 A record number of 48 political parties registered candidates for the 2019 Parliamentary Elections. This was 19 more parties than contested the 2014 National Elections. Some of these parties opted to contest only in the provincial elections.
Most South Africans Did Not Vote Although South Africa has a population of over 59 million, only 26,736,803 were registered voters as of 19 April 2018. Roughly 9.3 million registered voters did not turn up to vote in this election. There is another 9 million South Africans who are of voting age, who did not register to vote. That is over 18 million people who chose not to participate in the electoral process. Most Eligible Citizens Fail to Register or Vote In the 1994 elections, 19,533,000 votes were cast. More than at any elections since. Even though South Africa’s population has more than doubled since 1994, the number of votes cast has consistently been lower.
0 Comments
 When Professor John Wycliffe of Oxford University produced the first hand-written translation of the New Testament into English (in the 14th Century), he wrote in the preface: “The Bible is given for the government of the people, by the people, and for the people.”
Education Affects Elections American president, Abraham Lincoln, quoted from Wycliffe in his famous Gettysburg Address when he said: “government of the people, by the people, and for the people shall not perish from the face of the earth.” Lincoln also noted that: “The philosophy of the classroom will become the philosophy of the government in the next generation.” The Bible Deals with All Areas of Life Many people labour under the delusion that the Bible has nothing to say concerning social structures, constitutional models or political affairs. However, while approximately 29% of the Bible deals with spiritual matters and our personal lives, 71% of the Bible deals with social, political and national issues. The Biblical Duties of Civil Government The Bible is very clear that God has instituted civil government as “an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer” (Romans 13:4). The civil government is called to be a minister of God’s justice: “to punish those who do wrong” (1 Peter 2:14).  There are literally trillions of reasons why I will not be voting for the African National Congress (ANC) in the upcoming elections on 8 May 2019:
1. Over 1,600,000 babies have been killed by abortion in South Africa – legally, often with taxpayer’s money - since the ANC legalized abortion-on-demand, 1 February 1997. “Deliver those who are drawn toward death. And hold back those stumbling to the slaughter.” Proverbs 24:11 2. Over 600,000 people have been murdered in South Africa since 1994 – under the ANC government – yet the ANC has steadfastly refused to consider re-instating the death penalty for murder. Nor have they been willing to put the matter to a referendum. “Bloodshed pollutes the land and atonement cannot be made for the land on which blood has been shed, except by the blood of the one who shed it.” Numbers 35:33 3. Over two million seven hundred thousand women and children have been raped in the 25 years of ANC rule with pornography legalised. Reportedly, less than 7% of reported rapes result in convictions. “Why do people commit crimes so readily? Because crime is not punished quickly enough.” Ecclesiastes 8:11  Elections 8 May 2019
On 8 May, South Africans who have registered to vote will have the responsibility of electing a party to represent their interests in Parliament and in their Provincial legislature. How you exercise this right and responsibility of voting will have far-reaching consequences for almost every area of your life. Registered voters can visit the Electoral Commission website (www.elections.org.za) to check their current registration details and voting station location. You can also SMS your ID number to 32810 to receive an SMS containing the address of your voting station (charged at R1).  To listen to this message on SermonAudio, click here.
A Message for South Africa as it Approaches Elections “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue has muttered perversity. No one calls for justice, nor does any plead for truth. They trust in empty words and speak lies; they conceive evil and bring forth iniquity. They hatch vipers’ eggs and weave the spider’s web; he who eats of their eggs dies and from that which is crushed a viper breaks out. Their webs will not become garments, nor will they cover themselves with their works; their works are works of iniquity and the act of violence is in their hands. Their feet run to evil and they make haste to shed innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths. The way of peace they have not known and there is no justice in their ways; they have made themselves crooked paths; whoever takes that way shall not know peace. Therefore justice is far from us, nor does righteousness overtake us; we look for light, but there is darkness! For brightness, but we walk in blackness! We grope for the wall like the blind and we grope as if we had no eyes; we stumble at noonday as at twilight; we are as dead men in desolate places. We all growl like bears and moan sadly like doves; we look for justice, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far from us. For our transgressions are multiplied before You and our sins testify against us; for our transgressions are with us and as for our iniquities, we know them: In transgressing and lying against the Lord and departing from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood. Justice is turned back and righteousness stands afar off; for truth is fallen in the street and equity cannot enter.  “Select capable men from all the people - men who fear God; trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain - and appoint them as officials...” Exodus 18:21
Your Biblical Duty to Vote As responsible citizens, Christians must strive to honour God in all areas of life (Matthew 5:14-20). We are to oppose evil (Isaiah 59) and work for righteousness. Christians therefore have a Biblical duty to vote. “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people” Proverbs 14:34 Amidst all the electioneering, unrealistic promises, media performances, slogan shouting and empty rhetoric, it is very difficult to maintain an objective perspective on reality. Many even find it difficult to discern between what is right and what is wrong during election campaigns.  To listen to an audio of this message as presented to Livingstone Fellowship, click here.
