Trump’s Presidency And America In Prophecy

 

The statement, “When men on earth have done their best, God in heaven will do the rest,” again rings true with the results of the 2016 American Presidential elections.  Men on earth have indeed done their best to stop Donald Trump from copping the coveted throne of the US presidency. Yet, in spite of his being outspent on a nearly two-to-one ratio (Clinton’s $1.3 Billion vs. Trump’s $795 Million), Trump upstaged all the pundits and prognosticators, the Statisticians and politicians, and brought home the presidential trophy in one of the most embarrassing electoral upsets in modern times, much to the chagrin of the media, President Obama, the Bushes, heads of foreign governments, and their respective media houses, and an host of other obstacles strewn in his path!  What went wrong? is the question looming in the minds of many, from Wall Street to Main Street, to 42nd Street.

Trump alienated immigrants, made enemies of Muslims, insulted and mocked women, and still won. He left unchallenged the belief that he had avoided paying federal income taxes for years; he faced plausible, if unproven, accusations of running a fraudulent business (his “Trump University”); and he retweeted racist and anti-Semitic images and memes — and still he won.

Hillary Clinton, who had come in for praise — including from Trump himself — as an effective senator and secretary of state while she held those offices, was endorsed by practically every newspaper in the country. She raised far more money than he did and campaigned with a popular president, with her own chief opponent in the party, with Beyoncé and Bruce Springsteen — and still she lost.[1]

The media, religious groups, politicians, and historians are still trying to understand their blindness to this embarrassing loss of their show-girl, Hilary, and can’t come up with any plausible answers that make sense to them. But I know what went wrong:  America has lost the God of her youth, the God of her founding years, and yes, the God of her silent tears, the God who has brought her thus far on her way, He who has by His might, led her into the light has been betrayed, forsaken and rejected.  America has lost sight of the God who has brought her this far on her way, and unless she repents and rediscovers the God of her pilgrim years, I fear that national apostasy will surely and inevitably result in national ruin!

In the wake of this election results, however, we must be wide open-eyed about the realities that have brought us to this moment, as well as the concessions and promises Trump made to earn the votes of the Evangelical Christian community.  To begin with, back in August, as well as during the Primaries, Donald Trump met with a large group of Evangelicals in America, and after hearing their concerns, made certain and specific promises to them, promises, which if implemented will place the Church as one of the largest voting blocks in America!  This will be a wide open door–placing the churches in charge of the electoral process in a big way, thereby allowing them to have a large say in determining the candidacy of the elected officials, going forward.  In this way Christians as a voting block can elect officials in office who are sympathetic to their cause, or who are themselves members of the Faith.

Trump has promised to repeal the so-called Johnson Amendment, a 1954 provision that prohibits tax-exempt organizations from participating in political activities. Proposed by then-Senator Lyndon B. Johnson and later revised by Congress, it keeps churches and other non-profits from lobbying for specific causes, campaigning on behalf of politicians, and supporting or opposing candidates for office…

If the Johnson Amendment were repealed, pastors would be able to endorse candidates from the pulpit, which they’re currently not allowed to do by law. But it’s also true that a lot more money could possibly flow into politics via donations to churches and other religious organizations. That could mean religious groups would become much more powerful political forces in American politics—and it would almost certainly tee up future court battles.[2]

At the moment, the Johnson Amendment is enforced under the 501(c) (3) article of the Internal Revenue Code.  In order for a church to operate as a “Nonprofit Corporation” in America, they must live in conformance to and compliance with all appropriate Tax Codes covering that corporation status.  That IRS Code section reads as follows:

Under the Internal Revenue Code, all section 501(c)(3) organizations are absolutely prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office. Contributions to political campaign funds or public statements of position (verbal or written) made on behalf of the organization in favor of or in opposition to any candidate for public office clearly violate the prohibition against political campaign activity.  Violating this prohibition may result in denial or revocation of tax-exempt status and the imposition of certain excise taxes…

