One of the grave dangers of the church is to say we do not believe as they do, and we agree to disagree, but we all believe in Jesus. When this is said, many false teachers are let off the hook. Sadly, when two groups are disagreeing with each other, usually they are both false teachers promoting false gospels like when John MacArthur spoke against the charismatic movement. Jesus made it clear that there is only one way when He said, John 14:6 “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” But Jesus also said, 15 “If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth.” John 16:12 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.” Because the church has rebelled, God has turned His face from the church and the Spirit of truth no longer guides into all truth and most do and teach as they see fit. Daniel 8:12 “Because of rebellion, the Lord’s people and the daily sacrifice were given over to it. It prospered in everything it did, and truth was thrown to the ground.” God has allowed the abomination that causes desolation and it has decimated the church just as He allowed the Assyrians and Babylonians to destroy Israel and Judah.
There is no way that each group who calls themselves the church, who each have their own very distinct doctrines and theology, can all worship the same Jesus. Paul made that clear when he said, 2 Corinthians 11:3 “I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 4 For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.” Galatians 1:6 “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! 9 As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!” He warned the church this would happen. Acts 20:29 “I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. 31 So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.” Because the church has rebelled, most who call themselves the church are following a different jesus and other gospels, all the while thinking they are following the way, truth and life.
In the last blog we looked at the detestable practices of the church that have caused God to allow the abomination that causes desolation to destroy His church. The problem is most think the path they are on is the right path but the church, no matter what group, is powerless against our enemies. Paul said 1 Corinthians 15:2 “By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.” Most who call themselves the church are following another gospel. This powerlessness continues because the church refuses to turn from its wicked ways. The destruction of the church is very easy to see as the decimated church is front and center these days and every day there is more and more craziness in the name of Jesus taking place, and it is being covered by the news. It is very easy for people to ignore it, but the magnitude of these detestable practices has been highlighted just as covid exposed the powerless church during that global pandemic. At this time in the church, deception and delusion are so strong in the church that they have reached the highest levels of power. As we talked about the other day, there are many detestable practices that have destroyed the church, and these words describe what is happening. 2 Thessalonians 2:9 “The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, 10 and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie 12 and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.”
Today I am going to focus on how many Christians have been deceived into believing that Donald Trump is God’s servant to make America great again. The United States was never great when it came to Christianity. Spirituality / religion maybe, but not Christianity. The constitution says religion not Christianity! Just to be clear, this is not about Republicans verses Democrats because the Democrats were also promoting evil, so much so people would rather vote for Donald Trump than vote for the Democrats. But there has never been anyone like Trump or the false teachers who call themselves Christians that have gathered to worship him. The deception and delusion is off the charts. As we talked about, God has placed Trump in power, but it is not for the reason most people think and that should bring fear to anyone who calls themselves a Christian. God also called the king of Babylon His servant. Jeremiah 25:9 “I will summon all the peoples of the north and my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon,” declares the Lord, “and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants and against all the surrounding nations. I will completely destroy them and make them an object of horror and scorn, and an everlasting ruin.”
Over and over many Christians have been saying that Trump is God’s servant and have even gone so far as to compare him to Jesus. One politician recently said, “I believe that Donald Trump is, uhh, better than sliced bread. I think he’s almost the second coming, in my humble opinion. I think he’s done a fantastic job — he’s got a very difficult job. The pope’s got a tough job — you know, got issues in the church. But Donald Trump has a very, very difficult job, the toughest job in the world.” This kind of nonsense has been said so many times that Trump actually believes he is the Messiah sent to save God’s people. “Following the July 13, 2024, assassination attempt, Donald Trump stated that "God alone" and "God was with me" prevented him from being killed. He stated he was "not supposed to be here" and believed his survival was for a higher purpose.” False teacher Franklin Graham said “I don’t have any doubt that the Lord’s sovereign hand of mercy was on him during the assassination attempt in Pennsylvania. The bullet that cut his ear and just missed his brain by centimeters could have been deadly, if God had not turned his head at that precise moment. I believe God spared his life and brought him to this position as our next president. I think God saved him for a very special job.” It wasn’t confirmed whether it was the whole bullet or just a small fragment.
