00:00 Welcome and Weekly Recap

00:58 Trump's Vice-President Pick

02:35 Christian Perspective on Voting

05:20 Balancing Political and Spiritual Priorities

11:28 Deep Dive into Isaiah

18:20 Prayer and Conclusion

Hey, welcome back to another

episode of the daily Bible podcast.

2

What to is today's Thursday today.

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Thursday.

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That's right.

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And we've had such a great week with VBS.

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I know we haven't talked about that

together, but man, this is such a proud

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moment for us as a church to see everyone

working together and work so hard.

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To produce such an amazing

high quality set up.

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I'm just, I'm, I'm impressed.

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I'm proud.

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And I'm tremendously thankful.

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Yep.

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Monday when it kicked off, I was

walking through the school that they had

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transformed in the hallways have decor,

and I was just taking videos of it.

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I sent it back to her.

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Sending church and they

were excited for us on that.

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And just, it's been awesome.

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It's yeah.

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It's a proud moment as pastors to look

at our church and say, well done church.

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They're crushing it, man.

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Yeah.

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Doing such a good job.

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Such a good job.

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In in fact it was just

a, it's been a cool week.

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I preached on being involved in the

church and serving the church on Sunday.

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And we had so many people respond to that

by signing up in different capacities.

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And it was, it was cool.

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What's that God's people always

responded to sermons that way.

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Right.

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Awesome.

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Great job.

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You guys have been crushing it.

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Yes, you have.

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You have for sure.

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Well, we teased it yesterday.

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Uh, but Trump has picked his

vice-president candidate.

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I was in the running for a minute

and he chose, the other guy said

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to me, So, yeah, that's okay.

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I'm not mad about that, but this guy.

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Do you do this?

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This guy's young.

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He's 39.

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Yeah.

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Which is a young buck.

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It was just refreshing in some regards.

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I guess, I feel like we've, we've

seen a lot of elderly candidates

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that have been put forward.

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It's still there.

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Yeah.

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Yeah, I, you know what,

here's my take on it.

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I think this was, I think this was

strategic on Trump's part because

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of the state that he comes from.

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Because Ohio is a battleground

state and that's going to be an

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important state in the election.

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And so here he, he picks

a guy from Ohio, right.

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Um, And then I think it's

it's, uh, the, the age has

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something to do with it as well.

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Yeah.

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Yeah.

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Some youth to the whole party, right?

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Right.

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And, and some confidence, but, but,

um, I saw some people from our circles,

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evangelical circles that were up in arms.

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Uh, maybe that's a little bit extreme,

but we're, we're upset, upset, and.

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Uh, discouraged at this pick because

recently in an interview, um, JD

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Vance came out and said that he was in

support of, uh, some access or limited

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access to the, the abortion pill.

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Um, And he, I, I didn't hear the

whole interview, so I don't know what

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he meant by limited access to that.

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But I think the discouragement came

out and saying men traditionally,

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the Republican party has been the

pro-life party across the board.

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And that's what the Republicans

and what the church has been

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able to hang their hats on.

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And.

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Defending the rights of the unborn

and the life and things are changing.

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Yeah.

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And they are changing.

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And so as a church and as, as a

church full of people that are voting.

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You know, PR how do we think about.

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How do we think about this?

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When is it?

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I mean, we we've talked about

the lesser of two evils.

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How do we process this?

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Should we be upset with this?

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Should we be like, okay, this is the best.

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It's better than nothing.

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W w how do we process this now?

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I think there's layers to this that

we're going to have to work through.

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And the individual issues, there

are so many issues that complicate.

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Are thinking about this, if it were just

the question of pro-life I think you

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would say, okay, well, this is a clear.

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If they're saying no or

not for this anymore.

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For four to a certain point, then

we could say, okay, then we're done.

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We're done.

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This is going to work for us, but

because there are so many other

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competing factors that make the

decision a much more challenging.

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Question.

