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POLITICS, POWER, AND CHRISTIAN PRUDENCE

“…Evil Men And Seducers Shall Wax Worse And Worse…” 2 Timothy 3:13[a] (KJV)

That wild and wacky time is upon us once again! The political “playoffs” have now narrowed the field down to two major teams (while the news media almost totally ignores all others). And soon the Presidential Super Bowl will be decided by the spectators—or at least that is what we have all been led to believe.

As per usual and unless something totally unforeseen happens, the two latest megalomaniacs having Republican or Democratic party backing will face off in a no-holds barred slugfest of character assassination and dirty tricks right up to game time. In the meantime we the people will continue to be assaulted by a barrage of ridiculous (and extremely costly) TV, newspaper and magazine ads carefully designed to deceive the naïve. And frankly I must confess that I marvel at those who profess faith in Jesus Christ, yet cannot (or will not) see what is going on! But the Lord did tell us this type of thing would be a problem:

“…for the sons of this age are shrewder and more prudent and wiser in [relation to] their own generation [to their own age and kind] than are the sons of light” Luke 16:8[b] (Amplified Bible).

Also I believe the words of the Apostle Peter fit this situation:

“And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you…” 2 Peter 2:3[a] (KJV).

So even though these passages are lifted from their immediate context—I am convinced the message they convey is still applicable.

This wonderful nation of ours was founded as a representative republic and was intended to operate on the principle of statesmanship—that elected officials would not stoop to party politics, but would rise above it in order to do what was best for all concerned. It is supposed to be governed by highly qualified individuals chosen by an informed electorate to faithfully represent their collective interests in congress and not function as a majority “mob-rule” democracy! My friend, as hard as it is for us common folk to admit, very few among us have what it takes to be that kind of leader: one that can be entrusted with the responsibility and power to try to do what is best for the nation, regardless of whether or not the “home folks” always agree with the decisions made. To have personal integrity and vote one’s conscience on difficult matters without being swayed by outside influence is the very essence of a true statesman.

Plus many of our earliest leaders received little or no remuneration for their service and were public servants in the best sense of the term. But as someone put it, power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely! Those days of altruism are, sad to say, long gone and an insatiable lust for power/money has utterly corrupted the political process.

And if it were not so tragic, the public’s perception of politics today could be termed downright laughable! The Bible says that real “birdbrains” have enough sense to recognize when a trap has been set for them:

“For in vain is the net spread in the sight of any bird!” Proverbs 1:17 (Amplified Bible).

But multiplied millions continue to have a blind spot where Washington, D.C. is concerned—the place some wag labeled as being “the insane asylum on the Potomac.” Getting involved with the political parties in a big way, many of them donate their time and money in futile efforts to “save America.” But America continues on an inexorable downward slide toward oblivion on skids that have been greased by the very ones who are running the show. And during long political campaigns the candidates try to avoid discussing anything remotely controversial, but if they are caught making an unintentional gaffe during a speech their “spin doctors” (whose specialty is making the best of bad situations) try to cover up or mitigate any damage it might cause. Meanwhile the news media delights in reporting the details, along with the various strategies the candidates will employ to sway public opinion—all of which reminds me of a joke told to me years ago by a lawyer friend:

The owner of a large company was going to retire, so he decided to select his replacement from among the executive staff and the first one summoned was the vice president. When he entered the boss’ office, he was told to close the door and then answer a simple question. “What is two plus two?” he was asked and when he said “four,” he was thanked by the boss and told to send in the company comptroller. Then when that man entered the office the same question was asked and the same answer received, so the comptroller was told to send in the company lawyer. And when the “two plus two” question was posed to the lawyer, he looked around, closed the window blinds and quietly said to the boss “What do we need it to be?”

We laugh at the lawyer’s lack of scruples, but have we become so stupid that we cannot recognize when one con job after another is being foisted upon us? The net is clearly being spread in front of the birds and yet people—especially evangelical Christians—continue to become entangled in it!

My friend, it will be a cold day in the infernal region when a national level politician does anything other than gorge himself at the public trough. Oh, he or she will often sneak some pork for the homefolks into a totally unrelated bill before congress—if they have been around long enough to chair a powerful committee. But as the old saying goes, “You better watch out because those that will steal for you will steal from you!” And while an honest politician may actually exist, you can bet the farm that they are as rare as hen’s teeth!

