Should Christians Vote?

Written by Charles Bedwell

This may sound like a strange question to many, but it is nonetheless a question very important to answer. As it so happens, it is very important that all people seeking to follow Jesus Christ have a firm understanding of what is actually going on in this world today. Many professing Christians of all denominations in America today are polarized in one political direction or the other. Some have even gone so far as to say, "If you do not vote in this election, then you are helping Satan to carry out his destruction on this country". While I do not condemn the act of voting itself, I believe it is necessary to evaluate this mindset and to spiritually ask ourselves if we should be taking part in this.

Does NOT voting mean you are helping Satan? Do you see the religious baiting with this question? People will make others feel as if they MUST vote for one political party or the other, thinking that they are either serving God by supporting one or serving Satan by supporting the other. Is this really true? To start off with, there is something very important that many professing Christians are forgetting - GOD is in control! That's right friends, our God KNOWS what is happening in this world. God Himself sets up kings in this world, and He also allows Satan to do his temporary work in this world, that the will and word of Jehovah may be fully fulfilled in every aspect. Do we wish to serve the will of God? Then we may need to re-evaluate our thoughts and actions if we have become politically active to the point of serving one political party or the other. Have a look at what the prophets and apostles thought about this:

Daniel 2:20-21 ...'Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding.'

John 19:11 ...'Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above.'

Now Study the New Testament and see if you can find ONE example of Jesus or His disciples getting involved in politics. Are we not to follow their example?

Men of God have faith and know that there is nothing to fear if we are following Jesus Christ. We should neither fear neighbor nor political authority. No man has authority over you unless it is granted to him from God above, so fear not! Not only should we not fear our governing authorities, but we should also not speak harshly about them in a way to stir up strife against them. Paul gives us a bit of direction on this as well.

Romans 13:1,2,5 ...'Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation ... Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.'

Important Note: We are to obey the authorities of this world, as long as the laws of the land do not go against the commandments of God.

Remember, we have Jesus as our ultimate example. As the Lamb of God brought before the authorities to be slaughtered, He spoke NO evil against those wrongly persecuting Him. The Pharisees and scribes actually proclaimed lies against Jesus in an attempt to encourage judgment from Pilate, and yet Jesus still did not speak out and defend Himself. Because of the great love in His heart, He did not proclaim, "You lie!" Though He was justified to speak out and though He IS the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, He allowed these men to persecute Him.

Isaiah 53:7 ...'He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.'

Who else was better justified to revolt than Jesus? No one. Let this be on your heart and mind as you contemplate the rest of the words in this article. Did not the same Jesus teach us to turn the other cheek when we are stricken? Did not the same Jesus teach us to give our cloak to the one who takes away our tunic? Did not the same Jesus teach us to walk an extra mile with those who force us to walk one with them? This same selflessness should then also reflect our willingness to respect and obey those who are appointed over us. The only reason for deliberately disobeying human law is in the case of being forced to break God's law. In that case, our consciences and hearts should empower us to calmly and peacefully elevate God above man. Peter and the other apostles always listened to what their authorities told them, except for one particular case in which we should follow the same example:

Acts 5:27-29 ...'And when they had brought them, they set them before the council: and the high priest asked them, Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us. Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.'

If you are ever commanded to close your mouth regarding the truth in God's word, you should not remain silent. In trusting faith, proclaim God's truth to this lost world, even in spite of certain persecution. And please remember this vital point: If the government enforces a law that goes against any one of God's commandments, then we are to reject that law in favor of God's law. The law of Jehovah always comes first.

Beyond anything else, this will ultimately help you in deciding whether or not an American Christian should vote in the general election. In order to be able to be at peace with our decision, it is important to fully understand the Second Beast in Revelation 13. The book of Daniel identifies for us what a "beast" and a "horn" represents in Biblical prophecy.

Daniel 7:23-24 ...'Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.'

There we have it. The Bible tells us that a beast is a kingdom, and that a horn is a king or ruling authority. With this information, we can quickly identify this Second Beast of Revelation.

Revelation 13:11-14 ...'And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, and deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.'

