CODICIL ON OBEDIENCE: THE IMMINENT JUDGMENT OF CHRISTIANS AND JEWS (WITH VIDEO)

“You’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed, You’re gonna have to serve somebody. Well, it may be the Devil or it may be the Lord, But you’re gonna have to serve somebody.” – BOB DYLAN, “Gotta Serve Somebody,” 1979; edited

CODICIL. “A Codicil is a separate legal Supplement or Amendment that changes, adds to, or partially revokes an existing will. It allows the writer to make minor updates—such as changing an executor or adding a new beneficiary—without rewriting the entire original document” (AI Overview, ret. Aug. 16, 2026; edited).

1. THEOLOGY

SCRIPTURE. “But for those who are selfishly ambitious and SELF-SEEKING and disobedient to the TRUTH but responsive to wickedness, [there will be] wrath and indignation.

There will be tribulation and anguish [torturing confinement] for every human soul who does [or permits] evil, to the Jew first and also to the Greek,but glory and honor and inner peace [will be given] to everyone who habitually does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For God shows no partiality [no arbitrary favoritism; with Him one person is not more important than another].” – ROMANS 2:8-11, AMP

KEY TERMS:

• “OBEY TRUTH.” ‘Peithó’ [πειθομένοις]: “To persuade or convince (by argument, true of false).” NOTE: “The verb behind Strong’s 3982 gathers the concepts of persuading others, being convinced in one’s own mind, and yielding in obedient trust. In Scripture these strands interweave to depict how the Gospel moves from ‘Proclamation to Inward Assurance and then Outward Submission.’ From the leaders who ‘persuaded the crowds’ against Jesus (Matthew 27:20) to Paul who ‘tried to persuade them about Jesus from the Law of Moses and the Prophets’ (Acts 28:23), the word traces both Righteous and Unrighteous influence.”

• “OBEY UNRIGHTEOUSNESS.” ‘Apeitheó’ [ἀπειθοῦσι]: “Unpersuadable, contumacious, disobedient, unbelieving.” NOTE: “The verb ἀπειθέω expresses ‘a settled refusal to be persuaded, an obstinate resistance that shows itself both as unbelief and as disobedience.’In Scripture, trust in God and submission to His Word are inseparable; therefore, unbelief inevitably manifests itself in ‘Moral Rebellion,’ whereas ‘Genuine Faith’ demonstrates itself in obedience (compare Romans 1:5, though a different verb). ἀπειθέω highlights the ‘Relational Breach’ that occurs when the Creator’s Self-Revelation is willfully Rejected.”

QUOTATION. “‘Does it make sense to pray for Guidance about the future if we are not OBEYING in the thing that lies before us today?’ How many momentous events in Scripture depended on one person’s seemingly small Act of Obedience! Rest assured: ‘DO what God tells you to do now, and, depend upon it, you will be shown what to do next’ … God is God. Because He is God, He is worthy of my Trust and Obedience. I will find rest nowhere but in His Holy Will that is unspeakably beyond my largest notions of what He is up to.” – ELISABETH ELLIOT, Quest for Love: True Stories of Passion and Purity, 1996; edited

COMMENTARY. ‘But unto them.’ — The scholar will observe that in the original Greek the construction is changed. At the end of Romans 2:7 is an accusative ‘(He will render) eternal life;’ here we have the nominative, ‘(there shall be) tribulation and anguish.’

‘That are “Contentious” [‘eritheia’ (ἐριθείας),‘factious, scheming, self-seeking, (politically) ambitious’] — An error in the Authorised Version through a wrong derivation of the word. Strictly, ‘To those who act in the spirit of a hireling;’ hence, according to the secondary meaning of the word, ‘to those who act in a spirit of factiousness and self-seeking’ …

‘Indignation and Wrath.’ — The Greek equivalents for these two words are distinguished as: ‘The settled angry feeling from the passionate outbreak of anger.’

‘The Truth.’ — Here used in a moral sense, as almost equivalent to ‘RECTITUDE, that which is right.’ There is a tendency towards this meaning in Romans 1:18, ‘Who hold down the truth in unrighteousness,’ though there ‘the truth’ appears to mean rather ‘natural religion’ in general. The ethical sense comes out clearly in John 3:21, ‘He that doeth truth,’ opposed to ‘He that doeth evil.’ These phrases, ‘Obey the truth,’ ‘Obey unrighteousness,’ in a plainer style, would be simply ‘Do good,’ ‘Do evil.’ It may be noted that St. Paul is fond of these quasi-personifications.” – CHARLES ELLICOTT, An Old and New Testament Commentary for English Readers, 1878, 1897; edited

1. TEACHING

One of the most important and mind-rending experiences I have ever had began to take place for me in the early Spring of 2016 when I was fired from Liberty University for refusing to support Donald Trump for the presidency.