Do God-fearing Christians really believe there is a political solution for what ails this nation? Do they really think politicians who pander to the “religious right” will make good on their promises? You would think that after lo these many years of listening to them lie like a rug people would wise up and vote them out of office! But the worst offenders stay around for decades and seldom do any of them lose an election. And due to that extremely suspicious fact one could not be blamed for thinking there is some hanky-panky going on with the votes. (Does anyone know of an unimpeachable authority that can guarantee they are even counted at the national level—much less accurately?)

And where does God fit into all of this? If we can believe what the pollsters tells us about the last fifty years, great numbers of professed Christians have gone to the polls with the expectation that they were going to change this nation for the better. But after having their hopes dashed by one candidate after another failing miserably to live up to their professions of faith and promises to change things—they just keep on trying to beat a dead horse. What calamity do you suppose it will it take to make them wake up to reality?

Do they not understand that the Bible teaches God is absolutely sovereign and in control the United States of America along with the rest of the world? Nothing takes Him by surprise and in spite of rotten politicians His plan and purpose remains right on schedule. It also says that things are not going to get better and ultimately the world is going to be under the dominion of Satan incarnate. For seven years prior to Jesus Christ returning to set up His Millennial Kingdom the antichrist will be given the freedom to do just about anything he chooses. And judging from current events it appears that awful day is almost upon us.

But while we wait for the Lord to come and snatch His Church out of this world, Christians have a responsibility to be good citizens. And that means we must make full use of some things that over the last 232 years many good men and women have fought and died to preserve. Freedom and the right to vote are precious privileges and we must not neglect them. However, God’s people need to recognize the truth that the President of the United States and members of congress are never going to make this land into anything faintly resembling heaven on earth! The awful truth is that they are going to carry on with business as usual and our precious young men and women in the military will continue to be maimed and killed in the name of making the world “safe for democracy.” And all the while giant multinational companies like Bechtel and Halliburton (our Vice President Dick Cheney was once the CEO of the latter), will continue to reap obscene profits by building back what our massive war machine blows up! Also the oil companies (remember that President Bush made his fortune in the oil business) are “assisting” the government of Iraq to pump massive amounts of crude oil into an insatiable world economy. So if the birds cannot see that “net,” they are in desperate need of some bifocals!

Wake up people! If Christians are going to make this nation a better place it will have to be through our collective “salt and light” character (Matt.5:13-14) and not by means of the ballot box. If God wanted genuine believers in the White House, do we not understand that He would put them there and the presence of the Holy Spirit within them would be unmistakable? Their walk would match their mouths and sparks would fly when they butted heads with Congress and the Supreme Court fighting to right the wrongs committed by our ungodly nation. But that is not happening, is it? The reason is that campaign promises and lip service are a far cry from actually having to do what the Lord’s commandments require of a Christian! Compromise is the way the game is played and no Spirit-filled believer can do that and remain faithful to Jesus Christ. Therefore, those who consider themselves to be part of the “Christian Right” need to recognize the fact that if they are successful in getting Christians elected to high political office, they will certainly not be doing them a favor! Situations will be encountered on a daily basis that will pressure them to dishonor their Lord and Savior by compromising their beliefs. And you know as well as I do that if they should refuse to yield to such pressure, their tenure in office will be very brief.

We find a biblical parallel in the Book of Daniel where Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach; and Abednego were put into political positions of authority by King Nebuchadnezzar (and his successors). And over time each of them found themselves facing situations where they were required to either obey the ruler’s decree or die! So what did they do? They respectfully refused to obey and took the punishment meted out. Even though they obviously faced tremendous pressure to compromise, none of them yielded to it and in each case God miraculously protected His righteous servants from harm. But they did not seek the offices they were given, so does it seem likely to you that God will protect believers today who beg to be elected knowing full well that the job is going to place unholy demands upon them that they will have to do to stay in office?

The political scene from the state level on up (along with many local ones) has degenerated to the point that one wonders if anyone in office is truly concerned about the citizens of this once-great nation. While rhetoric and promises fly thick and fast, precious little is ever accomplished other than enriching those who are elected along with special interest groups whose lobbyists swarm around them like worker bees tending the queen of the hive. It is disgustingly blatant yet nothing has been done to put a stop to it even though many fresh-faced politicians claiming to recognize the problem have gone to Washington vowing they will change things, but once there they go strangely silent! And the following quote from President Woodrow Wilson should help us to understand why:

"I have chiefly had men's views confided to me privately. Some of the biggest men in the U.S., in the field of commerce and manufacturing, are afraid of something. They know that there is a power somewhere so organized, so subtle, so watchful, so interlocked, so complete, so pervasive, that they had better not speak above their breath when they speak in condemnation of it." The New Freedom. Woodrow Wilson, 1913.

