NOTES ON THE LEAVEN OF CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM: “BUT IT ALL SOUNDS SO RIGHT!” – (WITH VIDEO)

NOTES ON THE LEAVEN OF CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM: “BUT IT ALL SOUNDS SO RIGHT!” – (WITH VIDEO)

THEOLOGY

SCRIPTURE. “You were running [the race] well; Who has interfered and prevented you from obeying the truth? This [deceptive] persuasion is not from Him who called you [to freedom in Christ]. A little leaven [a slight inclination to error, or a few false teachers] leavens the whole batch [it perverts the concept of faith and misleads the church].” – GALATIANS 5:7-9, AMP

KEY TERM. “INTERFERED.” ‘Anakoptó’ [ἀνακόπτω]: “‘To beat back, check or hinder.’ The verb is used in the New Testament to convey the idea of hindering or restraining progress. It implies an interruption or a cutting off of a course of action. This term is often used in contexts where an obstacle or barrier is placed in the way of forward movement, whether physically, spiritually, or metaphorically.”

QUOTATION. “I can never figure out how to have a friendly conversation with someone when my main point is that they are going to Hell … Perhaps, the thought crosses my mind, I am resisting not God but people who speak for God. I’ve already learned to distrust my childhood churches’ views on race and politics. What else should I reject? A much harder question: ‘What should I keep?’” – PHILIP YANCEY, Where the Light Fell, 2021; edited

COMMENTARY. “‘Ye did run well’ — In the race of faith, love, and obedience; in true, genuine Christianity; believing its truths, experiencing its graces, enjoying its privileges, performing its duties. The exercises of faith and holiness, enjoined in the Gospel, are often in Scripture compared to the ancient athletic exercises of the Greeks, especially to the ‘Race;’because in that exercise the greatest exertions of activity and strength were necessary to obtain the prize, Hebrews 12:1.

‘Who did hinder you’ — Who hath interrupted you in that good course; ‘that ye should not continue to obey the truth?’ — In this question the Apostle does not ask who the person was that had put a stop to them; but he expresses his surprise and grief at their being stopped. ‘This persuasion’ —Concerning the Mosaic Law, and the necessity of observing it in order to your justification and salvation; ‘cometh not of God, who calleth you!’ — To His Kingdom and glory.

‘A little leaven’ — If it be suffered to continue; ‘leaveneth the whole lump’ — Operates unseen, till it diffuses itself on every side: That is, a little false doctrine may soon corrupt the judgment in other points, and a small number of seduced persons may soon infect the whole Church. It is a proverbial expression, in which the pernicious and infectious nature of erroneous doctrine and vicious example is set forth. Hence our Lord gave the name of ‘Leaven’to the Doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees, Matthew 16:11-12. The same name the Apostle gives to the Doctrine of the Judaizing Teachers in this passage, and to the Incestuous Person, 1 Corinthians 5:7.

‘Yet I have confidence in you’ — That, on reading this, and being thus warned of your danger; ‘you will be no otherwise minded’ — Than I am, and ye were, concerning the Doctrine of Justification by Faith; ‘BUT HE THAT TROUBLETH YOU [Antichrist and his followers]’ — And would pervert your minds from the purity of the Faith; ‘SHALL BEAR HIS JUDGMENT!’ — A heavy burden, already hanging over his head. The Apostle seems to refer to one person chiefly, as endeavouring to seduce them.” – JOSEPH BENSON, Notes on the Holy Bible, 5 vols., 1811-1818; edited

II. TEACHING

As I have argued previously, we true Christians must understand the enormity of what is about to take place here on the Home Front viz. the TRUMP CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM AGENDA. Since I have already beaten the Basics of Christian Nationalism into the dust in the past several months, I want to take us in a somewhat different direction this time.

I will borrow here from MICHAEL SCHUMAN, writing for The Atlantic again in his piece titled, “The American Global Order Could End” (Nov. 9, 2024; edited). Schuman is a contributing writer at The Atlantic, based in Beijing, China. He is also a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Global China Hub. Schuman has written several books on Asia, including Confucius and the World He Created.

NATIONALISM, ANTICHRIST, & WORLD HEGEMONY. “And power was given him to extend his authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation. And all the inhabitants of the earth will fall down in adoration and pay him homage, everyone whose name has not been recorded in the Book of Life of the Lamb that was slain [in sacrifice] from the foundation of the world.” – REVELATION 13:7-8, AMPC

Using this passage as Theological Catalyst for Mr. Schuman’s analysis, here are his MAIN POINTS in bullet point review.

