Today many pundits are found in the Church. From CBN (700 Club) to Christianity Today to almost every Christian outlet online someone is advocating that we Christians get involved in politics and vote. The pressure to pick a candidate is overwhelming, with myself and I am sure others, feeling exasperated. With the President of U.S.A. being decided next week and all this pressure for us to use as one Christian on yahoo put it, "our primary weapon as christen is to vote!," something the Apostle Paul would disagree with, "Our weapons are not carnal or flesh, but spiritual for bring down strongholds (demonic strongholds)." (2 Corinthians 10:4). If we are to discern what Christ would suggest we do in this Presidential election and elections overseas in other countries, we must search the Scriptures to discover Jesus' attitude towards politics.
The word "messiah" was supercharged word in Judea during 30-33 A.D. It had mutated from its original origin in prophecies of the Old Testament which foretold God coming to be save mankind from sin and then later (Second Coming) reigning as king into merely a political war hero that would liberate the Jewish people from Roman Rule. The Jews had forgotten that the messiah and bridegroom (God Incarnate) were one, because Maccabees had eschewed and manipulated the minds of Jews to think that the messiah was merely an earthly king from the line of David and Bridegroom (Suffering Servant) was another. The Messiah was not entirely seen as a savior at the time of Jesus, at least not in how we understand it. Jews wanted salvation, but not from sin and eternal damnation, they wanted political salvation better translated as liberation or liberty. God had promised the Jews a New Covenant, an eternal salvation through Prophet Jeremiah, "Behold, days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, 32not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them," declares the LORD. 33"But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days," declares the LORD, "I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.…But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days," declares the LORD, "I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34"They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them," declares the LORD, "for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more." 35Thus says the LORD, Who gives the sun for light by day And the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, Who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar; The LORD of hosts is His name36"If this fixed order departs From before Me," declares the LORD, "Then the offspring of Israel also will cease From being a nation before Me forever." 37Thus says the LORD, "If the heavens above can be measured And the foundations of the earth searched out below, Then I will also cast off all the offspring of Israel For all that they have done," declares the LORD," (Jeremiah 31:31-37). The Jews ignored this and instead looked to a day when they would be a great geo-political-kingdom which eventually did happen in 1948 A.D. It is important we understand that while the prophets and Scriptures foretold the messiah as savior of men from sin, the Jews saw the messiah as king liberator. Jesus responses to the attempts to make him this kind of king messiah rather than a Sacrifice for sin was clearly revealed by the Apostle John's eyewitness account. John was the closest disciple of Jesus, and often reclined on Christ's chest (the way people sat at tables was they leaned on one another and sat on the floor, not chairs). John tells us Jesus' response to a political messiahship, "Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself." (John 6:15). Jesus deliberating slips away when the people seek to make him their political messiah. They do not understand his mission is, "The Son of Man must suffer many things," He said. "He must be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and He must be killed and on the third day be raised to life," (Luke 9:22) and "But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed." (Isaiah 54:5).
The Jews wanted Jesus to be their political messiah, but Christ came to save sinners not reign as sovereign, although His Second Coming will be a reign of one thousand years (Revelation 20:4-6) and He is the King of Kings (Revelation 19:16). Jesus rejected kingship during His First Coming and Died for our Sins. He shall come again as King, but unlike what the Jews still expect, He is God and the King (Colossians 2:9, Revelation 19:16). When Jesus was asked about politics of his times, particularly Rome, He responded thus, "Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they marveled at him." (Mark 12:17). Christ response was to Pharisees who tried to trap him by speaking against Roman authority regarding the taxes each Jew had to pay to the Romans, and Jesus said "render or give" to Cesar what is owed him, and give to God what is owed Him (see Matthew 22:37). Now Jesus' words actually are more loaded than first appear, to the standard ears he was saying, "obey Rome and do as Cesar wishes in matter of taxation and law, but give to God all your heart, soul, and strength." But on closer inspection Jesus is speaking against Rome. The Cult of Cesars was in full force in Jesus' day, and this cult required subjects (which exception of Jews) to offer incense and worship to dead cesars as gods. Jesus is in fact saying, "render to cesar what is cesar's, but unto God what is God's," the second statement nullifies the first in regards to cult of the cedars because to give God all your heart, soul, and strength and worship (Matthew 22:37) means to disobey serving cesar in the spiritual sense, but not in the financial sense.