It is high time that God’s people wake up to reality and recognize the fact that “we the people” are not in control of our government.

Recently I watched as one of my grandsons had his first experience with flying a radio-controlled model airplane. Due to safety concerns and the cost of the airplane itself, those who are not fully qualified must have a “co-pilot,” so to speak. That meant his transmitter with the various “joy-stick” controls had to be paralleled electrically with one held by the safety officer of the club we were visiting. This allows the officer’s transmitter to over-ride the learner’s transmitter whenever it becomes necessary to avoid crashing the plane. Then after the short flight of five minutes or so was concluded I asked my grandson how much time he actually had control of it and his disappointed answer was “about 6 or 7 seconds!” And in a very real sense this is how our government is controlled from behind the scenes. Elected officials appear to have their hands on the wheel of the ship of state, but there is no connection between that helm and the rudder.

Forty years ago when the former Governor of Alabama, George Wallace, was running for President as an Independent he made a statement that should still be heeded—especially by Christian voters. He said of his opponents in that race (the two major party candidates) that there “is not a dime’s worth of difference between a Democrat and a Republican.” Because he knew that regardless of what they said for the benefit of the electorate, once they achieved the office of President their actions would not deviate from the status quo. So if you really think the direction America is going can be changed by political means, you might want to look at the available independent candidates and vote for one of them. Their chances of being elected are slim and none, but at least your vote will not have been wasted on candidates hand-picked by those who are actually controlling the ship.

Christians ought to understand that the vast majority of our nation’s electorate is comprised of spiritually dead people who will rarely ever see eye-to-eye with us on the issues! Their value system is totally different and they do not understand our point of view—nor will they accept it—because it is based upon scriptural principles. The unpleasant and unpopular reality is that it is a mistake for believers to enter into an alliance with them (such as joining a political party) because at the very best it will still be a mismatch of ideologies. Many years ago the evangelist John R. Rice likened such efforts to yoking an ox with a mule and trying to plow with them! It simply will not work, folks.

“Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers [do not make mismated alliances with them or come under a different yoke with them, inconsistent with your faith]. For what partnership have right living and right standing with God with iniquity and lawlessness? Or how can light have fellowship with darkness? ¹⁵ What harmony can there be between Christ and Belial [the devil]? Or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? ¹⁶ What agreement [can there be between] a temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God; even as God said, I will dwell in and with and among them and will walk in and with and among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. ¹⁷ So, come out from among [unbelievers], and separate (sever) yourselves from them, says the Lord, and touch not [any] unclean thing; then I will receive you kindly and treat you with favor, ¹⁸ And I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty. 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 (Amplified Bible, emphasis mine).

“Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” Amos 3:3 (KJV).

The crux of the ongoing political dispute that troubles conservative-minded Christians is the definition of morality. We base our position upon what the Word of God says about the subject, but those who do not accept the Bible as being authoritative have no qualms at all about taking an opposing stance. And we see that demonstrated today in the “hot-button” issues such as abortion, homosexuality, euthanasia, etc. Slowly but surely the public at large is adopting a liberal attitude toward such things and becoming much less receptive toward laws that prohibit them.

Folks, “the handwriting is on the wall” and unless God sees fit to send a great revival to sweep our land—no amount of political effort on the part of Christians is going to prevent the downward spiral of societal mores. Laws that are on the books simply fade away when the Supreme Court declares them to be unconstitutional and they are not elected officials subject to political pressure.

So when you get right down to it, the thing this once-great nation desperately needs is better people!

If you have been born again and received Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, but have been very lukewarm in your spiritual walk with Him, you need to immediately ask Him for forgiveness and for renewal. He will instantly forgive you, and fill your heart with the joy of the Holy Spirit. Then, you need to begin a daily walk of prayer and personal Bible Study.

If you have never placed your trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior, but have come to sense His reality and the approaching End of the Age, and want to receive His FREE Gift of Eternal Life, you can do so now, in the privacy of your home. Once you truly believe in Him as Lord and Savior, you are spiritually Born Again, and are as assured of Heaven as if you were already there. Then, you can rest assured that the Kingdom of Antichrist will not touch you spiritually. If you would like to become Born Again, turn to our Salvation Page now.

We hope you have been blessed by this ministry, which seeks to educate and warn people, so that they can see the coming New World Order Kingdom of Antichrist in their daily news.

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Cutting Edge Ministries, C/O Pastor Ron Riffe
P.O. Box 26
Gordo, AL 35466

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God bless you