He stated that he understood how God sets up kingdoms and governments, but had a hard time reconciling the idea of God setting up a horrible dictator and murderer like Adolf Hitler.

I agree it’s hard to reconcile our loving God putting someone like that in power but it happens.

After careful study and prayer, this, I believe is the answer:

Consider the leadership of ancient Israel. After God delivered them from Egypt and took them into the Promised Land, God set up a theocratic government whereby He (God) was the King of the nation and ruled through the prophets.

Then people being people and not being able to leave well enough alone wanted something they thought was "better" as we see in 1st Samuel Chapter 8.

Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah,* And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD. And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them. According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee. Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and show them the manner of the king that shall reign over them. And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the people that asked of him a king.* And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint [them] for himself, for his chariots, and [to be] his horsemen; and [some] shall run before his chariots. And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and [will set them] to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots And he will take your daughters [to be] confectionaries, and [to be] cooks, and [to be] bakers. And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, [even] the best [of them], and give [them] to his servants. And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants. And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put [them] to his work He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants. And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the LORD will not hear you in that day. Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us; That we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles. And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of the LORD. And the LORD said to Samuel, Hearken unto their voice, and make them a king. And Samuel said unto the men of Israel, Go ye every man unto his city. ~ 1^st Samuel 8:4-14

Out of pride, the Nation of Israel rejected God as their King and demanded that they have a human king to rule over them. The wanted to be like other nations.

In doing this, Israel paralleled the event that sparked the original great controversy when Lucifer arrogantly presumed to know better than God how to rule. Just like Satan, they wanted to set themselves up in the Creators place. Just like the original event, God allowed this mistake to show the error of their ways. In doing so God is ultimately and justly removing all doubt that His rule is better than anything our political science professors can dream up.

As far as governments like the Nazi’s: God allows people to make this choice even though it would cause great suffering and evil.

In other words, people get just what they ask for…

The end results of Hitler and the Nazi Party were pure evil. However, when it started, the people of Germany thought it was a good thing. At the end of WWI Germany was in dire straits. The economy was extremely depressed. Unemployment was at an all time low. The infrastructure was crumbling. The country was under international sanctions and their government was controlled by weak men. Then along came the Nazi Party which offered the hope of greatness again. With this group, people saw organization and prosperity. The common man was working again and providing for his family. Unable to see the underlying agenda of the Nazi leadership, the people put them in power. They put their trust in corrupt men. They got what they asked for.

God warned Israel of the consequences of rejecting Him as their king and setting up their own government. He warned of the tyranny and the oppression. Even so, Israel rejected God as their King and God will continue to allow people to set up their own governments until the end of the controversy.

So, we can see that He sets up kings and governments by our own rejection of Him. When we get a Hitler, it’s not God’s fault, it’s our own.

He does not set up evil governments in the sense that He personally creates them, rather, He permits us to set them up regardless of the consequences. Any government other than one in which the Creator is King is one in rebellion.

Under these circumstances, should we vote? Absolutely! I believe it is our duty to vote and be involved since this is what we humans asked for. Of course there is always a risk since we do not know the hearts of men but it is a risk we have to take since this is the government we asked for and received. But as with every action we take, it should be with prayer and meditation. We should do that which is in line with God's Will.

Only when God returns and sets up his government will tyranny, suffering, and oppression end and a just and true government be set up when God becomes the King of Mankind again.

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