A Voter's Guide to Biblical Characters

With the time to vote rapidly approaching, I wonder which biblical character might do well against Hillary in the upcoming election.

If we were to replace Trump with someone from the Old or even the New Testament, who might that be? Would he fare better in this year’s election and defeat Hillary?

Let’s look at how some of the characters from the Bible might possibly do in the 2016 presidential election if they were to run against Hillary Clinton.

Jacob

I’ve always liked Jacob. He seems like someone who could be a great leader if given the chance. He always finds a way to get things done although it doesn’t always look so pretty. While the matter of the stolen birthright and blessing might come up, he and Esau have reconciled.

Oh, but Hillary would certainly highlight the matter of the wives and their servants during the campaign. I can just picture Rachel and Leah battling it out on a daytime talk show; that would end his candidacy for sure. Jacob would never succeed as a candidate.

Joseph

What about Joseph? He certainly has fantastic experience serving as the second in command over all of Egypt. Amazingly, he correctly interpreted the dreams of Pharaoh and then on the spot devised a plan to store up grain during the seven plentiful years so they would survive the seven lean years. We could certainly highlight his economic wisdom in any campaign.

However, there’s the matter of Potiphar’s wife. We know Joseph is innocent in the matter, but Hillary and the media would surely work day and night to prove he was guilty. I’m sure they would dig up other women, as well, to falsely accuse Joseph and convincingly back up the story of Potiphar’s wife.

Before long, even Christians might be repeating the mainstream media mantra, no doubt started by Hillary, identifying him as a misogynist. Let’s keep looking for a better candidate.

Moses

With Moses’ training in Egypt and his experience leading the Israelites, he might be the ideal choice to put up against Hillary. Who could question his leadership ability in confronting Pharaoh and in leading the Israelites out of Egypt? He kept the struggling Israelites together as a nation during the forty years they wandered in the wilderness bringing them to the brink of entering the Promised Land.

However, there is the matter of the plagues. I’m certain as media recounts the number of firstborn killed in Egypt as result of the last plague, things would turn ugly. Many would refuse to go to the polls or vote third party. And, it would only be a matter of time before Hillary’s campaign digs up something from Moses’ past to make him look especially bad.

We need to find a better candidate; perhaps someone who could bring down the house at a debate.

Samson

I wonder if Samson might appeal to the younger generation today. His long hair and strength might persuade many of the Millennials to vote for him.

Oh, but he has a big negative. He was a womanizer and unlike Joseph, it’s an issue we cannot deny. He has a poor track record. Despite his early victories against the Philistines, he will never amount to anything. How could the Lord possibly use someone like Samson to further His purposes?

David

David! Why didn’t I consider him earlier? With his fantastic military career and outstanding record as king, who wouldn’t vote for David, the giant killer? Many regard David as one of the great kings of all times. He established Israel as a great nation paving the way for the peaceful and prosperous reign of Solomon.

Perhaps no other king in history can boast of such great military achievements to go along with such a stellar economic record that led to forty years of prosperity for Israel following his death.

Oh, but he would lose the Evangelical vote for sure. Once Hillary began harping on that sticky matter with Bathsheba, we would never hear the end of it. Her campaign allies in the media would quickly join her in denouncing David.

We could bring out Psalm 51 as evidence of his repentance, but that would not suffice against the constant media attacks regarding the incident, which would no doubt highlight David’s multiple wives. No, regardless of his moving confession, Christians would never look past his adultery and collection of wives. How could an apology for that ever be genuine? David would never receive enough votes to win.

Peter

Then there is Peter. Although impetuous at times, the Lord Himself recognized his leadership abilities; what better recommendation than that? His diverse career as a fisherman, disciple of Jesus, and then as an apostle leading the early church would no doubt appeal to many voters.

On the other hand, we do have to consider his propensity to say stupid things at times. With his impulsive nature, he certainly would stick his foot in his mouth more times than not during the campaign. With his tendency to overreact, we could never trust him with a twitter account.

We need someone with a spotless record despite years of experience in government.

Daniel

I think Daniel might be the perfect candidate. Despite the best efforts of his enemies, even they could not find anything in his record of government service to use against him.

