Trump on par with God?

This is a long one, with lots of Bible references. I put a summary section at the end, if you want to jump to it.

I’ve been sitting on this for a couple weeks now, trying to be careful not to jump on something without it being verifiable. By now, many have already heard about televangelist Paula White’s statement that "to say 'no' to Trump is to say 'no' to God."

Before I go further, I’m gonna throw out some caveats and try to explain from a Christian’s perspective why something like that would ever be said:

(1) there are scripture passages about believers submitting to authority as if unto God. This is not a brand new concept. (Romans 13:1, see also below in orange text.)

(2) there are examples in scripture of people withholding vengeance upon a leader simply because that person was understood to be hand-picked by God (e.g., David not taking out Saul when he had a chance, and frankly the fair opportunity.)

Now, I know these scriptures well. Some of the reactions on social media to our stance regarding resisting djt have been connected to those 2 caveats, without them being referenced. I have dismissed those as not being sufficient for me to change my position. Here's why.

In SEVERAL places in the Bible, there are warnings to people that there are:

(1) “Wolves in sheep’s clothing” (Matthew 7:15-23, said by Jesus) who will lead God’s people astray. Jesus said that you’ll know them based on their “fruits” (what they produce).

(2) "False prophets” who will mislead the people of God because they speak from their own words and not as God has said. (Deuteronomy 18:20-22, Jeremiah 14:14, Jeremiah 23:16-17, Ezekiel 13, Matthew 24:11 & 23-25, 2 Peter 2:1-3, 1 John 4:1-3)

(3) "Blind leaders" leading the blind (Matthew 15:14)

There are, in fact, MANY examples of people mentioned in the Bible who have disobeyed or circumvented authorities, and presented as being good examples in doing so. For example, Acts 5:27-32, when Peter answered the high priest’s accusation of disobedience for preaching about Jesus by saying “we must obey God rather than men.”

That doesn’t even scratch the surface. All of the 11 disciples of Jesus remaining after Judas hung himself because of his betrayal of Jesus (plus Judas’ replacement, making it 12 again) disobeyed authorities, as the Christian faith was illegal under the Roman Empire, and considered heresy to the Jewish leaders until long after they all died. Their commitment to preaching the Good News outweighed any mandate to follow rulers. And, they paid for it.

Whether through imprisonment, torture, exile, and even being put to death…they ALL disobeyed rules and authorities in order to do God’s will, while preaching the Good News in places as far as way as Iran, India, Russia, Ethiopia, Turkey, and more . All but one was executed because of it. The only one who wasn’t was John, who ended up being the person who God used to give the most stark warning about the anti-Christ and the great false prophet written about in the book of Revelation. And the person who wrote Romans 13:1 (see above) was Paul, who was repeatedly imprisoned, beaten, stoned, and more because he was doing things that the authorities considered wrong.

All of that to say that our scriptural mandate does not provide cover for statements like Paula White’s, to say that "to say 'no' to Trump is to say 'no' to God." While I have never before been someone who jumped on end-time predictions and labels as mentioned in the book of Revelation, I’m going to teeter on that fence now...

I believe the character in the Bible that Trump resembles the most is Herod Antipas, who was a worldly man of Jewish heritage who was a ruler over the Jewish principality of the Roman Empire. That particular Herod (there were a few), was responsible for the beheading of Jesus’ cousin, John the Baptist (different John). Herod’s lust for material wealth, lavish parties, and even his young step daughter, was gross and well documented. Jesus called him a “fox”, which was not a compliment. (Luke 13:32) (aka, deceptive and wily)

Did you know that many thought Herod Antipas was the antichrist? I mean, it probably didn’t help his reputation that he was indifferent about Jesus enough to forego his own right to judge Jesus, passing that along to the Roman authority who ultimately made the decision to execute Jesus- Pontius Pilate.

Shew…ok…enough Bible history. Let’s talk Bible present.

There is a false prophet referred to in Revelation that misleads a huge segment of God’s people, who will be viewed as if to be a savior themself. Of course, many many people have fit that description over time. The thing is - NOT ANY OF THEM WERE GOOD GODLY PEOPLE. They fit the description because, well, THEY FIT THE DESCRIPTION!

I don’t know if Trump is that false prophet. I don’t know if Paula White is. I don't know if that person is alive today. But in every one of those historical circumstances, you’d better believe that Godly people were NOT ON THEIR SIDE. (consider, for instance Dietrich Bonhoeffer or Martin Luther)

Yeah, I’m yelling through my keyboard.

So, NO, saying “no” to Trump is not saying “no” to God. Godly rulers don’t need that said about them. And, there is zero evidence that Trump’s a godly ruler. Just look at his fruit. Does he make an impact similar to Jesus?

And while you're at it, maybe read this article from 2019: Trump's tweets and actions aren't good fruit — or moral

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Summary

1. Paula White, televangelist working in the White House now, said that "to say 'no' to Trump is to say 'no' to God"

2. While there is a bit of scriptural basis for her comment, I believe it is easy to show that the Bible is far more concerned with warnings about bad leaders.

3. The Bible does not endorse blind submission.

4. Trump does not fit the description of a good Christian, and the consequences of his behavior and decisions are in direct contradiction to Biblical morality.

5. Saying "no" to Trump is more likely to be saying "no" to a false prophet (manipulator of scripture and misleader of God's people).