Evangelist Kelly McDonald, Jr.

Europe is Considering a Return to the Holy Roman Empire

“12 The ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority as kings, with the beast, for one hour.  13 These have one mind, and they give their power and authority to the beast.” (Revelation 17:12-13)

According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, Europe is considering a return to the Holy Roman Empire (link provided below). Germany is the strongest nation on the mainland of Europe, followed by France.  There are other much weaker nations that drag these stronger nations down economically (such as Greece). There are mixed emotions and feelings about the European Union. Some think it will work out over time while others believe it is a failure. These deep divisions are causing the Europeans to consider this drastic move, which has both historic and prophetic implications.

There have been seven restorations of the Roman Empire since its collapse in 476 AD. They each came during times of political and economic crisis. The first was Justinian in the 500s AD. He linked the Eastern and Western Roman Empires together. The second was Charlemagne, who is called King of the Franks. To this day in Europe, one of the highest honors is Medal of Charlemagne. He was called “King of the Romans”. Otto the Great was the third. Charles the V of the Hapsburg Dynasty was the fourth. This emperor also ruled over Spain and was responsible for much of the exploration done by the Spanish in the “New World”. Charles the V ruled over one of the largest empires ever.

Napoleon was a usurper to the throne, but was crowned Holy Roman Emperor with the iron crown of the Lombards. He is the fifth. Franz Joseph Hapsburg was a hereditary descendant of Charles the V. In 1848, he was crowned Emperor of the East in Austria. He was Emperor during the First World War. He is the sixth. Hitler was another usurper of the throne. He ruled over Germany and tried to start the third Reich, which was a continuation of the Holy Roman Empire. He is the seventh. There is an eighth that will come very soon!

Many people are not aware of this, but Charlemagne was given the keys to Jerusalem in 800 AD and proclaimed its’ protector in 807 (Encycl. Brit. 11^th edition, article “Crusades”). Later, crusaders would use this as a historical precedent for urging on the crusade. Charlemagne has generally been viewed as the “Gold Standard” for a revived Holy Roman Empire that works with the Catholic Church.

According to the Encyclopedia Britannica and other sources, the King of the Holy Roman Empire is normally elected! (Encyl. Brit. article: “Electors”). Historically, to participate in an election, you had to hold certain titles either in the Roman Church or certain lands in Germany. The following church titles were allowed to vote: “Archbishops, bishops, or abbots”. The following land owners were allowed to vote: “Dukes, counts, margraves, landgraves, and counts-palatine”. (Abbot 19) They were called “princes of the kingdom of the Germans” (ibid 19). In ancient German history, the prince-electors were compared to roman senators. Dukes in the Kingdom of Germany were event compared to the consuls of Rome (Abbot 17).

The people who had these titles were called “Princes of the Roman Empire”. For instance, Lothair was elected by 10 princes to be the successor to the King of Germany. The Golden Bull of 1356 reduced the number of electors to 7, with three coming from the Catholic Church. The other four were land owners in Germany. From 1356 until the early 1800s, there were three more added – making 10 total electors once again (Koch, Frances, and Comyn). In Revelation 17:12-13, we see ten horns that give their power to the beast. The last hereditary heir to the Holy Roman Emperor was Otto Von Hapsburg. He was a direct descendant of Charles V. Otto Von Hapsburg abdicated the throne in 1961 and died in 2011. This means he was the last of his family to be deemed royalty (Moran). The next Holy Roman Emperor will be elected King of Germany by 10 princes. The past tells us the future.

In Revelation 17:9-11 tells us that there will be seven kings arise followed by an eighth. This eighth king we are told belongs to the seven or seventh king. This will be another rise of Nazi Germany.

Recently in Germany, many copies of “Mein Kampf” (German for “my struggle”) were allowed to be published in the country for the first time since World War II. This was Hitler’s manifesto book that was used to spread his propaganda. In the last few months, Germany has agreed to put special labels on items made in Israel. During the 1930s, this was done to Jewish establishments. As the immigrant crisis grows, we may see German troops patrolling streets for the first time since World War II.

The weakness of Europe we are seeing now is a necessary stepping point towards the return to the Holy Roman Empire. Many people forget that Hitler came to power in Germany during a time of economic crises. Remember that the seven resurrections of the Roman Empire occurred during times of political and economic division.It is no different this time.

We live in dangerous times, and it is good for each of us to have our lives right with God.

To learn more about this subject, order the book “Blood Moons and the End of the Age”. There is a link on the right-hand side of the website to this book.

Here is the Wall Street Journal Article:

http://www.wsj.com/articles/europes-new-medieval-map-1452875514

Works Cited

Arnold, Benjamin. Princes and Territories in Medieval Germany. Cambridge University Press: 1991. pp 1-40.

Bayley, C. C. “The Formation of the German College of Electors in the mid-thirteenth century”. University of Toronto Press: 1949.