Sure he would be dragged through the mud by Hillary and the media; it’s what they do. I’m confident; however, Daniel would be able to resist all accusations that would surely come against him.

Many of the Republicans, however, would detest Daniel. The Republicans in leadership, who have willingly compromised on so many issues in the past just to keep their power, would certainly reject him.

While the Republican leaders might go along with him in public, perhaps remembering what happened to Daniel’s last political opponents, they would certainly seek to undercut his election every step of the way at the same time trying to avoid being eaten alive.

I guess there’s really no perfect candidate to put up against Hillary. They all have flaws; Hillary and the mainstream press would make them all, with the possible exception of Daniel, look like womanizers and misogynists.

Even the best of leaders in the Bible had serious flaws that under the constant exaggeration of the media would make them look bad.

It’s a wonder the Lord could accomplish such great things with such flawed people.

Oh, wait a minute, that’s what the Lord always does!  He used people like us to do great things.

So maybe Trump isn’t so bad after all. Maybe the Lord can greatly use him as well to accomplish great things. Only time will tell.

Trump Versus Our Witness

This post will be quite controversial to some of you, but as I have listened to several Christian leaders over the past week voice contempt for Trump while remaining totally silent regarding the evil Hillary represents, something stirred deep inside me. I cannot keep silent. This may be a Bonhoeffer moment for our nation (I'll explain later).

Like many people, I felt grief at hearing the latest revelation of what Donald Trump said eleven years ago. I did not listen to the statement, but heard enough about it to know it was shameful.

Later, I listened to his apology a couple times and believed he was sincere. I felt relief as I listened to his expression of regret for his words.

My relief, however, turned to sadness as I read the reaction of many Christian leaders to Trump’s apology, many of whom refused to accept his apology as genuine or forgive Trump for what he said.

Some even say a Trump victory will kill the church. That’s absurd at best!

The reason most give for not supporting Trump is that such backing would compromise our witness as believers to our neighbors and keep them away from the Savior. Some even say a Trump victory will kill the church. That’s absurd at best!

I believe these often repeated assertions are based on several misleading assumptions.

They Assume Hillary Supporters will be Most Open to the Gospel

The reasoning that supporting Trump will cause many to reject Christ has at its heart the assumption Hillary supporters will be more open to the Gospel than those voting for Trump. Why else would they fear such a negative response toward the Gospel from those around them?

Those voting for Trump are not likely to reject the Savior because we as believers support him. Why would they?

If those who do not vote had strong anti-Trump feelings, they would vote for Hillary.

As for Hillary supporters, why would those voting for someone who proclaims that we as believers are deplorable and phobia-ridden for holding to biblical values be more open to our faith than Trump supporters? That does not make sense to me.

They Assume We Need a Perfect Candidate

Many Christians scrutinize Trump as though he was in the running to head up the women’s ministry at their local church. If that were the case then yes, Trump might not be the most ideal candidate.

He is running to be President; he does not need to perfect or have a spotless way of life. Who does? The condemning audio happened eleven years ago and he has apologized. Does God still hold us accountable for our words eleven years ago? No! He forgives our sins! Why do so many deny Trump the forgiveness they themselves enjoy for sins just as bad (if not worse) as that of Trump?

Our presidents do not have to be perfect to accomplish great things.

Some of the world’s greatest leaders have not been perfect; below are James Dobson’s words regarding Winston Churchill:

I have always admired Winston Churchill. He is seen as one of the greatest national leaders in the 20th century. . . . He was not always celebrated as a great leader. He was a bombastic, cigar smoking, at times crude, even misogynistic leader.

It is alleged that he told off color stories to his children before bedtime! A woman once told him he was disgustingly drunk. His response was “My dear, you are disgustingly ugly, but tomorrow I shall be sober and you will still be ugly!”

Along that same theme, Dobson said this about Trump,

So…is Donald Trump good for America? I honestly believe that he has been already. He has shaken the political system. Do his comments offend me? At times! Do I agree with all he says? Not at all! But could he be a “Cyrus” being raised up by God to preserve America?

Our presidents do not have to be perfect to accomplish great things.

