It’s Voting & Praying Time
By
Bishop Melvin L. Maughmer, Jr.
Today I want to teach on the subject It’s Voting & Praying Time.
PRAYER
SCRIPTURES: - FOCUS SCRIPTURE John 18:36 “Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence”. Daniel 2:31-45. Daniel 7. Revelation 17 & 18.
OPENING: - The Bible says in Hosea 4:6 “My people are destroyed for the lack of knowledge” that scripture I believe is never so true as it is today people are destroyed because of the lack of knowledge and if I would add to that I would add Galatians 6:7 “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” because we are living in times when people are being destroyed and deceived.
I came across a very interesting article this week in my studies and as I began to read what was written it let me understand just how true those scriptures truly are. The article was written by a man named Adam Russell Taylor and it is entitled Global Christians are Praying for U.S. Elections. Will We Pray for Theirs? And in that article, he pointed out some very interesting points that literally stopped me in my tracks and made me think. He stated that “by the end of this year more than 50 countries representing half of humanity will have held national elections”. He also stated and this is what really caught my attention that “Despite the unprecedented number of people casting ballots this year, key democratic norms and principles continue to decline. According to an annual analysis by Freedom House, a nonpartisan organization that monitors democracy and human rights around the world, overall global freedom declined for the 18th consecutive year in 2023, with 52 countries seeing reductions in political rights and civil liberties compared to 21 that saw improvements. Among the primary factors driving this deterioration, according to Freedom House, are violence around and manipulation of elections, including 2023 elections in Cambodia, Guatemala, Poland, Turkey, and Zimbabwe.
He went on to say “We also know that the authoritarian tactics that undermine democracy are so often contagious. As Protect Democracy has documented, aspiring and ruling authoritarian leaders all over the world are learning from one another and employ a similar set of tactics across a wide range of different national contexts. These authoritarian tactics include politicizing independent institutions, spreading disinformation, aggrandizing executive power, quashing dissent, scapegoating vulnerable communities, corrupting elections, and stoking violence. And with so many people heading to the polls this year, there are ample opportunities for authoritarian leaders to employ these tactics. With these growing threats in mind, we can pray that elections around the world are free of violence and intimidation. We can pray that elections are competitive, with opposition parties and candidates being able to campaign freely. We can also pray that people elect leaders who prioritize promoting peace, justice, and the common good”.
It is said that 67 million viewers watched the debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump on Tuesday Night and with the election literally less than 2 months away I want to impress upon each and everyone to get out and vote. I don’t believe it is a sin if you don’t, I don’t believe that God will hold you accountable if you do or if you don’t. However, I don’t believe you have the right to be critical or to complain about the condition of our country or the position or party of our leaders if you do not get out and vote. Just as I feel if you don’t have a DD-214 then you don’t have a right to comment on Veteran Affairs and the Benefits of Veterans if you have not served in the military yourself. WHY – because people gave blood, limbs, and life for you to have the privilege to express our rights and voice by voting and have the freedom to do so and although not a Biblical sin is completely irresponsible and totally disrespectful to those who have fought so hard and lost so much for us to have the awesome privilege to express ourselves and the freedom to express ourselves by voting.
Now I can’t tell you how to vote and don’t let no preacher tell you how to vote that is your personal choice and privilege. I know how I am going to vote, and I pray that you will vote the same way but if you don’t I encourage you to still get out and vote and ask God to lead and guide you to make the right choice not based upon what people say or what seems to be popular but what is right what promotes peace and is for the common good.
Now I know some may be worried that I am going to preach/teach a political message and promote a certain political candidate or party and that is not my intention at all. I have never agreed with these preachers that preach politics or a certain political party and stand in the pulpit and prophe-lie or I mean prophecy and say America is in Biblical prophecy bringing in the End-Times and if we watch Israel and vote Republican we will see God move in such a super-natural way that it is going to take the breath out of the lungs of the dictators on planet Earth starting the clock ticking and counting down to the rapture which will usher in the anti-Christ and his seven year empire that will be destroyed by Jesus Christ in the battle of Armageddon that will lead to the establishment of the throne of Jesus in the New Jerusalem forever and ever.
Although I do believe in the Rapture, the New Jerusalem, and the Reign of Jesus Christ for all Eternity I do not believe it is based in or on a political party in America or who we vote for and put in office. Let everything be established by two or three witnesses well here are two scriptures that will totally debunk that misconception and theology and they are Daniel 2:12 “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” and John 18:36 “Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence”.
We are living in a time when every American seems to be on edge and just about ready to fall off. I was in the store the other day and was joking with a couple of young men that I never seen before in my life. I told them there is just too much tension and hatred in the world and we just need to laugh sometimes because people are on edge about everything thing. People can’t engage with their fellow citizens over anything, especially politics.
On our jobs it is prohibited to talk about religion and politics because tensions are so high, and people’s emotional status is so unsteady you don’t know who will become violent and come in shooting the place up because you mentioned something or disagreed with their political or religious point of view.
In our churches there has become so much mixing of religious and political power which is an abomination unto God with the spiritual leaders are more aggrandized with self that we have the prostitution of the church and the people of God. So-called prophets, preachers, and prophecy prognosticators are more concerned with a title, position, popularity, fortune, fame, and the name than presenting the unadulterated Word of God and are literally blind to the atrocities taking place or being committed by them personally.