Comyn, Sir Robert Buckley. The History of the Western Empire; from its Restoration by Charlemagne to the Accession of Charles V. London: 1841.Vol. 2

Encyclopedia Britannica. 1911 edition. Article: “Electors”

Frances, John. Notes and Queries. Medium of Entercommunication for Literary Men, General Readers, etc. July-December 1875. London. S. 5, Vol. IV. Pages 11-12.

Koch, Christopher. The Revolutions of Europe: An Historical View of the European Nations from the Subversion of the Roman Empire in the West To the Abdication of Napoleon. Lond: 1839. Page 117.

Moran, Lee. “End of a Royal Dynasty”. Daily Mail News. United Kingdom. July 11, 2011. Accessed Electronically.

Spiritual Drifting

“We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.” – Hebrews 2:1 (NIV)

Have you ever been on a boat before? When a boat does not have an anchor in place, the boat slowly begins to drift away. Before you know it, the boat is far away from its intended location. In this specific verse from Hebrews, the Greek word translated as “drift away” refers to this kind of drifting. It is easy for us to allow our spiritual walk with God to “drift away” from where we should be. Sometimes we receive a powerful Word from God about our prophetic destiny, but as time goes on we forget about it. We fail to act upon the assignment we receive from God. We put our assignment on consignment!

Sometimes we start out strong and on fire. We are reading our Word, studying, praying, seeking God, and taking the right steps. But as distractions come into our lives, we slow our activity. We begin to drift. The writer of Hebrews encourages us to pay most careful attention to the things that we hear from God. This means both the spoken and written things of God. This requires action on our part. As believers, we are called disciples of Christ.

One of the roots of disciple is discipline. We tend to think of discipline as being punishment, but this word can also mean a narrow focus of study. Being a disciple of Christ means following Christ in the focus of our assignment from Him. Your assignment is part of how Christ is manifesting Himself through your life to everyone around you.

The Apostle Paul had a spiritual son named Timothy. Twice, Paul reminded Timothy of the prophesies once spoken over His life. “Timothy, my son, I am giving you this command in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by recalling them you may fight the battle well” (I Timothy 1:18). “Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you” (I Timothy 4:14).

It is important that we remind ourselves of God’s promises to us so that we can fight the good fight of the faith. The enemy brings distractions and the cares of life to quench the Word of God that is in you through the Holy Spirit. I encourage you to write down prophesies and promises about your life and put them on important places in your home, like a mirror or on a door. These will be reminders to you. Ask the Lord to help you take forward progress towards obeying His Word. God’s promises are an anchor for our soul (Hebrews 6:13-19). As we act on those promises, we are tending to the spiritual anchor to keep us going in the right direction.

These are practical ways to avoid spiritual drifting.

The Difference Between Loneliness and Incompleteness

“The Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.’” (Genesis 2:18)

All humans were created with desires from God. One of these is the desire for Him. We need God above all things in life. Without Him we are incomplete. Another desire God has given us is the desire to have companionship. Interpersonal communication is important; we were never meant to be monks. Males and females were given a desire for companionship with each other.  God wants to bring together Godly couples, especially in an age of lawlessness.

I have seen many young people over the years run after relationships that hurt them and others. While God wants to bring us companionship, we must understand the difference between the desire for spiritual completion and the desire for loneliness. They are quite different. Let’s look at Adam in the Garden.

When Adam was in the Garden, the Bible tells us that he was alone. The Hebrew word for alone is bad and it means separation. It can mean separation from a part of the body or even a branch being separate from the rest of the tree. It comes from the word badad, which means to withdraw or isolate.

Before we look at what it means to be lonely, let’s examine Adam’s life in Genesis 1 and 2. Adam had an assignment from God: Be fruitful, multiply, and take dominion over the earth (Genesis 1:26-28). He had direction from God: “Don’t eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but eat from the other trees” (Genesis 2:15-17). He had identity – he was made to be a Son of God. He was walking in obedience to God. God brought all the animals to him, and he named them. This was part of his duty to take dominion over the earth. He had provision – the Garden of Eden. Eden means delightful. He had fellowship with God. Adam was complete.

There was one thing Adam wanted that the animals could not satisfy – that was someone to share all of these wonderful things with. He wanted to share the provision, direction, assignment, identity – completeness – with someone else. He was complete, but he wanted companionship. God sent Adam a “help-mate”, which literally means someone who is helpful opposition.

In other words, his wife would be someone who had strengths where he had weaknesses, and vice/versa. In order to really appreciate all of the wonderful things God had given Adam, he needed another perspective that was different than his own. God took a rib from Adam’s side to make his bride. This is to show us the side by side relationship Godly companionship brings. Neither is to dominate or manipulate the other. To enjoy companionship, it requires completeness in our lives. When we look for a mate in life, we should seek someone who is also complete because their intent and motivation will be in the right place.

