Joe Biden and King Nebuchadnezzar

Did the title grab your attention? I hope that it did. It should grab it. We are living in interesting times.

I. King Nebuchadnezzar

King Nebuchadnezzar was a ruthless man and had no reverence for human life. God used this wicked king to bring the consequences in the lives of the children of Israel, consequences that He warned would be the result of their poor choices.

15 “See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity;
16 in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that you may live and multiply, and that the LORD your God may bless you in the land where you are entering to possess it.
17 “But if your heart turns away and you will not obey, but are drawn away and worship other gods and serve them,
18 I declare to you today that you shall surely perish. You will not prolong your days in the land where you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess it.
19 “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants,
20 by loving the LORD your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.” (Deuteronomy 30)

It would have been easy for Daniel’s generation to blame God directly. It would have been more prevalent to blame God indirectly by saying, “this is the will of God for us“. The will of God was blessings and life. The people chose the opposite of the will of God and suffered the consequences. God worked His overall will for humanity using King Nebuchadnezzar. He kept His promise to the children of Israel not to abandon them even as they suffered the consequences of their disastrous choices. Daniel clung to God while he suffered along with his people. He was used by God to influence 4 pagan kings and 2 pagan empires. The wise men who came and worshiped Jesus in Matthew 2 were the fruit of Daniel’s labor and the fulfilled promise of God to walk with His people as they suffered the consequences of their own poor choices. God really does work all things for good for those who love Him and who are called according to His purposes.

II. The Mass Media

Our Mass Media, which is supposed to be free and impartial, collaborated with a certain political party to influence the outcome of an election. It does not matter what your politics are, this is wrong. As free citizens, we cannot and should not allow this. As American citizens, we want freedom of the press. The press needs to be free to share facts with the population and then allow the people to make conclusions. The Media has turned its “freedom” into licentiousness. A press that is no longer impartial is not free. Now, the days of unbiased press reporting are no more. In fact, there is no such thing as unbiased. Every human being has a bias. We all have a worldview through which we interpret data and facts. If a person claims to be unbiased, he is either lying or he is deceived. The same facts can be presented to 10 different people and the conclusions that each one draws is based on his prior bias (worldview). That is why, even when we work with the same data, different conclusions are drawn. Now, it would be easy to blame the Mass Media for our bad choices but, God does not allow us to get away with that. There is a story in the book of Numbers in the Bible. It is found in chapter 16. There was a man named Korah who manipulated over 250 people with half truths and partial information. The over 250 people did not check the facts for themselves. They came to incorrect conclusions and acted on those conclusions. They were manipulated. They were deceived. Korah was exposed and he paid the price with his life. What about the 250, could they claim ignorance based on manipulation? Yes, they could but, God made them pay the same price because at the end of the day, they chose poorly. They could not blame anyone but themselves. We like the blame game. That started in the Garden of Eden.

III. Today’s Interesting Times

Now, as Christian people, we would never blame God directly, the way that Adam did in the Garden of Eden. Instead, we cloak our blame in religious rhetoric like, “I guess this is just God’s will“. On the surface, it sounds pious but, if you dig a little deeper you will discover that an excuse like that is simply a cloaked version of the blame game. In Deuteronomy, before entering into covenant with the children of Israel, God laid out the benefits of choosing wisely and the consequences for unwise choices. The people promised to choose wisely yet, they ended up making one poor choice after another. When the consequences came, the people had a choice, they could own up to what they had done and face those consequences or, they could say something like, “well, these bad things are happening to us, that must just be God’s will“. God’s will is to do good and not cause harm. The harm that came their way was the result of their poor choices. Do people not do the same thing today?

How does this tie in with today?

The year 2020 has been a monumental year in the history of the world. The Chinese Communist Party unleashed a virus on the world that has changed the trajectory of many nations. This has led to world leaders enforcing draconian edicts upon the citizens of the earth. There are cases of people being welded into apartment buildings to die, in the name of saving lives of course. Many people in the USA have lost their ability to provide food, clothing, and shelter for themselves and their families, in the name of saving lives of course, leading to a rise in despair, failing school kids, substance abuse (illicit drugs and alcohol), and suicide. On top of all of this, 2020 was a Presidential election year in the USA. As one politician has been quoted, “never let a crisis go to waste“, this world crisis opened the door for a fundamental change in the voting system in the USA. Absentee voting has been available in US elections for years and that is a good thing. Massive mail in voting has never been available in US elections because, as the News Media and all political parties have noted, massive mail in voting is almost impossible to police in order to keep fraud from occurring. Some argue that Joe Biden won the election outright. Others question the validity of this election because of several anomalies. As things have unfolded, I have noticed Christian people succumb to that nasty temptation to blame. “It must be God’s will for Joe Biden to win the election“, is something that I have encountered over and over again during 2020.  If Joe Biden becomes the President of the USA, I admit that God will allow it. He allowed King Nebuchadnezzar to come to power. But I refer back to what I wrote earlier, God wanted to bless Israel with life and prosperity. They chose the opposite of the will of God. King Nebuchadnezzar was the tool in God’s hand to bring about the consequences of Israel’s poor choices. The children of Israel had no one to blame but themselves.

