NOTES ON AMERICA’S LEADERSHIP CRISIS III: MEN OF VALOR, MEN OF MACHIAVELLI, AND WHO GETS TO GO – (WITH VIDEO)

1. THEOLOGY

SCRIPTURE. “And I [Micah] said, ‘Hear, I pray you, you heads of Jacob and rulers of the house of Israel! Is it not for you to know justice?—You who hate the good and love the evil, who pluck and steal the skin from off [My people] and their flesh from off their bones; Yes, you who eat the flesh of my people and strip their skin from off them, who break their bones and chop them in pieces as for the pot, like meat in a big kettle.’

Then will they cry to the Lord, but He will not answer them; He will even hide His face from them at that time, because they have made their deeds EVIL.” – MICAH 3:1-4, AMPC

KEY TERM. “EVIL.” ‘Ra’a’’ [ הֵרֵ֖עוּ]: “From a primitive root: “To Spoil (literally by breaking into pieces).’” Also: “A verb meaning ‘to do mischief, be bad, do wrong; to do harm or hurt.’”NOTE: “רָעַע spans the full spectrum of ‘Evil’ in the Old Testament—‘Moral Depravity’ (sin against God), ‘Social Wrongdoing’ (injury to neighbor), and ‘Material Calamity’ (ruin, affliction, destruction).”

QUOTATION. “It is much safer to be Feared than Loved because Love is preserved by the link of obligation which, owing to the baseness of men, is broken at every opportunity for their advantage; but Fear preserves you by a Dread of Punishment which never fails.” ― NICCOLÒ MACHIAVELLI, The Prince, 1532; edited

BIO NOTE. “Niccolò Machiavelli (1469–1527) was a Florentine diplomat, historian, and philosopher, widely recognized as the Father of Modern Political Science. He is most famous for his treatise, ‘THE PRINCE’ (1532), which revolutionized political theory by separating Governance from Morality and establishing that the Ultimate Goal of a Ruler is to maintain Power and Stability [by any means necessary]. Highly influential to this day, The Prince serves as a Pragmatic Handbook on Statecraft and Power, arguing that: A Ruler must be willing to abandon Traditional Morality and employ Cunning, Deception, and—when necessary—Ruthlessness to maintain the State’s most sacred mission: its Security.”

COMMENTARY. “‘Men cannot expect to do ill, and fare well; but to find that done to them which they did to others.’ How seldom do wholesome truths reach the ears of those in high stations or in authority! Those who deceive others are preparing confusion for their own faces. The Prophet had ardent love to God and to the souls of men; deep concern for His glory and their salvation, and zeal against sin. The difficulties he met with did not drive him from his work. He had this strength; not from and of himself, but he was full of power by the Spirit of the Lord. ‘Those who act honestly, may act boldly. And those who come to hear the word of God, must be willing to be told of their faults, must take it kindly, and be thankful.’” – MATTHEW HENRY, Exposition of the Old and New Testaments, 6 vols., 1708-1710; edited

1. TEACHING

THE MACHIAVELLIAN. While doing research for my doctoral dissertation between 1970-1972 at Bowling Green State University (Ohio), a number of us students came upon what was then a recent and somewhat revolutionary book by psychologists RICHARD CHRISTIE and FLORENCE L. GEIS. It is titled, ‘Studies in Machiavellianism’ (1970). It essentially compiles empirical research operationalizing Machiavellianism as a Personality Trait involving interpersonal manipulation, cynical interpersonal attitudes, and a focus on Self-Interest over Moral Absolutes.

• THESIS I: ‘I Propose that today’s White American (Conservative) Leaders in both Church and State have demonstrated an unprecedented propensity toward Machiavellian Principles and Strategies in the pursuit of Absolute Power aimed at achieving Personal or Corporate objectives at nearly any price, including the use of Deception Techniques, Fear-Mongering, Physical and Material Harm, or even Murder.’

To more fully develop this Proposal, we will Overview his essential Political Philosophy, then apply it to the present American Regime that I expect will be a chillingly accurate description of it. 

