How Are We to Interpret the Sovereignty of God in the Defeat of Donald Trump & Victory of Joe Biden?

How are we to interpret the sovereignty of God in the defeat of Donald Trump and the victory of Joe Biden?  There are many ways to answer the question and they are varied in nature.  I offer my simple observations below.  

Pride Before the Fall 

If not for his pride, Donald Trump would have been reelected.  For example, it was on full display during his first debate with Joe Biden on September 29.  I was watching with friends that night.  We were all repulsed by his rudeness, boasting, belligerence, lack of self-control, and absence of integrity in not adhering to debate agreements.  I commented that if he lost the election it would be due to his shameful conduct observed by 73 million Americans.  God has humbled our President.  His boasting has come to an end. 

Fake News 

There is no doubt “Fake News” contributed in a major way to the loss of the election.  It is amazing Trump did as well as he did, given the non-stop hostile coverage he has endured over the past four years including the Russian conspiracy hoax and his handling of COVID-19.  Slander is an effective tool in the hands of the press.  There is no doubt Satan played a powerful role in carrying out this wicked plan. 

At the same time, CNN, AP, CBS, NBC, et al. were covering up for Biden and putting him in the best possible light.  They refused to ask hard questions or report the truth.  We don’t have a “free” press any longer.  By in large, it advocates for evil by advancing “progressive” positions and politicians. 

The Reprobation of American 

Ultimately, Biden’s victory is due to the American people.  75 million voted for him.  That is frightening.  I understand why some may not vote for Trump given his arrogance.  I don’t understand how anyone could vote for Biden.  Of course, I am speaking from a Christian perspective.  The differences between Trump and Biden are immense in terms of their policies and perspectives.  Abortion is one example.  Nominations to the Supreme Court another.  Our collective conscience in America is increasingly reprobate and unable to discern the difference between good and evil.  

The Apostate Church 

The “church” in America is overwhelmingly apostate.  It preaches a false gospel of works righteousness, self-esteem, and health and wealth prosperity, rather than the substitutionary death of Christ as payment for our sins.  It rejects the Bible as the inspired, inerrant, and infallible Word of God.  It fails to command men and women to repent and follow Christ.  But the falling away is not confined to the Roman Catholic Church (filled with pedophile “priests”) or Mainline Protestant Church.  The “evangelical” or Bible believing church is riddled with scandal, moral compromise, and doctrinal error.  

In America, 228 million people or 71% profess to be Christians.   And yet very few can answer the most important question in the world: “What is the gospel?”  They do not understand the central message of the Bible.  This is due to false shepherds who fill our pulpits and preach a false gospel.  If every church in America commanded repentance from sin and belief in Jesus Christ as the sole basis for the forgiveness of sins, America would be restored as a nation to its moral footings.  The apostate church, not CNN, is our primary enemy. 

The Judgement of God 

In the election of Biden and Kamala Harris, we see the judgement of God on America.  Our society and culture will continue to disintegrate.  As a nation we have been storing up wrath for a long time.  We have renounced the Judeo-Christian values that made this nation great.  I was born in 1954.  There is no comparison to what we were then as a country and what we are today.  Homosexuality was considered evil.  Across the nation there were laws against sodomy.  Now it is celebrated.  The same with same-sex marriages.  It was unthinkable.  Similarly, sex outside of marriage was immoral. Now fornication is pervasive.  And since 1973, 62 million babies have been slaughtered in the womb.  These realities and many others assault the holiness of God and result in his wrath.  He has every reason to destroy us. 

Hope for the Future 

Four years ago, I wrote this short article on election day before the results were known.  Trump was running against Hillary Clinton. 

I Hope Trump Wins but Trump Is Not My Hope because the Gospel Trumps All
Tuesday, November 8, 2016 

I hope Trump wins but Trump is not my hope.  The ultimate hope for any nation or people is the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Twenty-six years ago, I wrote an article for People of Destiny Magazine titled The Centrality of the Gospel.  It still holds true - the gospel trumps all. 

We are called to love our neighbors, serve our communities, and influence our government but unless God transforms hearts through the gospel there is no hope for the transformation of our fallen society.  That is why we must preach the gospel and build the church of Jesus Christ.  Those are our highest priorities. 

The judgement of God on American is increasing.  It is evident everywhere you look.  The last 50 years has seen a massive decline in the moral and spiritual character of this nation.  Fifty years from now, we could be destroyed by our sins and for our sins. 

Unless the Lord mercifully and powerfully grants a great awakening that transforms the lives of many millions, this nation is justly doomed.  Like Paul the apostle told the Athenians, “In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.  For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed.  He has given proof of this to all men by raising him [Jesus] from the dead.” (Acts 17:30-31). 

I hope you vote today, but better; I hope you share the gospel today as God gives you the opportunity. There are many causes but none more important than the cause of the gospel.  Social and political action have their place but the gospel is our ultimate hope.  To understand this better, read here. 

Final Thoughts 

God could bring revival during the next four years.  That could turn America around.  He could also bring devastating judgement.  It is vital Christians study the Old Testament prophets with the help of a good study Bible.  All of them pronounced severe judgement.  They also spoke of a “remnant” that God would preserve because of his steadfast love.  Take Habakkuk for example.  He prophesied the destruction of the southern kingdom of Judah by the invading Babylonian empire in the 6^th century B.C.  Listen to his closing words. 

Habakkuk 3:16-19
16 I heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound; decay crept into my bones, and my legs trembled.  Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us.  17 Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, 18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.  19 The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights. 

The nation of Judah was corrupt.  God was just to judge it.  Devastation would follow.  Nevertheless, Habakkuk did not fear.  He proclaimed, “I will be joyful in God my Savior” and “the Sovereign Lord is my strength.”  The ESV Study Bible notes, “Habakkuk can have sure-footed confidence in God and live on the heights even amid extreme circumstances.” 

I lament the fall of America.  It is the land I love.  But my love of country does not compare to my love of Jesus Christ.  He is my Savior and Sovereign Lord.  I find my joy and strength in him, not the prosperity of American. 

In this election, God has judged America in his sovereignty.  I hoped and prayed Trump would be reelected for his policies, fully knowing that would be a great mercy.  Instead, the Lord has given us justice – that is, what we deserve.  There are many legitimate ways to explain why Trump lost and Biden won in human terms.  And yet, it is so because the Sovereign Lord decreed it in his holiness and wrath.  

So what should we do now?  Redouble our political efforts in hopes of electing a conservative to the Presidency in 2024?  Some think so and I do not disparage them or their efforts.  I am grateful to all those called to run for office and engage the political process with their concentrated time, energy, and effort.  

Nevertheless, that should not be our priority in the majority.  If American does not turn from its sin, a more evil leader could be in the White House in four years.  Therefore, the greatest contribution a Christian makes to society is the preaching of the gospel and the building of the church.  

Our greatness need as a nation is for men and women, boys and girls, to be reconciled to God through the cross of Christ and born-again by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Then be added to an authentic church where they can mature and grow in the knowledge of God as they evangelize the lost and engage the culture. That is what made America great in the first place.  If the Lord wills, that is what will make America great again.  

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Brent Detwiler
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