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Here is a report from CBS about the latest Republican presidential candidate debate

November 9, 2023
Five Republican presidential hopefuls gathered in Miami on Wednesday for the third debate of the primary cycle, where they focused their attacks on each other while mostly avoiding former President Donald Trump, the clear front-runner.
Though the stage was less crowded than it was for the first two debates, the dynamic among the candidates was the same. On question after question, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy trained their fire on each other, while former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Sen. Tim Scott struggled for air time.
Trump, meanwhile, was holding a rally in nearby Hialeah, having again chosen to avoid the debate stage. He has not participated in any of the three debates so far, and his lead in the polls gives him little incentive to change course. …
The first two debates did little to change the dynamics of the race among Republican primary voters, and the third seemed unlikely to be much different. The latest CBS News poll showed Trump winning 61% of likely GOP primary voters nationwide, more than all the other candidates combined. DeSantis polled at 18%, Haley at 9%, Ramaswamy at 5%, Scott at 4% and Christie at 2%. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/third-republican-debate-2023-gop-highlights-miami/

Well, people did debate, but they all currently have little chance of attaining the Republican party’s nomination. I watched parts of the debate last night and heard something from each of the five. Some had good things to say, some were in an attack mode.

Perhaps the most amusing part of the debate was related to the following:

Tech businessman Ramaswamy said the moderators should be replaced with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, podcast host Joe Rogan and X CEO Elon Musk. In his explosive comments in the opening moments of the debate, millionaire ‘Ramaswamy said: “Think about who’s moderating this debate. This should be Tucker Carlson, Joe Rogen and Elon Musk. We’d have ten times the viewership.
“And we’ve got the Democrats and we’ve got Kristen Welker here. Do you think the Democrats would actually hire Greg Gutfeld to host a democratic debate? They wouldn’t do it. Kristen – I’m going to use this time because this is about you in the media and the corrupt media establishment, ask you – the Trump-Russia collusion hoax that you pushed on this network for years, was that real or Hillary Clinton made-up disinformation? Answer the question. Go.” 11/08/23 https://www.themirror.com/news/us-news/vivek-ramaswamy-demands-moderators-replaced-182685

Kristen Welker did not respond. But Vivek Ramaswamy was making several good points with what he said there. That, by the way, is not an endorsement for Vivek Ramaswamy, but just an observation of interest. The hypocrisy of the media in the USA is truly massive and I believe Vivek Ramaswamy made an attempt to point that out.

Be that as it was, the latest polls I have seen before the debate pointed to Donald Trump having a massive preference among likely Republican voters as well as him decisively beating President Joe Biden in a direct contest. That suggests that unless something happens to Donald Trump, the other Republican candidates currently have no likely path to be that party’s nominee.

Some are speculating that Joe Biden may be replaced, particularly if the polls are leaning towards Donald Trump beating him.

Yet, at this instant (and assuming that Joe Biden does not die, become totally incapacitated, or otherwise drop out), it is possible the 2024 election looks to be a rematch of the 2020 election.

Before seeing any of the debate last night, I saw the following from John Whitehead:

Stop Drinking The Political Kool-Aid, America: Voting Will Not Save Us
November 7, 2023
We are one year out from the 2024 presidential election and as usual, the American people remain eager to be persuaded that a new president in the White House can solve the problems that plague us.
Yet what is being staged is not an election.
It’s a con game, a scam, a grift, a hustle, a bunko, a swindle, a flimflam, a gaffle, and a bamboozle, and “we the people” are nothing more than marks, suckers, stooges, mugs, rubes, or gulls.
We’re being duped into believing that this mockery of a choice between two candidates who are equally unfit for office actually translates to having some say in how the government is run.
To the contrary, this particular con game is part of a long-running, elaborate scam to keep the Deep State in power and leave the populace deluded, distracted and incapable of demanding accountability, transparency and decency from the government and its cohorts. …
Politics is a reality show, America’s favorite form of entertainment, dominated by money and profit, imagery and spin, hype and personality and guaranteed to ensure that nothing in the way of real truth reaches the populace.
After all, who cares about police shootings, drone killings, SWAT team raids, asset forfeiture schemes, private prisons, school-to-prison pipelines, overcriminalization, censorship or any of the other evils that plague our nation when you can be sucked into an alternate reality so emotionally charged and entertaining as to make you forget that you live in a police state. …
Stop drinking the Kool-Aid, America.
The nation is drowning in debt, crippled by a slowing economy, overrun by militarized police, swarming with surveillance, besieged by endless wars and a military industrial complex intent on starting new ones, and riddled with corrupt politicians at every level of government.
All the while, we’re arguing over which corporate puppet will be given the honor of stealing our money, invading our privacy, abusing our trust, undermining our freedoms, and shackling us with debt and misery for years to come.
Nothing taking place on any Election Day will alleviate the suffering of the American people. …
So what is the solution to this blatant display of imperial elitism disguising itself as a populist exercise in representative government?
Stop playing the game. Stop supporting the system. Stop defending the insanity. …
What we have is a dictatorship, … https://www.rutherford.org/publications_resources/john_whiteheads_commentary/stop_drinking_the_political_kool_aid_america_voting_will_not_save_us

As long time readers of the COGwriter Church of God News page are aware, I do not believe in democracy as I consider it unbiblical. Yet, that does not mean that some political leaders are not less corrupt than others. And the reality is that results of elections do impact people.