On the other hand, voter education or registration activities with evidence of bias that (a) would favor one candidate over another; (b) oppose a candidate in some manner; or (c) have the effect of favoring a candidate or group of candidates, will constitute prohibited participation or intervention. (Page Last Reviewed or Updated: 13-Sep-2016)[3]

Because more than 70% of Americans identify themselves with the Christian religion, it is not hard to see the powerful influence that would be unleashed in the hands of the church, should the Johnson Amendment be repealed.  But what might these “Evangelicals” do with such new-found freedoms to impact legislation in this country?  Well, they might lobby to get Presidents in place who will appoint Supreme Court Justices who will overturn some of the more religiously sensitive laws that have been introduced through the vehicle of the High Court!  Laws such as Rowe v. Wade (the legalization of abortion law) and Obergefell v. Hodges (the legalization of same-gender marriage law).

This table, taken from Gallup clearly shows that even while the American Christian identity is in a steady decline that still 75% of the nation identifies itself with the Christian religion!  In such a case, the church could easily become the greatest Super-PAC[4] entity in the nation.  Should the Church now earn this coveted status, it is not difficult to see how the “threats” to Christianity now advanced by court decisions can literally be reversed, repealed or replaced with more “Christian-friendly” ones.  But this is the very thing we have been teaching as Adventists for over a century now, that the protestant churches of America will so utilize the legislative process, as to implement laws that favor Sunday-keepers at the expense of Sabbath-observing Christians, and this will create a very harsh time of trouble for Commandment-keepers!

The crisis is now upon us. The battle is to be waged between the Christianity of the Bible and the Christianity of human tradition. Is there not a criminal neglect in our present sleepy condition? There must be a decided advance movement among us. We must show to the world that we recognize, in the events that are now taking place in connection with the National Reform movement, the fulfillment of prophecy. That which we have, for the last thirty or forty years, proclaimed would come, is now here; and the trumpet of every watchman upon the walls of Zion should raise the alarm.

Prophecy represents Protestantism as having lamb-like horns, but speaking like a dragon. Already we are beginning to hear the voice of the dragon. There is a satanic force propelling the Sunday movement, but it is concealed. Even the men who are engaged in the work, are themselves blinded to the results which will follow their movement. Let not the commandment-keeping people of God be silent at this time, as though we gracefully accepted the situation. There is the prospect before us, of waging a continuous war, at the risk of imprisonment, of losing property and even life itself, to defend the law of God, which is being made void by the laws of men. This Bible text will be quoted to us, “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. . . . The powers that be are ordained of God.”[5]

Here’s Trump in his own words:

“This would be so great for religion, but it would be so great for the evangelicals, for the pastors, for the ministers for the priests, for America,” he said pointing toward the audience again.

He continued: “They took away the voice of great people, they took away the voice of people that want to see good things happen. It’s not like they took away a bad voice, an evil voice, they took away a voice. And I mean took it away … but if you were in that room with me they were silent. They didn’t want to get involved.”

He then pledged to get rid of the Johnson Amendment.

“We’ll get it out. We’ll be able to terminate the Johnson amendment. And you’ll have great power to do good things and religion will start going instead of this way (downward motion). Christianity, when you think of what’s happening, when you look at the numbers. I talk about Sunday School, people don’t even know what I’m talking about anymore. When you look instead of going this way (downward motion). You’re gonna go this way,” he said moving his hand upward.[6]

In the face of these facts that Trump and the Evangelical community are bent on forming a union that will marshal their forces in making American again “one nation under God,” what does this portend for those Christians who are considered fundamentalists or more commonly today as extremists?  What defines an “extremist” cult-like religion?  Are “extremists” also “terrorists,” if not, can the one,  extremist, transition into the other, terrorist?  The answer to these questions will lead us on the path of discovery of the prophetic nature of Trump’s Presidency and an all Republican government, to include the House (Congress) and the Senate.  Trump’s mention of “Sunday School” while appearing illustrative in nature, holds the heart of the offering he is making to the Evangelical Christian Church.  At the heart of greater Protestantism  is the protection of the Sunday-Sabbath.  The Lord’s Day Alliance, (LDA) a Christian activist ministry in defense of the Lord’s Day—Sunday, was launched to lobby Congress to pass laws making Sunday a sacred day in America, and the violation of such Sabbath holiness will be punished by state laws.  Here is the LDA, in their own words:

Our Mission: The Lord’s Day Alliance of the United States exists to encourage Christians to reclaim the Sabbath–the Lord’s Day–as a day of spiritual and personal renewal, enabling them to impact their communities with the Gospel.

