NOTES ON BIBLICAL UNITY VS. FALSE UNITY: A FOLLOWUP ON TRUMP’S HIDEOUS APPARITION AS CHRIST’S LAST WINNOWINGS

1. THEOLOGY

SCRIPTURE. “Do everything without murmuring or questioning [the providence of God],so that you may prove yourselves to be BLAMELESS AND GUILELESS, innocent and uncontaminated, children of God without blemish in the midst of a [morally] crooked and [spiritually] perverted generation, among whom you are seen as BRIGHT LIGHTS [beacons shining out clearly] in the world [of darkness],holding out and offering to everyone the WORD OF LIFE, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to rejoice greatly because I did not run [my race] in vain nor labor without result.” – PHILIPPIANS 2:14-16, AMP

KEY TERM. “BLAMELESS AND GUILELESS.” ‘Amómétos’ [ἀμώμητος]: Literally, “Unblamable, faultless.” NOTE: “‘ἀμώμητος (‘amōmētos’) conveys the idea of being Above Reproach—free from [ethical] fault, defect, or censure.’ In its lone New Testament appearance, it is paired with ἄσπιλος (‘aspilos,’ ‘spotless’), forming a double call to MORAL AND SPIRITUAL PURITY. While ἀμώμητος is rare in the Greek Scriptures, the cognate ἄμωμος (‘amōmos’) is more common and helps illuminate the shared root metaphor drawn from the ‘Blemish-Free’ sacrificial animals of the Old Testament.”

QUOTATION. “A necessary condition for Interior Peace, then, is what we might call Goodwill. We could also call it ‘PURITY OF HEART.’ It is the stable and constant disposition of a person who is: “Determined more than anything to LOVE GOD, Who desires sincerely to Prefer in all circumstances the Will of God to his own, who does not wish to consciously refuse anything to God.’” ― JACQUES PHILIPPE, Searching for and Maintaining Peace: A Small Treatise on Peace of Heart, 1991; edited

COMMENTARY. Many Christians have the mistaken idea that ‘Speaking the truth in love’ (Ephesians 4:15) equals being ‘nice.’ Are we to be kind? Yes. Are we to do our best not to hurt others? Of course. Should we be making waves over every little thing that rubs us the wrong way? Absolutely not.

But we need to understand the Distinction between Personal Preferences and Biblical Doctrine. And that’s where I think a lot of people get confused. ‘We are to Die “TO” Personal Preferences. But we are to Die “FOR” the Purity of Biblical Doctrine.’ And that may mean ruffling feathers, rocking the boat, and hurting feelings sometimes. If we Speak Truth from fleshly motives such as Pride, the desire to make a name for ourselves, or to win an argument, we can still be spiritually in the wrong even though the things we say can be 100% correct. Why? Because the Motive of our Heart is wrong. ‘So, Speaking the Truth in Love requires not only discernment but also humility, wisdom, and unceasing prayer to the One who is never wrong.’” – LINETTE BARNES, Theology for the Thinking Believer, Sep. 15, 2025; edited

II. TEACHING

JESUS OF NAZARETH. “Do not think that I have come to bring peace on the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but A SWORD [of division between belief and unbelief]. 

For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be the members of his [own] household [when one believes and another does not]. He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.” – MATTHEW 10:34-37, AMP

Selah.

What you and I are about to discover, beloved, is that our King clearly distinguished between TWO KINDS OF UNITY that would become intensely more pronounced in the Last Days. ‘The One’ is of the World and has nothing to do with the Gospel and indeed is at war with it. ‘The Other’ is of Christ and leads those who follow it to Life Eternal in Paradise with the God of Paradise.

The FIRST TYPE is the sort of Unity that is borne out of Cultural Agreement to Disagree, as with a Club or even a Cult that agrees to a basic set of Guidelines that have little or nothing to do with Truth. The members simply agree to whatever human constructions the group decides is best for that community. “Freedom” is presumed to be defined as whatever you consider “Your truth.” As differences arise, they are generally disregarded since they exist between two persons with different views but have no Central Standard for encouraging resolution.