Just before this last Easter, false teacher Franklin Graham said “you have raised up President Trump. Yes, You’ve raised him up for such a time as this.” At one time Marjorie Taylor Greene said, “The Democrats and the fake news media want to constantly talk about ‘President Trump is a convicted felon’,” she told a crowd that waited in soaring early-summer temperatures. “Well, you want to know something? The man that I worship is also a convicted felon. And he was murdered on a Roman cross.” Now she is receiving death threats because she no longer supports Trump. And many others believe the same, as Christians, both Catholic and Protestant were the main reason Donald Trump was re-elected as President. One person described it by saying, “False prophets are making false messiahs out of tyrants.”
One person wrote, “Today, every standard that could have been used to disqualify Trump has been removed or even inverted.” This basically means that Christians have turned a blind eye to everything about Trump. It really is amazing that Christians, both Protestant and Catholic voted for Trump a second time, in spite of who he is. The list of Trump’s immorality and corruption is extensive and continues to be added to. Even so many say that Trump is a vessel as this person said. “Trump is being used as a vessel of God. Many may not like him. But he is anointed to do what he is doing. Praise be to Jehovah.” What he is doing is destroying the world as we know it and in the process is making he and his family rich. This may appear to be about Trump, but this is really about the fallen church. Jesus warned us not to be deceived by false teachers and we were also warned about savage and ferocious wolves, but the church did not listen. Yes, there are many who do not believe the Christians nationalist and Zionists views, but they also follow other gospels and are just as guilty. Just the sheer numbers of people who do believe all this nonsense shows just how much the church has been deluded and deceived.
Since before Easter, the craziness coming from Trump seems like it cannot be topped, but as each week goes by, it is. What is even crazier is the support Trump receives from Christians. Think about the statement, “False prophets / teachers are making false messiahs out of tyrants.” Trumps gift is knowing how to manipulate gullible people. Sadly, it appears many Christians are extremely gullible. Trump has been surrounded by false teachers basically comparing him to Jesus. Trump has this narcissistic desire to be a god. In 2016, Trump had a mini feud with Pope Francis, but backed off. After Pope Francis died on the Easter Monday April 21, 2025, Trump said maybe he should be the one to replace Pope. A New York Times article dated May 2, 2025, said, “Pope Francis died a few days before on Easter Monday. “President Trump on Tuesday had a ready answer when reporters asked who he would like to see become the next supreme pontiff. “I’d like to be pope,” he joked to reporters at the White House. “That would be my number one choice.” “But some conservative Republicans have been playing along with the president’s joke this week. Among them was Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. “I was excited to hear that President Trump is open to the idea of being the next Pope,” he said Tuesday in a post on X “The first Pope-U.S. President combination has many upsides,” he added. “Watching for white smoke … Trump MMXXVIII!” Trump posted an AI image of him as Pope on May 2, 2025, and it was on the Whitehouse X account.
So why does this matter that Trump thinks he could be Pope? In Catholicism, it matters a lot when talking about the Pope. One Catholic writer said, “In this passage, from St. Matthew’s Gospel, St Peter is promised primacy over the whole Church, a primacy which Jesus will confer on him after His resurrection, as we learn in the Gospel of St John. This supreme authority is given to Peter for the benefit of the Church as a whole. Because the Church has to last until the end of time, this authority will be passed on to Peter’s successors down through history. The Bishop of Rome, the Pope, is the successor of Peter the apostle.” Trump craves supreme authority. On a sidenote, at this time this is not about the false teaching of Catholicism and how they distorted Matthew 16, this has to do with Trump’s desire to be God. 2 Thessalonians 2:4 “He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.” Another Catholic writer talked about Papal Primacy – “It should now be obvious that the pope of the Roman Catholic Church has authority over all men from highest to lowest, an authority recognized and therefore most commonly exercised within the Church itself. The other bishops, who participate in the apostolic succession, must nonetheless act collegially with the pope in administering their dioceses if they are to be sure of being on the right course. Popes alone, like Peter, have the plenitudo potestatis — the fullness of power represented by the keys. Each pope is therefore not only a passive foundation, but an active constructor of the Church by virtue of his grace-giving power, assurance of faith and binding jurisdiction. The papacy is thus absolutely essential to the Church, for under papal guidance the Christian man or woman progressively attains to his or her true end-the perfection of holiness and the unrestricted life of the children of God.” Trump wants this fulness of power and basically even wants to be greater than the Pope and be the Messiah.