We therefore look to DR. RUAIRIDH BROWN, Head of Politics and International Relations, Forward College, Lisbon. His analysis is titled, appropriately, “Donald Trump’s Machiavellian Philosophy” (The Loop, Dec. 2025; edited). I have come to greatly appreciate the European Perspective as they seem to understand the American Crisis vastly more accurately than the astonishingly blind American Conservatives.

• OPEN.  “As Trump returns to the White House, what, exactly, is the ideology of Trumpism? Ruairidh Brown argues that Trump’s America First agenda is, at its core, Machiavellian … ‘TRUMP IS A REALIST,’ and Classical Realism emphasises the importance of Power in politics contra theories constructed around Moral and Idealistic Worldviews, such as Liberalism and Socialism.”

• ANOMIA. “Such interpretations, however, overlook ‘TRUMP’S AMORALITY.’ Obama tempered American moral expectation with power realities, but he did not abandon it. [British political scientist E.H. Carr, too, argued for the importance of ‘POWER IN POLITICS,’but he still believed foreign policy required a Moral Vision. Trump, by contrast, acts without concern for moral Right or Wrong. Take Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Trump has refused to see a ‘Right’ or ‘Wrong’ on either side. Instead, he merely seeks to end the conflict rapidly because of the billions of dollars the US gives to the ‘Great Salesman’ Zelenskyy.”

• MACHIAVELLIANISM. “Such Amoralism suggests that Trump is not a Realist, but that his ideology is more akin to that of the sixteenth-century Italian philosopher Niccolò Machiavelli, because Machiavellian Political Decision Making ignores the Moral aspect. Machiavelli’s best-known work ‘The Prince is notorious for its evaluation of political action only in so far as it contributed to the maintenance of POWER.’ Its author remained silent on any notion of moral framework of judgement: Machiavelli’s Discourses, while favouring Republican Government over Principalities, nevertheless considered political action only insofar as it increased the POWER OF THE REPUBLIC.”

• MACHIAVELLIAN AMERICA. “As Carr observed, ‘Machiavellian’ is often used as an insult. It is important, therefore, to note there can be Benefits to Machiavellianism. Free from a Moral Imperative to defend the Free World, the US is less likely to escalate tensions in Ukraine or Taiwan into an Ideological Struggle between Democracy and Autocracy … [However], under an Amoral Trump Leadership, the US risks becoming a Self-Centred State prepared to bully and threaten adversaries and allies to ensure it gets the Best Deal.’ This will doubtless erode trust and amity, wearing away Washington’s Normative Authority, and leaving it only MATERIAL POWER.”

THE CONSEQUENCES. “But understand this, that in the last days dangerous times [of great stress and trouble] will come [difficult days that will be hard to bear]. For people will be lovers of self [narcissistic, self-focused], lovers of money [impelled by greed], boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy and profane, [and they will be] unloving [devoid of natural human affection, calloused and inhumane], irreconcilable, malicious gossips, devoid of self-control [intemperate, immoral], brutal, haters of good, traitors, reckess, conceited, lovers of [sensual] pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of [outward] godliness (religion), although they have denied its power [for their conduct nullifies their claim of faith]. AVOID [‘apotrepó’ (ἀποτρέπου), ‘turn from and disfellowship’] SUCH PEOPLE and keep far away from them!” – 2 TIMOTHY 3:1-5, AMP

Are you listening to the Lord’s Command here, Church? Do you have the necessary courage to obey? If not, merely ‘ASK HIM!’

1. HELLSCAPE

After no fewer than over 40 years of reflecting on and reading a good deal about Machiavellianism as the Core Characteristic of Evil Rulers, I am brought to a Second Proposal.

• THESIS II. Rightly or wrongly, beloved, I have become increasingly convinced that True Followers of Donald Trump, the “NEW MACHIAVELLIANS” who worship the American Antichrist, Donald Trump, will all join him and his False Prophet, Satan, and his fallen angel demons, in the Eternal Flame.