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I think we have to be careful with

how we answer it and also careful

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with how we talk to other Christians

about it, who might disagree with us

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in terms of the way that they vote.

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Now, we're not single issue voters.

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We're single saver voters.

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We're all about what Christ wants.

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We want to further his purposes

and his agenda and his priorities,

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which means that we have to think

about a complexity of issues.

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Now, all of those issues weigh the same.

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In fact, you could argue that the

pro-life issue is one of the weightiest,

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if not the weightiest thing on the

ticket, which is why people swallow

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the pill of Trump just a few years ago.

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But now that we have Trump,

who's saying a different story.

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Well, Hey, now that we got this

at the Supreme court, we've

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sent it back to the states.

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Promise has been fulfilled.

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Now I'm going to let the

chips fall where they will.

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Well, now we have a bit of a

quandary on our hands and say,

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okay, what do we do with this?

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Because he's clearly that this party

is still the better of the two options,

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but it's not an option that we, like.

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I would say my biggest counsel here is

prayerfully and wisely Castro ballot.

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And with that, I'm

thankful that we have a.

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Uh, you know, our votes

don't directly count.

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I know they matter and they

do matter for something.

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We should take that seriously, but.

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I at the end of the day, God's going

to use the, a variety of sources to

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get the people that he wants an office,

even though we should fight for the most

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righteous option that is available to us.

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What would you say to that?

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Dr.

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BJ?

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Yeah, I think it's important

for us to remember that.

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The candidates that are running are not.

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These are not pastors running.

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These are not Christians

running even necessarily.

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I know that that there's professing

believers in the race right now, but

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I think we had advanced a professor.

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Uh, I don't know that.

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I don't know.

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I.

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I should, I should know that.

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I don't know.

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I'll take a look, but.

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It's important for us to remember

that because for us, we look at

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an issue like this and we think.

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We're not going to, we're going

to change our opinion on this

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because scripture is clear on this.

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And at the end of the day,

scripture is our deciding factor.

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At the end of the day for Donald

Trump and Joe Biden, everybody else

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involved in the race, the deciding

factor is how do I get the most votes?

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Like that's he's he wants to win.

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Pragmatist pragmatists.

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Totally.

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Um, and so he's not.

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Really truly at the end of the

day, concerned about, you know,

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towing the line biblically on

what our morals and values are.

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And that's why we can't

conflate these two things.

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That's why we have to be very

careful again about that.

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This is not our hope for the

revival of our nation is not

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putting a Republican in office.

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Yeah.

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Our hope for the revival in the

nation is the gospel and God's

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word, and that never changes.

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And so we abide by those principles, not

by political principles, uh, but those

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that we're putting in office, they're

playing a different game and we need to

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understand that there they have different

goals and agendas than we do their

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goal and agenda is to win and to sit in

the oval office at the end of the day.

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It's not too.

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Honor the Lord in the running.

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So would you say then, Uh, CA okay.

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Here's a, here's a potentially

very polarizing question.

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I know I'm putting you on the spot, but

could a Christian vote for either party?

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Yes.

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I mean, Yes, I would.

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Yeah, I there's there's issues of

concern that I think I would have there

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and in want to have some conversations

with, with a person in, in that regard

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and in, depending on the vote on that.

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And to say, okay.

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Let's think through this.

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And I'm curious to get your reasoning

on here, but at the end of the

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day, uh, being a Republican is not.

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A prerequisite for the

gospel is not a prerequisite.

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Requisite for salvation.

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Um, and yeah, w we're going to make

decisions based on political issues that

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are cast out there and, and have to come

down on one side or the other on that.

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And there are going to be things

that people prioritize one side over

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the other side for various things.

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And.

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And there's no perfect

side on, on, on either.

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End of the spectrum.

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We have to make the best decision

that we possibly can being

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guided by biblical principles.

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So.

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I have to be careful in what I say.

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I think there might be a situation in

which voting on one side of the owl over

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the other would, would lend me to say,

I think most Christians probably tend

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towards one side over the other for.