• WORLDLY UNITY. “I do my thing and you do your thing. I am not in this world to live up to your expectations, And you are not in this world to live up to mine. You are you, and I am I, and if by chance we find each other, it’s beautiful. If not, it can’t be helped.” —  DR. FRIEDRICH “FRITZ” PERLS, “Gestalt Therapy Verbatim”, 1969; edited

The SECOND TYPE however, in stark contrast to the first largely secular view of Unity is Biblical Agreement. That is to say, the community here is guided by only One Standard of Agreement: the Biblical Canon and the Christian Gospel. While some disagreements will occur, they ultimately resolve such divisions on the basis of an orthodox reading of the Scriptures rather than personal opinions or preferences.

• BIBLICAL UNITY.”Sanctify them by Your TRUTH. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth. I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word;that they all may be ONE [‘heis’ (ἓν) ‘Unique Divine Singularity’] as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be ONE IN US, that the world may believe that You sent Me. ” – JESUS CHRIST, John 17:17-21, New King James

STATE OF THE AMERICAN CHURCH. How very refreshing to return to a deeply thoughtful essay by the Christianity Today’s Editor-in-Chief DR. RUSSELL MOORE. He had me worried for a bit when it temporarily appeared that he was going soft on Trump. Guess he was just “getting his sea legs” as my Navy dad would’ve said it.

So, Dr. Moore is back! (and in fairness may have never been gone). Along with some characteristic ‘Quiet Thunder,’ which fits his persona. The title of his fresh off the griddle, intriguing Commentary: “Trump’s AI Jesus Might Be the Messiah We’ve Been Looking For” (April 15, 2026; edited).

Here is a Summary of his MAIN IDEAS.

• OPEN. “In the past few weeks, the President has posted an Easter Message that used profanity and threatened Civilizational Genocide, has issued threats to the Pope, and has posted an AI-generated image of himself as Jesus. (He now says he was portraying himself as a doctor.) After all this, even some of the President’s supporters feel humiliated and angry. ‘I think it’s worth asking what exactly is coming to light in this moment and whether it could DISRUPT a means-to-an-end Cultural Christianity.’”

• THESIS. “For years, some Evangelicals have told us Donald Trump might be ‘The Disruptor’ we need to bring us back to Jesus. For the first time, I think they might be right—just not in the way they thought. ‘Maybe “Trump AI Jesus” is what we’ve been waiting for to show us what we’ve become. And oddly, that just might be a POINT OF HOPE.’” Selah.

• WARNINGS. “‘After all, the now-deleted Truth Social post was not some break from the Usual Pattern.’ Just two weeks before, the senior adviser of the White House [Paula White] compared the president to Jesus Christ, with specific references to his betrayal, arrest, and crucifixion. If that’s not ‘Blasphemy,’ the word has no meaning! But her comments were met with applause in the East Room and yawns most other places. A week or so before that, the President posted images of his proposed presidential library in Miami, including a Gold Statue of himself pictured before a crowd of attendees.”

• IDENTITY. “But the Trump-as-Jesus (excuse me, as Florence Nightingale) post was so tawdry and public that it was humiliating. The Humiliation it caused was not about Trump. Who did not already know his high view of himself? IT WAS ABOUT US! The President is so confident in Evangelical and White Catholic support that he is willing to stand on Fifth Avenue and point the metaphorical gun at the First Commandment, confident he will not lose any support.”

• PRECEDENT. “Two thousand years of Christian History should have taught us the Church needs to be both an Institution and a Movement, or else it becomes unmoored. During the Reformation, institutionalization was the problem. The Church’s Authority was so unquestioned it could use people’s fear of pain in Purgatory to enrich itself with the selling of Indulgences. ‘That Problem could not be corrected from the inside—it needed some THESES nailed to The Door!’”

• LEO. “Perhaps this is why POPE LEO [XIV] has been able to speak in ways that don’t fit the ‘Movements of the Moment’—he’s Pro-life on abortion and euthanasia, Solid on the traditional Christian emphases on marriage and family, Unflinching in opposition to the mistreatment of migrants and to unjust war-making and war crimes, and—perhaps most counterculturally—Against the ‘Idolatry of Politics.’ Maybe what enables him to hold all these views is that he knows he represents a 2,000-year-old Structure that predates and will postdate all these political movements, including the American Republic.”