Completeness can only be fulfilled spiritually by God. Because most people do not understand spiritual things, they look to the natural realm to become complete. When a person is incomplete, they often will look to companionship to fill a spiritual void. People often look for someone else to be their provision, identity, assignment – their God! They will serial date, sleep around, and flirt around looking to fill their void for COMPLETENESS. They may even participate in drunkenness, drugs, pornography, or other behaviors.

Human emotions are powerful. When we are emotionally driven, then we are motivated to act in sometimes illogical ways to fulfill a longing in our hearts. This can cause us to be destructive towards others and ourselves without realizing it. God is the only one who can complete you and meet your ultimate needs. Human emotions can trick us into thinking that human touch and companionship fulfills something only God can provide.

With this revelation knowledge, let us discern whether our behavior is based out of a desire for completeness or loneliness.

How God Wounded Me to Show Me His Will

“See now that I myself am he! There is no god besides me. I put to death and I bring to life, I have wounded and I will heal, and no one can deliver out of my hand.” (Deut. 32:39)

“Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.” (Prov. 27:6)

I grew up playing baseball. In fact, I think I started around the age of 5. It was something I always enjoyed and loved to do. I can honestly admit that I never hit very well, but I did have a good arm. If I was going to make anything out of playing baseball, then my arm would be my ticket. But God had other plans.

Starting in the 10^th grade, I began to have some strange, but significant injuries. I strained a few muscles that year. In the 11^th grade, I pulled my hip muscle. In 12^th grade, I strained my ulnar collateral ligament (UCL). That’s one of the ligaments in your elbow. I strained it so badly that I could not turn a door knob for two months.

Then I went to Junior College where things got worse. I red-shirted my 1^st year. However, the summer before my 2^nd year began, I broke my right foot. Stupidly enough, I played 6 innings on it. The devastating thing about this injury is that I pitched probably better that summer than at any time in my life. My third year in JUCO, I tore some knee cartilage running in the outfield. Further, I developed bursitis. The pain was unbearable. I wore a knee brace and still had some functionality, but I decided to throw in the towel. Baseball just wasn’t for me.  I didn’t seek much medical attention for this final injury. I quite frankly was tired of X-rays, MRIs, rehab, etc.

The knee got a little worse before it got better. My knee cap would slide out of place a little if I didn’t have a brace. I actually had to walk with a little bend in my knee as well, but I got around.

Now that baseball was out of the way, what was I to do with my time? I started to play guitar to pass time. I connected with some great people in at Shepherd’s Field Church in Martin, TN (formerly known as “exciting” Southside Baptist). They had contemporary worship and a different kind of service than I had ever seen. At this time, I began to actually seek God and connect to him.

In the summer of 2006 at MFUGE, I decided that “God, whatever you want”.  I mark that as the start of my time in ministry. During this process, God revealed to me that the reason I had all of these injuries is so that I could serve a greater purpose in this world. The Lord literally KILLED that identity I had clung to; he DESTROYED the hope I had in a vain imagination. It was the process of killing the Old Man.

In the summer of 2007, at the CALL prayer gathering in Nashville, TN, God healed my left knee. I went into the prayer tent. As I walked up, they put anointing oil on my forehead and hand. It was clear. When they prayed, my knee was instantly healed! Hallelujah! In fact, the clear oil they put on my forehead turned RED when they prayed! People were freaking out at the red cross on my forehead. I didn’t understand what was happening, but someone took a picture of this tremendous event! The picture of this is below!

From that day until now, my knee has had ZERO problems! I can walk, run, and perform other activities without any pain. It was truly a miracle.

The journey God has led me on hasn’t been anything I could have imagined. I am thankful to have met all the people from those years until now who helped encourage me to seek God’s will. I am thankful to have met all of the people who God used me to touch.

I think my testimony is a reminder that God will strike us physically if there is a greater purpose for us to be alive. I am thankful that He did this to me, even though at the time it was not pleasant. I can look back and say that they were self-inflicted wounds to some extent, as I could have stopped at any point and asked God for His will.

I am thankful to God that He showed me the reason all these things have happened. It was part of His plan to deliver me from myself, which required a destruction of self (literally!). He saved me from my own vain imaginations. Not all suffering is because of disobedience or being out of God’s will, but it can be. Ask the Lord to show you times that you have been wounded by Him for His purposes.

“No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” (Hebrews 12:1)

Thank you all for participating in/being a part of the harvest.

