Get Down and "vote"

This world that you and I live in, in the country in which we live in, is fright and fraught with problems. Big problems, little problems. But all the problems seem to be growing. What used to be small seems to be getting bigger, and there seems to almost be no end in sight. Something needs changing, and it needs changing quickly, unless the world and society as we know it are going to spiral out of control and end up in conflicts that would risk the very lives of humanity right here on this planet.

Now, the human reaction to all this, I don't know if you feel it, but as a human I think we all want to fix these problems. We want to solve them. We want to see things begin to turn and get better. And our minds race to say, wait a minute, what's being done maybe isn't right, or maybe it is right, or this should be done, or maybe we should get a person in there, or if I were only available to fix something I would.

And we can spend a lot of time, or a lot of effort mentally worrying, wanting to change things. Everybody's doing it. The news is abuzz with it. They're all talking about what might happen, or what has happened, or what might need to happen. The winner of the 2008 U.S. presidential election ran on the platform of change. Change now! We need immediate change. I think everybody recognizes that. Especially change from things that affect us as individuals, the economy, the money that we do or don't have, the cost of things, the ability to carry on life and to go forward as we have dreamed and planned about.

Everybody's very concerned about that. Change. Change, change, change. We keep hearing about. Remember, after the election was over the next day, one young woman on television says, I know things are going to change now! Well, Proverbs 24 and verse 21 is a statement from God that jumps right into the middle of this situation that humanity finds itself in. It says, My son, fear the Lord and the King.

Do not associate with those given to change, for their calamity will rise suddenly, and who knows the ruin those two can bring? Change, by the way, is something that everybody wants, and it's a promise that's often made, but change to what? Change from what? Did you ever see a list of things that were promised to be changed? Did you ever get a detail of what it was that the change was the cry? You know, what is wrong with the world?

If you sum up what's wrong with the world, it's the effects of sin. Sin hurts. Sin breaks relationships. Sin cheats and takes, and the result is ugly. And when humanity doesn't like the results, it says, we need somebody to come in and take away the effects of sin. Can anybody remove the effects of sin? Does God Himself, at the repentance of a sinner, promise to take away the effects of the sins that that person has committed? What caused the problems of this world was sin, and this world continues to make choices that have consequences, and those consequences pile up deeper and deeper and hurt more and more.

Did any candidate promise change towards greater morality? Did you hear that as a slogan? Did somebody come out and say, you know what? We need to be more law-abiding in this country. We need to quit breaking the laws. We need to quit being greedy, quit stealing other people's money. We need to be respectful of others and of the rights and premises that form a true and wholesome life. Did any candidate promise change towards greater ethics?

You know, we need to be working harder. We need to be building better quality things. We need to be investing and sacrificing more of our time and ourselves, giving a better product at a better price, a better value all the way around, so that we can be competitive in this world. Anybody say anything like that?

Anybody say, I promise you, if I get elected, families are going to be happier. Fathers are going to start spending time with children. We're going to promote family values. We're going to get rid of all these things that destroy family values. All the rotten entertainment, all the stuff that rips families apart, all the stuff that degrades women. We're going to get rid of all of that and have real happy families. Did you see anybody saying, let's all be more responsible in our marriages? Let's begin to really take care of our children instead of just farming them out and not having any parental responsibility.

Did any candidate push godliness? Let's bring God back into the schools. Let's put prayer there. Let's get the Ten Commandments back out on the lawn in all the courthouses. Let's start following some rules that really make for a quality life, and the results then will be positive. Anybody push humility? Greater goodness for humanity? Loving your neighbor as yourself? Or did you hear a bunch of promises of, more for you? We're going to get you some more money. We're going to get you better economy. You're going to get you a better job. We're going to fix this and fix that, and your life is going to get more.

You know, whenever penalties for sin pile up, people scream for change, louder and louder. Back in 1933, you'll remember the Great Depression. It wasn't just in this country, it rocked most of the western world. And change was the cry. Change from the youth and change from the citizens. Give us change!