They are deceiving the people of God with lies and half truths that sound Biblical and because people have a lack of Biblical knowledge and understanding they are running around so-called speaking in tongues believing they are under the anointing of the Holy Ghost and in fact are being deceived by the adversary and his minion right in the church by so-called preachers and teachers of the word of God who are mixing religious and political messages. Understand there is no mixing. Let God arise and His enemies be scattered.
WATCH THIS:- In the book of Daniel the 2nd chapter we are given the Dream of Nebuchadnezzar and he dreams of a statue made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, clay, these represent the world empires, governmental systems that would rule Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, and Finally there is a Stone Hewn out of a Mountain which is Jesus and His Kingdom which destroys all the other kingdoms.
Then we read in Daniel the 7th chapter of the same kingdoms but this time they are described as beast one is like a lion and had eagles wings and made to stand on the feet as a man and a man’s heart was given to it 7:4. The second was a bear 7:5, the third was a leopard which had four wings of a fowl on its back and four heads 7:6, the fourth was dreadful and terrible and strong exceedingly and it had great iron teeth; it devoured and broke in pieces and stamped the residue with its feet and it was diverse from all the other beast that were before it and it had ten horns 7:7. Now I need you to understand this because this stood out to me when I watched the debated Trump said He was different than any other president before him, he received more votes than any other president, he said that the leader of Hungary said people are afraid of him. So, in my spiritual mind I am thinking about this terrible beast system coming into power and how people are afraid of Trump becoming president again. Then I have to go back to Genesis 1:25-28 “And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth”. He has given us dominion over the beast and everything that creepeth upon the earth and we can express this dominion by voting.
Ok Lord – but that’s not it, you must go deeper.
Then I read the 17 & 18 chapter of Revelation, and these chapters talk about the mixing of the religious and the political systems which is an abomination unto God. You must understand something, and this is Biblical Knowledge Spiritual Babylon is identified by religious leaders that strive for power in the seven mountains of political/societal influence. Revelation 17:9 says “And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth”.
Let me give a quick Prophesy Class:- Prophesy 101 Prophesy deals with the Natural and the Spiritual. When it deals with the Natural the mention of a woman is always a Nation or People. When it deals with the Spiritual the mention of a woman is always a Church or Apostate Church.
The seven mountains – now we have in the natural been taught that this is Rome because Rome is built on seven hills, they are the Aventine, the Caelian, the Capitoline, the Esquiline the Palatine, the Quirinal, and the Viminal. However, in the spiritual and this is scary because this is what the Evangelicals, the Charismatics, the Christian Nationalist preach with such vehemence and that is the Seven Mountain Mandate which refers to Government, family, religion, arts, entertainment, media, education, and business. These so-called preaches, pastors, evangelist, teachers, prophecy prognosticators believe and teach that the path to cultural redemption lies in recapturing control of the seven mountains and that is the way to reinstitute the Christian values into our nations and that former President Donald Trump has been divinely chosen to navigate us though these chaotic times although his affairs, his divorces, his sexual assaults, harassments, and convictions go totally against what they hold to be Biblically sound and pure themselves. If you just listen to them on the T.V. big named preachers this is what they are saying and that we must pray for Israel and if we don’t God will hold us accountable and all kinds of NON-BIBLICAL hogwash that sounds good but is a mixing of the religious and political message everything that Revelation 17 & 18 is against Spiritual Babylon.
The thing we must take comfort in as Children of God, Born again believers, Baptized, Blood Washed, Redeemed, Saved, Sanctified, Holy Ghost Filled, the Elect is the we have Dual Citizenship and we are not so much concerned about election 2024 but Acts 20:24 “But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God”.
The kingdoms of this world are temporary and according to Psalm 75:6-7 “For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another”. Proverbs 21:1 “The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will”. Romans 13:1 “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”.
CLOSING: As we approach election day 2024, we have the opportunity to make history or go back in time. We have the opportunity to let freedom ring or have our liberties silenced. It has been proven around the world that democracy is diminishing, democratic norms and principles decline, civil liberties reduced, our spiritual influence is losing ground and day after day any Biblical expression of morality and decency is criticized and treated as hatred and criminal and it will only get worse. Although our ultimate loyalty must be to God remembering that we have dual citizenship both here and in His Heavenly Kingdom, we must pray with all sincerity for our election our candidates, and that the right person is put in office for the good of all.
Our politicians will battle it out, they will lie, they will scheme, they will call each other names, they will pull out all the stops and if she wins the country will be divided and if he wins the country will be divided. The Pope said the other day vote for the lesser of the two evils – I don’t agree with that but our mission is laid out in 1 Timothy 2:1-5 “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus”. Notice it says “that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty” – we must pray so we can lead a peaceable life, pray that the vote you cast will cause us to live a peaceable life, not so much the politician they are going to live and be what they are going to be, but we must pray so we may live a peaceful life.
I want to leave you with a scripture of hope and encouragement regardless of the outcome of this coming election Revelation 11:15 “And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever”.
Vote & Pray.
Bishop Melvin L. Maughmer, Jr.
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