When What You Feel is Not What God Feels

In 1 Kings 22, we find one of the most fascinating stories of the Bible. In this chapter, King Ahab, who ruled over the northern tribes of Israel, was preparing to go to battle. The Bible then tells us, “So the king of Israel brought together the prophets—about four hundred men—and asked them, ‘Shall I go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I refrain?’ ‘Go,’ they answered, ‘for the Lord will give it into the king’s hand.’… 10 Dressed in their royal robes, the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah were sitting on their thrones at the threshing floor by the entrance of the gate of Samaria, with all the prophets prophesying before them. 11 Now Zedekiah son of Kenaanah had made iron horns and he declared, ‘This is what the Lord says: ‘With these you will gore the Arameans until they are destroyed.’’ 12 All the other prophets were prophesying the same thing. ‘Attack Ramoth Gilead and be victorious,’ they said, ‘for the Lord will give it into the king’s hand.’ (I Kings 22:6, 10-12).

Imagine being in the room while this is going on. You have 400 prophets all speaking in tongues and foretelling the future. The atmosphere must have felt spiritual. I’m sure people could “feel” it. These men prophesied victory. From Ahab’s perspective, it must have felt good to have all these people telling you the same thing. I’m sure they felt that their faith was being built up by all these confirmations.

The king of the southern tribes was named Jehoshaphat. After he heard these prophets, he stated, “Is there not a prophet of the Lord here whom we can inquire of?” (I Kings 22:7). This king was not convinced that these 400 men were speaking according to God’s will. I can imagine some accused him of “prophesying out of bitterness”. Ahab responded to him in frustration, “There is still one prophet through whom we can inquire of the Lord, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me, but always bad. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.’” (I Kings 22:8) Ahab didn’t like Micaiah because he didn’t say smooth, pleasing things.

Later, Micaiah answered, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne with all the multitudes of heaven standing around him on his right and on his left. 20 And the Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death there?’ “One suggested this, and another that. 21 Finally, a spirit came forward, stood before the Lord and said, ‘I will entice him.’ 22 “‘By what means?’ the Lord asked. “‘I will go out and be a deceiving spirit in the mouths of all his prophets,’ he said. “‘You will succeed in enticing him,’ said the Lord. ‘Go and do it.’ 23 “So now the Lord has put a deceiving spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours. The Lord has decreed disaster for you.” (I Kings 22:19-23)

Ahab lamented Micaiah for his truthfulness, but this true prophet declared that there would be disaster. He actually had a heavenly vision where He saw God’s thoughts about Ahab’s strategy. God was disgusted with Ahab and sent the deception into his prophets! He foretold that Ahab would die, and it happened!

In 1 Kings 22, the 400 prophets and Ahab were feeling good about their decision to go to war. After all, there were prophets approved by the king giving them all of this assurance. The problem is that God did not feel that way. God was very unhappy, and only one person of the hundreds of people in the room knew it – Micaiah.

Now imagine if Jehoshaphat had not been there to discern that they needed a true Word from God. Ahab could have rode to battle without hearing the true Word of the Lord; people would not have blamed the loss on the false prophecy. They would have blamed it on their method.

So many people today live by what they feel. In other words, if they “feel” the spirit, then they think God is approving of the service. They then just soak in everything that is preached, especially if a lot of people are there. In America, we think if we can get enough people in the same room to approve of something, then we must be right. On top of this, we live in a “me” focused society. People go to church to see what they can “get out of it”. If they feel good, then it must be good, right? All three of these attitudes together play into the devil’s hands.

We often forget that the devil has not always been an enemy of God. At one time he was the chief angel. Ezekiel 28 tells us that he “walked in the fire of God” and was an “anointed cherub”. The fire of God was on the devil, but it was not in him. He fell from his place among God’s angels, but he is still anointed. Paul said that he even appears as an angel of light (2 Cor. 11:12-14). He is the great deceiver who works his own wonders (2 Thess. 2:9).

What if you were in a service and “felt” the presence of God or even the “fire of God”, but the preacher stood up and approved homosexuality? What if the preacher approved fornication? What if he foretold your “victory” when your lifestyle was a wreck and you were headed for defeat like Ahab? What if he told you that the Bible was “just another book” or that the Old Testament is “irrelevant” today? Just because someone carries the fire of God on them does not mean it is in them! Just because they quote the Word does not mean the Word is in them! Satan quoted the Bible to Jesus in the desert (Matthew 4:5-7). The problem is that it contradicted the Torah, which is what Jesus responded with in the desert!

Satan will get you to rely on feel if it will distract your faith. In Genesis, Isaac was getting ready to bless Esau. Jacob came in to try and steal the blessing. Rebekah took some goat skins to cover Jacob so that he would feel hairy. Jacob went before Isaac; Isaac felt his arms and thought he was Esau, even though His voice sounded like Isaac. He trusted what he felt and not what he heard.

Though Jehoshaphat discerned that the 400 prophets of Ahab were not telling God’s will, he did not follow through with Micaiah’s vision. He went to fight with Ahab anyways. This shows you the seducing nature of Satan.

The Bible tells us in the last days that many false prophets will arise and deceive many people (Matthew 24:11). We must use discernment and the Word of God as the plumb line. This is what Jesus fought with in the desert, and we must fight with if we are to endure to the end.