• BLINDNESS. “‘The Problem is not that Trump can’t tell the difference between himself and Jesus. It’s that too many of US [again] can’t!’ That’s why many people’s Test of Loyalty right now is not whether you hold to the Gospel or to the Mission or to the Creeds or to the Transformed Life but whether you are sufficiently ‘In Line on Politics.’ And almost every Leader, in Government and the Church, knows that any show of ambiguity summons an angry mob of outrage.”

• CUNNING. “In the Book of Acts, Paul went into Ephesus preaching the Gospel, and that became a Problem.’ He said handmade gods were no gods at all. The Guild of Silversmiths who made miniature shrines to the goddess Artemis—led by a man named Demetrius—saw their revenue stream was about to dry up. But Demetrius was savvy enough to know that ‘Our Profit Margins are suffering’wasn’t going to fill the streets. So he Reframed it, saying Paul was disrespecting and threatening the great goddess Artemis and the city’s identity as her dwelling place, the center of one of the most powerful cults of the ancient world (Acts 19:27). That Framing worked. He mobilized the crowd.”

• WINNOWING. “‘Paul wrote that the DIVIDING WALL, the thing that makes Tests of Loyalty and Tribal Identity feel ultimate, has been broken down by a Body, not a better Politics (v. 14). He showed them that the REAL BATTLE is against Principalities and Powers, not flesh and blood’—which means chanting the name of any earthly figure, however loudly and however long, is fighting the wrong war with the wrong weapons.”

• RECKONING. “‘The Mystery of Christ’—hidden for ages, now made known—is that the Answer to every Ephesus in every century is not a Counter-Mob or a Reformed Silversmith Guild or a smarter Political Coalition. It is the same thing it always was: something that looks too small for the Moment. Sometimes that starts with people who, while polishing silver, look into the dead eyes of an idol and ask, IS THIS WHAT WE HAVE BECOME? To see it close-up is humiliating. Sometimes The Humiliation leads people to double down. But sometimes it leads back to ‘What’s Real.’”

• CLOSE. “‘Maybe we’re in that kind of Moment.’ I don’t know. But perhaps the craziness and grossness of this Blasphemous Time will cause us to look at the Jesus Images we’ve made for ourselves—to really look at them — AND ASK: ‘Are you the One who is to come, or shall we look for Another?’”

Indeed, beloved. Can we now not truly ‘See’ with our own eyes what WE have wrought, and dared to do so in the Name of Jesus the Messiah? All reduces down to a SINGLE QUESTION: Will our Pastors and Prelates possess the Humility and Fear of God to DECLARE how wrong we were, and SHOUT for Christ’s Return, both Now and in The Eschaton?

We take this vital matter up in the Next Section.

III. THE FRACTURING OF AMERICA

As I approach my 82^nd year this September as a mixed-race American Christian, over 50 years of it as an academic analyst of matters of Church and State, I can say without hesitation that I have never seen a more DIVIDED AMERICA before the Second Advent of Donald Trump.

Though the Fracturing began long ago, PRESIDENT TRUMP has effectively poured gasoline on the Divisive Fires that have been burning or at least smoldering for generations.  He has, consciously or unconsciously done so in breathtaking acceleration since he took office for the second time on January 20, 2025.

THE DIS-UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. Many reports have been published recently that document these claims. To economize on time, space and ink therefore, we turn to a compendium of articles summarized by an AI Overviewthat neatly shows us the Fault Lines over which the Nation is now rapidly destroying itself (ret. Apr. 17, 2026; edited).

Thanks overwhelmingly due to the First and Second Advents of President Donald Trump. Selah.

The following review will be accompanied by appropriate theological support in the form of Scriptures rendered in the New King James Version.

