WARNING: This post contains my spiritual perspective on both religion and politics.
Ironically, I just ran into a ‘prophetic’ post, something about the stars; which is the sort of thing that often gets the church off of track with what is actually happening in the Spirit: ‘Thus saith the Lord, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.’ (Jeremiah 10:2) But I digress, I am going to share some things I believe I had prophetically received from the Lord some years back – I had actually started this post some time ago, but feel like it is appropriate to share it now:
When Obama became president I was still on what I could define as a ‘Prophetic Odyssey;’ the Lord had been teaching me of, and through the Spirit of prophecy. I was at the time frequently having prophetic dreams (see also post seven dreams fulfilled for some testimonial understanding of what I mean).
I recall a number of Christians declaring that he [Obama] was the antichrist. While I don’t tend to be taken by rhetoric, and did not put stock in the concept, the fact that many evangelical Christians had taken that stand, and such rhetoric was being spoken from pulpits even as ‘prophetic revelation,’ I set myself to seek the Lord for understanding on that particular question. Was there merit to the things being said? and if so: to what degree? Regardles of my assessment that the evangelical church was merely caught up on a popular trend of appocolyptic thought, I was concerned about his presidency. (This lends to the commencement of an important lesson I’ve learned about religion and polotics: much like the old American atache’ of Manifest Destiny, there often develops a pseudo-spiritual fervor in the church on certain political principals; these factionalize us to certain worldy (rather than spiritual, or biblical doctrines (again, ‘Manifest Destiny’ is a good example.))
I sought the Lord regarding an answer to the question: ‘Is Obama [the] antichrist?’ The direct and short answer I felt I recieved as I prayed was an answer to the present Evangelical paradigm: “No,” of course Obama is not the Anti-christ. However, He did not stop answering the question with the answer to the common assumptive evangelical position. (When the Sanhedrin enquired of John the Baptist whether he was the coming Elijah, he replied to them according to their misunderstanding – for they thought Elijah the man would return from heaven – and replied that he was not, though both Christ, and the angel Gabriel testified that John was indeed the Elijah who was to come.)
Shortly after praying on it, I had a dream; in the dream I saw the events leading up to Obama’s election and the democratic celebration party. Then came events which I’ll not here describe, but which I can only hope were already fulfilled in the rise and destruction caused by ISIS (although I am skeptical of that – the dream seemed to be of America’s future, and the later events seemed to be sometime after (and as an eventual result of) Obama’s presidency. Long story short, the meaning I derived from the dream was that while Obama is not the Antichrist in the way that American evangelicals were at the time percieving it, he was indeed AN antichrist (…even now here are many antichrists, whereby we know it is the last time. –1 John 2:18), and that his presidency would likely have terrible unforseen consequences.
The Obama administration was horrible for Christians. On the testimony of many missionaries, it was horrible for the persecuted church (Bob Fu, for example, points out that the Obama administration stopped assistance toward ministries which helped persecuted believers in other nations in preference to strictly secular humanitarian aid projects); his administration saw clear and direct attacks against morality up to partial birth abortions (not to mention the elevation of transgenderism to an issue of civil rights, etc.); and a number of other elements which kicked hornets nests of social unrest to a degree which arguably worse than the unrest of the late 1960s. And if the dream I had foretells events that are still in the future (as seemed to be the indication), we’ve only seen the seeds planted and not the full fruit of the tree. Declaring Obama the Antichrist was hyperbole, which incited fear and distrust without getting to the heart of the matter, without actually finding the mind of God – and which fortified political faction in many Christian circles.
I had had this realization well prior to the 2nd election of Obama; for the second round Obama ran against Mitt Romney: a devout Mormon. Not to go into the political specifics, I again prayed and sought the lord concerning the election, and my voting role as an American citizen.
I realized that Romney’s election would surely be an immense boon to the Mormon church; not only would preference be given politically to the Mormon church by the administration, but also on the spiritual side, Mormon evangelistic efforts would be the more weighty throughout he United States should Romney be elected (no doubt but that the church, itself, would use the fact that the president was mormon to their advantage). With a Mormon president, Mormonism would become more normalized in the United States.
For his reason, the Romney/Obama elections presented me with a far greater moral conundrum of how to vote than perhaps any other election cycle I’ve participated in.