Around the world, the price of oil is reaching near record LOWS. Yes, I said record LOWS! How many of us in the United States remember almost $4 a gallon for gasoline? I distinctly remember. In fact, it really was not that long ago. According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the average price of a gallon of regular gas was $3.30. Presently, the average gallon of regular gas is $2.23. In some areas it is higher and some areas it is lower, but these are the average prices. (1)

The obvious question from this is: Why?

In the last 5 years, the United States has risen to the leading oil producer. In 2015, the United States became the #1 oil-producing country in the world, at 14 million barrels of oil a day (2).  How did this happen?

The United States has invested a tremendous amount of money into “fracking”. “Fracking” is a process where water and chemicals are sprayed at rocks underneath the earth’s surface into areas that contain shale rock. When the water and chemical hit the shale rock, it releases gas and oil.

The federal government of the United States has put tremendous restrictions on conventional drilling for oil, so many of the best US oil reserves are left unexplored. The shale industry is not nearly as regulated as traditional drilling methods (like offshore drilling). Because US companies possess the technology and know-how to explore these shale deposits, US companies have boomed in areas such as North Dakota. Towns are developing in areas that previously had very little population because the job growth has been at times very explosive.

The tremendous overflow of this shale-oil boom has caused the US to jump to the top of the world in oil production. We began to see the effects of this in late 2014. Some countries rely on high oil prices to make money, such as Russia and Middle Eastern countries. Since late 2014, Russia has been near total collapse economically because the amount of oil in the world caused prices to go down. The Russian currency, the rubble, is in shambles. Many other countries either lack the technology or personnel to get involved in the shale-oil boom. Some countries, like those in Europe, have so much regulation that they are unable to tap into its potential.

In late 2014, Saudi Arabia announced that it was going to increase its’ oil production. This has caused the price of oil to plummet even more. Some experts believe it will continue to go down from where it is right now. Why would Saudi Arabia do this?

The Saudis want to cause the newer, less established US shale companies to go out of business. By flooding the market with oil, it will drive down the price of oil. More supply means less prices. This in turn causes the US shale companies to make less money per barrel that they sell. This means they must sell more or go out of business. Many of these new shale oil companies in the US have high amounts of debt, which most companies use to start a venture. As they make less money, they will begin to default on these debts one by one until they go bankrupt. That’s how the Saudi strategy will work in theory. Will the US companies be able to hold off? Only time will tell.

Iran recently announced they will increase the oil production by 500,000 barrels a day, which will cause even lower oil prices (3). Neither Russia nor Saudi Arabia have indicated that they will lower their current production rates (4).

What is the end result of this, and what does the future hold?

In the news, there has been talk that the increase in oil is causing tension between the US, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and now Iran. It’s an interesting situation. Iran’s recent decision to increase oil production worries Saudi Arabia. While both countries are mostly muslim, Saudi Arabia is mostly composed of Sunni and Iran is mostly composed of Shia. These two groups have been warring with each other for hundreds of years. The oil war combined with recent turmoil over Saudi Arabia’s decision to kill a Shia cleric, could lead to full scale war between the two sides.

There is no need to recount the history between the US and Russia, as it is well documented. Russia could very well view US actions as an act of war and look to “first-strike” the US to disable our oil-producing ability. They could even look to China as a possible partner in any attack.

This scenario reminds me of a western-style shootout, but instead of two guys preparing to shoot at each other, we have four!

In the short-term, these oil prices will continue based upon recent events. These countries cannot afford to hold prices this low for too long; both Saudi Arabia and Russia need the money. At the same time, the US companies may start going bankrupt.

How long will low oil prices last? Only God knows.

All statistics taken from the EIA – Energy Information Administration

1. https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/PET_PRI_GND_DCUS_NUS_A.htm
2. https://www.eia.gov/cfapps/ipdbproject/IEDIndex3.cfm?tid=5&pid=53&aid=1
3. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-3404855/Iran-orders-500-000-bpd-oil-production-increase.html
4. http://www.wsj.com/articles/russian-oil-output-rises-to-post-soviet-high-in-september-1443777432

“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.” James 1:19-20 (NIV)

There is a difference between hearing and listening. Hearing is just allowing words to go through your ears. Listening is an active process where you are considering the words being spoken and taking them to heart. Your response should be geared toward the message that another person conveyed to you. A conversation is defined as a message received, that message is processed, and an appropriate response is issued. In a world of texting, emails, and cell phones we want instant gratification. We want to say what we want our way, but this is not God’s way. God wants us to be good listeners. He wants us to listen to others and to Him. Everyone has something to contribute in a conversation. Ecclesiastes 3:7b tells us that there is “…a time to be silent and a time to speak.”