A very familiar Bible passage virtually exploded off the page from that point forward, to this very day.

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be  conformed to this world, but be transformed by the RENEWING OF YOUR MIND [‘anakainósis’ (ἀνακαινώσει), ‘renovation that makes fresh’], that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” – ROMANS 12:1-3, NKJV

A Gift Darkly Wrapped. The crushing irony here, as many of you have expressed as well, is had it not been for the emergence of Donald Trump on the American political scene, I may have remained in deadly slumber for the rest of my days. Selah. But for those who by God’s munificent Grace valued Truth over the World Spirit, an incredible New Horizon stands just behind the one we now witness that is full of blood and fire and smoke.

MAGA IN THE CROSS HAIRS. To establish an objective theological beachhead for what follows, I turn to two gifted authors with substantially different backgrounds. The first is a Black author writing from a largely secular historical perspective, though I know not his personal faith commitment, if any. Second is a well-known and highly regarded Christian writer with a more spiritual underpinning.

Together they weave a rich foundation for understanding our Current Crisis consisting primarily of the SCHISM that now exists in the American Church between the Orthodox and Nationalist practitioners of the Faith.

Independent writer and graduate of the historically Black college, Fisk University (Nashville, TN), WILLIAM SPIVEY titled his essay, “The Gospel According to MAGA: Why Christian Nationalism Isn’t a Contradiction” (Medium, Sep. 27, 2025; edited). Here are his TEN MAIN POINTS.

• OPEN. “‘Christianity and the MAGA Movement are linked in conversation all the time.’ Those Opposedto MAGA say there is nothing God-like in the behavior on the Far Right. How can they possibly be upholding the ideals of Christianity while showing so little concern for the least of us in society? MAGA Followers swear they are adhering to Christian values and ideals, which makes them right in all that they do. It seems impossible that God would support separating families, putting people in cages, and blowing people up in boats without a trial. ‘I submit that God wouldn’t likely approve of any of these things, but Christianity doesn’t have a problem with any of them.’”

• HISTORY. “‘In America, many of the acts I feel God would be opposed to are perpetrated against a wide range of Minorities.’ Are they not God’s children as well? The Religious Philosophy that allows ‘Others’ to be discriminated against evolved in the Catholic Church and was quickly adopted by other major religions. In 1452, Pope Nicholas V issued Dum Diversas, authorizing Portugal to conquer non-Christian lands in Africa. In 1493, Pope Alexander VI expanded on that notion. He issued a papal bull known as Inter Caetera, granting Spain the Divine Right to claim lands ‘not previously possessed by any Christian owner.’ Thisdecree, part of what would become known as the ‘Doctrine of Discovery,’ laid the theological and legal foundation for centuries of European conquest, colonization, and racial violence. It was not merely a Religious Document — it was a ‘Blueprint’ for White Christian Supremacy, sanctifying the theft of Indigenous lands and the subjugation of Nonwhite peoples across the globe.”

• EMPIRE. “‘The DOCTRINE OF DISCOVERY was adopted by European empires, including Spain, Portugal, France, England, and the Netherlands, as a legal and moral justification for colonization.’ Its impact was Global: (1) In Africa, it rationalized the slave trade and the carving up of the continent during the Scramble for Africa. (2) In Asia, it justified European control over trade routes and the imposition of Christian missions. (3) In Australia and New Zealand, it underpinned settler colonialism and the dispossession of Aboriginal and Māori peoples. (4) In the Americas, it became the ideological engine behind genocide, land theft, and racial caste systems.”

• TREACHERY. “The Doctrine’s CENTRAL PREMISE — ‘That land not ruled by Christians was ‘empty’ and available for conquest — erased Indigenous sovereignty and humanity.’ It transformed entire Continents into ‘blank slates’ for the White Christian Empire. In America, the British, French, and Spanish were only concerned about the rights of each other, engaging in several wars for the right to control the land and natural resources. They never once considered the rights of the Indigenous people or the imported or domestic-bred Slaves from Africa. ‘The Constitution provided no rights to the Enslaved Person or Native American and few to Women, in lock step with [their version] Christianity.’”

• AMERICA. “America went even further, asserting God gave White Men ‘Manifest Destiny’

[originated by secular lawyer, columnist and politician John L. O’Sullivan]

‘to take all the land West of what they already occupied until they reached the Pacific Ocean.’ America, France, and Britain agreed upon the Northern Border. The Southern Border with Mexico was sorted out in a series of treaties, wars, and territorial negotiations. America could theoretically have expanded farther into Mexico, except as Senator John C. Calhoun remarked, there were ‘too many Mexicans.’”