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For good reason.

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Right.

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But I don't think you could say anyone

who doesn't vote on that side of the

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aisle is automatically not a believer.

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I think that pushes it too far.

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Yeah, w and to put our cards on the

table, we're certainly going to vote

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on one side versus the other, right.

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But.

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We couldn't say, this is a

matter of Sola scriptura.

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If you're voting this way,

then you're a Christian.

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And if you're voting the other

way, you're not, I mean, we can

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even talk about a third party.

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Right?

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How would you feel about a Christian who

says I can't vote for either either party.

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I'm going to go for this

third guy over here.

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Who's.

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You know, a lot closer to

our biblical standards.

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How would you feel

about someone like that?

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Yeah, well, you're, you're talking to

somebody like that actually in and a.

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I've I've done running.

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I know.

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I've done that in the past.

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Um, and I did that in the past.

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And the reason why is I looked at the

candidates and I said, man, at the end

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of the day, I'm going to have to stand

before the Lord and answer for casting

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my vote for a particular person than

an even just my daughter at some point.

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And in answer for why I voted

for somebody over another.

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And.

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So I made a decision right or wrong.

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Is your daughter well, like,

Hey dad, who did you vote for?

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Well, I've worked with

this guy and all right.

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Just thinking about the guy's

moral character answering.

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Yeah.

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Yeah.

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And having to look my daughter in the

eyes and say, I feel good about voting

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for this guy based on who he is and

his character and everything else.

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So.

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Um, yeah, I, the, there was a, an

election that, where I voted for

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a third party because I, and I, I

knew going into that, that, that

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third party wasn't going to win.

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I was also living in a state that is.

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Predominantly blue.

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And I was pretty sure I knew

where the, the electoral votes

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were going on that state.

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So that brings up an interesting question

that if, if it's primarily the electoral

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college and they're voting one way anyway,

almost regardless of your individual vote.

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And even though I guess by design,

the electoral college is supposed

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to represent the will of the people.

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Right.

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And.

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So if the people primarily vote this way,

that's where they both are supposed to go.

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Um, that means then if you're in a state

where that's, you're not going to get

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the candidate that you want, can I.

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To quote, some people can I

throw away my vote by voting

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for the third party and inside.

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They're in, I think at the end

of the day, Again, our vote.

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We're going to have to answer

for our vote before Christ.

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Um, and I think we need to think

about that when we cast our vote.

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And I think if you, at the end of

the day personally say, aye, Aye.

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My conviction is that this is going

to put me in the best position to

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answer to Christ as to why I voted

for this way or the other way.

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Um, and you cast your vote in accordance.

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I think that you can have

confidence in doing that.

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I don't think it's, it's

throwing it away necessarily.

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How much should the opinion

of other people weigh in our

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consideration of who we vote for?

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So for instance, if you vote for Trump

this year, Um, there's gonna be a lot

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of people who will hate your guts.

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Right.

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And they'll think very

lowly of you, right.

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By the fact that you voted for

someone who is so clearly immoral

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in a lot of different ways, right?

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How much should that weigh in our

decision, we'll make, uh, That's where

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I think it's getting harder for us as

Christians, because even the last election

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cycle, you know, there was a situation of.

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You know, vote this way because

of what's at stake and we can get

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Supreme court justices in place.

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The Supreme court justices are going

to do this, that, and the other thing.

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I don't know that we have

the same optimism this year,

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as far as the payoff for it.

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I think you've got, I think

that evil is evil or this year.

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And he's got the lesser, the lesser

of two evils is an evil, that's more

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evil than it was the last time around.

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It was the lesser of two evils.

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So.

281

Yeah.

282

Yeah.

283

It's, it's getting, it's getting muddy.

284

Um, And that's where again, I think coming

back to what we're ultimately going to

285

be held responsible for at the end of the

day is, is our standing before Christ and.