German citizens who cried for change in 1932 danced in the streets. Once they elected, Chancellor Adolf Hitler. And change they got. Big change. Change rallied the young. And out went the old. And in came the new, Stalin and communism. Killing some 75 million of his own people, estimates say. Big change. Change cried the young. We need change. And a civilization that had existed for thousands of years was erased in the Cultural Revolution of Mao Zedong. And some 35 to 50 million of his own people were wiped out, many exterminated, the teachers, the leaders, all the order of the Chinese dynasties went back thousands of years were at once erased. And today we see a totally different China. Change cried the young in Cambodia. We need change. And they brought in the young in his 20s, man that took the name Paul Pott. He brought change. Killed all the teachers, all the people who had education and degrees, all the leaders. 27% of the country of Cambodia was exterminated within three years. Change. Change rallied the young and out went traditional Islam. And in came extremists, terrorists, people who would kill their own children, blow up their sisters, who would kill and maim anything that walks. Change. My son don't associate it with those given to change, the Bible says. Who knows the ruin those two can bring? Change? I'm all for change, and I know you're all for change. God is all for change. But change for what? There's a statement in Proverbs 18, verse 13. It says, He who answers a matter before he hears it, it's a folly and a shame to him. How many people who have answered a matter using a ballot know what they have cast their ballot for? What are the changes? I've noticed in the press, after the election, the big question has been, what are you going to do now? And the answer is, well, we're looking at the situation where we're summing up the situation and we're discussing what we're going to do. Well, wait a minute. Change. You know, you get all the buzz about change. God wants change, but he has detailed it down to the smallest detail. Now, election in every country seems very important. The issues rise and they mount, and they're very... You know, change and certain changes are very, very needy. The stakes are high. The needs are great. The tensions rise, the angst, the enthusiasm as you go into this election. Now, my purpose today is to talk to you about what do you and I, as children, begotten children in the family of God, firstfruits, what do you and I do when we see the world around us, society, right around that affects us in every way, and we see these things looming and piling up. How do we respond to that? What can we do about it? You and I, who have God's Holy Spirit and really care. It's not just about me and my little world, but really care about the people of this world who are suffering, really suffering. And we don't turn a blind eye to that. We care. We would like to see things change. These are dangerous times, and the need for change is becoming critical. Without it, the very future of humanity is at risk, Jesus told us. Well, my purpose today is to give direction to our fears, to your worries, to your hopes, to your dreams, to encourage the right, godly action, the appropriate action, and action. The title of the sermon today is Get Down and Vote.

I hope that title makes you think. I hope it's controversial enough. It'll really make you sit up and wonder, where is he going with this? Because he just used the nasty word. Get down and vote. My purpose is not to craft some sermon on a cutesy little quote and take us through a few scriptures, but rather, the world in which we live may be bad now, but I've got news for you. It's going to get a lot worse. And as we see these things progress, and the angst builds up, and the desire to see things fix grows within us, what do we do with that? Does it just consume us and we just get frustrated or maybe get despondent? Because, folks, it's not going to get better. What do we do with that? My point is to help you channel those feelings, those emotions. Channel them knowing what to do and how to do it, to respond properly and effectively. Let me ask you, how do you feel about your nation right now? How do you feel about the world right now? Do you wish you had voted in your recent election? Maybe things would have been different. Maybe I would have cast the swing vote. Or maybe I would have supported the party that won, and I, you know, whatever. But how do you feel about that? Are you thinking about it in the future? Well, next time, maybe I should step in there and register and vote. I'm going to tell you something. Actually, Jesus tells you to vote. Not quite in that word. Not quite in the sense that you're thinking. What we're going to take a look at here in the Bible today is there is an action that God wants us to take to solve the world's problems, to actually get involved in it. And while it's not a vote in a typical sense, I think we understand what voting is about. We understand what politics is about. And we see that as the world's solution to the world's problems, and therefore let's look at that through the lens of the Bible and see what you and I can do.