Trump seems to have issue with Easter. At the Whitehouse Easter luncheon, we saw Christian leaders worship Trump and the whole focus was on Trump, not Jesus. Trump’s April 5th Easter Sunday message was “Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!!” Trump posted on Truth Social Sunday morning. “Open the F….n’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah.” That was on Easter morning and talked about Biden using an auto pen to the kids during an Easter egg roll. On April 7th Trump then, “warned that "a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again" if Iran did not meet his deadline to open the Strait of Hormuz.” Then Trump starts a feud with Pope Leo and lies about the Popes views on the war. He also ridicules Pope Leo. Pope Leo responds, “I will not shy away from announcing the message of the Gospel, of inviting all people to look for ways of building bridges for peace and reconciliation, of looking for ways to avoid war anytime that's possible. To put my message on the same plane as what the president has attempted to do here, I think is ... not understanding what the message of the Gospel is, and I'm sorry to hear that. "But I will continue on with what I believe is the mission of the church in the world." He also said, "I have no fear of the Trump administration, or speaking out loudly of the message of the Gospel, which is what I believe I am here to do, what the church is here to do. We are not politicians, we don't deal with foreign policy with the same perspective he might understand it, but I do believe in the message of the Gospel, as a peacemaker."
Then Donald Trump reveals his desire not just to be the Pope, but Jesus. Trump posts an AI picture of him as Jesus. Even though this unexpectantly backfired, I think much to his shock as he has been told over and over that he is the Messiah, he took it down, but he still believes what he posted. He then lies to his followers and says that he was a doctor and yes, his followers believed him. Graham comes to his defense and says, “I do not believe President Trump would knowingly depict himself as Jesus Christ—that would certainly be inappropriate,” Franklin Graham wrote in a lengthy X post on Thursday. “I’m thankful the President has made it very clear that this was not at all what he thought the AI-generated image was representing—he thought it was a doctor helping someone, and when he learned of the concerns, he immediately removed the post.” Can a person really be that naive. Obviously yes, they can be deceived and deluded. The problem is there are many like Graham who are leading the church astray. Even though Trump took down the image he immediately tried to fix his mistake with another AI image, that Christians should have also been upset about. He showed an image of Jesus with His arms around Trump with this caption. “Trump’s repost added the caption: “The Radical Left Lunatics might not like this, but I think it is quite nice!!!” “The original post had the caption: “I was never a very religious man .. but doesn’t it seem, with all these satanic, demonic, child sacrificing monsters being exposed ... that God might be playing his Trump card!” The picture may look like Jesus, but this is not Jesus who has his arms around Trump.
Donald Trump has no idea what the bible even says, let alone what the Gospel is. In his feud with Pope Leo Trump says "I’m all about the Gospel. I’m about it as much as anybody can be," while also asserting that he has done more for Christianity and religion than any other president. Franklin Graham also said, “He is the most pro-Christian, pro-life president in my lifetime and he doesn’t shy away from it.” One couple who went to a nearby mountaintop prayed for Trump at a recent Phoenix event. “We were praying and claiming this land for the Lord’s purpose,” Of Mr. Trump, she said: “He was anointed by the Lord.” The event was with his most ardent supporters who are supposedly Christians.
The reason I wanted to write about this today was the bible reading that is taking place this week. “The White House issued a statement on Friday praising the event, America Reads the Bible, as an occasion to “honor Holy Scripture, renew our faith, usher in a historic resurgence of religion on American shores, and rededicate the United States as one Nation under God.” “President Donald Trump and many of his leading Christian supporters and top Republicans are taking part this week in a marathon reading of the Bible in an America 250-themed event billed as encouraging a “return to the spiritual foundation that has shaped our country.” The America Reads the Bible event is slated to feature a video of Trump on Tuesday evening reading a passage (2 Chronicles 7:) that called for national repentance in ancient Israel — words that have been used prominently for decades by those promoting the belief that America has been and should be a Christian nation.” “The 2 Chronicles 7:14 passage has for decades been a major theme at annual National Day of Prayer events and that organizers invited Trump to read from it. “It’s a powerful statement that he decided to read that passage.” One person said “that Trump’s participation sends a broader message about faith in American life. “I think he’s sending a message that faith matters in this country, and that it’s important not only personally, but for our nation overall,” “In recent decades, the verse has become the subject of songs, prayers and sermons that interpret it as a promise with direct political implications for the contemporary United States. For example, at the Capitol attack on Jan. 6, 2021, the founder of a group called Cowboys for Trump prayed the passage through a bullhorn over the crowd, which chanted “Fight for Trump!” in response.”
