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UPDATED: For yet another week, the news of the American election cycle continues to go from bad to worse to nightmarish to surreal. With the future of the world’s greatest democracy — and world’s only superpower — at stake, it’s important to take a few minutes to see what is happening and consider why it matters.
- The ugliest presidential campaign in U.S. history — a dispiriting battle between two of the most disliked and distrusted candidates in U.S. history — has just taken another bizarre twist.
- FBI Director James Comey announced on Friday that he is reopening the criminal investigation of Hillary Clinton based on the discovery of “new device” containing new, previously unexamined, email evidence.
- [UPDATE: Watergate investigative reporter Carl Bernstein: FBI Would Not Reopen Case Unless New Evidence Was “A Real Bombshell”]
- Make no mistake: this is a huge story — especially coming just 11 days before the election.
- It radically changes the narrative for undecided voters in swing states from focusing on the deep and serious flaws of Mr. Trump to focusing on the persistent pattern of corruption, and now the possibility of criminal behavior, of Hillary Clinton.
- While it’s unclear whether these new developments will ultimately lead to an indictment, it does mean the criminal investigation of Hillary will continue for weeks, if not months, certainly well past Election Day.
- At the very least, it shows that Comey and the Bureau felt they absolutely had to make these serious developments public, even at what could turn out to be the most damaging moment possible for the Clinton campaign.
- I’ve said it before, and I will say it again. Hillary is without a doubt “the most corrupt and deeply flawed Democratic candidate that has emerged” in the history of our Republic.
- I’ve offered dozens of reasons why “her election will be a disaster for the American family, American workers, Americans serving in the military, and for American national security.”
- The news of the last 24 hours simply underscores these assessments.
- Yet the news is jarring and dramatic because Comey announced last summer that he was not going to pursue a prosecution of Mrs. Clinton. That decision itself was downright bizarre given the fact that the Bureau’s own investigation found Hillary was “extremely careless” in handling classified information by having a private email server in her house and that Hillary and her staff destroyed more than 30,000 emails.
- Comey told us at the time that “110 e-mails in 52 e-mail chains have been determined by the owning agency to contain classified information at the time they were sent or received. Eight of those chains contained information that was Top Secret at the time they were sent; 36 chains contained Secret information at the time; and eight contained Confidential information, which is the lowest level of classification.”
- Given the seriousness of the evidence the FBI had uncovered, Comey’s decision not to prosecute any of this was seen by many Americans as evidence of a cover-up, and thus of corruption at the highest levels of the U.S. government. Numerous American citizens have been prosecuted for handling classified information in an improper manner — yet who has ever destroyed 30,000-plus pieces of evidence and avoided prosecution?
- Have Comey and his team changed their mind? What evidence have they uncovered that caused them to make such a radical change of direction? How damning is it?
- Oh how we could wish this was some all just some epic political thriller we were reading or watching on the silver screen. But this is cold, harsh reality, and immensely painful.
- The world’s greatest democracy is stumbling badly.
- The world’s only superpower looks increasingly weak, disoriented, unclear, unsure.
- Tragically, America is not simply in a season of decline — as evidenced by the choices we have before us — but is heading for implosion.
- American weakness is creating an opening for freedom’s enemies to advance.
- What’s more, as painful as it is for me to say it, America is heading towards divine judgment — for many reasons, but perhaps above all for murdering 58 million babies since 1973.
- While it grieves me to see where America is today, it does not surprise me.
- Politics won’t save us now — only a Great Awakening provided by the Almighty God of the universe can save us now.
- Will the Lord Jesus Christ grant us such a sweeping spiritual revival and renewal? I hope so, I pray so, but I don’t know.
- So I keep forcing myself to look away from the news and from Twitter and social media and turn my eyes back to the Lord — to our great and glorious and soon-coming King. He is good, and He is sovereign, and no matter who is elected president my hope is not lost, because my hope is in the Messiah, the King of kings and the Lord of lords, and He has graciously granted me citizenship in His glorious kingdom. He will come and make all things new, and all things right. He will bring justice and righteousness and life everlasting, and I cannot wait.
- My task right now, therefore, is not to fear or worry about what the future holds but to remain faithful to all that the Lord instructs me through the Scriptures. For example, as darkness falls, I am to remain “joyful in hope, patient in affliction and faithful in prayer,” as the Apostle Paul wrote to the believers in Rome.
- I could never vote for Hillary under any circumstances, but I have promised to pray faithfully for her and her family. Indeed, regardless of how grieved I am by both nominees, I am 100% committed to genuinely and faithfully praying for both of them and their families. I will continue to pray that the Lord Jesus Christ shows them great mercy, that they will seek Him with all their heart, and that He will supernaturally change them and bear much good fruit in and through them.
- As I noted in my October 9th column, the God of the Bible is a change agent. All through the Scriptures we see God saving, changing and redeeming broken, burdened, troubled lives, and it is breathtaking to behold. The Lord loves to change hearts and minds and mouths. He alone has the power to change lives, and I truly pray He will show His great mercy and love to the Clintons and the Trumps. Meanwhile, I am praying for those who can provide either family and either candidate sound, Biblical, spiritual counsel. Both families need true, faithful believers around them speaking the truth in love, as do we all.
- Whoever wins the presidency and is given the task of leading America for the next four years, I will pray for faithfully and consistently. This is what the Apostle Paul commands of us, and thus, I hope you and your family and friends will also be faithful in praying for the next president and for all the Members of Congress and for the future of the Court.
“First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (I Timothy 2:1-4)
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[This column is based on my personal beliefs and opinions. I share them in my personal capacity as an American citizen and an author. They do not reflect the views of The Joshua Fund, which is a non-profit organization and takes no political or legislative positions.]
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