Jesus actually tells us in writing in the Bible which party to support, which candidate to support, and which platform to support. I don't just sort of make that up. I didn't hear it in a dream. We're going to read it in a minute. But before we go there, you know, I'm sure, that you can't vote without being registered. Without being registered. My wife and I are registered voters. However, we never registered to vote in the state of Arizona, where we currently live. We didn't register to vote when we lived in Ohio, or California, or South Dakota, Arkansas, British Columbia. Never registered to vote in Kenya. You know the problems over there are big in politics. But we are registered voters where it counts. Are you? Jesus says this in Luke chapter 10 and verse 20, Rejoice because your names are registered as citizens of heaven. Now this, brethren, is where the fork in the road is. And we've got to come to understand that the problems that this world faces are because in the fork in the road, the world is traveling a certain direction, promoting and defending and demanding that as certain candidate wins control of the world. Where we, on the other hand, have taken a different fork and looked for a different party, a different candidate, a different platform, if you want to use those words. Jesus says you rejoice because you're part of something else. You don't need to register to vote here on earth with some political party. You are registered as citizens in heaven. And I'm here to tell you there is a much larger election looming than what we have seen. A much larger election. It's not just a battle for leader of a country. This is battle for leader of the whole world. And this is the great election, if you want to use that term, if I could put it in that term so we can understand it well, that is looming in our future. The overview of this is found in Revelation 12, verse 10. Let's go there and see how God Himself is telling us this battle for supremacy is setting up. Here's an overview of it from Revelation 12, verse 10. Then I heard a loud voice in heaven saying, now is salvation, strength in the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come. This is a little bit in the future, but this is what's shaping up. We have the salvation, strength, and the kingdom of our God, and of His Messiah, these have come. Verse 12, Revelation 12. Therefore, rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them. Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea. For the devil has come down to you having great wrath because he knows that he has a short time. We see the two candidates right here. Candidate number one, power, kingdom, strength. Candidate number two, the devil has come down to you. He has a short time. From God's perspective, this is the one that counts. This is the election that counts, as it were. This is the battle for world supremacy, which is really where things are headed today. It's what it's really all about. You and I have a very short focus. We tend to see civic, or political, or economic, or military, or various unions becoming of concern to us. But this really shows us the larger scope of what this is all involved with.

It shows that there are two parties. I'll call them the Red Party and the White Party. I call them this because of the color of the clothing, as we're going to see in a minute.

There are two candidates. There are two platforms. There are two parties. And the rivalry is great. The sides are already drawn. The platforms are already determined. They're developed. The tactics are devised. And the press is being readied. Just like a good old election. All those things are ready to roll out. Want to talk about the press for a minute? Let's go look at the Red Party's press. 2 Thessalonians 2, verse 9.

The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power. You have power on both sides. And signs and lying wonders. Here's the press. We're kind of used to this, you know, when it comes to politics. You know, the politicians get up and they're both pushing their thing. And you know they're lying through their teeth. All of them are. Everybody expects that. Well, here's the source of it. And in the future, this great press comes out with signs, lying wonders. Verse 10, and with all unrighteous deception.

Revelation 13 and 14.

And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do. What is the Red Party saying? Worship me. That's what it's all about. Worship me. Follow me. Make me the one that is the focus. Set me up.

The White Party's press is also getting ready to launch. We read of this in Revelation, chapter 11 and verse 3. Right here, close by. Revelation chapter 11 and verse 3. And I will give power to my two witnesses. See the competition here? One has power and lying wonders. The other has power and two witnesses.

And they will prophesy. They will teach for three and a half years. Revelation chapter 14 and verse 6. Even more effective press. Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth. To every nation, tribe, tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice. Notice this message. Fear God and give glory to him. In other words, worship me, the White Party says. Give glory to him. For the hour of his judgment had come. And worship him. Notice, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and the springs of water. Brings in creationism. Pure, true creationism. Not one of those other versions that's out there. The pure one. Notice he tells a civilization that has come to believe in evolution. It's come to look to themselves as the originators. Look to themselves as the authors and say, No! Let's go back and give God the credit.

Now here's a question for you and me. Which party, which candidate, which platform, have you judged, have you decided is the one you're going to follow? Which one have you opted to vote for, as it were? You can use that term. Are you committed yet? Have you made a decision? You know, there is the undecided vote. Those who stay kind of partial, they have leanings, but when it comes right down to it, they haven't really committed yet. In the church, there are the uncommitted. Those who, yeah, I believe in God, and I believe in the Sabbath, and I believe in His laws, and I believe in His kingdom, and I believe I need to be there. And it's one thing to believe it, but are they doing it? Are they keeping the Sabbath? Are they putting their thoughts and their words out and keeping the Sabbath holy? Are they really repenting daily and putting sin out of their life and becoming God? And saying, wow, I really embrace this platform, and I'm living it every day to the best of my ability. See, how committed are you and me?

