Saturday, 19 November 2016

Donald Trump, the Election and the Spirit of the Antichrist

                         Students attend a protest against President-elect Donald Trump at the National Mall in Washington
Students attend a protest against President-elect Donald Trump at the National Mall in Washington. (REUTERS/Carlos Barria)
 
As I've watched the media coverage of Trump protesters on the streets of America I've realized something. Many professing Christians are acting nearly the same way—getting angry with other Christians who voted for Trump and using contentious language to cause strife and division in the body of Christ. Stop it!
Listen to the wise and sensible words of one of my minister FB friends: 
"Critical and negative reactions to the election are everywhere, yet consider the possibilities: a conservative Supreme Court for decades; Roe v. Wade overturned; a reprieve from the current administration's anti-church intrusions; a season of refreshing with the chance for kingdom expansion. But many cannot see this as they are blinded by the idea of a political utopia that does not include a carnal Donald Trump in the White House, an idea which is choking their capacity for reason and wisdom. We need to be smarter than this. Jesus said the people of this world are more shrewd than the children of light. He knew that narrow-minded ideology would always sacrifice possibility. Joseph ruled alongside the Egyptians in order to save his brethren. Paul sided with the Pharisees against the Sadducees in order to divide his adversaries. Victorious Christianity can be done without compromise but not without the wisdom of serpents. These are only a few examples of how to navigate the darkness in order to increase the light. We are sitting on a powder keg of potential right now, and any Christian with even one eye open can see it," wrote Shane Philpott.
Don't you know you are an ambassador and a representative of a higher kingdom? This invisible kingdom cannot be seized by political elections or endless debates and heated banter. This kingdom cannot come to this world by your allegiance to one political party or favorite candidate. No, Donald Trump is not going to save America or even necessarily make it great again.
What this election has accomplished is cause a delay, of what may yet be inevitable in the near future. It has given the church more favor and delayed us from losing some of our freedoms. It has given us a greater possibility of pushing back the darkness and the antichrist agenda of this present administration. It has given us a reprieve form Satanic oppression that opposes preaching the gospel freely in this nation. One of the reasons we are exhorted in Scripture to pray for our leaders is so we can live a peaceable life in all godliness and honesty (2 Tim. 2:1-2). But we must still remember that our citizenship is in heaven first as Frank Viola affirms. 
"I believe many of us have forgotten who we are and what our citizenship entails. The kingdom to which we belong isn't reduced to going to heaven when we die. Nor is it trying to make the world a better place by grabbing political power. The kingdom of God is here right now (though not in fullness). It broke into this realm 2,000 years ago when Jesus of Nazareth began a divine insurgence. It's a kingdom that's not of this world, yet it's for this world." 
Notice the last three words of this quote, "for this world." Our kingdom is not of this world and is not supposed to be conformed to this world, but the world is to be conformed to the kingdom. The world is not to change us, but we are to change the world by God's grace, truth, love and power. 
Whose counsel are we listening to? Whose ideologies are we adhering to? 
The DNC Booed God and You Voted for Them 
The problem has been that many Christians are acting like the world in the way they voted and now in the results we got. For example, if you consider yourself a real Christian and a serious follower of Jesus Christ and you voted for Hillary Clinton and her platform, you are either blind, ignorant, or hopelessly unfaithful to the values of the kingdom of God. Please allow me to educate you. 
How could you vote for a woman whose policies are antichrist? For example, she is for full-term abortion, which is murder and breaks one of the Ten Commandments. She is for same-sex marriage, which is against God's established order of a one-man-and-one-woman marriage. She is not a real friend of Israel, which is also contradictory to God's command to bless Israel. In the DNC convention earlier this year they even booed God. And her administration and supporters are of the same spirit. So how could any true Christian vote for her and that platform? It is mind-boggling to me except to say that many professing Christians are not educated in the policies of these candidates or they are not schooled in the Word of God and in true kingdom values. 
Now that the election is over, we have another set of believers who are still criticizing Donald Trump. He is a very flawed man, but he ran on diametrically different policies than Hillary did. Most of his policies were aligned with Scripture. Yes, I know he is a carnal man, and we can only hope that he follows through on his promises, but let's believe that some of the conservative Christians he's surrounded himself with will help him in his decision-making. That is another huge difference between him and Hillary. I do not witness a spirit of antichrist on Donald Trump. 
Do you not discern that the policies and spirits of both parties are radically different? Hillary's chosen vice president, Tim Kaine, had the same spirit on him. I saw it as soon as he was introduced and gave his speech. It was antichrist. I know these statements will upset many people, but I'm just trying to educate you.
Will All Professing Christians Recognize the Antichrist? 
Do you realize that when the real Antichrist comes, he will be received and celebrated by the world and even by many professing Christians? In other words, he's not coming with horns and a pitchfork. He will come quoting Scriptures. Even in Hillary's concession speech, she quoted Galatians 6:9, encouraging her supporters not to be weary in well-doing. So what? The devil quoted Scripture to Jesus in His temptations (Luke 4:10-11). Nearly every politician will do that in order to get the Christian vote. 
"Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God" (1 John 4:1).
No, I'm not saying that either Hillary or Tim Kaine is the Antichrist, but they are of that spirit. And so are most of these protesters who are shouting against Trump and for Hillary on the streets. It is the growing spirit of antichrist in our nation. Remember that the Antichrist is called the lawless one (2 Thess. 2:8-9). Never before in recent generations have we seen such lawlessness in our nation over a political election. 
One of my biggest concerns for the body of Christ in this hour is the gullibility and the lack of spiritual discernment among so many. Many are judging and discerning as the world judges and discerns. I'm convinced that many have not even been thoroughly converted. 
The Fear of God Must Be Restored
Why are we so gullible and easily duped and deceived? I believe the largest part of this lack of discernment is due to the lack of the true fear of the Lord in Christians today. 
Do you not realize the utter evil of many of the Democratic platform's policies I just mentioned? Do you not know that "the fear of the Lord is to hate evil" (Prov. 8:13; also see Prov. 3:7)? I'm not speaking of the candidates, for they were both flawed, but of the platform they ran on. How can any true Christian and devoted follower of Jesus Christ have voted for the Democratic platform and its policies? Where is the fear of the Lord? 
We need to understand that the true fear of the Lord is manifested in our obedience to the commands of the Lord Jesus Christ and the precepts and statutes of His Word. The true fear of the Lord makes Jesus Christ the supreme authority in one's life. The true fear of the Lord lives before His judgment seat every single day and is afraid to displease Him and disappoint Him. 
Therein lies the biggest problem in the American church and one of the biggest reasons for the current division in the body of Christ. Many professing Christians have lost the fear of God. 
Lack of holy fear clouds our perception and discernment. Without the holy fear of God, it is difficult to judge between the holy and profane, the clean and the unclean, the spiritual from the carnal and even the divine from the demonic. 
We are sorely in need of an awakening of the fear of God.
Bert M. Farias, revivalist and founder of Holy Fire Ministries, has authored several books with an emphasis on helping to restore the true spirit of Christianity in the Church today, including the newly released, Passing on The Move of God to The Next Generation. An anointing of fire marks his ministry with frequent demonstrations of the Spirit and power of God. He ministers interdenominationally and cross-culturally in nations, churches, conferences, on the streets and in homes. He and his wife Carolyn also host The Holy Ghost Forum – a school of the Spirit. Follow him at Bert Farias and Holy Fire Ministries on Facebook and @Bertfarias1on Twitter.
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