LET’S GET A JUMP on the inevitable link of a nasty Bible character with a crusty political character who’s in the running for the highest office in the country and perhaps the most powerful office in the world: president of the US of A.
Donald Trump does not fit the biblical definition of an antichrist.
He is certainly antichrist in many of the things he says and does.
I reported some of his quotes alongside those of Jesus in an earlier blog of zingers that John Oliver is welcome to borrow: Donald Trump and the King of Kings.
One sample quote for those who missed that article:
- Jesus: “Do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also” (Matthew 5:39).
- Trump: “If you see somebody getting ready to throw a tomato, knock the crap out of them, would you? Seriously, OK? Just knock the hell – I promise you, I will pay for the legal fees. I promise. I promise.”
In the Bible there are only four fleeting references to an antichrist. All four of them show up in the tiny letters of 1, 2 John. Perhaps the most concise definition:
“This is what makes an antichrist: denying the Father, denying the Son…. It’s the person who denies that Jesus is the Divine Christ” (1 John 2:22).
Mr. Trump does not do that.
On the contrary, he says he embraces the idea of Jesus as the Son of God.
What’s surprising to many Christians is that the Bible does not teach that there will be an end-time antichrist. Many Bible experts say that this portrayal of an end-time tyrant dates back to the Middle Ages, when preachers started piecing together disconnected parts of the Bible to form a Frankenstein-style image of a person who would not otherwise have existed. They linked:
- what John said about antichrists
- what Paul said about a mysterious “man of lawlessness” (2 Thessalonians 2:3)
- what John of Revelation said about a beast who waged war “against God’s holy people” (Revelation 13:7).
Based on Bible teachings, it doesn’t seem fair to call Mr. Trump the Antichrist.
But the question of the moment for Christians is, Should we vote to call him Mr. President?
Blowback
I got some blowback on my earlier article about Mr. Trump.
Some readers who are Trump supporters said it sounded like I was passing judgment on them, and saying they weren’t Christians.
That’s not what I wrote. That’s not what I believe.
I have no doubt that some genuine Christians are supporting Mr. Trump.
What I wrote is that Mr. Trump takes positions that are exactly the opposite of many doggone important teachings of Jesus.
As a former news reporter who now covers the Bible beat, I thought it important to remind people of what Jesus taught, and what those teachings look like as they sit there beside those of a wannabe national leader who is courting Christians.
When you compare the teachings of Mr. Trump to those of Jesus Christ, it seems as though one person takes his people on the high road, and the other person takes the low road. The difference seems that remarkable.
So I thought I would remark.
I stand by the words I wrote in the earlier blog article, Donald Trump and the King of Kings. They are authentic, accurate, and obvious it seems to me, though I have been wrong before.
But I do not stand by words I did not write.
I did not write and I do not believe that Christians who support Donald Trump are not Christians anymore.
What I would say to those Christian brothers and sisters would come in the form of a question:
There are many Christian principles suggesting that we Christians should walk away from Mr. Trump and look for another soul to represent us on matters important to us. What are the Christian principles that suggest we should follow him?
If Christianity makes a difference in the way we live our lives, isn’t it fair to expect an answer to that question?
Also, for the record, I know that Donald Trump’s senior aide is a gentleman named Stephen Miller.
I’m the other Stephen Miller.
For more about the Antichrist
- Who’s Who and Where’s Where in the Bible 2.0, pages 35-36
- Complete Guide to the Bible, pages 486-491
- Complete Guide to Bible Prophecy, pages 280-283
Bible Gateway Blogger Grid
I have yet to hear a compelling, biblically-based argument to vote for Mr. Trump. So you and I are both waiting for it!
Thanks David.
I understand the secular and the safe and the selfish reasons to vote for him. People have a healthy survival instinct and they don’t want to get blown up by terrorists sneaking in as refugees; so they slam the door on 10 million war refugees. And people don’t want Mexicans taking their jobs; so they build a wall instead of bridges and they make the Mexicans pay for it.
I’m not yet able to see the story of the Good Samaritan, for example, in behavior like that.
A little blowback is good for the immune system.
Well, NaTasha, I’m not the only witty one in the joint. Here’s to your good health: Cheers.
If you compare the comments of any politician to the words of Jesus, all of them, regardless of party or ideology, fall rather short of the mark. If you look at the lives they lead, then the comparison widens. I’m not any better than they are (all are sinners), but I’m not asking people to believe in me, vote for me or let me control their lives. On the other hand, I at least have more sense than to go into politics.
Thanks Ralph. I agree with what you’ve said. What seems to set Mr. Trump apart from others is where we would have to rate his comments and behavior on a scale of 1 to 10, compared to the comments and behavior of others running for the top office. If “1” is Mother Teresa and “10” is Hitler, I think most other candidates would seem a bit closer to Mother Teresa than Mr. Trump would be. His intolerance of Muslims, for example, sounds a bit like the verbiage in Germany regarding Jews just before World War II. Christians didn’t speak up then. I’m thinking we should probably speak up now. But we tend not to learn from our own history.
Nice, thoughtful, nuanced post.
I definitely have to agree with you that there are many sincere believers who, for reasons that still mystify me, are strong Trump supporters.
As to whether Mr Trump matches the definition of the antichrist — aren’t his words and behaviors exactly what make him the antichrist and, in effect, deny God & Jesus? Or are you suggesting that the lip service he pays to Christianity is sufficient?
In my own blog, with perhaps less nuance, I’ve come to the conclusion that you’d have a hard time finding a contemporary figure who fits the definition of antichrist better.
https://613test.com/2016/09/17/god-hates-trump/
Thanks!