In the process of listening, we must guard ourselves against anger. James mentions this in the verses above.  Often we hear about things in the world or in the church and get angry. This anger brings us to the brink of actions that are contrary to God’s purpose in the world. In our premature anger, we can say or do things that we later regret. We should be quick to listen to the entire matter that is presented by other people. Even more so, we should be quick to listen to the voice and discernment of God so that we can properly respond. A wise man once said, “If you are always talking, then you will only repeat what you already know. But if you listen, you will have everything you currently know and learn what someone else knows at the same time.”

One time in particular when we want to guard our words is when we are in the presence of God. Solomon wrote, “Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong. Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few” (Ecclesiastes 5:1-2). Sometimes we are so busy talking that we miss God’s voice. We can miss His written Word as well.

In Job 34:3-4, Elihu said, “For the ear tests words as the tongue tastes food. Let us discern for ourselves what is right; let us learn together what is good.” Let’s listen, taste the words given and give a proper response from God. Let’s listen to others so we can listen to God and be used of God. Listening is a learned trait.

When Donald Trump first became a legitimate political entity this past summer, some people called him the “Trump” or “Trumpet” of God. These individuals believed that he was being used by God to call attention to important issues. Others said that he was not genuine in his intentions. Can God use Donald Trump? Is this a ludicrous or legitimate argument?

First, let’s make one thing clear. The man has brought to light some very important issues, such as immigration and terrorism. He is appealing to the common person in a way that the other candidates are unable to do so. I don’t want to negate his effectiveness at this point. Could his intentions be wrong? Of course! The question remains – can God use Him?

Before we answer this question, I think it is important to consider the example of King Nebuchadnezzar. He is one of the few individuals in the Bible to be directly called a servant of God. Let’s read, “Now I will give all your countries into the hands of my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; I will make even the wild animals subject to him.” (Jeremiah 27:6 – see also Jer. 25:9, 43:10). The Lord actually rewarded Nebuchadnezzar! “I have given him Egypt as a reward for his efforts because he and his army did it for me, declares the Sovereign Lord” (Ezekiel 29:20).

God used this man to uproot kingdoms and to punish the people of Judah, who were in open rebellion against God. He was an instrument to do the will of God; the will of God was in his heart. I was talking with two of my great friends, Niles and Lynda Davis this weekend about this subject. Lynda pointed out that Nebuchadnezzar had wise, obedient, and God fearing servants in his court. Daniel would be the chief example. If it these Godly people were not around Nebuchadnezzar, his reign would be been much different.

Though these men did not come into the king’s full service until after he had been used a servant of God, the point remains valid. Daniel and other wise people of God were active throughout most of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign. There were a lot of sorcerers in his court, but among them stood the righteous people of God. Only the wisdom of the righteous could help this man.

The Bible tells us that “Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm” (Proverbs 13:20). One of the most important aspects of being a president is who you choose to be around you. Nebuchadnezzar had a mixed group of unrighteous and righteous people around him. God sent dreams to Nebuchadnezzar that only the righteous could understand. In other words, God worked in Nebuchadnezzar’s life in such a way to allow His people to come forth. They spoke identity and destiny into his life.

So far, Mr. Trump has been seen around a mixed group of people. Some are wise, some unwise. Nebuchadnezzar did not receive the Godly influences in his life until after he became King. After a person is elected president they elect the cabinet and special advisors. One of the most important aspects of being a president is who you choose to be around you. Past presidents that did not have tremendous political knowledge compensated by having great advisors.

One thing led to the downfall of Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel 4:29-32 tells us, “29 Twelve months later, as the king was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, 30 he said, “Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?” 31 Even as the words were on his lips, a voice came from heaven, “This is what is decreed for you, King Nebuchadnezzar: Your royal authority has been taken from you. 32 You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like the ox. 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.”

Pride led to this mighty king’s downfall. The Bible tells us, “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” (Proverbs 16:18) This man was humbled because he chose to give credit to himself rather than give credit to God. It was God who sets up kings and takes them down (Dan. 2:41). Everyone must have the humility to see that they can be lifted up or brought low.

How does Donald Trump measure up to Nebuchadnezzar in this example? Let’s look at an interview he had this past summer with Frank Lunz. This is an excerpt taken from the interview. “People are so shocked when they find … out I am Protestant. I am Presbyterian. And I go to church and I love God and I love my church…” Whether or not he asks for forgiveness, he said, “I am not sure I have. I just go on and try to do a better job from there. I don’t think so,” he said. “I think if I do something wrong, I think, I just try and make it right. I don’t bring God into that picture. I don’t.” Trump said that while he hasn’t asked God for forgiveness, he does participate in Holy Communion. “When I drink my little wine — which is about the only wine I drink — and have my little cracker, I guess that is a form of asking for forgiveness, and I do that as often as possible because I feel cleansed,” he said. “I think in terms of ‘let’s go on and let’s make it right.’”

A link to the full CNN article is located at the bottom of this article.