Well, we show that by our life. We show that by our prayers. And brethren, it's time to vote. Now, how do we vote? I'd like to show you how to vote, how to cast your ballot. In other words, how to decide, how to determine, how to cast your support for one of these two parties. Interesting thing, because when we look in the Bible, we're actually told by Jesus Christ how to do that. First of all, I'd like to give you a word from Hebrew. It's Paul-al. Paul-al. Paul-al should be one of the biggest words in your Hebrew vocabulary. Paul-al should be one of the biggest things that you as a Christian are involved with. Paul-al is very, very important. Paul-al means to judge, to decide. The Bible translates Paul-al, which its sole meaning is to judge or decide. It defines it and uses it for the word pray. Now, when you pray, do you think of yourself as deciding or judging? And yet, that is the term that God chose for what we do when we communicate with Him. We judge. In other words, we determine. We select. We're passing a decision on through prayer. Perhaps we don't think of prayer like that. Perhaps we don't pray in the right way, and that may be the case. But nevertheless, prayer begins with you judging, you deciding. Let me ask you a question. Have you judged today? How many times have you judged today? We don't tend to ask that question, do we? We might say, have you prayed today? That sounds good. How many times have you prayed today? But you see, we don't really perceive prayer through the lens of making a decision. And yet, God says that's exactly what we must do. The Bible states this, for He who comes to God, if you're going to pray, you're going to come to God, He who comes to God must believe that He is. You have to judge and decide. Is there a God? Is there really a God? There's a lot of people that haven't come to that yet. Go to person. Is there a God? Well, you know, I'm not sure. I'm not sure. I believe there might be. Somebody might say, well, I believe in a higher power.

How can a person who doesn't know if there's a God pray? Can't do it. In order to come before God, the only way you can come before God is to pray. You must first judge or decide if there's a God. Hebrews 11 verse 6. For He who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. You have to judge that God's way is fact, that faith with works is required, and that there is reward for not only believing, but obeying God and living what He told you to do in the Bible. Otherwise, you can't come to God. You can't pray. So can you see right there the decision that has to be made every time you decide to get on your knees? The judging that must take place. And that's why God calls what we do, judging. That's why some don't pray. That's why some find it difficult to pray. Either they come to a funny place in their life and they're not sure if there's a God, or they've come to a place where they know there's a God and they know that God has laws that must be kept, but I'm not keeping them. So I'm not really committed enough to approach this God, because to come to God you must first believe that He is, and then that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. So you see, prayer now steps up to being a ballot cast that you are the great God, that your platform is the right way, and that I am fully on board. I am a committed follower. I am of the white party. The white clothed party, as we'll see here in a minute. Nothing whatsoever to do with any other reference to that color.

The title of the sermon is, Get Down and Vote. And you and I need to get down and pray. We need to get down and decide. We need to get down and cast our decision for God, for godliness, for His kingdom. Now there are two parties, and there are two candidates, and there are two platforms, and there are two differing groups of people who will vote.

And what that means is to judge and to choose. Judge and to choose. They called it Decision 2008 in the recent election. You had to decide. You had to choose. You had to commit to one or the other. Not everybody could commit. They were the uncommitted. We have a neighbor boy who, it's been interesting to grow up next to him. He started out as this young long-haired kid on a skateboard. But the nice thing about him is, he'll talk to old folks like Mary and me. He'll stop on his skateboard, and I'll talk to him about skateboarding when I was a kid, like that goes anywhere. And I'll watch him do his tricks and fall and hurt himself, but he never quite gets hurt. And he has these boards he leaps from, he and his friends. So we keep up. He went through a growth spurt this summer, and after the feast, he cut his hair off. And I didn't even recognize him. He talks like the same kid. He sounds like the same kid, but he's bigger. But he still came over, he's talking to my wife and I, and catching up. So he says, well, who did you vote for? I said, well, I didn't vote for either, my wife and I said. He said, neither did my parents. They said neither candidate really measured up, and so they just didn't vote. Well, you see, that's just an example of people who didn't judge, who didn't commit, who didn't decide. They couldn't come to a decision. God wants you and I to come to an absolute decision, fully committed, fully invested with everything, including our time and our life. He wants us to come to that decision. So we need to show him. We need to judge whom and for what you stand. What is it you stand for? Just say, well, I stand for this, and as living proof, I am living this, and I am sacrificing for this, and I'm repenting for this. I'm even going hungry at times, fasting, committed to this. Give my life for this, if needed. God wants to know which issues are primary in your life, which candidate you're back. And God is ready for our ballots. He's ready for your ballot. There's two ways to vote. You want to cast your ballot, and I use the term vote, kind of in parentheses, but you understand the term here. You're going to commit, you're going to say, this is it. There's two ways to do it. One way is to judge and pray. The other way is to judge and not pray and take matters into your own hands and try to fix it. Go back to the two trees and grab some fruit off the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and start deciding what is right. Become real green for the environment. Try to be pleasing to all the people and accepting. Want everybody to be good and nice and play fair and get political. That's the other way.