Our History: The Lord’s Day Alliance of the United States (LDA) was founded in 1888. That year representatives of six major Protestant denominations met in Washington, D.C. to organize the American Sabbath Union; this name was later changed to The Lord’s Day Alliance of the United States. The LDA has been the one national organization whose sole purpose is to maintain and cultivate the first day of the week as a time for rest, worship, Christian education and spiritual renewal.

Our Leadership: The LDA is led by a Board of Managers comprised of clergy and laity from Christian churches and includes persons from Baptist, Catholic, Episcopalian, Friends, Lutheran, Methodist, Non-Denominationalist, Orthodox, Presbyterian, and Reformed traditions.[7]

From this outline above, it should be clear to all that there is an activist mission of American Evangelical Christians, including their Roman Catholic friends who have a sole and vested interest in lobbying Congress to restore solemnity to the papal day of rest—Sunday.  It is helpful to note that Donald Trump is a Presbyterian, and that his church is one of the leading voices in that body seeking to make Sunday sacred, by force of law. Many of these “Christian churches,” comprising the membership of that body, except for the Catholics, are completely ignorant of the history of Sunday sacredness, and how it became an impaling thorn is the side of the primitive Christians.  They are under the Catholic illusion that on account of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, which took place on the first day of the week—Sunday, that God had somehow shifted solemnity from the seventh-day Sabbath to the first day of the week! All Christians who continued to observe the Creation Sabbath on the seventh day of the week were called “Judaizers,” and were summarily persecuted to the point of imprisonment and/or death.

When the full agenda of the LDA movement is uncovered, one will only realize too true that this movement, while apparently innocent, and well-meaning, is an actual tool of the devil, to rekindle the fires of persecution against all true worshippers—the saints, who “keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” (Rev. 14: 12).  Let me first give you a window into the immediate future as seen by Ellen White more than a century ago:

When the early church became corrupted by departing from the simplicity of the gospel, and accepting heathen rites and customs, she lost the Spirit and power of God; and in order to control the consciences of the people she sought the support of the secular power. The result was the papacy, a church that controlled the power of the State, and employed it to further her own ends, especially for the punishment of “heresy.” In order for the United States to form an image of the beast, the religious power must so control the civil government that the authority of the State will also be employed by the church to accomplish her own ends.

Whenever the church has obtained secular power, she has employed it to punish dissent from her doctrines. Protestant churches that have followed in the steps of Rome by forming alliance with worldly powers, have manifested a similar desire to restrict liberty of conscience. An example of this is given in the long-continued persecution of dissenters by the Church of England. During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, thousands of non-conformist ministers were forced to leave their churches, and many, both of pastors and people, were subjected to fine, imprisonment, torture, and martyrdom.

It was apostasy that led the early church to seek the aid of the civil government, and this prepared the way for the development of the papacy,—the beast…So apostasy in the church will prepare the way for the image to the beast. And the Bible declares that before the coming of the Lord there will exist a state of religious declension similar to that in the first centuries. “In the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.” [2 Timothy 3:1-5] “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.” [1 Timothy 4:1.] Satan will work “with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness.” And all that “received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved,” will be left to accept “strong delusion, that they should believe a lie.” [2 Thessalonians 2:9-11.] When this state of ungodliness shall be reached, the same results will follow as in the first centuries.[8]

Are we there yet?  Most certainly!  And it is not just in America, but throughout the world, and especially so the protestant world, this level of ungodliness is being quickly achieved.  Today there are many countries seeking to follow suit after the example of the United States, to legalize same-gender marriages, and are seeking religious approval of this abomination, by forcing church pastors to solemnize their marriages at the expense of not being called discriminatory or “hate” mongers. But we must clearly disabuse the mind of a very insidious system that is very stealthily creeping up on mankind, one which bears the banner of peace and goodwill for our common home—the earth.  The solution of  “climate change” and “global warming” is more religious than meets the casual eye, and when the mask is finally removed from the face of it, many will consider themselves to have traveled to the point of no return, and will only become oppressors of mankind.