INTRODUCTION. ‘Americans voted for change in this week’s presidential election, and in foreign policy, they’ll certainly get it.’ DONALD TRUMP has shown disdain for the priorities and precedents that have traditionally guided Washington’s approach to the world. He speaks more fondly of America’s Autocratic Adversaries than of its Democratic Allies. He derides ‘Globalism’ as a Liberal Conspiracy against the American people. And he treats international agreements as little more than wastepaper. ‘At stake is not only the survival of Ukraine and the fate of Gaza, but the entire International System that forms the foundation of American global power.’

IMPACT. ‘‘The American Global Order could end.’ This would not be a matter of ‘American Decline.’ The U.S. economy will likely remain the world’s largest and most important for the foreseeable future. But if Washington breaks its promises, or even if its allies and enemies believe it has or will—or if it fails to uphold Democracy and Rule of Law at home — ‘The Pillars of the American International System will collapse, and the United States will suffer an immeasurable loss of global influence and prestige.’”

CRISIS. “The Problem is that if the United States won’t lead the world, some other country will, and a number are already applying for the job. One is Putin’s Russia. Another is the China of Xi Jinping. China began to assert its global leadership more aggressively during Trump’s first term and has worked ever harder to undermine the American system since—strengthening China’s ties with Russia and other Authoritarian States, building a Coalition to counterbalance the West, and promoting Illiberal Principles for a ‘Reformed World Order.’ Trump seems to believe that he can keep China in check with his personal charm alone. When asked in a recent interview whether he would intervene militarily if Xi blockaded Taiwan, he responded, ‘I wouldn’t have to, because he respects me.’”

INDIFFERENCE. “‘The fate of the world order and U.S. global power may seem of little consequence to Americans struggling to pay their bills.’ But a world hostile to U.S. interests will constrain American companies, roil international energy markets, and endanger jobs and economic growth. ‘Americans could confront bigger wars that require greater sacrifices (as in 1941).’”

TRUMPISM. “Perhaps Trump will surprise everyone by pondering his legacy and choosing not to pursue the course he has signaled. But that seems unlikely. His messaging on his foreign-policy priorities has been too consistent for too long. Over the next four years, Americans will have to decide whether they still want the United States to be a great power, and if so, what kind of great power they wish it to be. ‘Americans wanted change. The world may pay the price.’”

DK’S TAKE. Well now, that is the Secular Analysis of the seismic changes about to occur in the International Theater of Nations. Light years wiser, nonetheless, than the vast majority of Christian pundits who have been Tribalized by the Wizard of Obfuscation, Donald Trump.

But what do The Scriptures have to say about all this? If you are listening to the thundering Silence of the American Pulpit, virtually nothing! But, beloved, Almighty God IS speaking into the seeming Political Vacuum, and more fundamentally, He is ultimately in Total Control of all of it.

III. POLITICAL ESCHATOLOGY

A former student and colleague of mine, Dr. Pamela Jason (Ph.D. in Political Theory and Philosophy, The Catholic University), worked with me toward a definition of this term presented on in my book, The Sixth Seal II (2023-2024):

“The fusion of Theology with cultural and geopolitical analysis” (p. 17).

So we turn now to see what the Bible has to say about the impact of Donald Trump’s foreign policies on not only the United States, covered previously, but indeed on the entire New World Order that is being formed right in front of us in the present hour.

While the Church slumbers. Selah.

CAVEAT. I wish to clarify up front that neither the research nor the Scriptures equate the popularized understanding of “The New World Order” with the Biblical Truth about that New Order Under Antichrist. The EDITORS at the online journal, Compelling Truth(ret. Dec. 27, 2024; edited) dispense with this fallacy quite effectively.

“The New World Order (or NWO) is the belief that an Elite Group has taken or is near to taking over of the entire world. This Conspiracy Theory is usually associated with belief in a One-World Government that seeks to suppress those who oppose its ways. Further, this New World Order will work to usher in a time of unprecedented prosperity, freeing the world from wars, disease, hunger, and poverty …

‘Some have connected the Antichrist and his reign with the New World Order.’ However, while the Antichrist and his rule are clearly noted in Bible prophecy, The New World Order is a ‘Conspiracy Theory’ … Further, the current evidence for a New World Order is lacking. Though global groups such as the United Nations and World Bank do exist, their global authority currently falls far below the claims made in Conspiracy Theories about the New World Order. As a look at daily headlines shows: ‘No government can create global peace or remove all poverty or disease.’”

Having (hopefully) dispensed with that largely American Christian Cultural Myth, we can now move into a more serious conversation of just what Americans, led by the Evangelical Church community, have served up to the coming ‘Canonical,’ New World Order.