Now we're not going to cover all the details of the First Beast, but if we do a thorough study of the First Beast in Revelation 13, we'll see that the beast is actually the Vatican, controlled by the Papacy. The First Beast comes out of the "water", and water symbolically represents multitudes of people (see Revelation 17:15). This Beast of the Sea (the First Beast) is shown to persecute the saints of God for 1260 Bible prophecy days (or 1260 years literally) and is THEN given a "deadly wound". It is at this point, in 1798, after 1260 years of rule, when the Papacy was indeed wounded with its deadly wound and went into captivity. It was at this time that the Papal Church went into the "wilderness" relating to her ecclesiastical power.

Describing this Second Beast though, we see that it comes out of the "earth", and not the sea. If the sea represents many multitudes of people, then we can conversely conclude that "earth" in Bible prophecy represents a sparsely populated area, with very few multitudes of people and languages. So this Beast of the Earth is mentioned as coming out of the earth around the time that the First Beast was mortally wounded, which happened in 1798. This Second Beast also has two horns. We learned already that a horn represents a king or governing authority, but this beast (nation) has TWO horns. These horns were also "lamb-like". What does the lamb represent? Jesus Christ. A lamb's horns are also small, which denotes to us that these horns present themselves as governing authorities which do not seem to have overwhelming power. What does this Second Beast do though? It speaks like a dragon! If we read Revelation 12:9, we'll see that the dragon is Satan himself.

Therefore, this second beast (nation):
1) Arises out of a small-populated area.
2) Arises around the time that the Vatican is greatly wounded.
3) Has two horns (leaders or governing authorities).
4) Appears at first like a lamb (or Christ-like nation) but surprisingly speaks with Satan's authority.

Which nation fulfills all of these prophetic symbols? America! Now, we could go more into detail about this, but my aim here is to speak about these two horns. If we can see that America fulfills the Second Beast prophecy, we must know what these horns are on this beast. America does not have a king ruling it. America does have a president, but the president is merely supposed to be a representative of the people, and does not govern autonomously without checks and balances. Since we know beyond a doubt that a horn has to be a governing authority or principle of some sort, we must ask ourselves:

* Who elects the President of the United States?
* In order to vote in America, who do Americans have to affiliate themselves with?
* To be a member of Congress in America, whether in the Senate or the House of Representatives, what do members have to place themselves within?

Answer: A Two Party Political System!

Have a good think about that. The President isn't placed into office of his own authority, or by bloodline like a king would be. No, a two party system governs EVERY single aspect of America and has done so since the country was founded! George Washington warned Americans about the emergence of a two party political system, but it still quickly formed nonetheless. The parties started out as the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans. After many years of ideological shifts and name changes, we resulted with what America has today - the Democrats (liberals) and the Republicans (conservatives). Even so, America started out with two major parties. These two parties have always disagreed constantly, but nothing has ever been done in this country without the actions of these two parties. Republican and Democratic principles are even present within local city governments and even the Supreme Court in America. There are several theories out there about these two horns, but one thing we can be certain about to help guide us in our discernment: A horn undoubtedly represents a governing power. This is precisely why the two horns on the Second Beast can be none other than this two party system we have always had.

Now the question I posed to you in the beginning of this article is: Should Christians Vote?

This is a very important question to be honest about. There is something very unmistakable and obvious now about these two horns - they BOTH are on the Second Beast and they BOTH cause the world to worship the First Beast (the Vatican) who was mortally wounded! Therefore it is my conviction that Americans who wish to serve our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ should not take part in voting for modern day Republican or Democratic presidents. Friends, it doesn't matter which party you choose to vote for. Both parties essentially serve the will of the dragon. The whole second beast itself SPEAKS like the dragon. Neither of these political parties are acting in accordance to will of our God in Heaven. They are merely FULFILLING the will of God by completing the prophecies.

We need to beware in these troublesome last days, because Satan will use either of these political parties to enforce his mark, and his mark WILL come from America! As scripture says, the First Beast will carry the banner, starting the rolling tide of support for the Vatican. Other countries will follow suit with America and will likewise cause the whole world to worship the Papacy. This worship is not necessarily open church worship, but is subservient worship. You worship whom you serve. May we all prepare ourselves for the coming of Jesus here at the very end, because He comes quickly! In these last days, let us not be concerned with worldly things such as voting for a corrupted political party, but let us instead focus on serving others with the true gospel of Jesus Christ, helping to prepare people to enter the door of the Ark, before that door shuts forever. May God bless you in your studies of His word.