We learn that the god of commerce, Mercury also known as Dazog and in female form Ashtoreth is actually Satan Himself (Ezekiel 28:16), and Jesus said, "You cannot serve two masters, you will love one and hate the other, you cannot serve God and Mammon (god of money who is Satan)." (Matthew 6:24). The devil invented commerce, gold, and money, "By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire." (Ezekiel 28:16 KJV). The Harlot Babylon in Revelation is queen of commerce and trade (making her either Satan in female form or perhaps his bride?), "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! 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. Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. For her sins have reached o heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.“And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore: merchandise of gold and silver, precious stones and pearls, fine linen and purple, silk and scarlet, every kind of citron wood, every kind of object of ivory, every kind of object of most precious wood, bronze, iron, and marble; and cinnamon and incense, fragrant oil and frankincense, wine and oil, fine flour and wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and bodies and souls of men. The fruit that your soul longed for has gone from you, and all the things which are rich and splendid have gone from you, and you shall find them no more at all. The merchants of these things, who became rich by her, will stand at a distance for fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, and saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city that was clothed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls! For in one hour such great riches came to nothing.’ Every shipmaster, all who travel by ship, sailors, and as many as trade on the sea, stood at a distance and cried out when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, ‘What is like this great city?’“They threw dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and wailing, and saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city, in which all who had ships on the sea became rich by her wealth! For in one hour she is made desolate. “Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you holy apostles and prophets, for God has avenged you on her!" (Revelation 18: 2-5 , 11-20). It should be noted that Babylon is considered a city and earlier in Revelation is said to be on seven hills (Revelation 17:9), which is today Vatican City, the seat of the Roman Catholic Church. I have laid out in previous posts how Roman Catholicism is a corruption of Christianity and it is my belief that it is part of the Antichrist's plans.
Jesus speaks against this system of Satan and Bablyon specifically because it is what entangles men's hearts, "The deceitfulness of riches and worries of this life choke out the Word (note word always refers to Jesus who is the Word of God see John 1:1-15, the Apostles always say Scripture or "It is written" when they refer to the written old and new testaments, examples 2 Timothy 3:16 and Romans 15:4, 2 Peter 1:20)." (Mark 4:19, cross ref Matthew 13:21-22). While money in of itself is not evil, "The love of money is the root of all evil," (1 Timothy 6:10 ESV) note that does not say money itself is evil. Money constitutes the fallen system, because it is Satan's chief weapon from beginning to enslave man. Jesus in His speaking "render unto Cesar" was in point of fact attacking that system and calling God's people to turn back to Him. Jesus confronted the political powers often, because the religious elite were politically motivated and money focused. This confrontation reaches a high point when Jesus clears out Temple of money changers who turned God's place of prayer and worship into extortion and money, "It is written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer.’ But you are making it ‘a den of robbers!" (Matthew 21:12). Christ confronted political leaders who were also religious so often that there is whole chapter in Matthew's eyewitness account called "Woe to you Pharisees" (Matthew 23).
The Apostle Paul makes a case for distancing from politics, "For as I have often told you before, and now declare even with tears: Many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and their glory is in their shame. Their minds are set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself." (Phillippians 3:18-21). The Apostle Paul echoes this again, "Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth." (Colossians 3:2). Paul is actually echoing Christ's own words, "But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man." (Matthew 16:33). Politics is very much geared on things of man, and citizenship of this earth and country. While many believers battle to convince everyone their "vote counts" and that voting is this important weapon to protect our religious liberties, it must be said that in Last Days we are not accorded much liberty, "Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers," (Matthew 24:9), "I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?" (Luke 18:8), and "and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved." (Matthew 10:22).
I find divided loyalties in Christendom bizarre. Believers from CBN to Christianity Today make voting or politics a cardinal virtue and answer to our problems, just as they make Money an answer for all problems (prosperity gospel), and medical treatments an answer to all ailments when the Alpha and Omega, Jesus Christ can heal (see Acts 3:16). I wonder if Jeremiah unwittingly was addressing Christians today in his prophecy, "For I solemnly warned your fathers when I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, warning them persistently, even to this day, saying, Obey my voice. Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but everyone walked in the stubbornness of his evil heart. Therefore I brought upon them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do, but they did not. A conspiracy exists among the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. They have turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers, who refused to hear my words. They have gone after other gods to serve them. The house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken my covenant that I made with their fathers. Therefore, thus says the Lord, Behold, I am bringing disaster upon them that they cannot escape. Though they cry to me, I will not listen to them. Then the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will go and cry to the gods to whom they make offerings, but they cannot save them in the time of their trouble. For your gods have become as many as your cities, O Judah, and as many as the streets of Jerusalem are the altars you have set up to shame, altars to make offerings to Baal." (Jeremiah 11:7-13).