The Mark of the Beast: What, How, When, Where?

Many Christians have talked about the Mark of the Beast, and have taught variously that it is a computer chip, a literal mark (bar-code) that the government will induce on us, or some variant thereof, imposed by the coming Antichrist.  Here is how one media outlet summarizes this concept:

Many good expositors of Revelation differ widely as to the exact nature of the mark of the beast. Besides the implanted chip view, other speculations include an ID card, a microchip, a barcode that is tattooed into the skin, or simply a mark that identifies someone as being faithful to the Antichrist’s kingdom. This last view requires the least speculation, since it does not add any more information to what the Bible gives us.  In other words, any of these things are possible, but at the same time they are all speculations. We should not spend a lot of time speculating on the precise details. [9]

This idea above, while plausible, is a decoy from the enemy, for God does want us to know what this very dangerous worship by compulsion is all about so that none of us will participate in it.  Therefore,  ignorance to its manifestation is not bliss, and we should be all the more studious to finding out exactly what this beast worship is, and what it is not.  I agree that the offerings of what the “mark” is, are all speculations, so what I have to share will remove the specter of speculation and reveal the truth as it is Jesus Christ.  Satan would love, above everything else, that this truth remains in the cloud of speculation and subjective reasoning, but as we will soon see, the truth of the mark of the beast lies in the worship statutes in the commandments of God.

11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. 12  And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. 13  And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, 14  And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. 15  And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. 16  And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: 17  And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. (Rev. 13: 12-17).

It must first be observed that at the heart of this “beast” system is “worship,”  and the penalty for not conforming to this form of State-sponsored compulsory worship institution is death!  Immediately, then, we can take our attention from barcodes, computer chips or any other physical object, and train our eyes solely on the question of worship, for therein lies the answer.

That worship is at the heart of this global religious-political-economic engine, is further seen in chapter fourteen, “9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, 10  The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation… 11 and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.” (Rev. 14: 9, 10, 11).

Almost without exception throughout the book of Revelation, whenever this particular “beast” is mentioned, he is associated with “worship.”  Let’s now document this for the record:

• “And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.” Rev. 16:2.
• “And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.” Rev. 19:20
• “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.” Rev. 20:4

There we have it!  As clear as language can proclaim, the “mark of the beast” system is centered on “worship.”  And this worship is one that is in violation of the Law of God, for He issues a death penalty against all who will surrender to the State-sponsored forced worship of the image of the beast system. (Rev. 14: 9-12).  At this point we are now prepared to do a systematic verse-by-verse, deep dive, into the truth of the “image of the beast,” and “mark of the beast” systems.Ω

Updated, November 14, 2016:

 

The Beast His Image and His Mark

Before we develop this section, I wish to remind you of a year in American history, already mentioned above: 1888, do recall that it was in that year that the LAD movement started its quest in making Sunday sacred again, through Congressional legislation. In what follows you will see that this type of punitive Sunday legislation has been at the helm of the Evangelical Protestant community for the longest while, and it has presented itself under various disguises, which on the face are very innocent, and offer goodwill to others, but it is only a Trojan Horse for rekindling the fires of the Inquisition.