“One ordinance shall be for you of the assembly and for the stranger who dwells with you, an ordinance forever throughout your generations; as you are, so shall the stranger be before the Lord. One law and one custom shall be for you and for the stranger who dwells with you.” Numbers 15:15-16 Affirmative Action is Racism Racial quotas in sports, education, or employment, violate the Laws of God and are counterproductive. Equity in Law “You shall do no injustice in judgment. You shall not be partial to the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty. In righteousness you shall judge your neighbour.” Leviticus 19:15  Disillusioned and Disinterested
According to the IEC 2014 National Election Report, only a staggering 39% of youth between the ages of 20 and 29 years old (out of about just over 10 million people of this age group) actually voted in the 2014 national elections! The IEC Voter Population Survey conducted nationally in 2013 found that 71% of South Africans that were not intending to vote said their main reason for not intending to vote in the 2014 election was “disinterest and disillusionment”. The next main reason given by 49% was “not interested/don’t care about politics”, followed by 8% who said “my vote would not make a difference”. Actually, as most people eligible to vote either do not register to vote, or do not turn up to vote, if they registered and voted they could make a big difference! You Can Make a Difference These statistics may seem discouraging, yet there are many ways you can change these results for the 2019 elections. In 2019, South Africans who have registered to vote will have the responsibility of electing a party to represent their interests in Parliament and in their Provincial legislature. How you exercise this right and responsibility of voting will have far reaching consequences for almost every area of your life. What can be done to inspire Christian youth to register to vote, then actually vote on Election Day and to be salt and light in the political arena?  Haiti was officially dedicated to Satan in 1791. It was rededicated to Satan during the two hundred year anniversary in 1991 by Aristide.
At that time, it was noted that Aristide had, behind his desk in his presidential office, a huge oil painting of a necklace murder. Aristide was quoted as having described the smell of burning petrol and human flesh in a necklace murder as "a most beautiful aroma". Not surprisingly, this country beset by occultism is the poorest state in the Western hemisphere. The vast majority of the population of Haiti are actively involved in Voodoo. Haiti has the worst soil-erosion, pollution, and de-forestation problems in the Americas. Although they share the same island, the contrast between the predominantly Christian Dominican Republic with its lush rainforests and fertile farms, and the deforested, eroded mess that is Haiti could not be more acute. Why then is the ANC government wanting to align itself with an occultic tyrant and a regime dedicated to Satan?  Civil government was established by God; Matthew 22:21, Romans
13:1, 1 Timothy 2:1-4 and 1 Peter 2:13-17 all teach that. Because He established it, it is a legitimate area of activity for Christians. To speak out against political involvement, is to call God's wisdom into question and to allow the wicked to rule. It would also be strange to argue that God would have ordained and established self-government, family-government, church-government and civil-government, and we as Christians need to be involved with self, family and church, but yet leave civil government to the non-Christians to rule in place of the Christians - this just does not make sense. Righteous transformation took place under Godly leaders: Deborah (Judges 4 & 5), Gideon (Judges 6-8), Hezekiah (II Kings 18-29) and Josiah (II Kings 18-20). Many Christians believe that Satan is the ruler of this world. This issue is a fundamental presupposition or an assumption that will change the way we see many other issues as far as Scripture is concerned. One of the main ideas that we need to remember when looking at Scripture where Satan claims to be the god of the world, is that first of all we know that Satan is a liar (Genesis 3:4-5). Jesus also calls him a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44). We know that since the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, Satan's authority is severely limited. John 12:31 says, “Thy judgement is upon this world, now the ruler of this world shall be cast out.” So Satan's status in this world has changed significantly. |
Categories
All
Archives
May 2019
|
RSS Feed