He plainly stated that he does not ask for forgiveness, but then later admits that in a sense he does. It sounds confusing. In Proverbs 16:6, the Bible tells us, “Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for; through the fear of the Lord evil is avoided.” Mr. Trump admitted that he tries to make things right, which seems to line up with Proverbs 16:6. However, the verse in Proverbs does not negate the fact that we must still confess our sins. Without forgiveness, we cannot be cleansed from our sins. Confession must be made (Acts 2:38, Romans 10:9-10). The true sign of our repentance is by our lifestyle. We all have to repent. “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

It is concerning that Mr. Trump does not come out in the open and say “Yes, I am a sinner in need of God’s grace.” God gives grace to the humble. Mr. Trump must be careful that he does not take credit for success. He must publically give God glory. So far, his campaign has been very “I” and “me” focused. Donald Trump often walks this fine line. He rarely, if ever, gives credit to someone else –at times he will applaud another person’s efforts and abilities.

Though Donald Trump is not considered the most God-fearing individual by the Word of God, neither was Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar still worshipped idols at times in his reign (see Daniel 3 as an example). After the event in Daniel 3, it seems he did begin to fear God.

Based on this example, God could use Donald Trump now and then introduce wise men after his term begins. His life could always change as the right influences gather around him. God can always intervene.

Donald Trump is a very controversial figure, and he walks a fine line on some very important spiritual issues. The example of Nebuchadnezzar shows us that God can use Donald Trump – but the final question is this:

Will Donald Trump allow himself to be used by God?

To see the full CNN article, Visit:

http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/18/politics/trump-has-never-sought-forgiveness/

Another worship instrument that ties us to our Hebrew roots is the shofar or ram’s horn. The origin of the shofar comes from the story of Abraham and Isaac on the Mount. This event is called the Akedah by the Jewish people. In Genesis 22, God told Abraham to take his only son, Isaac, up on Mount Moriah to sacrifice him. As they are walking along, Isaac noticed that there is no animal to sacrifice. He asked his father – “..where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” (verse 7). Abraham looked in the distance and told him that, “My son, God will provide for Himself a lamb for a burnt offering” (verse 8). Later, as Abraham was ready to sacrifice his son, the Lord spoke to him and asked him to stop. God wanted to know that Abraham was willing to sacrifice his only son. He did not require the death of his son. In verse 13, Abraham found a ram to offer as the sacrifice, not a lamb. This seems like a contradiction!

Abraham said God would provide a lamb, but at the top of the mount he found a ram! What did Abraham really see? In verse 4, the Bible tells us that Abraham looked in the distance. When he looked in the distance, he saw Christ, who was the Lamb sent by God. Jesus even told us that Abraham saw Him (John 8:56).

According to Jewish tradition, the left horn from the ram that Abraham sacrificed was blown on Mount Sinai in Exodus 19. They believe that the Messiah will blow the right horn at His return! In fact, the Lord said in Zechariah 9:14 that He would blow the shofar at His return!  Most of the time in the Bible when you read the word trumpet, it is the Hebrew word shofar. It is found 72 times in the Old Testament alone! The shofar was used for many purposes in the Bible. It was used to call the people up to God in Exodus 19. It was used in times of war to sound the alarm. In fact, the victories by Joshua and Gideon involved the blowing of the shofar (Josh. 6:3-5, Judges 6:33-35). It was used in times of repentance (Joel 2:12-17) and at the celebration of the Feast Days (Psalm 81:3).

There are four types of calls with the shofar: the tekiah, shevarim, teruah, and tekiah hagodolah. The tekiah represents the coronation of the King. The shevarim was used in times of repentance and sounds like brokenness or repentance. Teruah was often used in times of war or alarm. The Tekiah Hagodolah is the greatest trump – it is the blast we are looking to hear when the Messiah returns!

When we blow the shofar, we are bringing to God’s remembrance that we are children of Abraham. We are proclaiming that we desire to walk in the faith of Abraham. Because God provided a ram as the provision for the sacrifice, the shofar is calling forth God’s provision into our lives in a time of need. His provision can manifest in many different ways and at different times. This is the mystery of the shofar!

Four Possible Outcomes If Donald Trump is Elected President

In a recent broadcast on Fox News, Bill O’Reilly pointed out that Donald Trump has a very consistent message. Mr. Trump says three things nearly all the time:

1. I’m going to find the best people!
2. We are going to get the job done!
3. We are going to make America great again!

O’Reilly pointed out that these three phrases are his first line of defense many times when he is questioned in an interview. This makes him hard to interview. Since we have very little in the way of detailed plans from Mr. Trump, we can examine some of his statements and draw possible outcomes for his presidency (if he is elected). Anything could happen with someone like Donald Trump; however, I believe there are 4 possible outcomes:

1. Donald Trump is not able to get very much accomplished

It’s easy for someone to stand up and proclaim how great they are and how successful they have been in business, but that may not translate into success as president. Donald Trump may very well have some good ideas, but there is a 900-pound gorilla in the room called CONGRESS. As President, you have to work with BOTH houses of Congress. Moreover, he would have to deal with the judicial system, which is headed by the Supreme Court.