I think Jeremiah would discover many American Christians serve many gods in addition to Christ [note: we are of the Tribe of Judah which Jeremiah confronted in paragraph above see Revelation 5:5 and Hebrews 7]:
I. Mammon (god of money),
- Jesus said regarding money and what it can buy, "You cannot serve two masters, you either can serve God or Mammon (god of money)." (Matthew 6:24). "Still others are like the seeds sown among the thorns. They hear the word but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth (riches) and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful," (Matthew 4:18-19). "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also," (Matthew 6:19-21). The Apostle Paul affirms Christ's warnings about loving money, "Those who want to be rich, however, fall into temptation and become ensnared by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction.For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows." (1 Timothy 6:9-10), "not dependent on wine, not violent but gentle, peaceable, and free of the love of money," (1 Timothy 3:3), and, "Put to death, therefore, the components of your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry." (Colossians 3:5).
- In contrast Jesus says, "And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” (Mark 16:17-18). All of these most people would run to doctors to heal, is serpent bite them they would seek antivenin at medical arts, or if they drank poison medicine from a doctor, but Jesus says we believers are immune and have no need of medicines. Paul actually did this, "As Paul gathered an armful of sticks and was laying them on the fire, a poisonous snake, driven out by the heat, bit him on the hand. When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, "This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, the goddess Justice has not allowed him to live. But Paul shook off the snake into the fire and was unharmed." (Acts 28:3-5)/
- Minerva is celebrated in Academia and schools, but the true wisdom and knowledge is found only in Christ: "to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." (Colossians 2:2-3) and "But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God." (1 Corinthians 1:24), "And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption." (1 Corinthians 1:30). "When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified." (1 Corinthians 2:1-2). "For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty." (1 Peter 1:16).
- Pat Robertson and other Christians say bomb ISIS, but Jesus said "love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you," (Matthew 5:44), "But to those of you who will listen, I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you," (Luke 6;27), "On the contrary, "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink. For in so doing, you will heap burning coals on his head." (Romans 12:20), and "It will come about in that day," declares the LORD, "That you will call Me Ishi (husband) And will no longer call Me Baali (god of war)." (Hosea 2:16, cross ref Isaiah 54:5, 2 Corinthians 11:2).
- Remember Paul said, "God has not given you a spirit of fear (Deimos and Phobos) but of power, love, and sound mind." (2 Timothy 1:7). "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love." (1 John 4:18, cross ref 1 John 4:8 "God is love").
VI. Aphrodite/Venus/Ashtoreth (goddess of sex, war, love (carnal), beauty, pleasure)
- the Apostle John said, "For everything in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--comes not from the Father but from the world/For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world." (1 John 2:16). "Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body." (1 Corinthians 6:18). "But among you, as is proper among the saints, there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality or impurity or greed (Mammon)." (Ephesians 5:3).
- The Apostles speak against anarchy, "Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good," (1 Peter 2:13-14), "Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed." (Romans 13:1-7). Many Redneck Christians are embracing Nemesis in threats that if Donald Trump is not elected and instead Hilary Clinton is, that they will revolt with their rifles. These verses also make the case that we do not pick our leaders, but God does.
I digressed but to make a point. Politics is involved with the world, and we are told to be not of the world, "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will," (Romans 12:2), "You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God," (James 4:4), "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them," (1 John 2:15), and "If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you." (John 15:19). The world is suppose to hate us (Matthew 10:22, Matthew 24:9) and world system is ruled by Satan (John 12:31, John 14:30) and the gods (fallen angels) aforementioned who are really fallen angels Genesis 6:1-6, Revelation 12:6-10. Politics has everything to do with this world, but we have been chosen out of the world, so why are we involved so intensely in politics which is of the world?
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