I intimated this in my book, The Sixth Seal II, as early as 2024, the year of its publication. Here is what I wrote in dealing with the weighty subject titled, “A Précis on Hell” (pp. 86-89; edited).

“Perhaps the most deeply disturbing concept in all of human experience is the idea of an ETERNAL FIERY HELL, where all the wicked shall yet end up. Now the following is not meant as Biblical Canon, but rather the result of a recent and quite thorough exploration of the Biblical passages that clearly, in my studied view, tell us ‘Which’ individuals go to Hell and just ‘What’ shall be their experience of it.

‘There are two leading theological views of the Concept of Hell: the TRADITIONALIST and the more recent CONDITIONALIST ‘… On one side of this ageless argument is the Traditionalist View of Hell that has for centuries taught us that ALL evil people outside of a Faith in God … shall descend into an agonizing place of Eternal Torment.

While I could quote numerous scriptures to describe this idea, I’ll stay with the Book of Revelation given the context of this study. Chapter 21, verse 8 for example, says this: ‘For the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the SECOND DEATH …

We have already defined by both Biblical account and the brilliant Christian lexicographer Noah Webster [1828] what ‘Death’ is: ‘The End.’ Thus is built in here the idea, yes, the unmistakable idea, that for some at least, that Eternal Lake of Fire completely ‘Consumes’ these evildoers, as with the phrase with which most of us are intimately familiar. ‘Our God is a consuming fire’ (cf. Deut. 4:24; Heb. 12:29). Now stay with me here. Jude 1:13 similarly describes a place of ‘black darkness’ (or ‘nether gloom’) where these wicked shall go similar to Jesus’ own Declaration that such people will be cast into ‘outer darkness’ where there shall be “weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matt. 25:30) …

So what’s my point? Just this. I am beginning to consider that the mass of the ‘Unbelievers [who did NOT follow the Antichrist]’ in this world will indeed descend into that fiery place called Hell, but possibly not to be tormented forever, but rather to experience indeed the Second Death, or Annihilation, to be utterly and finally consumed in the complete Destruction of the body and soul, as Jesus himself proclaimed in Matthew 10:28. The Greek term used by the Lord there is ‘Apollumi,’ which by any rendering means, ‘to destroy fully, perish, die, lose life, render void.’ in this context, Eternally.

Now before you run to incinerate this passage and book towards possible heretical departure (I prefer ‘orthodox refinement’ if you please) from the Traditional View of Hell, now watch this, as Charles Stanley would caution. Go back to Revelation and read closely, closely now, this otherwise well-worn passage.

‘And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are also and they will be TORMENTED [‘basanizó (βασανισθήσονται), ‘vexation, pain, distress’] day and night forever and ever’ (20:10).

Well now. We’ve always been taught that Hell was originally constructed by God as ‘an eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels’ (Matt. 25: 41). Roger that. So combined with this passage from Revelation, it is arguably possible, at the very least, ‘Hell is still and only intended for: The Devil, his angels, the Beast or Antichrist, and the False Prophet.’

But what of all those humans that are supposed to join them? Now here is where I humbly submit that I experienced a bit of an Epiphany while discussing all this with the dear brother in Romania recently. I was led to reread very carefully the lengthy passage that combines with the others like a well-fitting glove, the manner of all scripture which cannot contradict itself. Ever.

‘Then another Angel, third one, followed them saying, saying with a loud voice, mixed in full strength in the cup of his anger: ‘And he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; They have no rest day or night. Those who WORSHIP the beast in his image and who ever receives the MARK of his name. (REVELATION 14: 9-11) …

And if so, we have one Lake of Fire that burns eternally, but [arguably], TWO DESTINIES for the Wicked, as it were. For the commonplace unsaved who ‘did not bow’ to Antichrist, there’s reserved for them the ‘CONDITIONALIST’view of ‘Final Annihilation,’ the end of existence forever, as they are consumed by that fiery place upon entering it. But for ‘TRADIONALISTS’ who both ‘Reject’ God but also ‘Bow to the ancient foe of God, Satan, and end up bowing down also to his Emissary, the Antichrist or Beast and his False Prophet, there is the more Traditionalist Conception of a ‘Fiery Punishment’ stored up for them, that lasts indeed forever and ever and ever, as they are consumed in an altogether different and more horrendous way.