They Assume Only Believers will Suffer if Hillary Become President

Many Christian leaders assert it would be good for the church to suffer the consequences of a Hillary presidency. They believe such suffering may spark revival. While this may certainly be the case if God in His sovereignty allows Hillary to win, it overlooks one key reality.

Christians will not be the only ones to suffer under a Hillary presidency!

The union of border patrollers recently voted overwhelmingly to support Trump. In their statement of support, they asserted that the immigration policies of Hillary would result in the deaths of thousands of Americans in the coming years.

She promises to raise taxes on everyone who pays them, has no answers to skyrocketing healthcare costs, and thinks food stamps are the answer to our economic ills.

In light of all this, do we really think our neighbors will be thrilled to discover we stayed home rather than vote for a flawed candidate? Do we really think our unwillingness to vote will make others more open to the Gospel once they experience the dire consequences of a Clinton victory? I don’t think so!

They Assume Our Unwillingness to Forgive Trump Will Make Others More Receptive to the Gospel

Somewhere buried in the thinking of these Christian leaders is the assumption that our unwillingness to forgive Trump will make others more receptive to the Gospel.

Have we gotten so far away from the message of grace that we think our unwillingness to forgive Trump will make us more winsome to others?

How does our adoption of the world’s unforgiving attitude make others more open to the Gospel? Hasn’t our message of forgiveness and mercy always been much more appealing?

Have we gotten so far away from the message of grace that we think our unwillingness to forgive Trump will make us more winsome to others? Did not Jesus condemn the Pharisees for this exact attitude?

Since When Does Our Allowing Evil to Prosper Further God’s Purposes?

Perhaps you may think it extreme that I consider a Clinton presidency to be evil, but when you look at all we know about her a compelling case can be made in this regard. Consider the evidence:

• The e-mails just released show her to be vile, foulmouthed, and disgustingly antagonistic of blacks, Muslims, Catholics, and even voters in her own party.
• She supports abortion up until birth and publically proclaims that Christianity must be changed to accept abortion as well.
• She destroyed 33,000 e-mails after Congress had subpoenaed them as evidence; she also physically destroyed cell phones with a hammer to hide the same evidence.
• She lied to the families of the Benghazi survivors and then later accused them of lying.
• She believes in a one world government and if elected will continue the push for a socialistic world order that will as Obama clearly stated at the UN, mean that we will need to surrender “some of our rights and freedoms.”

My question is this: since when does allowing evil to succeed further God’s purposes? Yes, I totally recognize God’s sovereignty; He may allow Hillary to become president and use that for His purposes. Perhaps her election would trigger events leading to the rapture and Great Tribulation.

But at this point all we know is that we have an opportunity to stop the evil Hillary represents. Why step aside and let evil prevail by allowing her to claim the presidency?

Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.”

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the famous Lutheran pastor put to death by the Nazis said this, “Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.”

I believe this may very well be the Dietrich Bonhoeffer moment for our country

We will not have another opportunity to turn back the growing tide of evil spreading across our nation. If elected, Hillary will hasten the setting up of the coming satanic and demonic world order.

Not to vote, or voting third party, equals a vote for Hillary. Not to speak up against the evil she represents through our voting is to speak in favor of that evil. There is no third option in this election!

This election most certainly is not a matter of refusing to vote for the lessor of two evils. That old and worn out analysis does not match the reality of this election!

Hillary, based on the sample of items I listed above, is evil. In fact, I do not know of any Christian leader who denies that she is desperately evil.

Trump, while not the most perfect of candidates, is certainly not evil. If that were the case, do you think godly men who know him such as James Dobson, Ben Carson, Mike Pence, and Mike Huckabee would all so highly endorse him? There is no way on earth these highly respected men of God would endorse someone who is evil.

This is NOT a matter of voting for the lessor of two evils! It’s matter of taking stand against the evil that Hillary represents by voting for Trump.

There is no third option in this election!

We either vote for Trump, who I believe is becoming a better candidate with each passing day, or we allow evil to gain an even greater foothold in our nation.

Not to vote, or voting third party, equals a vote for Hillary. Not to speak up against the evil she represents through our voting is to speak in favor of that evil. There is no third option in this election! It's either Hillary or Trump!