Of course, John Whitehead is right when he says that voting will not save us.

Furthermore, remember that the Bible warns about putting faith in men:

3 Do not put your trust in princes, Nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help. (Psalm 146:3)

Isaiah had warnings for leaders which apply in the last days:

20 Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil (Isaiah 5:20)
16 For the leaders of this people cause them to err, And those who are led by them are destroyed (Isaiah 9:16).

We are seeing political leaders and media personalities in many lands, including the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand erring by promoting sins that the Bible condemns.

Within a decade or so, the US will be taken over (cf. Daniel 11:39) and debt and sin will be factors (Habakkuk 2:6-8) (see USA in Prophecy: The Strongest Fortresses and Does God Have a 6,000 Year Plan? What Year Does the 6,000 Years End?).

Pray for the Kingdom of God to come (Matthew 6:10). Also pray as Jesus taught:

34 “But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. 35 For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36 Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.” (Luke 21:34-36)

We can expect troubles and tribulation before Jesus returns (Mark 13:8-20).

And that will happen no matter which party, or which of the declared candidates, wins the 2024 US Presidential election.

The USA needs repentance and the Kingdom of God. None of the candidates (including Donald Trump) advocates that.

Related Items:

Should a Christian Vote? This article gives some of the Biblical rationale on this subject. Would Jesus vote for president/prime minister? Is voting in the Bible? This is a subject Christians need to understand. A video of related interest is available titled: Should Christians Vote? Another video is Biden, Trump, and the Bible .

Might the U.S.A. Be Gone by 2028? Could the USA be gone by the end of 2028 or earlier? There is a tradition attributed to the Hebrew prophet Elijah that humanity had 6,000 years to live before being replaced by God’s Kingdom. There are scriptures, writings in the Talmud, early Christian teachings that support this. Also, even certain Hindu writings support it. Here is a link to a related video: Is the USA prophesied to be destroyed by 2028? In Spanish: Seran los Estados Unidos Destruidos en el 2028?

Does God Have a 6,000 Year Plan? What Year Does the 6,000 Years End? Was a 6000 year time allowed for humans to rule followed by a literal thousand year reign of Christ on Earth taught by the early Christians? Does God have 7,000 year plan? What year may the six thousand years of human rule end? When will Jesus return? 2031 or 20xx? There is also a video titled 6000 Years: When will God’s Kingdom Come? Here is a link to the article in Spanish: ¿Tiene Dios un plan de 6,000 años?

There is a Place of Safety for the Philadelphians. Why it May Be Near Petra This article discusses a biblical ‘place of safety,’ Zephaniah 2 to ‘gather together,’ and includes quotes from the Bible and Herbert W. Armstrong on fleeing to a place–thus, there is a biblically supported alternative to the rapture theory. Two sermon-length videos of related interest are available Physical Protection During the Great Tribulation and Might Petra be the Place of Safety? Here are two related items in the Spanish language: Hay un lugar de seguridad para los Filadelfinos. ¿Puede ser Petra? and Existe un Lugar de Seguridad.

Christians: Ambassadors for the Kingdom of God, Biblical instructions on living as a Christian This is a scripture-filled booklet for those wishing to live as a real Christian. A related sermon is also available: Christians are Ambassadors for the Kingdom of God.

Spiritual Samaritans: Old and New Who were the Samaritans? Do the represent true Christianity or something else? Here is a link to a related sermon: USA in Prophecy: Samaria.

There is a Place of Safety for the Philadelphians. Why it May Be Near Petra This article discusses a biblical ‘place of safety’ and includes quotes from the Bible and Herbert W. Armstrong on this subject–thus, there is a biblically supported alternative to the rapture theory. There is also a video on the subject: Might Petra be the Place of Safety? Here is something related in the Spanish language: Hay un lugar de seguridad para los Filadelfinos. ¿Puede ser Petra?

USA in Prophecy: The Strongest Fortresses Can you point to scriptures, like Daniel 11:39, that point to the USA in the 21st century? This article does. Two related sermon are available: Identifying the USA and its Destruction in Prophecy and Do these 7 prophesies point to the end of the USA?

Who is the King of the West? Why is there no Final End-Time King of the West in Bible Prophecy? Is the United States the King of the West? Here is a version in the Spanish language: ¿Quién es el Rey del Occidente? ¿Por qué no hay un Rey del Occidente en la profecía del tiempo del fin? A related sermon is also available: The Bible, the USA, and the King of the West.

The Gospel of the Kingdom of God This free online pdf booklet has answers many questions people have about the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and explains why it is the solution to the issues the world is facing. It is available in hundreds of languages at ccog.org. Here are links to four kingdom-related sermons: The Fantastic Gospel of the Kingdom of God!, The World’s False Gospel, The Gospel of the Kingdom: From the New and Old Testaments, and The Kingdom of God is the Solution.