IN SUM: ‘ALL THE UNREDEEMED GO TO HELL. ‘Some to utter Annihilation, Others to Eternal Torment.’ Now that is clearly a lot to digest, pray about, seriously ponder and draw your own conclusions. But for me at least: (1) It is Just; (2) It is in Harmony with all passages related to the Concept of Hell in the Scriptures; and, (3) It just makes sense of the original wording of the Christian Gospel.

1. THE NARROW ROAD

“Enter through the NARROW GATE [‘stenos’ (στενῆς), ‘strait and difficult path ordained by God toward salvation’]. For wide is the gate and broad and easy to travel is the path that leads the way to destruction and eternal loss, and there are many who enter through it. But SMALL [‘thlibó’ (τεθλιμμένη), ‘way of affliction, persecution, suffering’] is the gate and narrow and difficult to travel is the path that leads the way to [everlasting] life, and there are few who find it.” – MATTHEW 7:13-14, AMP

VALOR VS. VICIOUSNESS. To finish today’s excursion into comparatively untraveled waters once again, a FINAL QUESTION that will likely bring some division and disagreement even among our Fellowship. But it must be addressed, beloved, if we are to understand the Spiritual Gravity of Our Times.

‘Are Maga-Machiavellians likely destined for Heaven or for Hell?’

To investigate this heavy topic, we turn to a somewhat unusual secular writer and author, RICHARD JOHNSON. In an essay titled, “According To Saint Matthew Most MAGA ‘Christians’ Are Going To Hell,” he introduces himself in this way: “Join me as I tour the Hellscape of madness and delusion that is the mind of Donald Trump, guided by The Bat Winged Gentleman and The Worm” (Medium, Nov. 23, 2025; edited).

And why do I turn to a Non-Christian to discuss matters of Heaven and Hell? Because he has a much firmer grip on its Christology than the vast majority of our Wayward Evangelical Pastors who have so ‘Softened Orthodox Soteriology’ that by their reckoning:

‘EVERYBODY gets to go to Heaven!

Well not quite, beloved. So let’s take a closer look, from the view of an acerbic, unbelieving, clearly curmudgeonly ATHEIST, to see what we’ll find.

• OPEN. “‘It might be surprising to Bible believing MAGA ‘Christians’ that their God is going to condemn them to the everlasting Fires of Damnation, but a reading of Chapter 25 of the Gospel of Matthew makes it clear that such is the case.’ Well, it’s the case IF the Bible is the Word of God, a belief which I do not share. But if MAGA ‘Christians’ do believe the Bible is the Word of God they’d better pay attention.”

• SHEEP & GOATS. In Matthew 25: 31–46 we hear the Words of Jesus. He is describing the Last Judgement and what He says should be quite disturbing to MAGA ‘Christians.’ Many Christians will tell you that they are saved by the Blood of Jesus and will be forgiven for their sins so long as they have accepted Him into their hearts. But Jesus in the Book of Matthew tells another story. He says that we will be judged by only ONE CRITERION: ‘How we treat our fellow human beings.’ He lays it out very plainly and it is pretty clear that much of what MAGA America celebrates goes against His wishes. This might come as a surprise to MAGA ‘Christians,’ but what Jesus tells those condemned to the eternal Fires of Damnation surprises them also. They thought they had done nothing wrong.”