I watched Trump read the passage and that was hard to stomach. This is a powerful passage and though it was pre-taped, actually repenting would have been appropriate. This was bizarre especially after a week of speaking out against the pope and posting an AI image of himself as Jesus. Listening to him read this powerful passage was pathetic. It made me think of a few verses. We are told Isaiah 55:10 “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, 11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” This also means when people hear the words, they are accountable to do as it says. When the people came to Jeremiah to ask for God’s blessing, Jeremiah said, Jeremiah 42:19 “Remnant of Judah, the Lord has told you, ‘Do not go to Egypt.’ Be sure of this: I warn you today 20 that you made a fatal mistake when you sent me to the Lord your God and said, ‘Pray to the Lord our God for us; tell us everything he says and we will do it.’ 21 I have told you today, but you still have not obeyed the Lord your God in all he sent me to tell you. 22 So now, be sure of this: You will die by the sword, famine and plague in the place where you want to go to settle.” James 1:22 “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.” Luke 6:46 “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? 47 As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. 48 They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. 49 But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.” Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” Mark 7:6 “He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: “‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. 7 They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’ 8 You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.”
On the surface reading the bible sounds great but many who read were false teachers and some who read lie as much as Trump does. “Critics say the event has a highly partisan list of participants and is part of a larger project to connect America’s upcoming 250th birthday with a Christian nationalist vision that portrays the nation’s founding as essentially Christian, something many historians dispute. White Christians, particularly evangelicals, have been crucial to Trump’s electoral base. The list of participants — which overwhelmingly includes Republican politicians and Christian supporters of Trump — shows it to be “very much a right-wing MAGA, Christian nationalist effort,” said the author of “The Bible According to Christian Nationalists: Exploiting Scripture for Political Power,” referring to Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement.” Another said, “You cannot quote the Bible while justifying violence, war and exclusion.”
Readers include Pete Hegseth who had prayed, “Let every round find its mark against the enemies of righteousness and our great nation,” “Give them wisdom in every decision, endurance for the trial ahead, unbreakable unity, and overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy.” I am not sure what bible he would be reading from. “Hegseth frequently invokes his evangelical faith as head of the armed forces, depicting a Christian nation trying to vanquish its foes with military might. “I pursued my enemies and overtook them, and did not turn back till they were consumed,” he read from the Psalms on Wednesday.” He recently read from a violent movie as if it was from the bible. He doesn’t seem to be aware that the battle is not against flesh and blood. Ephesians 6:11 “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” None of them seem to understand that this is not a war against Islam or between political parties.
In 2016, false teacher Anne Graham Lotz quotes,” 1 Chronicles 14:2 “And David knew that the Lord had established him as king over Israel and that his kingdom had been highly exalted for the sake of his people Israel.” And then said, “God has established Mr. Trump as the 45th President of the United States…for the sake of the American people. God has kept the first part of His promise in 2 Chronicles 7:14…If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, forgive their sin and will heal their land.” They also believe that Trump was elected for a second time for the sake of the American people.
This verse from 2 Chronicles 7 is a powerful verse, but often a crucial part of it is either left out or not paid attention to. This part is why people need to repent and call on the name of God. God said, 2 Chronicles 7:13 “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, 14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. 16 I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.” There is plague and locusts and no rain because people rebelled against the word of the Lord. 2 Chronicles 7:19 “But if you turn away and forsake the decrees and commands I have given you and go off to serve other gods and worship them, 20 then I will uproot Israel from my land, which I have given them, and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. I will make it a byword and an object of ridicule among all peoples. 21 This temple will become a heap of rubble. All who pass by will be appalled and say, ‘Why has the Lord done such a thing to this land and to this temple?’ 22 People will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who brought them out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them—that is why he brought all this disaster on them.’”
