Armstrong, Roderick C. Meredith, and Bob Thiel on Church Government. More on true and false religious leaders can be found in the articles Why Be Concerned About False and Heretical Leaders? and How To Determine If Someone is a True Prophet of God.