IV. My conclusion

What am I going to do based on what I have seen so far? I am going to continue to walk with the Lord. I am going to continue to take care of my family. I am going to continue to make disciples by sharing the Gospel and teaching others how to read, understand, and apply the Word of God.

15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.
16 “He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned. (Mark 16)

19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28)

but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

I was doing that before this crisis began and I will continue to do so. I want an ordered society where people take personal responsibility for their own actions. This ordered society makes it easier to live out and share the Gospel. The Apostle Paul explained that to us in Romans 13 and I Timothy 2.

3 For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same;
4 for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil. (Romans 13)

1 First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men,
2 for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.
3 This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,
4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (I Timothy 2)

But, whether the society is ordered or not, walking with the Lord, sharing the Gospel, and making disciples will bring difficult circumstances.

Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. (II Timothy 3:12)

16 “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves.
17 “But beware of men, for they will hand you over to the courts and scourge you in their synagogues;
18 and you will even be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.
19 “But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given you in that hour what you are to say.
20 “For it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.
21 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.
22 “You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.

24 “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master.
25 “It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign the members of his household!

34 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.
35 “For I came to SET A MAN AGAINST HIS FATHER, AND A DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, AND A DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER-IN-LAW;
36 and A MAN’S ENEMIES WILL BE THE MEMBERS OF HIS HOUSEHOLD. (Matthew 10)

I do not pray for those difficult circumstances. I do not vote to try to bring about difficult circumstances. I have had church going people say that we should vote to make it more difficult on Christians to live out their faith so that in persecution, the Gospel will flourish and shine brighter. I simply live according to the calling that I received knowing that difficult circumstances will arise because of the Gospel.

V. What is truth?

Most of us know the famous line that Pilate says to Jesus while Jesus is on trial.

Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” . . .  (John 18:38)

I want the truth to come out about this election cycle. I do not know if it will because, as Romans 1 teaches us, ungodly men will always seek to oppress the truth.

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.
20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.
21 For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
22 Professing to be wise, they became fools,
23 and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.
24 Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them.
25 For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. (Romans 1)

Not only that, but God uses Daniel in the book of Daniel to describe the world’s government as wild beasts who trample down the people.

3 “And four great beasts were coming up from the sea, different from one another.
4 “The first was like a lion and had the wings of an eagle. I kept looking until its wings were plucked, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man; a human mind also was given to it.
5 “And behold, another beast, a second one, resembling a bear. And it was raised up on one side, and three ribs were in its mouth between its teeth; and thus they said to it, ‘Arise, devour much meat!’
6 “After this I kept looking, and behold, another one, like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird; the beast also had four heads, and dominion was given to it.
7 “After this I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrifying and extremely strong; and it had large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed and trampled down the remainder with its feet; and it was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. (Daniel 7)

The hope that I have is, those who serve in positions of leadership in government will give an account to God of how they lead. King Nebuchadnezzar and his empire paid the price for the way that they treated the children of Israel.

5 “Look among the nations! Observe! Be astonished! Wonder! Because I am doing something in your days – You would not believe if you were told.
6 “For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans, That fierce and impetuous people Who march throughout the earth To seize dwelling places which are not theirs.
7 “They are dreaded and feared; Their justice and authority originate with themselves.
8 “Their horses are swifter than leopards And keener than wolves in the evening. Their horsemen come galloping, Their horsemen come from afar; They fly like an eagle swooping down to devour.
9 “All of them come for violence. Their horde of faces moves forward. They collect captives like sand.
10 “They mock at kings And rulers are a laughing matter to them. They laugh at every fortress And heap up rubble to capture it.
11 “Then they will sweep through like the wind and pass on. But they will be held guilty, They whose strength is their god.” (Habakkuk 2)

Those who cheat and steal to win elections will pay a price for what they have done. They may get away with it for now but, one day, they will stand before God and give an account.

11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them.
12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds.
13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds.
14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.
15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20)

On that note, if you are not a Christian, one day you will stand before God and give an account for how you lived your life. If you are a Christian, you will stand before Jesus Christ and give an account for how you lived your life from the time that you became a Christian until the end.

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. (II Corinthians 5:10)

Are you ready for that day? God is all about personal responsibility. That is why I am a big proponent of personal responsibility. Pray for our elected representatives. Pray for our fellow citizens. According to the Word of God, things are going to get worse, not better. Keep your eyes on Jesus the way that Peter did when he walked on the water. As long as he was looking at Jesus, he was able to walk on water. The millisecond that he took his eyes off of Jesus and looked at the surrounding circumstances, he began to sink. May the Lord help us serve Him faithfully even if we live under ungodly, secular leadership!