Solomon himself turned away from God to follow other gods and did horrendous things while bowing to the gods of his many wives. 1 Kings 11:4 “As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been. 5 He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites. 6 So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the Lord; he did not follow the Lord completely, as David his father had done. 7 On a hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the detestable god of Moab, and for Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites. 8 He did the same for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and offered sacrifices to their gods. 9 The Lord became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice. 10 Although he had forbidden Solomon to follow other gods, Solomon did not keep the Lord’s command. 11 So the Lord said to Solomon, “Since this is your attitude and you have not kept my covenant and my decrees, which I commanded you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates. 12 Nevertheless, for the sake of David your father, I will not do it during your lifetime. I will tear it out of the hand of your son. 13 Yet I will not tear the whole kingdom from him, but will give him one tribe for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen.” In the end the temple became a heap of rubble and God’s people were removed from the land of promise.
After Solomon, there was Israel and Judah. The first to fall was Israel. 2 Kings 17:5 “The king of Assyria invaded the entire land, marched against Samaria and laid siege to it for three years. 6 In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and deported the Israelites to Assyria. He settled them in Halah, in Gozan on the Habor River and in the towns of the Medes. 7 All this took place because the Israelites had sinned against the Lord their God, who had brought them up out of Egypt from under the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. They worshiped other gods 8 and followed the practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before them, as well as the practices that the kings of Israel had introduced. 9 The Israelites secretly did things against the Lord their God that were not right. From watchtower to fortified city they built themselves high places in all their towns. 10 They set up sacred stones and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every spreading tree. 11 At every high place they burned incense, as the nations whom the Lord had driven out before them had done. They did wicked things that aroused the Lord’s anger. 12 They worshiped idols, though the Lord had said, “You shall not do this.” 13 The Lord warned Israel and Judah through all his prophets and seers: “Turn from your evil ways. Observe my commands and decrees, in accordance with the entire Law that I commanded your ancestors to obey and that I delivered to you through my servants the prophets.” 14 But they would not listen and were as stiff-necked as their ancestors, who did not trust in the Lord their God. 15 They rejected his decrees and the covenant he had made with their ancestors and the statutes he had warned them to keep. They followed worthless idols and themselves became worthless. They imitated the nations around them although the Lord had ordered them, “Do not do as they do.” 16 They forsook all the commands of the Lord their God and made for themselves two idols cast in the shape of calves, and an Asherah pole. They bowed down to all the starry hosts, and they worshiped Baal. 17 They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire. They practiced divination and sought omens and sold themselves to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, arousing his anger. 18 So the Lord was very angry with Israel and removed them from his presence. Only the tribe of Judah was left, 19 and even Judah did not keep the commands of the Lord their God. They followed the practices Israel had introduced. 20 Therefore the Lord rejected all the people of Israel; he afflicted them and gave them into the hands of plunderers, until he thrust them from his presence.”
Then the same happened to Judah. 2 Chronicles 36:15 “The Lord, the God of their ancestors, sent word to them through his messengers again and again, because he had pity on his people and on his dwelling place. 16 But they mocked God’s messengers, despised his words and scoffed at his prophets until the wrath of the Lord was aroused against his people and there was no remedy. 17 He brought up against them the king of the Babylonians, who killed their young men with the sword in the sanctuary, and did not spare young men or young women, the elderly or the infirm. God gave them all into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar. 18 He carried to Babylon all the articles from the temple of God, both large and small, and the treasures of the Lord’s temple and the treasures of the king and his officials. 19 They set fire to God’s temple and broke down the wall of Jerusalem; they burned all the palaces and destroyed everything of value there. 20 He carried into exile to Babylon the remnant, who escaped from the sword, and they became servants to him and his successors until the kingdom of Persia came to power. 21 The land enjoyed its sabbath rests; all the time of its desolation it rested, until the seventy years were completed in fulfillment of the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah.”