May 21, 1888, the Sunday-Sabbath the movement gained significant momentum when it caught the interest of an advocate in the US Senate, Senator Henry W. Blair. Blair proposed a bill which is historic in nature, and known as “Blair Amendment,” and in US Congressional records it is known as Senate Bill No. 2983.[1]  I shall share the first two paragraphs of that bill below:

Bill to secure to the people the enjoyment of the first day of the week, commonly known as The Lord’s Day, as a day of rest and to promote its observance as a day of religious worship.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, That no person or corporation, or the agent, servant, or employee of any person or corporation, shall perform or authorize to be performed, any secular work, labor, or business, to the disturbance of others, works of necessity, mercy, and humanity excepted; nor shall any person engage in any play, game, or amusement, or recreation, to the disturbance of others, on the first day of the week, commonly known as the Lord’s day, or during any part thereof, in any territory, district, vessel, or place, subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the United States; nor shall it be lawful for any person or corporation to receive pay for labor or service performed or rendered in violation of this section.[2]

In its original form, the bill was rejected and was submitted for a revote a little more than a year later.  On December 9, 1889, Senator Blair introduced the same Bill, this time as SB 946, by this time he had as his popular supporters, the American Sabbath Union and the Sabbath Department of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union, all of whom were determined to having an enforceable Sunday legislation issued by the US Congress.  In its revised form, here comes another Blair attempt to enforce Sunday-sacredness, under the front of the Postal Service and mail delivery laws, on the so-called Christian Sabbath—Sunday:

SECTION. 6. That labor or service performed and rendered on the first day of the week in consequence of accident, disaster, or unavoidable delays in making the regular connections upon postal routes and routes of travel and transportation, the preservation of perishable and exposed property, and the regular and necessary transportation and delivery of articles of food in condition for healthy use, and such transportation for short distances from one State, District, or Territory into another State, District, or Territory as by local laws shall be declared to be necessary for the public good shall not be deemed violations of this act, nor shall the provisions of this act be construed to prohibit or to sanction labor on Sunday by individuals who conscientiously believe in and observe any other day than Sunday as the Sabbath or a day of religious worship, provided such labor be not done to the disturbance of others.[3]

Upon sensing the determined effort of some Christian activists in this country of Liberty and Justice for all, the US Congress committee responded to the Blair Amendment in no uncertain terms, uncovering the persecutive nature of the proposed bill.  This opinion has preserved our national liberty for all these years, but there are very strong headwinds in circulation seeking to reverse those protective gains that have made, and given the right environment—Republican majority in Congress, the Supreme Court, the Senate, and a Republican president in tow, the season could not be more ripe to reverse the gains of the secularists who have literally hijacked the political institutions of this great nation.  Christians are angry about the removal of prayer from public schools, angry about the forced acceptance of same-gender marriage as the law of the land, without Congressional approval, angry about abortion on demand, and also angry about the secularization of our supposed “Christian” homeland.  They will seek to make up for the losses of the past, and in this manner, they will overcompensate for the evils, by swinging the proverbial pendulum too far to the right, and themselves become the harbingers of intolerance and religious persecution!  This is the undeniable, yet logical conclusion that can be reached, given the willingness of the Evangelical Community to make America great again, as “one nation under God.”

Our Government is a civil, and not a religious institution. Our Constitution recognizes in every person the right to choose his own religion, and to enjoy it freely, without molestation. Whatever may be the religious sentiments of citizens, and however variant, they are alike entitled to protection from the Government, so long as they do not invade the rights of others. The transportation of the mail on the first day of the week, it is believed, does not interfere with the rights of conscience. The petitioners for its discontinuance appear to be actuated by a religious zeal, which may be commendable if confined to its proper sphere; but they assume a position better suited to an ecclesiastical than to a civil institution. They appear in many instances to lay it down as an axiom, that the practice is a violation of the law of God. Should Congress in legislative capacity adopt the sentiment, it would establish the principle that the Legislature is a proper tribunal to determine what are the laws of God. It would involve a legislative decision on a religious controversy, and on a point in which good citizens may honestly differ in opinion, without disturbing the peace of society or endangering its liberties. If this principle is once introduced, it will be impossible to define its bounds.

