Jeff...

 JS{at}>     I would think that the election process (Such as it is) would
 JS{at}> dictate who gets the most votes. Course God could always stuff the
 JS{at}> voting boxes with illegal votes.

  God doesn't do anything illegal or sinful...He is of purer eyes than to
bear to have evil in His Sight. As noted, it's either by His Direct or
Permissive Will that things occur. 

  When the nation of Israel basically "wanted a king like all the other 
nations", God granted them their request...and in most cases, they got more 
than they bargained for. 

  As it notes in the Old Testament book of Daniel, God says "I make and unmake 
kings"...read that "leaders of nations". We are told to
"pray for those in 
authority over us"...however, I see nothing in the Bible that says we have to 
"like them".

 JS{at}>     Does that explain why some people have lost faith in there even
 JS{at}> being a God? I picture God looking down watching what we his children
 JS{at}> are making of themselves. Thinking, Hmmm... "Should I let them kill
 JS{at}> themselves off or not? Maybe I'll have better luck next time".

  The first time, God destroyed the world by water...the next time, it will
be by fire...to purify the Earth so tainted with sin. According to the
Psalms, "the fool has said in his heart, 'there is no God'". God Himself
will cast the unbeliever into The Lake Of Fire to suffer for all eternity.

  God will not force someone to accept His Only Begotten Son as Lord and
Saviour...but for those who refuse to accept Christ, they'd better be
prepared to deal with the consequences.

  And, if the believers on Jesus (not just in Him) are wrong...the most
they'll lose when they die, are a few petty sins...which gave them so 
much grief in their lives. But, if the unbelievers are wrong, they will 
lose far more when they die. 

Daryl

... Either this man is dead, or my watch has stopped. - Groucho Marx
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