The Great Debate

Last night America and the world watched a moderator control the narrative of the conversation, creating bites from two political candidates that can be digested today by political pundits.

However, one of them, barring an unforeseen evident, will soon occupy the most powerful office in the world.

Pastor David Jeremiah says, "Supreme Court Justices who sit on the bench for life, wield more power than most of the kings and dictators in this world..."

"My decision---your decision---will affect our nation in ways that are more profound than any of us can imagine," the pastor says.

John G. Malcolm, constitutional expert with the Heritage Foundation, agrees.

"The next president will have the opportunity to leave a massive imprint on the federal courts for a generation or more...The stakes are high indeed," the scholar says.

The stakes are high indeed.

November 8, America will be weighed in the balances...


What ever your take away from last night's debate happens to be, the importance of the appointment of Supreme Court Justices cannot be overstated in the election of our next president.

I will be talking more about this on the radio this morning. You may join me from anywhere in the world at 9 AM Pacific Time. Here's how.

Speaking this past 4th of July, Pastor David Jeremiah said, "I believe it's an election that is pulling at the very soul of our nation."

"I believe this election is first and foremost about the candidate who will make the best appointments to the Supreme Court," he told his mega-congregation.

He said, "Justices who do not embrace an originalist interpretation are like those who do not adhere to the divine inspiration of the Bible." He said---"America is now facing a judicial time bomb the likes of which we have never seen before."

Perhaps the debate last night gave us a better look into the mind and heart of the 2 candidates, Jeremiah says, "What is before us is not about one election. It's about the heart and soul of our nation."

Pastor Jeremiah said that many evangelicals did not vote in the 2012 election.

In fact, he says that 25 million evangelicals who were registered to vote "did not take the time" to vote in 2012---with the election being decided by less than 5 million votes.

This is true. However, there was at least one issue in play that is not in play in this election.

Pastor Jeremiah, Pastor Charles Stanley, Pastor Robert Jeffress, Pastor Jack Graham, Franklin Graham and hundreds more are urging evangelicals to vote this election.

They are in good company.

John Jay, America's first Supreme Court Chief Justice, who incidentally was confirmed yesterday in 1789, said, "Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty, as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers."

While a devout Christian leader is "preferred," we will either elect Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump.

And it is "our duty, as well as our privilege" to vote. May God give us the "interest" to do so, because this election will decide what we feel is in the "best interest" of generations to come, should the Lord tarry.

Pastor Jeremiah says, "When you vote in this year's election, you are not voting for someone who will serve as president for four or eight years, you are voting for someone whose Supreme Court decisions will affect us for decades to come. You must decide who you think will appoint the best Justices for the Supreme Court, and then whatever else you may think of that person you must vote."

He says, "Donna and I have made our decision. If you care about the freedoms we celebrate, you must make yours."

John G. Malcolm has written an in depth article on the list of people Donald Trump has promised to use in his selection of a replacement for the late Justice Antonin Scalia---and additional appointees going forward.

Malcolm notes that Trump put out a list of 11 individuals, all sitting judges, who he would consider as a potential replacement for Scalia. Trump has now added 10 new names to that list.

"As was the case with his original list, the men and women who have been added appear to be eminently qualified to sit on the high court," he says.

Many of them have taught or continue to teach at prestigious law schools, he says noting that Mike Lee who has been added to the list, is a sitting US Senator.

Malcolm's article is in depth, but concise and clear. I strongly encourage you to read what he has to say about each of the Court candidates on the list. And the age and likely future tenure of those who remain on the Court.

He concludes by reminding us all that Supreme Court Justices "exert substantial influence on the development and application of the law over a long period, often for decades after the president who appointed them has left office."

He says, in his educated perspective, only a few presidential elections in history have weighed this heavily on Supreme Court appointees.

One such involved Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas. He says, "The Dred Scott case was a central theme in the 1860 race between Lincoln and Douglas."

Another, he says, would be the Nixon-Humphrey presidential election of in 1968.

"The next president will have the opportunity to leave a massive imprint on the federal courts for a generation or more. The stakes are high indeed," he concludes.

America, in 2016, is being weighed in the balances, much like King Belshazzer of historic Babylon.

Daniel chapter 5 gives us 4 reasons why Belshazzer and his "Paradise" was found wanting.

1. He ignored the lessons of Nebuchadnezzar's life.

2. He partied on as his kingdom collapsed.

3. He desecrated the Temple of God, bringing the vessels used for worship in the Temple to his party, in an act of mocking God.

4. When he saw the "hand writing on the wall," he sought the council of interpreters who had no clue as to what was happening. They had been wrong in previous incidents and were without any understanding in this one.

Only at the suggestion of the Queen did Belshazzar summons the man of God. Daniel spoke Truth to the King.

Belshazzer, as we know, was "weighed in the balances and found wanting."

Before the sun rose, Belshazzer was dead. The party was over.

The truth is that should the upcoming vacancies on the Supreme Court be filled by a secular progressive, America will be weighed in the balances and found wanting.

Be Vigilant. Be Discerning. Be Prayerful. Vote.