The ballots are now being collected. Again, there's two parties. Red and white. The color of the clothing. Two candidates. Two platforms. The Red Party currently is way ahead in the polls, by the way. Red Party is running way, way, way out there ahead in the polls. If you take a global map of all the nations of the world, they're just flipping red as we speak. As the votes are coming in, it's just red, red, red.

In 2 Corinthians 4 and 4, we find that Satan is the god of this world. You know, the Red Devil? I kind of gave him that color because everybody paints him red. Red Devil. Plus also, the second horseman in Revelation. Revelation 6, verse 4, I believe, calls him, or his party is associated with war and the red horse, and the end times are all about the wars that take place and the calamities that kill so many people. So that's the Red Party.

We find in Revelation chapter 13, in verse 8, that all who dwell on the earth will worship him. They're way out on the poles. It's really attracting, and that candidate is really running out there.

The White Party at this time is hardly visible in the poles. It just doesn't even show up. It's kind of like, wow, underwhelming.

The father of the White Party is described in Daniel this way. His garment was as white as snow, and the hair of his head was like pure wool. God the Father, pure white in his outfit, in his hair. The son, Matthew says, the son was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as the light. The son, described by Mark, he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became shining exceedingly white, like snow, such as that no launderer on earth can whiten clothes. His clothes were that white. That's the White Party. The children, the father, son, and the children. The children, Revelation says, he who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments. So here's the two parties. Voting booths are open. They're awaiting your votes. Each vote is counted, stored, remembered. And now, drumroll, Jesus Christ's instructions for how to vote. How to vote for change in the big election that's coming up. The big runoff between these two massive candidates. And again, I'm putting this in language that I think we as humans in a secular society can maybe identify with a little bit. And this big runoff between Satan as the leader of this world and Jesus Christ as the one who wants to win and take over and begin a new government. Well, the first thing that we need is the location of the voting booth. Voting booths are interesting because I've noticed on TV if you see a ballot booth, they have a curtain, usually. The person goes behind the curtain and closes the curtain and you only see like two feet in there. You don't know what they're doing in there. And then they come out. Governor Palin the other day came out of the voting booth and met the press out at the curb. And one of the guys said, hey, who did you vote for? And she said, you know, the interesting thing about this country is I don't have to tell you.

Let's look in Matthew 6 and verse 6 because it's the same. It's the same for what I will term loosely as where you and I go to vote. Matthew 6 and verse 6. Jesus said, but you, when you pray... Remember what prayer is about? When you decide, when you judge, when you make the determination of where you stand, go into your room and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place. This isn't about anybody else. This isn't about sharing what you do or what you are. This is a very personal thing between you and your Father in heaven, that you are going to tell Him and show Him where you stand and what you are made of and who you support.

And now, here's how to cast an informed ballot. Same chapter, verse 9. In this manner, therefore judge. In this manner, therefore decide. In this manner, as we would say, therefore pray. Our Father in heaven hallowed be your name. You are my candidate. God is the one I support. Your kingdom come. This is the party I support. It's the kingdom of God and I've already defined the candidate. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. There's the platform. God's will is right here. All of His rules and laws and mind. And that's what I'm supporting. That's what we are to say when we judge, when we decide, when we come to grips and say, you know what? I know there is a God and I know that He blesses those who faithfully determine to follow Him and I'm going to go talk to Him and I'm going to let Him know where I stand. And there's some appeals that I want to make to Him as well concerning the problems that are going on and the sighing and crying that I'm doing about things that are happening in this world. Verse 13 in the last half, For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. See how Jesus Christ wraps this? He wants us to really determine that God is it. That He, Jesus Christ, is the candidate of choice, the King to reign over all the world. And that it is His kingdom and His will and His power and His glory that we support. And that, brethren, is casting a ballot. That is really determining every time we pray to God where we stand and who we stand for. Prayer shows our judgment, our decision, our intention, our desire for God and His Son Jesus Christ to be victorious and to rule and what they're to do when they rule.

In the day of the U.S. election, I was in a little different time zone, my wife and I, because we had traveled back from a different land. And so I woke up at 3.30 and got up. And I got right down and voted. The booths weren't open in Arizona yet, but I just got right down and voted anyway.