All this took place just as God’s servants had warned. Even after the Babylonians attacked, some of the remnant still refused to listen to Jeremiah and went to Egypt even though God said not to. Jeremiah 44:1 “This word came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews living in Lower Egypt—in Migdol, Tahpanhes and Memphis—and in Upper Egypt: 2 “This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You saw the great disaster I brought on Jerusalem and on all the towns of Judah. Today they lie deserted and in ruins 3 because of the evil they have done. They aroused my anger by burning incense to and worshiping other gods that neither they nor you nor your ancestors ever knew. 4 Again and again I sent my servants the prophets, who said, ‘Do not do this detestable thing that I hate!’ 5 But they did not listen or pay attention; they did not turn from their wickedness or stop burning incense to other gods. 6 Therefore, my fierce anger was poured out; it raged against the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem and made them the desolate ruins they are today. 7 “Now this is what the Lord God Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Why bring such great disaster on yourselves by cutting off from Judah the men and women, the children and infants, and so leave yourselves without a remnant? 8 Why arouse my anger with what your hands have made, burning incense to other gods in Egypt, where you have come to live? You will destroy yourselves and make yourselves a curse and an object of reproach among all the nations on earth. 9 Have you forgotten the wickedness committed by your ancestors and by the kings and queens of Judah and the wickedness committed by you and your wives in the land of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem? 10 To this day they have not humbled themselves or shown reverence, nor have they followed my law and the decrees I set before you and your ancestors. 11 “Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I am determined to bring disaster on you and to destroy all Judah. 12 I will take away the remnant of Judah who were determined to go to Egypt to settle there. They will all perish in Egypt; they will fall by the sword or die from famine. From the least to the greatest, they will die by sword or famine. They will become a curse and an object of horror, a curse and an object of reproach. 13 I will punish those who live in Egypt with the sword, famine and plague, as I punished Jerusalem. 14 None of the remnant of Judah who have gone to live in Egypt will escape or survive to return to the land of Judah, to which they long to return and live; none will return except a few fugitives. 28 Those who escape the sword and return to the land of Judah from Egypt will be very few. Then the whole remnant of Judah who came to live in Egypt will know whose word will stand—mine or theirs.”
As it turns out Jeremiah’s words were true. Jeremiah 25:7 “But you did not listen to me,” declares the Lord, “and you have aroused my anger with what your hands have made, and you have brought harm to yourselves.” 8 Therefore the Lord Almighty says this: “Because you have not listened to my words, 9 I will summon all the peoples of the north and my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon,” declares the Lord, “and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants and against all the surrounding nations. I will completely destroy them and make them an object of horror and scorn, and an everlasting ruin. 10 I will banish from them the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom, the sound of millstones and the light of the lamp. 11 This whole country will become a desolate wasteland, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years.”
What we are seeing with Donald Trump and those who believe he is God’s servant for good is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the deception and desolation of the church. False teachers and other gospels are everywhere in the church and have many followers. They will say that group is wrong, yet they also teach a different jesus and other gospels. I was just listening to someone talking about the dangers of Christian Nationalism and the next thing I knew this guy was talking about the apostle Paul hijacking the gospel and creating his own gospel, therefore all the letters Paul wrote is corrupt. He spoke as if what he was saying was completely true. Peter describes this guy when he said 2 Peter 3:14 “So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. 15 Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. 16 He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.” I turned him off. Another person was talking about the verse Trump is reading and said 2 Chronicles 7 only applied to then and not today. Another sounded sound for a moment and then started talking about conspiracy theories and on and on it goes. As I said before, be very careful who you listen to.
These distortions are happening throughout the church. Jeremiah 5:30 “A horrible and shocking thing has happened in the land: 31 The prophets prophesy lies, the priests rule by their own authority, and my people love it this way. But what will you do in the end?” It really is unbelievable what is being taught in the church and how far the church is from the gospel that we see in scripture and most are not ready to stand before God. Today the church looks nothing like the Gospels and Acts and the lack of power and authority in the church proves it. This power is not the power that Christian Nationalists have presently with their military might, but the power to heal, and cast out demons as Jesus did. When you look at scripture you see severe famines that took place and they were devastating. When Jesus Luke 4:14 “returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. 15 He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him. 22 All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked. 23 Jesus said to them, “Surely you will quote this proverb to me: ‘Physician, heal yourself!’ And you will tell me, ‘Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.’” 24 “Truly I tell you,” he continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown. 25 I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. 26 Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. 27 And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.” 28 All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. 29 They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff. 30 But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.”