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Uh, casting our vote behind things

that are, are as best as possible

287

and keeping it with his word.

288

And, and who he is, even if

that means we're not going to

289

win the election with our vote.

290

Um, because again, we we've

talked about this so many times

291

that America is not Israel.

292

2.0 yesterday, you said this is

not a, the Bible is not America.

293

Centric.

294

Yeah.

295

It's it's not, our hope is not in

the rise and fall of this nation.

296

And again, I think.

297

Uh, you know, we have so many people

that are so politically passionate within

298

the church and they post everything that

they want to on Facebook and they go off

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on a rant on social media and they're,

they're, they're patriotic through and

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through, and they're everything that

they, and I'm like, but where's their

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passion for the gospel from these people.

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You know, we're, we're, we're raw

Trump and we're raw everything else.

303

And I'm just going, are, are we, are

we that passionate about reaching the

304

lost that's the church I want to lead.

305

I, I don't want to lead

a political church.

306

I said that on Sunday, this last

week, I'm not a political pastor.

307

I don't mix politics in the pulpit.

308

I don't think they belong together.

309

I think there's a place to, to

provide some wisdom and some guidance.

310

But I mean, I w I want a church that

loves Jesus and wants to reach people

311

with Christ more than I do have a church

that cares about the political issues.

312

Amen to that.

313

Some trust in chariots, some

in horses, but we will trust in

314

the name of the Lord, our God.

315

And with that pastor Peter,

let's jump into Isaiah because

316

we've been talking a lot.

317

We're ready to admit it.

318

11 minutes into the podcast.

319

So, sorry, we'll try to go as close.

320

This is so it's.

321

Yeah.

322

Okay.

323

Yeah, 23 to 27.

324

Boom, boom.

325

23.

326

Okay.

327

Uh, what else do we trust in

besides other political nations?

328

Sometimes we trust in materialism.

329

We trust in wealth, we trust in wellbeing.

330

And so that's where he goes in chapter 23.

331

Isaiah puts that in the crosshairs.

332

And he goes after the tire and Sidon

and, and these two nations were known

333

for their commerce, for their trade,

for their wealth, for their ships, that

334

would go and bring back goods from all

over the world and bring them back.

335

And then the nations would come

to them and do trade with them.

336

And so here it's, it's kind of the.

337

The materialistic.

338

The wealth that the commercial side of

things that we might be tempted to trust

339

in when everything else is going wrong.

340

And God's going, I'm going to cut

that out from under your feet as well.

341

Chapter 24 then, uh, this chapter

here depicts God's wrath being

342

poured out on the whole earth.

343

This is everybody.

344

And this is going to be fulfilled in

the tribulation period that the language

345

of the universal, the totalitarian

language here of judgment is, is

346

pointing towards that seven year period.

347

That's going to take place

in the book of revelation.

348

In fact, there's some

parallels described there.

349

Um, in, in this scene of complete judgment

and desolation, really there, there's

350

no other point in world history that we

could point to and say it matches this.

351

Um, the Earthlight D lies defiled

under its inhabitants for they've

352

transgressed, the laws violated the

statutes broken the everlasting covenant.

353

That's the reason for this.

354

Uh, but verse eight, the mirth and

the tambourines being still Murph.

355

Remember, that's a word that

means what it doesn't sound like.

356

It means it means joy.

357

It means happiness.

358

Um, the noise of the jubilant

has ceased the mirth of the liar.

359

Stilled no more.

360

Do they drink wine and singing?

361

No strong drink.

362

The strong trick is bitter

to those who drink it.

363

It's pointing towards

this time of fulfillment.

364

That's going to take place

in the book of revelation.

365

As that Neal Babylon is judged there,

especially revelation 18, I think

366

has some of the parallels there.

367

So it seems like Isaiah is weaving

in and out of judgment here.

368

Judgment restoration, judgment,

future glory judgment.

369

And God's going to awaken the

nations and causes great revival.

370

How do we keep these things straight?

