Certainty Amidst Questions for the Future – Dispensational Publishing

In 1799, Dr. Jedidiah Morse echoed the sentiments of David and Solomon when he warned,

Whenever the pillars of Christianity shall be overthrown, our present republican forms of government . . . must fall with them.

Again and again, this principle has proven true in the history of our country. Whenever America has turned its back on God—destroying our foundation—it has resulted in another giant step in the descent toward Gomorrah, to paraphrase Robert Bork’s famous suggestion that the United States is rapidly slouching toward Gomorrah.[1]

For many people, myself included, it seemed as though the election of Hillary Rodham Clinton was very likely to be the final blow to a nation knocking on death’s door. To be honest, I was stunned when she did not win. Yet, unlike so many other Christians, including many prominent evangelical leaders and more than a few of my colleagues, I did not believe that Donald Trump represented a viable option. Most Christians earnestly and passionately proclaimed the lesser of two evils adage in promoting Trump, while I steadfastly pointed out the evil of two lessers characteristic of both Donald Trump and Sec.y Clinton.

For me, election night was a bit like watching the Super Bowl between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots a few years ago. I cannot stand the Patriots, and I am only slightly less nauseated by the Seahawks. (My apologies to fans of both teams.) So I rooted for the Seahawks even though my enthusiasm for them was decidedly blasé.

Similarly, I found myself rooting for Trump last Tuesday night, if for no other reason than I feared our country could not survive the stated objectives of Hillary Rodham Clinton. When Trump won, I was stunned (like most people) and admittedly greatly relieved, even though I do not share the opinion of so many other Christians that Trump is the answer to all of America’s problems.

Only time will tell if Trump is truly a legitimate, sincere, revolutionary outsider who orchestrated a populist coup with significant help from Christians. Will he begin to turn our nation back to its Constitutional and Biblical moorings? Will he deliver on his bold promises? (He will have no excuses not to, since he has a strong majority in both houses of Congress.) When will the wall go up? When will Obamacare be overturned? Will we really have conservative judges on the Supreme Court (or more neoconservatives like John Roberts)? Will we finally overturn Roe v. Wade? Will we reinstitute a Biblical view of marriage? Who will Trump surround himself with? The usual Washington insiders? Or will he truly “drain the swamp” and surround himself with fresh, new voices untainted by the Beltway stench? All of these are important questions that will indicate just how historic this election really is in the end.

I remain highly skeptical, yet desperately hopeful. I suspect we will see very little in the way of dramatic changes for our country, the way most Christians are speculating that we will. But I do believe that perhaps the rate of descent in our spiral toward oblivion will be slowed a bit. And for that, I am grateful, as it will give Christians more time to advance the gospel message boldly and freely in a country that—despite a glaring departure from its Christian roots—nevertheless still affords us unparalleled opportunities to win the lost.

I hope I am wrong. I hope Donald Trump turns out to be the greatest president in the history of this great country. I really do. But regardless of how this historic election pans out, one thing is certain: God was not the least bit surprised at the outcome of the election! He remains in full control of this nation, and the entire world. He is working out His plan precisely as He desires. We would do well to remember the words of Proverbs 8:15-16,

By me kings reign,
And rulers decree justice.
By me princes rule, and nobles,
All the judges of the earth.

This would have been true if Sec. Clinton won; and it is true now that Donald Trump won. Let us put our faith in the Lord, not in a political party, platform or person.

We are and always have been one nation under God. And,

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
The people He has chosen as His own inheritance (Ps. 33:12).

Dr. J. B. Hixson is the president of Not By Works Ministries and the host of Not By Works with Dr. J. B. Hixson, a national, daily half-hour radio program. Hixson has traveled to all 50 states and spoken in more than 500 churches and conferences. He also has wide experience as a pastor, professor and Christian college administrator and is the author of six books. Dispensational Publishing House is grateful to include him as one of our contributing authors.

[1] Robert H. Bork, Slouching Towards Gomorrah: Modern Liberalism and American Decline (New York: Harper Perennial, 2003).

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