Today there is a severe famine and people are still offended and really do not want Jesus in their presence because His words still offend to this day. These days of famine Amos talks about are already here. Amos 8:11 “The days are coming,” declares the Sovereign Lord, “when I will send a famine through the land— not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord. 12 People will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the Lord, but they will not find it.” Even though famines were severe, God would provide a way out if His people listened. Jeremiah 38:17 “Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “This is what the Lord God Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, your life will be spared and this city will not be burned down; you and your family will live. 18 But if you will not surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, this city will be given into the hands of the Babylonians and they will burn it down; you yourself will not escape from them.’” We were told that the people refused to listen to Jeremiah. Jeremiah 37:2 “Neither he nor his attendants nor the people of the land paid any attention to the words the Lord had spoken through Jeremiah the prophet.” At the end, Zedekiah refused to listen. Jeremiah 39:1 “In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his whole army and laid siege to it. 2 And on the ninth day of the fourth month of Zedekiah’s eleventh year, the city wall was broken through. 3 Then all the officials of the king of Babylon came and took seats in the Middle Gate: Nergal-Sharezer of Samgar, Nebo-Sarsekim a chief officer, Nergal-Sharezer a high official and all the other officials of the king of Babylon. 4 When Zedekiah king of Judah and all the soldiers saw them, they fled; they left the city at night by way of the king’s garden, through the gate between the two walls, and headed toward the Arabah. 5 But the Babylonian army pursued them and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho. They captured him and took him to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, where he pronounced sentence on him. 6 There at Riblah the king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes and also killed all the nobles of Judah. 7 Then he put out Zedekiah’s eyes and bound him with bronze shackles to take him to Babylon. 8 The Babylonians set fire to the royal palace and the houses of the people and broke down the walls of Jerusalem.”
God said He would provide a way, but they did not listen. Today the assault on the church is far worse than the Babylonians. Jesus said the abomination that cause desolation would be so severe that Matthew 24:22 “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. 23 At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you ahead of time.” Millions are dying without ever knowing the true Gospel, all the while thinking they are going to hear well done my good and faithful servant, but instead will hear Matthew 25:41 “depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” The way out of this is repent and turn from wicked ways just as we are told in Chronicles. The temple, the church, is a heap of rubble just as God said it would be. Jesus not only talked about the destruction of the second temple but also the third. Matthew 24:1 “Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. 2 “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.” 3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” 4 Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many.” The destruction would come by deception. 2 Thessalonians 2:4 “He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.” Jesus said, Mark 1:15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” Peter said, Acts 2:38 “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” 40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” 41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.” Today’s church is corrupt.
Can you imagine after reading 2 Chronicles 7, someone like Donald Trump confessing his wicked ways and submitting himself before God and then leading his country in true repentance? At this point proclaiming himself to be the son of God and all the corruption that surrounds him and then reading a passage from scripture about turning from wicked ways is hard to comprehend but still possible. One of the worst kings of Judah was king Manasseh. 2 Chronicles 33:9 “Manasseh led Judah and the people of Jerusalem astray, so that they did more evil than the nations the Lord had destroyed before the Israelites. 10 The Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they paid no attention. 11 So the Lord brought against them the army commanders of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh prisoner, put a hook in his nose, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon. 12 In his distress he sought the favor of the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his ancestors. 13 And when he prayed to him, the Lord was moved by his entreaty and listened to his plea; so he brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord is God.”
We also saw this with king Nebuchadnezzar and he wasn’t even a king in Israel or Judah but the very king God used to destroy His people. Daniel interprets the vision the king had. Daniel 4:19 “Belteshazzar (Daniel) answered, “My lord, if only the dream applied to your enemies and its meaning to your adversaries! 20 The tree you saw, which grew large and strong, with its top touching the sky, visible to the whole earth, 21 with beautiful leaves and abundant fruit, providing food for all, giving shelter to the wild animals, and having nesting places in its branches for the birds— 22 Your Majesty, you are that tree! You have become great and strong; your greatness has grown until it reaches the sky, and your dominion extends to distant parts of the earth. 23 “Your Majesty saw a holy one, a messenger, coming down from heaven and saying, ‘Cut down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump, bound with iron and bronze, in the grass of the field, while its roots remain in the ground. Let him be drenched with the dew of heaven; let him live with the wild animals, until seven times pass by for him.’ 24 “This is the interpretation, Your Majesty, and this is the decree the Most High has issued against my lord the king: 25 You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like the ox and be drenched with the dew of heaven. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone he wishes. 26 The command to leave the stump of the tree with its roots means that your kingdom will be restored to you when you acknowledge that Heaven rules. 27 Therefore, Your Majesty, be pleased to accept my advice: Renounce your sins by doing what is right, and your wickedness by being kind to the oppressed. It may be that then your prosperity will continue.” Nebuchadnezzar waited the full time but then submitted before God. Daniel 4:34 “At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified him who lives forever. His dominion is an eternal dominion; his kingdom endures from generation to generation. 35 All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: “What have you done?” 36 At the same time that my sanity was restored, my honor and splendor were returned to me for the glory of my kingdom. My advisers and nobles sought me out, and I was restored to my throne and became even greater than before. 37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble.”
