The Sovereignty of God & the U.S. Presidential Election

NoteI wrote the following article on Election Day 2012. I think it’s as relevant and timely now as it was then:

Today is an exciting day because it is Election Day in the U.S. The outcome of the U.S. presidential election will probably have a significant impact on what will happen during the next four years in the U.S. and perhaps elsewhere in the world. As I write this, there are political activists who are trying to rally support for their respective candidate and political analysts who are trying to figure out who will win.

I am not going to voice any opinion about the candidates today since my opinion of the candidates is irrelevant and many of you probably have formed strong opinions about the candidates. Instead, I think it would be a good idea to remind people who have a strong preference about which candidate wins that the outcome of this election is under the sovereignty of God.

I noted in another article, that Acts 17:26 indicates that God’s sovereignty includes determining the fate of nations:

“(24) God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; (25) Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; (26) And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; (27) That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: (28) For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.” (Acts 17:24-28)

The person who is most often in the best position to influence the fate of a particular nation is the leader of that nation. Daniel 2:20-21 tells us that God’s sovereignty extends to determining who shall lead people:

(20) Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: (21) 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:” (Daniel 2:20-21)

Further confirmation that God is sovereign over who leads can be found in the Book of Psalms, Proverbs, and 1 Samuel.

“(5) Who is like unto the LORD our God, who dwelleth on high, (6) Who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth! (7) He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill; (8)That he may set him with princes, even with the princes of his people.” (Psalm 113:5-8)

“(15) By me kings reign, and princes decree justice. (16) By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth.” (Proverbs 8:15-16)

“(7) The LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up. (8) He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the LORD’S, and he hath set the world upon them.” (1 Samuel 2:7-8)

Given that God is sovereign over who leads a particular nation, it is reasonable to think that any one of the candidates competing in this election cannot win this election unless God permits him/her to win. Given God’s sovereignty, one could further argue that the candidate who wins this election may the “best-suited” to advancing God’s plan for the U.S. and for the world (as the U.S. still plays a big role in the world) regardless of whether you or I think the candidate’s policies are good for the well-being of the country and/or for the world.

The impression you might get from reading this article is that I do not think you should care about who wins this election. This impression is incorrect.  I actually think people should care about who wins because the person who wins this election will probably have a significant impact on what will happen during the next four years in the U.S. and perhaps elsewhere in the world. The outcome of this election may provide us a good indication of where the U.S. and where the world might be heading over the course of the next four years.

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Wayne Croley
Wayne Croley

Hi! I’ve studied and written about Bible prophecy since I was a teenager. My goal is to make Bible prophecy easy for you to understand while avoiding the sensationalism seen elsewhere. I am the author of several end time books, including Prophecy Proof Insights on the End Times, a comprehensive book about the end times. I hold an M.B.A. and degrees in Managerial Economics and Political Science.

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  1. “Given God’s sovereignty, one could further argue that the candidate who wins this election may be the “best-suited” to advancing God’s plan for the U.S. and for the world”

    Well I think this one sentence may be a mistakable part in your article because you didn’t mention an important thing about God’s sovereignty, and as I see it, many Christians don’t see this right. Even though God “is sovereign over who leads a particular nation”, it means neither “what will happen will be good for that nation” nor “what will happen will be according to God’s perfect will”. It “only” means He has full power over such things and finally His plan will be fulfilled even in spite of any other wills and intentions.
    What I want to say is, even though God is a sovereign Lord, He respects people’s free will quite a big time. And I think that not in all aspects can biblical verses like those you cited be applied to countries with democratic political systems because today’s leaders are not kings, nor caesars, nor princes or judges with absolute power, but elected officials whose position literally depends on the will of the majority of a nation and they can also be removed the same way. This is not only a play with titles but also a significant difference even in a spiritual sense. It’s not the same to accept the authority and the rule of a king (a leader whose identity you don’t have any influence on) on the basis of a biblical belief that kings (either they acknowledge it or not) have their power derived from God, and to accept the authority and rule of elected leaders whose very limited and temporary power is derived directly from the people they govern.

    This means that people in such political systems have the possibility and the right to choose leaders they want, and since God respects free will quite a lot, He will let people elect even persons He wouldn’t want to give power to, if they so choose. In this case, that nation will get farther from God’s perfect will. Of course, the reason for that may well be their lot of sins. According to the Bible, God even let His own chosen people turn to a wrong direction several times – one of the most relevant instances is written in 1Samuel 8 when they wanted Him to give them a king as their ruler. Even though it wasn’t in God’s perfect will, He let them choose this way. And look what He said as a warning to them:

    „And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the LORD will not hear you in that day.” (1Sam. 8:18)

    If it was true then, when the identity of the king was not even the responsibility of the people but was decided by God, how true is it now when both the political system and the identity of the leaders is decided by the people?!