• OPEN. ‘As of April 2026, the MAGA Movement is actively Fracturing American Christianity, creating intense Internal Divisions over the Blending of Faith with Political Nationalism.’ MAGA-aligned leaders and followers are increasingly prioritizing political loyalty to Donald Trump over traditional theological orthodoxy, often framing him as a messianic figure, which has caused Friction with traditional Evangelical leaders, Catholic bishops, and theological critics. – “But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: ‘Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.’” – MATTHEW 12:25

• IDOLATRY. Critics argue that MAGA has supplanted traditional Christianity, with some Evangelical supporters treating Trump as a “Savior” figure, prompting accusations of Idolatry. – “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me!” – EXODUS 20:2-3

• SCHISMS. The Movement has triggered a “Martyrdom Period” where Political Opponents are depicted as demons, pushing Evangelical Mobilization toward Authoritarian actions like those on January 6. – “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be those of his own household. He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.” – MATTHEW 10:34-37

• INTERNATIONAL. Trump’s Foreign Policies (e.g., in Iran) and hardline Immigration stances have caused Cracks within the Christian Right, particularly among Catholic and anti-Zionist factions. – “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven … A time to love, and a time to hate; A time of war, and a time of peace … [Yet] Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” – ECCLESIASTES 3:1,8; MATTHEW 5:9

• NATIONALISM. The ‘Fusion’ of Patriotic Symbols with Faith at rallies has strengthened Christian Nationalism, which critics claim is eroding the Church’s credibility. – “You ran well. WHO hindered you from obeying the truth? This persuasion does not come from Him who calls you. A little leaven leavens the whole lump.” – GALATIANS 5:7-9

• LEADERSHIP.  Pope Leo XIV and other leaders have continued to criticize the “Nativism” of the MAGA movement, creating an adversarial relationship between the Vatican and MAGA-aligned American Catholics. – “And if a STRANGER [‘foreigner’] dwells with you in your land, you shall not mistreat him. The stranger who dwells among you shall be to you as one born among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.” – LEVITICUS 19:33-34

• HERESY. The Movement has resulted in a ‘Shift’ from the Gospel to Grievance-based Politics, causing Deep Rifts and accelerating a Decline in traditional Church attendance and perception. –“Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever DENIES ME [‘arneomai (ἀρνήσηταί) ‘contradict or renounce‘] before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.” – MATTHEW 10:32-33

THE COMING PERSECUTION. “First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Socialist. Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Trade Unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew. Then they came for ME—and there was no one left to speak for ME.” – MARTIN NIEMÖLLER,  ‘Als sie kamen,‘ lit.,  “When they came,” 1947; edited

There is not a question in my mind that IF Trump continues in virtually unlimited Presidential Power, a Faithful Remnant must Resist his corrupt brutality. Otherwise, in the President’s own words, he shall fulfill HIS PROMISE to his Renegade Movement:

“In 2016, I declared: I am your voice. Today, I add: I am your warrior. I am your justice. And for those who have been wronged and betrayed: ‘I AM YOUR RETRIBUTION! [punishment inflicted on someone as vengeance for a perceived wrong or criminal act].’”   – DONALD TRUMP, CPAC Meeting, Mar. 4, 2023, National Harbor, MD; edited

To the extent, beloved, that we must all PREPARE beforehand, for The Unspeakable: ‘What if ICE Agents surround your car or breaks down your front door? What are the Constitutional and Biblical Options?’

To conclude this sobering conversation today, we turn now to the National Immigration Justice Center update on how to respond to such a life-threatening event (ret. Apr. 17, 2026; edited).

ONE: CREATE A SAFETY PLAN. Given the rollout of ICE Agents who now operate as the President’s Private Police Force (Gestapo, “Secret Police”), unless Trump has a massive change of heart and mind or becomes somehow disabled, this is America’s New Reality.

• Identify your emergency contacts and memorize their phone numbers.

• Provide your child’s school or day care with an emergency contact to pick up your child. 

• Provide authorization in writing for your emergency contact to make medical and legal decisions for your child. 

• Tell your loved ones that if you are detained by ICE, they can try to use ICE’s Online Detainee Locator to find out.

TWO: DEFEND YOUR RIGHTS. All persons in the United States have Constitutional Protections, including the Right to Remain Silent when questioned or arrested by Immigration Officers. Being stopped by Immigration Officers or other Law Enforcement can be frightening, but it’s important to ‘STAY CALM.’ During any encounter with Law Enforcement, it’s important to do the following: 

• Stay calm and don’t run, argue, resist, or fight the officer, even if you believe your rights are being violated or you are being treated unfairly. Keep your hands where police can see them, and tell them if you need to reach into a glove compartment or for a wallet to show your papers.

