End Times Issues - Dene McGriff
- “TO VOTE OR NOT TO VOTE”
- To vote or not to vote, that is the question. Many Christians
are caught in a quagmire. If they vote, they don’t really
like the choices so it is impossible to decide. If they don’t
vote, they feel they are abdicating responsibility as Christians
to shine the light in their little corner of the world. So what
do we do about voting? This is one of those questions that is
open to debate, so rather than take a side, let’s discuss
the issue. As usual, at the end, I will tell you what I think,
for what it’s worth.
- THE PROS
- Many Christians believe that we have a responsibility to
take a stand and vote our conscience. After all, we have an opportunity,
so we should take it. To do nothing is to yield to the evil forces
of the world. There may be a few good men out there to vote for
so we should look for them and support them. A real “bell
weather” for many Christians is the issue of abortion. To
them, it is so horrible, that they will support the candidate
without regard for their position on other issues.
- THE CONS
- I appreciate these arguments and would even concede that
whether a Christian votes or not is between them and the Lord.
I don’t think there is a “right” or “wrong”
here. I look at it more as a difference in perspective. I would
like to emphasize two obvious points:
- To me it doesn’t make sense to vote for a candidate
on a single issue and I am a lousy judge of character. I have
seen too many say one thing and do another. Sorry, I just don’t
have much faith in the system. If a candidate is against abortion
but supports a policy that leads to the death of millions of
innocents (collateral damage, especially from nuclear hardened
weapons), which is worse?
We know from prophesy that the apostate Church will make an unholy
alliance with the “State” and the antichrist will make
an alliance with Israel. So just because they sound moral and
into traditional family values or are supporters of Israel, doesn’t
mean much.
- PERSPECTIVE
- The idea that we control our destiny through the voting process
doesn’t hold much weight for me. Even the ancient Greeks
realized that it was easy to manipulate people and their opinions.
Citizens either took turns or were elected by “lot”
(i.e. by chance). When you look at how our own elections are
manipulated, it is appalling. It is like Kerry and Bush got together
and said, “how can we completely avoid the issues and keep
the voters focused on something completely inane – let’s
debate our Vietnam war records! People will lose site of the
economy, home security and Iraq.
- But way beyond this, let’s try and put ourselves in
the shoes of the early Christians, or for that matter, for most
Christians down through the ages and even most of those in the
non-western world today. It is quite clear in the New Testament
that Christians were to do nothing one way or the other with
regard to the ruling powers of their personal condition (e.g.
slave or free). The Roman government wasn’t exactly enlightened.
The most Christians were told to do was pray for their leaders
and “render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s.”
Can you imagine Christians picketing the Romans for violating
their rights, for throwing them to the lions and for taxing them
too heavily? When the heavy persecutions began, did they stand
up and defend themselves? I would encourage you to read Miller’s
Church History, Foxe’s Book of Martyrs or any number of
similar works.
- The New Testament writers were very clear:
- For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly
wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ (Phil 3:20)
For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek
a homeland. And truly if they had called to mind that country
from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity
to return. But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly
country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God,
for He has prepared a city for them. (Heb. 11:14-16)
But recall the former days in which, after you were illuminated,
you endured a great struggle with sufferings: partly while you
were made a spectacle both by reproaches and tribulations, and
partly while you became companions of those who were so treated;
for you had compassion on me in my chains, and joyfully accepted
the plundering of your goods, knowing that you have a better
and an enduring possession for yourselves in heaven. Therefore
do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For
you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will
of God, you may receive the promise: "For yet a little while,
And He who is coming will come and will not tarry. Now the just
shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no
pleasure in him." But we are not of those who draw back
to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul.
(Heb 10:32-39)
- Just read Hebrews 10 to 13. Ask the Lord to give you a vision
of your eternal destiny: But you have come to Mount Zion and
to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an
innumerable company of angels (Heb 12:22). Lift up your eyes
to the New Jerusalem in eternity and let me ask you, how important
is anything on this earth?
- Saints down through the ages found no home in this world
and if we are to escape the great deception bearing down on the
earth today, we would do well to take our eyes off the things
of this world and lift our eyes to Him and the eternity that
lies beyond. A few years ago a group of Americans went to the
poorest area of Haiti and met a widow with many small children
and little means to provide more than a few meals a week for
them. One of the American Christians asked if she could have
anything, what would she want? How would I have responded? Wow,
this is like asking the genie in the bottle for anything! Do
you know her answer, “Just to live more in the presence
of my Lord.” That meant more to her than all the world had
to offer.
- The real issue is seeing clearly where our citizenship lies
and the true condition of this world:
- that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from
the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of
promise, having no hope and without God in the world. (Eph. 2:12)
Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship
with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to
be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. (James
4:4)
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. 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.
And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who
does the will of God abides forever. (I John 2:15-17)
We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the
sway of the wicked one. (I John 5:19)
So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called
the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast
to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. (Rev. 12:9)
- Brothers and sisters! Why would we want to put any hope in
this world, the political processes or the leaders? The whole
world lies in the evil one and Satan himself is called the prince
of this world. (Eph 2:2) You can’t reform it. You can’t
fix it. Don’t put your hope in the Republicans, Democrats,
the Greens or the Independents! Satan is coming to deceive the
whole world. Your only hope is to learn to live in the Spirit,
in the presence of the Lord. http://www.thetribnet.org/denemcgriff/Issues/to_vote_or_not_to_vote.htm
|