I realized that our election was between two antichrists. The one had proven himself a socialist (and had not yet so fully attacked morality as he would do in the next term in office) but the other was politically conservative. It was at this election that I had to pray intently, again; while I could see the trainwreck of the Obama administration, I also percieved that voting in a member of one of the largest cults in the world would have unforseen results. Again, I sought God intently, until I believe I heard a response, again in the form of a dream: I saw Christians coming together in a Christian church and participating with Mormons in communion – the Mormon form of communion where water, rather than wine, or unfermented grape juice is used.
I percieved that by the gate of political collaboration, Christians would become yoked together with Mormons. This would be by degrees, most would staunchly profess dissagreement with Mormonism yet their testimony through support of a devout Mormon would cause less mature believers to stray. The imagery of Christians celebrating communion (covenantal) with Mormons clearly implied a degree of covenental agreement with them.
In this way, the Church (by and large) was choosing to side with one antichrist over-against another on the basis of political allaignment and preference. This political compromise had spiritual rammifications, and was far more dangerous than Christians realized, but the Obama administration was so bad that Christians saw it as a necessity.
I felt at the time, and I believe now that America was at a crossroads in that election. the clear prophetic sense I got was that if we went with Obama, there would be a direct attack on morality which woukd cause social unrest and a quick rise in violent and legal persecution of Christians (which has happened), and lead us down the faster road to chaos. If we went with Romney I felt we may avert the swift unrest, violence and chaos for a time but the compromise, itself, would be a moral devastation leading to a slow burn decline.
I typically try not to be political, and I don’t hope to sway anyone to join any party, but the party of Jesus Christ. As a citizen of the kingdom of heaven (and a citizen there, before anyplace else) my first concern is for the spreading of the Gospel, that many might be saved. My second primary concern is for the Church, that she may be powerful and effective in spreading the Gospel; I would like her to be able to do it without over much hardship and persecution, but the spreading of the Gospel is the priority above our temporal safety. For God has set up a Kingdom which shall never be destroyed. And hat kingdom shall, and even as we speak IS filling the whole world. It is the Kingdom of the redeemed of men which Christ Jesus established in the shedding of His blood on the cross to purchase our independance from the kingdoms of man, and of Satan.
The Antichrist’s name, and the number of his name is man (Revelation 13:18), and when we are in full submission to man and his institutions, we will be under the mark of man, and his number. Why do the atheist governments institute the worship of state? These already worship the institutions of man above the governance of God.
I recently was out for a walk wearing a Tee shirt that says ‘Jesus Saves,’ an older lady stopped me and said: “That’s great, I’ve got a hat that says: ‘Jesus is my Lord, and Trump is my president’.” I cringe – not because I’m politically agaist Trump, but because why are we praising a man in the same breath with which we are praising Christ? Will our devotion to Trump win converts, or help to drive away those we may otherwise witness to?
According to scripture, factions are evidence of carnality (1 Cor. 3:3). Many Christians seem to be putting their hope in a political party, or figure, and have come to see this as God’s salvation, or deliverance. There certainly is a significant difference between a political system (or person) which supports he Church and godly morality, and one which opposes the Church and godly morality. But our hope is not found in man, or the institutions of man. Don’t get me wrong, by all means vote your conscience, and support right principles as you are led, but be wary that our associations with with earthly governances quickly become factional loyalty which is opposed to the Kingdom of God. Our hope is ever, and can only be in Jesus Christ.
The political sphere forces us to choose between the lesser of two evils – insofar as we can percieve it. Should we be forced to choose between two antichrists? This is the world’s system. Friendship with the world is enmity toward God. God’s ultimate will is not found in the political; His kingdom is not of this world. Many Christians seem to see a godly theocratic government as ideal, but the Truth is: some political regimes are friendly to the Church, and some are not. Under some the church recieves greater persecuation, under others less. In no case can we look to he kingdoms or governments of this world for hope, for salvation. In Christ, alone, my hope is found.
The Church needs its every individual to engage in personal fellowship with Christ, recieve His orders and directives, and be not swayed by loyalties to men.
The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is everyone that is born of the Spirit. (John 3:8)
Be led out of the place of fellowship with the Spirit of God, having your firm foundation on the Gospel of Truth, and so be kept in the hollow of His hand. (Psalm 91)
Not by way of advertisement, but for the further instruction on what I mean here, see also my book linked below, may God bless and keep you as the apple of His eye!
Pnuematic Rain 