Psalm 2 really strikes me as a relevant passage for the day:

Psalm 2

 1 Why do the nations conspire
       and the peoples plot in vain?

 2 The kings of the earth take their stand
       and the rulers gather together
       against the LORD
       and against his Anointed One.

 3 “Let us break their chains,” they say,
       “and throw off their fetters.”

 4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs;
       the Lord scoffs at them.

 5 Then he rebukes them in his anger
       and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,

 6 “I have installed my King
       on Zion, my holy hill.”

 7 I will proclaim the decree of the LORD :
       He said to me, “You are my Son;
       today I have become your Father.

 8 Ask of me,
       and I will make the nations your inheritance,
       the ends of the earth your possession.

 9 You will rule them with an iron scepter;
       you will dash them to pieces like pottery.”

 10 Therefore, you kings, be wise;
       be warned, you rulers of the earth.

 11 Serve the LORD with fear
       and rejoice with trembling.

 12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry
       and you be destroyed in your way,
       for his wrath can flare up in a moment.
       Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

I’ll spare you from an in-depth analysis of the text, but be sure to read through it a few times and dwell on it. What this says to me is that God is in control. Remember that God has already “rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves” (Colossians 1:13).

I know many look for an earthly kingdom to be set up with Jesus on its throne, but I believe the Scriptures are abundantly clear that Jesus is already reigning on His throne in His kingdom — and His kingdom is here. I talk about this in my post entitled The End is Near! Matthew 11:12 says, “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it.” The book of Matthew is FULL of Jesus teaching in parables concerning the kingdom of heaven. He continually demonstrated that people need to act now – and not look for another kingdom to come, such as the man who buried his talent, awaiting the master’s return. Remember, that passage had nothing to do with money or talents, but with the kingdom of heaven!

I believe that the Bible teaches that when Christ came to earth He ushered us into the kingdom of heaven and through faith in Him we are brought into that same kingdom today. The Colossians passage I quoted above supports that pretty well. Revelation 12:9-11 says:

“The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him. Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: ‘Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.”

I believe that this authority and power is already here, since Satan was hurled down when Christ defeated him along with sin and death on the cross. Jesus said,

“If I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you” (Matthew 12:27-28).

If you truly believe that Jesus drove out demons by the Spirit of God (which is the clear implication of this text), then you must also believe that the kingdom of God is already upon us!

However, one of the clearest Scriptures regarding the kingdom of God is found in Luke 17:20-21:

“Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, ‘The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you.’”

The kingdom of God is within us! In the Greek, this literally translates to “in our midst.” It’s already here!

Do not put your trust in princes,
     in mortal men, who cannot save.
When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;
     on that very day their plans come to nothing
(Psalm 146:3).

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms
(Ephesians 6:12).

This election day, remember that our true struggle is against Satan and his evil schemes. God is in control, and the nations plot in vain. I don’t foresee things getting better, in fact I believe times are coming when true Christians will face intense persecution under new “thought crime” and “hate crime” legislation. But I also believe that’s part of God’s plan, and we are simply getting closer to His final coming.

Christianity 2.0 is far less interested in legislating our faith as it is in living it.

On this election day, remember that Jesus is still reigning on His throne, and His Kingdom is forcefully advancing. So vote, but understand that no matter who wins, God is sovereign — and He knows what He is doing.

Related posts:

1. Biblical Reminders on Election Day
2. Information Gathering For The Election
3. Blog Action Day: Poverty
4. Student Sent Home for Dressing as Jesus for Halloween
5. Was Jesus at church this Sunday?