If Trump tries to strong arm his agenda, he could find a difficult obstacle in the courts, which tend to be very liberal. It is TRUE that he is not being paid by a lobbyist group to run for president; he is self-funded. I personally think that is wonderful. The problem is that all 530+ members of congress ARE paid by lobbyist/special interest groups to vote for certain items. This means they just won’t agree to something because Mr. Trump says he wants to do it.

Furthermore, the members of congress have constituencies that elect them on a regular interval. Being a political science major in college, the number one priority for an elected official is RE-ELECTION! Some of the house members, democrat or republican, are elected from areas with a high voting bloc of immigrant Latinos. He could face serious opposition from some house members and even Senate members for his plan to deport all illegal immigrants.

Republicans presently have a small majority in the Senate. It only takes a few Republicans to walk across the aisle to foil some of Trump’s plans.

2) Donald Trump (with the help of God) Makes America Great Again

It’s conceivable that Donald Trump is able to push through many items through executive order (much like Obama has done with his agenda). However, it is also possible that members of the Senate and House of Representatives listen to what he has to say. America is in a desperate situation and Donald Trump may provide practical business solutions to help lift us out of the mess we are in. Tightening immigration controls and reforming the tax code are all over-due needs for the citizenry of the United States. Tax cuts usually produce a positive consumer outlook, increase personal savings, and increase personal spending. More money being spent in the private sector means more company profits and more jobs that can be created. He is mulling pretty serious tax cuts (from what I have heard).

3) A Second Great Depression occurs

Some historians consider a contributing factor to the Great Depression the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930. The world was already staring depression in the face in 1930, but this legislation made it worse. It was originally designed to increase the cost of foreign produce to protect American farmers. It was designed to allow them to sell their goods in America rather than having to compete with foreign farmers in America. This act also increased tariffs on other goods. This caused nations to distrust the US and they began to decrease their trade with America (both imports and exports). For instance, imports and exports from Europe decreased by nearly 70% within three years. Less trade around the world contributed to less competition worldwide. Foreign banks began to fail and the world was plunged into depression. Some consider the Smoot-Hawley Tariff and the following depression to be a leading cause in nationalism among countries like Germany and Italy, which both eventually went Fascist. In a time of economic depression, people tend to look to a strong leader to provide for them.

The US at that time was a creditor nation, and the rest of the world wasn’t able to make enough money to repay debts. The US depression further cascaded after this time.

Donald Trump has discussed putting tariffs on items imported to the United States to offset costs such as building a wall with Mexico. The problem is that the world is so interconnected in our modern times that Mexico may find another trading partner. Moreover, the United States is FAR more depended on trade NOW that it was in 1930. Tariffs on foreign goods will only do more to hurt the US rather than help. Such tariffs may trigger military conflict, as the Smooth-Hawley tariff likely did in the 1930s.

4) China launches a pre-emptive strike on the United States

One of the more chilling possibilities of Donald Trump’s election is that China will finally say “Enough is Enough”. Mr. Trump has dished out some serious charges against China, including their currency devaluation efforts. The problem is that the United States has a serious currency problem of our own. We have been printing money (called Quantitative Easing or QE) without increasing our gold reserves to back up this money. If the US dollar ever gets revalued then the US could experience hyper inflation, leading to another great depression (as discussed above). Worse yet, if interest rates rise, the US will not be able to make interest payments to China and Japan, the two largest holders of US debt. Perhaps worst of all is if the US actually defaults on the debt. Mr. Trump has discussed the possibility of US bankruptcy. In any scenario, this means China’s debt is worthless (and we owe almost $17 trillion to countries other than China…they won’t be happy either).

A greater effective of this would be a pre-emptive strike from China against the United States. China and other nations could come to the US to collect what they are owed in the form of taking land with natural resources on it, or using the US for slave labor. When they strike, they will strike to cripple us. Our frail infrastructure and electronic dependence make us easy targets.

I know this seems far-fetched to some, but $1 trillion is a lot of money. China has man-power to waste. China (and even Russia) are not going to wait a few years for Mr. Trump to build the US military back up to full strength. In other words, they are not going to wait for Mr. Trump to come and “kick their butts”. They will take action long before the US is able to challenge their military buildup.

After looking at the political landscape, these seem to be 4 possible outcomes for the presidency of Donald Trump. We really need to be in prayer, as the last two could forever change the United States as we know it.

Bibliography:

State Department. http://future.state.gov/when/timeline/1921_timeline/smoot_tariff.html

Encyclopedia Britannica. http://www.britannica.com/topic/Smoot-Hawley-Tariff-Act

The Economist. http://www.economist.com/node/12798595