• WITNESS. John Winthrop, in his 1630 Sermon aboard the Arbella, declared that the new colony would be watched by the world and judged by its moral example. This Framing cast America as a Divinely Ordained Experiment in Righteousness and Governance. Never lost among the early French, British, and Spanish settlers was the idea that ‘God authorized them to take everything from the Natives and those they didn’t even see as humans. They were either seen as someone to take land from or as the cheap labor force to increase their wealth.’ In 1676, enslaved Black people, Black indentured servants, and White indentured servants joined forces under Nathaniel Bacon to burn down Jamestown, Virginia, ironically for the right to rid the area of Native Americans. The response to Bacon’s Rebellion was to eliminate indentured servitude and establish enslavement as the economic model for America.”

• THEOLOGY. Pro-Slavery Theologians cited GENESIS 9:25–27, claiming that Africans were descendants of Ham, cursed to be ‘servants of servants.’ This interpretation was used to ‘racialize biblical servitude,’ framing slavery as divinely sanctioned and hereditary. Slaveholders argued that enslaving Africans allowed them to: ‘Save souls through Christian Conversion.’’ The logic was that physical suffering was acceptable if it led to eternal salvation. This twisted theology allowed Christians to reconcile slavery with their faith, claiming moral superiority while profiting from human bondage.”

• MAGA. “‘The phrase, “Make America Great Again,’” is more than a Political Slogan — it’s a Theological claim.’ Beneath the red hats and rally chants lies a Belief System that Fuses Nationalism, Nostalgia, and Christianity into a Civil Religion. For many MAGA adherents, being Christian is not merely a matter of Personal Faith — it is a badge of Cultural Belonging, a moral license, and a justification for Political Dominance. This ‘Fusion’ didn’t happen by accident. It is the product of decades of deliberate messaging, theological distortion, and racialized Myth-making. ‘MAGA Christianity is not rooted in the Teachings of Jesus Christ but in a Selective Reading of Scripture that sanctifies Hierarchy, Exclusion, and Conquest.’”

• CIVIL RELIGION. “Sociologist Robert Bellah coined the term Civil Religion to describe how Nations create sacred narratives around their founding documents, leaders, and rituals. MAGA is a textbook example. It treats: (1) The Constitution as Scripture. (2) Donald Trump as a Messianic figure. (3) The Flag as a holy symbol. (4) Political Rallies as worship services. ‘This Civil Religion REPLACES theological nuance with political absolutism. It demands loyalty not to Christ’s Teachings, but to a version of America that never existed — a Mythic Past where White Christians ruled unchallenged.’”

• CLOSE. “‘MAGA has not merely borrowed Religious Language — it has Co-opted Christianity into a Political Theology, one that Sanctifies Power, Exclusion, and Nostalgia as Divine Virtues.’ By recasting Patriotism as Piety and elevating Political Figures to near-Messianic status, the Movement has transformed Faith from a Spiritual Practice into a tool of Cultural Dominance. Scripture is selectively weaponized, churches become campaign venues, and salvation is rebranded as national restoration. ‘In this framework, being “Christian” is less about following Christ’s Teachings and more about defending a Mythic America — White, Righteous, and Ordained. The result is a Civil Religion that baptizes Cruelty, canonizes Grievance, and calls it Holy! The people they trample, either to obtain or maintain Power, they never considered human in the first place.’”

The most astonishing thing in all this surgically precise analysis is that so many White American Pastors serve it up every Sunday for ten years running! Either be preaching it Directly, or by remaining Indifferent to it altogether.

The Impact: Studies published by such organizations as The Barna Report, Gallup, the PEW Research Center, and other polling organizations have shown consistently that White Evangelical Christians overwhelmingly support this False Civil Religion by between 83-88%.

To this very day, August 19, 2026!

PAUL’S SEVERITY. “For [you seem willing to allow it] if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted. You tolerate all this beautifully [welcoming the deception] … But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we [originally] preached to you, let him be CONDEMNED TO DESTRUCTION! [‘anathema’ (ἀνάθεμα), ‘accursed, banned, consigned to Divine Judgment’].” – 2 CORINTHIANS 11:4; GALATIANS 1:8, AMP

Selah.

1. LAST THOUGHTS: HOW TO FIGHT BACK

I believe I speak for all of us in this Fellowship that we are beyond frustrated about all this Dark Chaos emanating from President Trump’s MAGA Movement that eats away at what is left of the American Constitutional Order by the hour these days.

