Last week, media headlines exploded when U.S. President Donald J. Trump allegedly claimed to be the Messiah.
Speaking about continuing trade tensions with China, Mr. Trump spoke to reporters gathered on the White House lawn. “I am the chosen one,” he said with a glance skyward. “Somebody had to do it, so I’m taking on China.”
The comments followed, by a little more than 24 hours, in which a supporter said that many in Israel were calling Mr. Trump “the king of Israel” and “the second coming of God,” thanks to Mr. Trump’s support of the Jewish state and his moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem. Needless to say, those comments didn’t go down well with many of Mr. Trump’s critics—and even a few of his supporters.
“Trump is neither the ‘second coming of God’ nor the ‘Messiah,’” declared evangelical preacher and professed Trump voter Jay Lowder in a Washington Post opinion piece. “In repeating the profane quote, he gave a narcissistic endorsement [to] a well-known conspiracy theorist for his words. Messianic claims are dangerous, because God does not share glory with anyone.”
President Trump a Modern Herod Agrippa?
According to Anthea Butler, a professor of religion at the University of Pennsylvania, “Trump’s declaration, however, of being the Chosen One and his enthusiastic reception of ‘King of Israel’ may end up backfiring on him. For one thing, some Christians would consider using the phrase “the Chosen One” very much like blasphemy. Some evangelicals were dismayed, comparing Trump to Herod Agrippa in Acts chapter 12, who was called God. Herod, of course, accepted that accolade, and it did not end well for him.”
And John Fea, a history professor at Messiah College who often speaks about evangelicals and politics, told Religion News Service the phrase might resonate with some supporters. “The phrase ‘chosen one’ is probably part Christianity, part science fiction, part myth, part fantasy, part Harry Potter,” he told the news agency. “But at the same time, there is embedded within that phrase this idea that God chooses certain people—and evangelicals will believe this—that God chooses certain people for particular moments in time to serve his purposes.”
A number of reporters and other observers recognized that Mr. Trump was being facetious with his “chosen one” comment: Washington Examiner opinion columnist Emily Jashinsky, appearing on Fox News’ Media Buzz program said the media “play a ‘ridiculous game’ of ‘covering [President Trump] in bad faith’ by stretching his words to fit a broader narrative, like accusing him of having a ‘messiah complex’ after his comment on being the ‘chosen one’ to fix trade issues with China.”
The kerfuffle surrounding a presidential retweet and a subsequent offhanded comment show the impact that words from the world’s most important political leader can have. That such attention is paid to whatever a U.S. president says is not surprising: It’s been that way at least since the end of the Second World War, if not earlier. America’s leadership role in the creation of the United Nations, in attempting to contain the spread of communism, and in bringing massive technological innovation to the world in so many areas over the past seven decades would suggest that what this nation’s chief executive says would be listened to, regardless of who that particular president might be.
Messianic Prophecies
The Bible Speaks
In Revelation 13:11, we read about a power that will arise at the end of time: “I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon.”
Many students of Bible prophecy believe that lamb-like “beast” represents the United States. As mentioned, when the U.S. president speaks, his words receive massive attention. So would it be surprising that an end-time U.S. leader would speak “as a dragon”?
Pastor Doug Batchelor has shared insights on what Bible prophecy has to say about the United States, the power of the Roman church, and future events. Noting that “a dramatic change” will take place in majority Protestant America, he said, “It tells us that he spoke as a dragon. American starts as a lamb. (Who’s the Lamb in the Bible? Jesus.) But the USA ends up speaking like a dragon. How does a nation speak? With the laws that it legislates and this week [in 2015], for the first time, the pope addressed our legal leaders, our legislature, our congress, our senators, and they gave him a standing ovation.”
The future of America isn’t tied to what the current president sends out on Twitter or utters in an offhanded comment on the lawn of The White House. Rather, your Bible can tell you exactly what is going to happen, and what role the United States has during the coming, crucial months and years. One of the best ways to learn about this is with our free online Bible Study Guide “The USA in Bible Prophecy.” You’ll learn important truths that aren’t as well known today as you might suspect!
The USA in Bible Prophecy