TYRANNY. To Summarize: (1) The American Church is undergoing the Great Apostasy prophesied by both Christ and the Apostles in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 and Matthew 24:10-12. (2) The twice elected Donald Trump, the American Antichrist, shall rule the world with an iron fist for seven years beginning on or following soon after January 20, 2025, according to Daniel 7:24-27. (3) The True (Remnant) Church shall not be spared the terrors of the First Five Seal Judgments (Revelation 6:1-11) but shall be ‘Raptured’ before God’s unmitigated Wrath spills forth when Jesus rips open The Sixth Seal (Revelation 6:1-17).

Not all of you will agree with this Eschatological Template, but after over 40 years of study, it is where I have landed and I will not likely change from it at this Hour of World History. With that said, here is DR. PATRICK OBEN’S ANALYSIS, adapted from his recent book, 666: The Mark of the Beast Made Simple (2023; edited).

INTRODUCTION. “With the proper understanding of the Context and Perspective on Revelation, we shift our focus to a world where 666 and the Mark become as commonplace as smartphones today. In this New Order, The Antichrist spearheads a worldwide government, unleashing chaos and destruction on Earth. We’ll first examine the man, then his worldwide empire.”

ANTICHRIST. “The term ‘Antichrist’ appears only four times in the Bible, all by John in his epistles (1 Jn. 2:18, 22; 4:3; 2 Jn. 7), but the concept occurs elsewhere: Beast from the Sea (Rev. 13:1); the Man of Lawlessness (2 Th. 2:3–9); Coming Prince (Daniel 6:26); or Little Horn (Daniel 7:8). The term could mean ‘Against Christ’ or ‘In place of Christ.’”

TYRANT. “The Antichrist will emerge as [Authoritarian] Political Ruler, ascending to power and governing a One-World System. He will have a name symbolically represented by 666 and implement a method to identify his adherents—the Mark of the Beast.”

EMPIRE. “During the Antichrist’s reign, the Mark of the Beast will serve as a government-imposed identification to distinguish those who worship the Antichrist (the Beast). It will be a Global Government ID in a forthcoming New World Order that grants special privileges to those who bear the Mark and imposes severe restrictions on those who don’t.”

BABYLON. “To understand life under this Satanic Ruler, think of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in Babylon when Nebuchadnezzar set up the Golden Image and demanded that the entire world under his control worship it. ‘Babylon will return!’ And it will be even more devastating this time. People will face A CHOICE like no other: ‘Worship the Antichrist for earthly prosperity but eternal doom or worship Christ and face persecution and death.’”

CONCLUSION. I selected Dr. Oben’s article since it bears witness to the Orthodox View of these Last Days Events and serves as a Simplified Introduction to a vast and complex theological literature. A point I shall drive home incessantly is that we must become familiar with this eschatology because we are now living in the very Center of it!

IV. LAST THOUGHTS

The breathtaking Irony of all this is that the American Church used to believe in the greater part of this traditional Biblical Narrative – ‘Until the Rise of Donald Trump.’ JUST ONE MAN has changed the face of the entire National, Political and Spiritual Landscape, and very soon now, the World Economy.

White Christians believe him to be like unto Cyrus the Great, sent by God to arrest and reverse the American Decline. A tiny minority of us, however, The Remnant Christians, believe, oppositely, that Trump issues from Satan himself to destroy not only the American Order, but the entire Global Order as well, as we have just reviewed.

PREPARATION. As I have written before, borrowing from the great Chinese military leader and strategist, SUN TZU: “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained, you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.” – The Art of War, c. 5^th Century BC; edited).

So our first duty is TWOFOLD: (1) Comprehend the Hour in which we now live by the Scriptures, as with the Sons of Issachar,“who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do” – 1 Chronicles 12:32. (2) Know the Enemy, that is both Satan and his Demonic Vicar, Donald John Trump, in all their ways toward these Last Days.

CODA. Beloved, The Reality is that we are come very close indeed to that LAST HOUR described so plaintively by The Apostle “whom Jesus loved” (John 13:23): “Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that theAntichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour.” – 1 JOHN 2:18, NKJV

Get your affairs in proper, Biblical Order, my friends. The Real Work of His Kingdom that you were designed to carry out lies just ahead of us now. ‘Forsaking all other,’ therefore, let us proceed to do what Oswald Chambers so eloquently called us to accomplish in 1924, precisely 100 years ago, even “My Very Utmost for His Highest!”

YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/X6zB-Juv3W0