• THE GOSPEL. In the Parable, Jesus first speaks to those who are ‘Accepted’ into the Kingdom of Heaven. He tells them that they are being welcomed because ‘I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited Me in, I needed clothes and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you came to visit Me.’ These Righteous Ones are surprised because Jesus has said that they did these things directly for him and they don’t recall ever doing that. Jesus then explains to them ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of Mine, you did for Me.’ Jesus then turns to the ‘Condemned’ and explains why they are to be cast into Eternal Damnation. According to the Gospel, which MAGA ‘Christians’ believe to be the Word of God, Jesus says, ‘Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave Me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite Me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe Me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after Me.’ Like the Righteous Ones the Condemned are shocked. They don’t remember encountering Jesus in this world and failing to administer to His needs. But as with the Righteous, Jesus explains: ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me.’”

• HARD TRUTH. Many MAGA ‘Christians’ will complain that such a system is unrealistic and that it won’t get the job done. Well, take that up with Saint Matthew and Jesus, I didn’t write the Gospels. MAGA ‘Christians’ who reject the plain Words of Matthew 25 are saying that they know better than Jesus, that Jesus is wrong, maybe that Jesus is ‘Woke.’ Fine. Then they are ‘Denying the Divinity of Christ’ and claiming that they know better than He does. I think the word for that is HERESY. Or perhaps they are saying that they really don’t believe the Bible. That’s fine with me too, but if you say that stop claiming to be a ‘Bible believing Christian!’”

• CLOSE. “I really don’t want MAGA ‘Christians’ to suffer Eternal Damnation. But if scaring the s— out of them with the threat of Eternal Hellfire will convince them to treat our immigrant neighbors (and LGBTQ+ neighbors, and poverty-stricken neighbors, and female neighbors, and Native American neighbors, [and ICE detainees], etc.) like they are Jesus Himself and therefore worthy of love and respect, then I’m all for it. So, to any MAGA ‘Christians’ reading this, I suggest you pay prayerful consideration to Matthew 25: 31–46, because according to the Gospel, Jesus is pretty d— mad and at the Last Judgement he won’t be playing.”

CODA. As I was conceiving of this Commentary, I kept recalling what was for me at least Steven Spielberg’s finest movie, Schindler’s List (1994), winner of the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1993. As the principal protagonist, ‘OSKAR SCHINDLER was portrayed as the rescuer of some 1,100 Jews from the Ovens in World War II.

As with our feisty and wise author, Mr. Johnson, Schindler was doing more for the Gospel than nearly the entirety of the German Church who sided with Adolf Hitler. Thus, they both qualify as what the Jews consider in high honor:

‘RIGHTEOUS GENTILES.’ “The Righteous Among the Nations” (Hebrew: חֲסִידֵי אֻמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם  ḥasidei ummot ha’olam) is an Honorific used by the State of Israel to describe all of the Non-Jews who, out of Altruism, risked their lives in order to save Jews from being exterminated by Nazi Germany during the Holocaust. The term originates from the concept of Ger Toshav, a legal term used to refer to Non-Jewish observers of the Seven Laws of Noah.” – Wikipedia, June 21, 2026; edited

Beloved, I tell you straight up that I see vastly more of God’s Fire for the Truth among the First 100,000,000 Unsaved in America than the entirety of the Other 100,000,000 White Evangelicals for ten years running now. Ten. Years.

“For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.” – JESUS OF NAZARETH, MATTHEW 5:20, AMP

THE ROMAN CENTURION. “Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, ‘Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘I will come and heal him.’ The centurion answered and said, ‘Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it’

When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 

Then Jesus said to the centurion, ‘Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.’ And his servant was healed that same hour.” – MATTHEW 8:5-13, NKJV

CODA. Do you see it, beloved? The MERCY OF GOD is directly tethered to OBEDIENCE! Whether that Centurion was “saved” or not (I believe so, as with the case of the Thief on the Cross – Matt. 23:40-43), God Accepts “The Righteous” while Rejecting “The Unrighteous” – whatever their label or title or station!

‘And He is almost here, beloved, very, very near.’ To usher in The Faithful to Paradise to Co-reign with Him forever. Yet to turn away from those who only thought they were faithful but indeed did not love The Truth, but instead preferred The Lie.

SELAH.

YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/t_q3D94g4bs