    All in all, as I see it, who wins an election is basically decided by the people who attend the vote and God acknowledges whatever the result is. Because God had used His sovereignty over who leads the USA in a way that He let the people create a democratic political system in that country and His warning is still very much applicable here: you wanted the right to choose your leader and for some reason He decided to grant you this right. However, this also means that the responsibility of who leads your nation is yours (the American people’s) now and He won’t interfere even if you ask Him to. I cannot imagine a scenario where God sees in the heart of the American voters that they want and will choose John Doe for president and He doesn’t like this so He decides to make people vote for Jack Black instead to fulfill His plan. That’s just not the way He works. It’s more simple. If you are to choose a „bad” or a „good” president for the next four years it won’t mean God wanted it this or that way. It will mean that you, the American people, wanted it that way. Not because God wouldn’t have sovereignty over who leads your nation but because God had decided to let you create a democracy with all its consequences. And whenever you ask Him „why did you let this or that win the election” His answer will be „I can’t hear you”, according to 1Sam.8:18.

    But His final plans for the world will still be fulfilled because He knew the consequences.

  2. Smart man!
    Many who are believers still put their political label and worldly agenda above their identity as a Christ follower. Although, we must encourage Christian principles within our political leaders and laws be of utmost importance, and vote as such.
    Rarely heard is this level of maturity. Proud of YOU!!!

  3. It looks a lot like the imagery in Revelation 17. The article does not indicate whether that particular image will be on the new money. The article and others just say that Europa will be included…

  4. Amen!

    Mt. 6:33
    Seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

  5. Unlike other elections, I felt a lot more detached this election. I suppose it was due to a realization that there is a much higher power at work.

    I have no desire to become a politician or to amass power. I rather help people by providing them with useful and (hopefully) accurate information than to influence policy.

  6. please excuse my editing and spelling, such as “stirs” for “steers” and extra or missing carriage returns (thanks!)

  7. Chris Pinto’s work on the faith of the founders is an excellent study
    in historical revisionism. In brief, the religions of Washington,
    Jefferson, Adams, and Franklin go against that of the Puritans,
    Pilgrims, and the Bible. They deny the Biblical record or the Holy
    Spirit or the deity of Christ; considering anything supernatural to be myth.

    Pinto uses the founders own writings to expose them, which is quite interesting since they supported christian morality and are generally presented as christian. The whole story though shows that they’re apostates at best and antichrists at worst. So the Pravda opinion piece is likewise propaganda which gives a false witness by not telling the full story.

    History should be approached like a court case, using the testimony of multiple witnesses, very much like your own approach to research comparing multiple scriptures in the Bible.

    Pravda and RT could be seeding disinformation and agitprop as a vehicle of the Russian (x-soviet) intelligence agencies (psyops). In that sense, they use situations in the US to paint a picture that stirs Russian military policy.

    I could point to arms dealing and power politics, but it’s more likely the machinations of the rebel angels playing the same old games they have throughout the ages. Their human agents are largely deluded and victimized, even if willingly. The USA is no better that Russia.

    Nor do we have to side with them. The only non-rebel nation is the Kingdom of Heaven, which won’t be extended into this world until Christ establishes the millennial kingdom. That said, where there are ambassadors, in their embassies and such, they are largely considered extensions of their nations.
    So if you (or any true Christian) believes that you are: born again by salvation through Christ, a warrior in God’s army, and an ambassador of His (as in Ephesians 6)… Then I have to ask — why get entangled in the poltics of foreign nations? Our time is given to the endeavors of our King and preparing the way for His return, such as through the Great Commission, making disciples, preaching the gospel of Grace (of which the gospel of the Kingdom is part) to ends of the earth, and turning the hearts of parents to their children and children to their parents. All with lovingkindness, including loving our enemies, which also means not meddling in their political competitions.

    I hope I’ve made a compelling case. It would just be considered political to express such before an election. Afterwards now, is the best time, while many can more clearly see how corrupt and compromised worldly politics must be apart from Christ. Including how children are indoctrinated.

  8. I don’t remember a time when God was in schools since I’m relatively young. I didn’t figure out that editors had their own agendas until college when I read an environmental textbook where the authors were described “gaia” as a real deity.

  9. Do you REALLY think that textbooks are written to tell the Truth and NOT to advance the editors own agenda. Remember that GOD was kicked out of the schools about 60 years ago

  10. Amazing that I never read such quotes from the founders of this country in the history books I read. The history books I read in school mentioned hardly anything about God in the chapters concerning the founding of the country.

  11. I don’t think he will be completely unconstrained like he was in the first two years of his first term in the area of domestic policy. He cannot pass any new, major pieces of legislation without the cooperation of the Republicans, who dominate the House of Representatives. The political setup is practically the same as it has been during the past couple of years, “divided government”. The issue is that there are a lot of challenges which require immediate action, but they are very difficult to address with divided government.

    Foreign policy is the area where he may be less restrained than before. He does not need to worry so much about doing something unpopular since he does not need to worry about obtaining a third term. However, he needs to be careful to not do too many unpopular things because there is a 2014 midterm election where his party could lose control of the Senate if he is unpopular (midterm elections are often a referendum on the party that controls the presidency and the 2014 Senate races look problematic for the Democrats). Without the Senate and the House, he will have a very hard time passing any policies he’d want in his final two years.

  12. As there is no need for our new leader to hold back on his real feelings, agenda, or true religious affiliation (now that he could never be re-elected again, so doesn’t have to watch himself), we can expect that the anti-Israel sentiment and NWO will move forward with alacrity. This must be God’s will.