My wife got up a little later. We voted together at 6.35. I noted the time. We were about to eat something. We voted again at 6... I'm sorry, at 6.35? 10.35 in the morning, we voted. And again at 6.35 in the evening. We voted three times on election day. I could have voted four times on election day, except I was so tired at 8 o'clock I fell asleep. And I don't even know how the election of the U.S. president was going. Next morning I woke up at 3.30, excited. I got up and went in the office and started working. About 7.30, Mary came in four hours later. I said, well, how'd you sleep? She said, I haven't slept much. I've been in there watching TV about the person who won the election. I said, well, who won? It wasn't interesting as much as working on this sermon, which was what I was doing. And getting excited about the big responsibility that you and I have. The channeling of our energies. The channeling of our desires towards what is really important.

When the world was on the brink and things weren't going well, the young rallied for change. And they rallied and voted three times a day.

The world of Hananiah and Mishra'el and Azariah and Daniel was profound as far as their lives went. As far as what God was doing in those young men's lives. Change, we can look in Hebrews 11. Cried the mocked. Change cried the tempted. Change cried the scourged, the stoned, the tortured, and those sawn in two. And change did not come in their lifetime. The outcasts of society, they were called. But change is what they have cried for. And that change will rock not only the world but the universe.

They sought a new world government. They sought a new kingdom, a new city, a new world leader. They set a fantastic example for you and me. They wanted change, but they appealed for godly change. And they would settle for nothing less. They would not divert and go down the other way. They would not mix in. They would not compromise. It was one thing only and this was the change. And they are set forth in Hebrews 11 as those who trusted God. And there's a great cloud of witnesses in that chapter that, as it were, is watching us and asking, where do you stand? What are you about? In Malachi 3, verse 16, those who are of the white party, the white clothed party, we read of here, then those who feared the Lord talked with each other. And the Lord listened and he heard. And a scroll, something written down, a scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored His name, who stood up for Him.

Verse 17, They will be Mine, says the Lord Almighty, in the day when I make up my treasured possession. I will spare them, says the Lord Almighty. I will spare them just as in compassion a man spares his Son who serves Him. See the commitment of these individuals? And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not. Godly change is coming, with or without your or my vote, with or without your or my support. Godly change is coming. But the question for us is, which candidate do we support? Which one do we live? Which one is the one that we daily demonstrate to God, including on our knees, is our candidate party and platform of choice? Let's go to Revelation 5 and verse 8 and see what happens with these ballots. I call them that loosely. Revelation 5 and verse 8.

Remember the scroll that was written? Here we see a scroll. When He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. You think your ballot doesn't matter? It's not important? You think that that statement that we make to God is somehow empty to Him? No, it's collected in golden bowls before His throne by the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders.

And these four living creatures sang a new song. They sang the song saying, you are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals. This is a different scroll about something else. But you were slain and have redeemed them, it should read, to God by your blood out of every tribe and every tongue and every people and every nation. And verse 10, it should read, and you have made them a kingdom of priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth. That's what happens to those who fully commit and fully back, fully sacrifice their own lives, their own will, their own selfishness, and put on the righteousness of God. They are brought in and made a kingdom of priests and will be part of the new candidate's cabinet, as you might say. Again, putting it in human terms. They're going to be part of the administration. They're going to serve. This new leader will soon take office. Revelation 19, verses 5 and 6. Then a voice came from the throne, saying, Praise our God, all you His servants, and those who fear Him, both small and great. And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and the sound of mighty thundering, saying, Hallelujah, for the Lord God omnipotent reigns. This is coming. It's going to happen. What is the result of the time when Jesus Christ takes over as the God of this world, as the King of kings? We find in Isaiah, chapter 35, a very definite result. Not a question. I wonder if it's going to work out. I wonder how things will be. We'll give it a try and see what happens. The result is the entire chapter of Isaiah 35.

Let's just notice a few things out of this chapter. The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them, and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as a rose. Real change coming. It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice, even with joy and singing. Verse 3, Strengthen the weak hands, make firm the feeble knees. All those who see problems and are terrorized by what's happening and what will happen, say to those who are fearful-hearted, Be strong and do not fear. Behold, your God will come with vengeance. With the recompense of God, He will come and save you. It talks about the eyes of the blind being open, the ears of the deaf being unstopped, the feeble legs being able to run.