So, just What does God expect of His True Church at this point? What are we permitted to do under the Biblical Canon and the Christian Gospel? In Sum:

‘How Do We Fight Back,’ beloved?

SCRIPTURE.  “In conclusion, be strong in the Lord [draw your strength from Him and be empowered through your union with Him] and in the power of His [boundless] might. Put on the full armor of God [for His precepts are like the splendid armor of a heavily-armed soldier], so that you may be able to [successfully] stand up against all the schemes and the strategies and the deceits of the devil. 

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this [present] darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) places.

Therefore put on the complete armor of God, so that you will be able to [successfully] resist and stand your ground in the evil day [of danger], and having done everything [that the crisis demands], to STAND FIRM! [histémi’ (στῆναι), ‘in your place, fully prepared, immovable, victorious by fervently abiding in Christ’].”  – EPHESIANS 6:10-13, AMP

We have all heard countless sermons on this familiar passage, but beloved: ‘How do we TRANSLATE this into our Great Struggle Against the False Gospel of Trump Nationalism?’

THE CALL. Once again, an AI Overview offers the following Theological Practicum regarding how Christians can best counter MAGA Christian Nationalism (ret. Aug. 18, 2026; edited). It was far superior to what I could find in the published Christian literature.

RECLAIM THEOLOGICAL ROOTS

• Preach the Upside-Down Kingdom: Emphasize that Jesus explicitly rejected worldly political dominance, stating his kingdom is not of this world.

• Disentangle Power from Faith: Teach that seeking Cultural Control, Coercive Legislation, and National Supremacy through partisan means is a form of Idolatry that trades the Cross for political leverage.

• Re-center Character over Control: Move away from Machiavellian Tactics (“winning at all costs”) and return to the formative Spiritual Disciplines of Humility, Grace, and Peacemaking.

TAKE VISIBLE ACTION

• Build Solidarity Locally: Resist isolation by joining local Ecumenical and Interfaith networks [without compromise to Christian Truth], sharing Pedagogies toward Liberty.

• Show Up for the Vulnerable: Maintain a physical presence in places where Targeted Communities—such as Immigrants, Racial Minorities, and the Unhoused—face systemic harm or hostility.

• Protect the Church-State Boundary: Publicly support the Separation of Church and State to ensure that Religious Freedom is preserved equally for people of all faiths and no faith at all.

PRAY IMPRECATION. “‘An Imprecatory Psalm is a type of Lament.’ In Hebrew Wisdom Literature, Lament Psalms are the individual and corporate ‘Cries of God’s people. The Imprecatory Psalms in particular vocalize Israel’s tears in the face of Injustice and Suffering.’ By praying down the Curse of God on His enemies, Israel sought to hold up the Goodness of God’s Law for His people … ‘To pray the Imprecatory Psalms is ultimately to pray as Jesus taught us to pray. As Christians, we long for God’s Kingdom to come. We yearn for His Will to be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.’ Praying the Imprecatory Psalms is not a call to arms but a Call to Faith. ‘We lift our voices, not our swords, as we pray for God either to Convert or Curse the Enemies of Christ and His Kingdom.’” – DR. JOHN W. TWEEDDALE, “Can I Pray Imprecatory Prayers,” Table Talk Magazine, Mar. 2019; edited

Note: And it is up to Almighty God in Christ to determine the nature and severity of the Judgment. Selah.

So yes, beloved, I can no longer pray the pretty little ditties we have been taught for decades when facing the very forces of Satan and Antichrist. To do so is to further invite their victory over those we love and are to protect.

Thus I close us out with a Direct Instruction I received in the context of prayer just a few days ago, while preparing this Commentary. The clear context deals with ‘Paul’s Definition of who is truly a Jew, and who is truly a Christian.’

“Then appreciate the gracious kindness and the severity of God: to those who fell [into spiritual ruin], severity, but to you, God’s gracious kindness—if you CONTINUE [‘epimenó’ (ἐπιμένῃς), ‘remain with, abide in, persist’] in His kindness [or ‘integrity’ by faith and obedience to Him]; otherwise you too will be cut off.” – ROMANS 11:22, AMP

CODA: JUDGMENT IS COMING!  Therefore, we are to be about His Business of serving as examples to the rest of the Church, Nation and World of what our Lord requires of us to prepare for Him. AND for His Judgment of God’s House first, then the Nations after that.

Unto life, or unto death.

“And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who ENDURES TO THE END shall be saved.” – JESUS OF NAZARETH, Matthew 24:10-13, NKJV

MEDIA

YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/4WfFiFtNV_w