Nebuchadnezzar’s son who became king did not submit. Daniel 5:1 “King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for a thousand of his nobles and drank wine with them. 2 While Belshazzar was drinking his wine, he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver goblets that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines might drink from them. 3 So they brought in the gold goblets that had been taken from the temple of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines drank from them. 4 As they drank the wine, they praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone. 5 Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. The king watched the hand as it wrote. 6 His face turned pale and he was so frightened that his legs became weak and his knees were knocking.” After no one could figure it out, they called for Daniel. 18 “Your Majesty, the Most High God gave your father Nebuchadnezzar sovereignty and greatness and glory and splendor. 19 Because of the high position he gave him, all the nations and peoples of every language dreaded and feared him. Those the king wanted to put to death, he put to death; those he wanted to spare, he spared; those he wanted to promote, he promoted; and those he wanted to humble, he humbled. 20 But when his heart became arrogant and hardened with pride, he was deposed from his royal throne and stripped of his glory. 21 He was driven away from people and given the mind of an animal; he lived with the wild donkeys and ate grass like the ox; and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven, until he acknowledged that the Most High God is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and sets over them anyone he wishes. 22 “But you, Belshazzar, his son, have not humbled yourself, though you knew all this. 23 Instead, you have set yourself up against the Lord of heaven. You had the goblets from his temple brought to you, and you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines drank wine from them. You praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or understand. But you did not honor the God who holds in his hand your life and all your ways. 24 Therefore he sent the hand that wrote the inscription. 25 “This is the inscription that was written: mene, mene, tekel, parsin 26 “Here is what these words mean: Mene: God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end. 27 Tekel: You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting. 28 Peres: Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.” 29 Then at Belshazzar’s command, Daniel was clothed in purple, a gold chain was placed around his neck, and he was proclaimed the third highest ruler in the kingdom. 30 That very night Belshazzar, king of the Babylonians, was slain, 31 and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom, at the age of sixty-two.”
Even though Belshazzar knew what had happened to his father, he refused to humble himself before God. The same happened with Judah’s king Josiah. His sons refused to humble themselves before God and in the end, most were killed, but some like Daniel were taken into captivity. The writing is on the wall for the church and it is not good but there is hope. Turning from wicked ways means to humble ourselves and return to God’s word. This means we turn away from the powerless words of man about God’s word. Most who read 2 Chronicles 7 want other people to listen and repent but each of us must repent and turn from wicked ways. Sadly, many will not. Jeremiah 5:3 “Lord, do not your eyes look for truth? You struck them, but they felt no pain; you crushed them, but they refused correction. They made their faces harder than stone and refused to repent.” Revelation 16:9 “They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him. 11 and cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they refused to repent of what they had done.” Don’t be those people.
There is only one gospel and 1 Corinthians 15:2 “By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.” Today the church has believed in vain because the church has rejected truth and accepted the words of false teachers instead. Obviously if you are still breathing, take to heart these words but remember God is looking at your heart not your lips. 2 Chronicles 6:36 “When they sin against you—for there is no one who does not sin—and you become angry with them and give them over to the enemy, who takes them captive to a land far away or near; 37 and if they have a change of heart in the land where they are held captive, and repent and plead with you in the land of their captivity and say, ‘We have sinned, we have done wrong and acted wickedly’; 38 and if they turn back to you with all their heart and soul in the land of their captivity where they were taken, and pray toward the land you gave their ancestors, toward the city you have chosen and toward the temple I have built for your Name; 39 then from heaven, your dwelling place, hear their prayer and their pleas, and uphold their cause. And forgive your people, who have sinned against you.” 2 Chronicles 7:13 “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, 14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. 16 I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.” Jeremiah 29:10 “This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.” Zechariah 1:3 “Therefore tell the people: This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Return to me,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the Lord Almighty.”