Verse 8, A highway shall be there and a road, and it shall be called the highway of holiness. A highway of holiness to godliness, to righteousness, with real true values. Whoever walks the road, even though a fool, shall not go astray. Verse 10, And the ransom to the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing, with everlasting joy on their heads. You want happiness? They shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. That is what you and I are about. That's what Jesus Christ is about. That's what we're being asked to commit to. It's real, profound, predetermined, defined change. God wants to know, where do you stand? Where do you live each day?

I've never voted in human politics. I've never served on jury duty. Why? It's Satan's world. To ask God, or to get involved in trying to make this fork of the road work out well, for humanity that is devoid of God and following the God of this world, is folly and a wrong thing to do. Let's go to 2 Corinthians 6, verse 14.

Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers, for what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? What are you going to do? Are you going to fix a world that breaks all of God's laws? Are you going to get involved in that and try to make lawlessness work out into happiness? That would be working for the enemy. What communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with the devil? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever?

A young man once told me, when I was younger than he, I was a teenager, he made the statement to me, What are you playing at? He was just a little bit older than I was, about four years. But that statement really resounded with me. Now, its application then was the fact that I pulled out and was trying to pass playing chicken with a semi truck that was getting very close. But through the years, I've reassigned that question, What are you playing at? And we have to ask ourselves once and all, What is it that we're playing at? Are we seriously supporting God and Christ and His laws and His ways and living them? Or are we playing at something else? What is it that you're playing at? I like to ask myself that question. It's a good question. The Church has a doctrinal study paper entitled, Voting and Involvements in Politics. You can read that at the website, ucg.org. Some highlights from it are this. Those who are converted to God's way of life are ambassadors for Jesus Christ. As ambassadors and citizens of the kingdom of God, Christians are no longer to be involved in man's systems of government.

It quotes the scripture, For our citizenship is in heaven. From Philippians 3 and verse 20. Christ told us that we are registered as citizens in heaven. Christ taught us that His kingdom is not of this world. Consequently, we are to be called out of this world. We are told to come out of this world.

Also, the Bible reveals that it is God who sets up rulers and removes them according to His will. That's in Daniel chapter 4 and verse 17. God sets up all the rulers or removes them according to His will. This is a good question. In the recent election, did you vote mentally or support mentally, or would you like to have supported or voted for the candidate that won or the candidate that lost? Think about it. If you had a feeling in that and your candidate didn't win, he'd say, well, maybe I should have voted. You would have voted against God. Because Daniel says God chooses those and removes those who He wants to be in power. Because that fulfills the prophecies and the direction that this world is going. Best to leave that to God and certainly not oppose Him.

Going on, the paper says, the government is holding power due so only as God allows. Jesus Christ said He will return to set up God's Kingdom, a world government with righteousness and justice. We are admonished to pray for His Kingdom to be established on earth. Because then and only then will this world's problems be solved. After reading that, you still want to participate in human politics? It would be ridiculous. If so, I would say you need a serious re-examination of your life's purpose, of what you are committed to, your commitment to God, His way, the Kingdom.

God said this world will fail. What is it that you are wanting? What is it that I am wanting? In conclusion, we need to make up our minds. We need to make up our minds, actually, often. We need to judge often. We need to decide often, to avoid the hypocrisy of having two mentalities. What do you stand for? Get down and judge and decide and make a statement, make a stand. Become a solid participant in the coming government. You know, Jesus Christ does not need your commitment in order to win. It's not a popular vote. Jesus needs to know your commitment in order that you can participate with Him. He's going to win, in any case. He will try Him. He doesn't need you or me to get down and pray and hope and wish good wishes. He needs us to be committed. In Revelation 19, verse 7, we find there are committed that will be ready for this event, that will have stood up and be counted. For it says, Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come. And His wife has made herself ready. She is the one that needed to be counted. She is the one that needed to be determined. And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright. For the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saint. They join God's party, His platform and His candidates. So brethren, as events in the world try us and test us and develop, sometimes angst within us, and we sigh and cry for the events. There is something profitable that we can do, something valuable that we can do. We can get down and get down often and decide and support Jesus Christ, God the Father, their platform, their party, their kingdom. Today He is our King. In the future He will be the King of all humanity, the ruler of the whole world. And by doing this, and whenever we do this, as often as we do this, all of our energies, all of our concerns, all of our fears are channeled into the golden bowls that will be counted, that are meaningful to God. And then the King of kings will take off us and begin what will be the wonderful world tomorrow.