Among all the religious persecutions with which almost every page of modern history is stained, no victim ever suffered but for the violation of what government denominated the law of God. To prevent a similar train of evils in this country, the Constitution has wisely withheld from our Government the power of defining the divine law. It is a right reserved to each citizen; and while he respects the rights of others, he cannot be held amenable to any human tribunal for his conclusions. Extensive religious combinations to effect a political object, are, in the opinion of the committee, always dangerous. This first effort of the kind calls for the establishment of a principle, which, in the opinion of the committee, would lay the foundation for dangerous innovations upon the spirit of the Constitution, and upon the religious rights of the citizens. If admitted, it may be justly apprehended that the future measures of the Government will be strongly marked, if not eventually controlled, by the same influence. All religious despotism commences by combination and influence; and when that influence begins to operate upon the political institutions of a country, the civil power soon bends under it; and the catastrophe of other nations furnishes an awful warning of the consequence.[4]

In reflecting on this fact, A.T. Jones, an American preacher who stood before Congress to defend against this sort of one-sided justice, in which the Church would wield the civil laws of the State to prosecute her dogma, has passed his comments on the above rebuff from the Committee, accordingly:

That is precisely what it is, and that is all that it is. And as the Protestants, taken as a whole, are so overwhelmingly in the majority in this country, the probabilities are altogether in favor of their winning in the race, and the result can be nothing else than the establishment of a Protestant religious despotism after the model of the Catholic one of the Middle Ages. Will the American people be wise in time?[5]

In showing the hand of what the Evangelicals wished to do when they got all that the Blair Amendment embodied, proponents of the National Reform Movement became very vocal in their aspirations as to the end-game in their quest—enforced Christian dogma on the entire nation, in the name of “America is a Christina nation.”  This fight thought covertly plotted, did not pass the notice of another watchman on Zion’s walls, in the person of Dr. Ellet J. Waggoner.  What follows, is his summary of the situation, placing it in perspective for all future generations to see:

“Give all men to understand that this is a Christian Nation, and that, believing that without Christianity we perish, we must maintain, by all right means, our Christian character. Inscribe this character on our Constitution. . . Enforce upon all who come among us the laws of Christian morality.” The Christian Statesman, October 2, 1884.

“Enforce,” according to Webster, is “to force, to constrain, to compel, to execute with vigor.” Therefore the proposition of the National Reformers is to force, to compel, all to keep the laws of Christian morality; to execute with vigor upon all the laws of Christian morality.

It will be seen at once that this will be but to invade the rights of conscience, and this, one of the vice-presidents of the Association declares, civil power has a right to do. Rev. David Gregg, D.D., now pastor of Park Street Church, Boston, a vice-president of the National Reform Association, plainly declared, in the Christian Statesman, of June 5, 1884, that the civil power “has the right to command the consciences of men.”

Rev. M.A. Gault, a district secretary, and a leading worker, of the Association says:-

“Our remedy for all these malific [sic] influences is to have the Government simply set up the moral law, and recognize God’s authority behind it, and lay its hands on any religion that does not conform to it.”

Rev. E. B. Graham, also a vice-president of the Association, in an address delivered at York, Nebraska, reported in the Christian Statesman of May 21, 1885, said:-

“We might add in all justice, if the opponents of the Bible do not like our Government and its Christian features, let them go to some wild, desolate land, and in the name of the devil, and for the sake of the devil, subdue it, and set up a Government of their own on infidel and atheistic ideas, and then if they can stand it stay there till they die.”[6]

Now that we have clearly seen the intentions of the founders of the Lord’s Day Alliance, and all similarly inspired Evangelical surrogates, it is left for us to now make sense of that which now presents itself before us, in this historic election of the 45^th President of the United States.  First, though, it is helpful to see the contribution Governor Mike Pence brings to the enigmatic equation.

The Pence  Evangelical Catholic Connection

Governor Pence is a unifying force for both Evangelicals and Roman Catholics in America.  Having grown up a Catholic, and extended his reach to the American Evangelical community on account of marrying the woman of his dreams.  Pence is keenly familiar with both religious traditions, as well as the sentiments that they hold near and dear, and is a fierce contender for those values himself.

Pence was born and raised a Catholic, an upbringing where attending Mass and serving as altar boy was an important part of his life. Sometime during college, he began attending a non-denominational church, where he met his future wife. He now describes himself as, “a Christian, a conservative and a Republican,” in that order, and he’s also called himself, “a born-again, evangelical Catholic,” a phrase met with consternation by some on social media.”