371

I mean.

372

Really it's just.

373

Paying attention as you read, not assuming

as you go from chapter to chapter.

374

Okay.

375

This is about judgment or

this is about, you need to.

376

Read attentively and, and know what's

going on here, but you're exactly right.

377

That is what Isaiah does here.

378

And he's known for that in the

book and that's, that's part of it.

379

So if you felt that pattern.

380

Then you're onto something because

that's exactly what Isaiah does.

381

He does flip back and forth between

judgment and hope in the future.

382

And he's doing that again because

Isaiah was not just writing to kick

383

everybody while, while they were down

and say, Hey, you're, you're done.

384

And, and just go and

crawl into a hole and die.

385

He wanted to hold out this hope in the

future, even to the people that were

386

facing imminent judgment to say, there's

yet going to be a restoration here.

387

And there's a reason to hope in God still.

388

And the answer is to repent

and put your trust in God.

389

So it does flash back and forth.

390

So if you sense that.

391

You're right to sense that, and it just

means you've got to be attentive as you

392

read, to make sure that you're paying

attention to the right types of things.

393

Wise counsel, man, you gotta be a careful

reader when you're reading your Bible,

394

especially as you make your way through

some of the prophets, Isaiah, not the

395

least of them read slowly and carefully,

and that's not going to be the same

396

way that you read your Twitter feed.

397

That's actually one of the reasons

why people suggest that we're

398

worse readers today than we were in

yesteryear, because we're used to

399

digital reading, which is skimming.

400

Don't skim your Bible, right?

401

Right.

402

Well, chapter 25, speaking of

that flips from judgment to hope.

403

Um, in fact, this is a another passage

that we read about in the new Testament.

404

First Corinthians chapter 15 talks

about death being swallowed up forever.

405

And we get that concept from back here.

406

In Isaiah chapter 25, look at verse seven.

407

He will swallow up on this mountain.

408

The covering that is cast over

all peoples the shroud of death.

409

Right.

410

Verse eight.

411

He will swallow up death for forever.

412

Paul and first Corinthians 15 says that

day is coming and the, in the future.

413

That Jesus is going to destroy death

forever through the resurrection of

414

the saints, comforting his people and

wiping away the tears from their eyes.

415

It's talks about there as well.

416

The Lord will wipe away tears from

their faces it's revelation 21.

417

And so this is looking forward to that,

that not just the millennial kingdom, but

418

I think even beyond the millennial kingdom

to the new heavens and the new earth and

419

the realities that we will enjoy there.

420

So.

421

Judgment.

422

Here's hope again.

423

There.

424

Chapter 26 then, uh, in this

future time of joy, the millennial

425

kingdom that is faithful.

426

Israel is going to enter into the city.

427

So this is Jerusalem.

428

This is the new Jerusalem.

429

This is, uh, Or Jerusalem during

the millennial kingdom brother.

430

Um, established insecurity

and peace and righteousness.

431

And, uh, and the Lord is going to be there

and the loader is going to be raining.

432

And so there's going to be this,

this future, even Isaiah 26, 9 19.

433

This future corporate resurrection of

true Israel, Daniel 12, two talks about

434

this is equal 37, the valley of dry bones.

435

That's what's on display here

in Isaiah 26 with the, uh,

436

the restoration of Jerusalem.

437

If I could just encourage you, Isaiah

26 3, that's a great memory verse

438

to put into your heart and head.

439

You keep him in perfect peace.

440

Whose mind is stayed on you

because he trusts in you.

441

He's saying Israel, you have a future.

442

You have a salvation.

443

That's coming.

444

Keep your eyes fixed on me.

445

Don't look at all the stuff

that's happening around you.

446

Don't look at the political turmoil

and look at the economic devastation.

447

Deconstruction.

448

That's a devil's drug.

449

That's a new word.

450

I just invented a new.

451

Yeah.

452

Don't look at the devastation around you.