• Don’t lie about your status or provide false documents.

• If you are pulled over in a traffic stop: Ask if the officer is from the Police Department or Immigration. Immigration Officers often identify themselves as “Police,” but they are not police. Ask if they are from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or Customs and Border Protection (CBP). If they are Immigration Officers, follow these Guidelines about what information to provide.

• If you are a U.S. Citizen or have Lawful Immigration Status: Show your passport, legal permanent resident card, work permit, or other documentation of your status. If you are over the age of 18, you should carry your papers with you at all times.

• If you are Undocumented: You have the Right to Remain Silent and do not have to discuss your Immigration or Citizenship Status with the Police, Immigration Agents, or other officials. Anything you tell an officer can later be used against you in Immigration Court.

• If an officer knocks on your door: Do not open the door! Teach your children not to open the door. Officers must have a Warrant signed by a Judge to enter your home. ICE “Warrants” are not signed by judges; they are ICE forms signed by ICE officers and they do not grant authority to enter a home without consent of the occupant(s).

• If you are outdoors and think you see Immigration Officers nearby: Move to a safe indoor space. If you are a U.S. citizen and feel safe to do so, record the activity with your phone or write down any relevant information about what you witness—ALWAYS being careful to not interfere or otherwise obstruct the operation

• DO NOT: Post unverified information on social media. Interfere with the investigation or otherwise put yourself in harm’s way.

I realize that we are not YET “Immigrants.” But I tell you on the authority of sound Biblical and Historical Logic, that this is what is coming beloved. That in point of fact, we who oppose Donald Trump, America’s Fuhrer, are now rapidly becoming redefined as “Domestic Terrorists.”

Therefore, PREPARE on what to do if this comes to our door. Selah.

IV. LAST THOUGHTS

Beloved, I have for the past several months brought you a number of Practical Protocols for Survival under the current Despotic Trump Regime, but our only real security is ultimately found in JESUS CHRIST.

God Alone is our Rock of Safety, Protection, Salvation and True Freedom!

As THE PSALMIST wrote: “The Lord is my Rock, my Fortress, and my Deliverer; my God, my keen and firm Strength in Whom I will trust and take refuge, my Shield, and the Horn of my salvation, my High Tower!” – PSALM 18:2, AMPC

But how are we to TRANSLATE that lofty Theological Promise into everyday practical implementation? I mean, how do we actually ‘Do’ this?

For days now, I have had the following phrase come to me as THE ANSWER. “We must ‘THROW OURSELVES’ upon the Cross as our Last Resort.”

THE FINAL THROW. To “Throw oneself upon Christ’s Cross” is a metaphorical way of describing TOTAL SURRENDER  and Absolute Reliance on the Sacrifice of Jesus for one’s Salvation and Life.’ While the exact phrase may not be found word-for-word in scripture, it is rooted in several core Christian Theological concepts.

• Abandoning Self-Sufficiency: It means admitting you cannot save yourself or make yourself righteous through your own efforts . By “Throwing yourself on the Cross,” you LET GO of your own performance and trust entirely in Christ’s finished work.

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• A Call to Discipleship: It often serves as a more forceful variation of Jesus’ Command to “take up your cross” (Luke 9:23). This implies a Daily Decision to “die to self”—setting aside all your own Desires, Pride, and Agenda to follow God’s will 

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• Complete Submission: The imagery suggests a person who is “exhausted” from trying to live by their own strength and finally collapses into the grace provided by Jesus Christ. 

IN SUM: It is the SPIRITUAL ACT OF TOTAL SUBMISSION by saying: “I have nothing to offer but myself and all that I am and need, and I trust only in what Jesus did on the Cross.” 

‘What shall surely follow is the most Exhilarating Adventure you shall ever experience, beloved. And yes, with many Dangers.’ But never without the constant HOPE OF RESCUE by a Magnificent, endlessly Powerful, Sovereign, and fearfully Loving Christ.

Who shall bend down over you as with an Ironed Bow that shall not be Breached by anyone or anything in the whole of the Universe. Ever!

MEDIA

YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/ItbcKdhaGlY