But Pence, long described as a culture warrior during his decade in Congress, nonetheless supports many issues important to some Catholics…

As a Congressman in 2003, Pence pushed for a constitutional amendment to define marriage as a union of one man and one woman, a proposal some Catholic bishops still support, even a year after the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage.

Later, in 2011, he advocated shutting down the federal government in order to defund Planned Parenthood, a rallying cry still common among some conservative lawmakers.

After he was sworn in as governor in 2013, following a campaign that largely eschewed social issues in favor of economic concerns, he pushed for the passage of a controversial bill that critics said would allow businesses to refuse service to L.G.B.T. people for religious reasons…

“Personally I know him to be a man who is not afraid to defend our values and to pay the price necessary to do it,” [Father Frank] Pavone said of Pence. “We always knew we were going to have his strong support. He encouraged us, and we encouraged him.”…

And though Catholics make up a sizable chunk of the electorate, it’s likely Trump was far more concerned with how his choice would be perceived by evangelical voters. After all, a recent poll found that most Catholics are gravitating toward Clinton, while Trump is dominating among with white evangelicals.[7]

There we have it in a nutshell: Pence is both Evangelical and Catholic, holding to certain core fundamentals that are hot-button items for both camps, and advocating those positions from a legislative and policy-making standpoint.  Nothing could be more desirable for a Roman Catholic or Evangelical power base, and from this attraction, one can see how the church gets sucked into this politic in a big way.  For this in a rare opening for Christians in America to take back their country, on the brink of moral disaster, from the hands of the profligate liberals who have hijacked its leadership, and charted a new and self-destructive course.

[1] The full text of SB 2983 can be read at this link: http://biblelight.net/Blair-Sunday-Bill.htm

[2] http://biblelight.net/Blair-Sunday-Bill.htm; italics belong to the original.

[3] The Sentinel Library, No. 24,  December 15, 1889, The Blair Sunday Rest Bill, p. 4, italics and bold emphasis added; http://documents.adventistarchives.org/Tracts/SL/SL18891215-24.pdf

[4] The Blair Sunday-Rest Bill, p. 6; italics added, read more at:  https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/1339.2

[5] A.T. Jones, 1889, “Bad Tactics,” The American Sentinel,  Vol 4, No. 24, pp. 185, 186, italics added.

[6] EJ Waggoner,  October 1888, The American Sentinel, pp. 76.7-76.13, italics added.

[7] America, The National Catholic Review, Jul 15 2016; http://www.americamagazine.org/content/dispatches/mike-pences-relationship-catholic-church-iscomplicated

Author: Garrick Augustus, November 9, 2016

 

[To Be Continued.  Please check back soon, as this article is being released when newer portions are written, but the urgency of the moment and demands from the online search requests compel me to make this article available now, even as it is being written.]

List of References

[1] Yahoo News, November 8, 2016; https://www.yahoo.com/news/trumps-stunning-campaign-rewrote-all-the-rules-what-about-his-presidency-081945852.html

[2] The Atlantic, AUG 2, 2016, http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/08/how-trump-is-trying-to-put-more-money-in-politics/493823/  (AUG 2, 2016)

[3]  Internal Revenue Service, https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/charitable-organizations/the-restriction-of-political-campaign-intervention-by-section-501-c-3-tax-exempt-organizations

[4] PAC means Political Action Committee—clusters of political activist groups who can unify their voting blocks and financial powers in large numbers; to influence the change they want in society through the voting booth and the electoral process.

[5] E.G. White, Review and Herald, January 1, 1889 par. 3, 4

[6] The Christian Post, Aug 12, 2016; http://www.christianpost.com/news/donald-trump-promises-evangelicals-great-power-higher-church-attendance-167884/#8eu2s7hPOGsLidJe.99

[7] The Lord’s Day Alliance Website: http://www.ldausa.org/lda/about/#history

[8] E.G. White, 1888, The Great Controversy, pp.  443-444; italics and bold emphasis added.

[9] https://gotquestions.org/mark-beast.html