453

Now, keep your eyes fixed on you.

454

What a good word for us

today, which on that note?

455

Eh, we read that.

456

You just mentioned that's that, that

was a word for Israel, but that's the

457

verse that we can say, man, that's good.

458

We can draw principles applicable.

459

Hold that to us, right.

460

Unlike some of the others that

we grabbed and we're like, oh,

461

that's for us when it's not for us.

462

And when we get there, we'll help.

463

We'll help you to figure out

a way to apply it, right.

464

Because there is application

there, but it's just, it's

465

going to take a step or two.

466

This is a more easy step to take, right?

467

Uh, but there is context, which

is why it's helpful to never read

468

just a Bible verses Greg Google

often likes to say, right, right.

469

Well, Isaiah chapter 27.

470

Uh, maybe if you have a moment and

you're not, uh, you're not up against

471

it, maybe go back and read chapter five

of Isaiah and then come back and read

472

chapter 27 because this is kind of the.

473

The restoration, the undoing of

chapter five, chapter five was God

474

saying, look, I planted my vineyard at.

475

I dug around it.

476

I did everything possible for it.

477

And I went to look for good fruit

and only found was bad fruit.

478

Chapter 27 is the future

redemption of Israel.

479

One that the, the vineyard is, is there.

480

And the Lord is the keeper.

481

And he waters it.

482

Last thing when punish it.

483

And it's good.

484

And it's, it's better because chapter

27 is all about the regathering

485

and restoration of Israel.

486

This is what God looked

for in Isaiah chapter five.

487

And didn't find he's going to

find it in Isaiah chapter 27.

488

This is the undoing of that,

uh, that cursed garden.

489

This is one of the reasons we're

dispensationalist we think that

490

God is not done with Israel.

491

We have a hard time reading

texts like this and saying, yeah,

492

this is about the church, right?

493

I don't see that.

494

I mean, I.

495

I just a lot of people I love

and respect believe that.

496

And I, and I guess I want to give them

the difference that they're due because

497

they're scholars and they're godly, man.

498

I trust.

499

But here I look at this and I have

to say, okay, if we're going to take

500

God at his word and believe what God

is saying here, I have to thank that.

501

God's talking to his

people, ethnic Israel.

502

Yeah.

503

And that's why we look at these

things and say, well, God's

504

clearly not done with them yet.

505

And this promises will come to pass.

506

Yep.

507

Yep.

508

We agree with that.

509

A hundred percent.

510

All right.

511

Well, let's pray.

512

And, uh, we'll be done with another

day in the daily Bible podcast.

513

God, we thank you.

514

Uh, for the ability to live in a country

where we get to cast a vote and we do

515

pray for ourselves and for all of our

people that we would do that wisely.

516

And we at the same time, confess and hold

fast to that, the reality that you are the

517

one that installs Kings and removes them,

installs presidents and removes them.

518

And so we just pray for.

519

Our leaders right now.

520

And we pray for whoever is going

to lead this country in the

521

next four years that you will.

522

Uh, protect our country, that you will

protect our freedoms, that you will put

523

the man in place that is going to do that.

524

Um, Most effectively.

525

And, uh, got.

526

We just pray that you would give our

leaders a humility and we pray that

527

you would give our leaders a, even a,

a broken heart over sinfulness and that

528

you would save our leaders and that

you'd cause them to, uh, to repent in

529

and even do so in, in front of a nation.

530

And, and what that could do.

531

Uh, in, in turning the tide here in, in

leading a little bit of a revival here

532

in our country, we know ultimately.

533

Where America will be in the end times,

but in the meantime, there's potential

534

for revival as you've done in the past,

we pray that you would do that again and

535

use your church along those lines as well.

536

So we pray this in Christ's name.

537

Amen.

538

Yes.

539

And amen.

540

Are y'all keep, bring your Bibles

and tune in tomorrow for Friday's

541

edition daily Bible podcasts.

542

We'll see you then.

543

Bye.