...And the Hearts of Many Shall Be Revealed.

Sometimes, the Spirit gnaws; like a persistent, pestering gnat or fly. 
 
I had a thought over the recent holidays that made me think about the Spirit of the Age.  Now, before I go on, you should know that I support President Trump.  But, my observations are not meant to be political.  They are just observations.
 
I wrote a dramatic piece several years ago about Simeon, spoken about in Luke 2: 25-35.   He was a devout Jew who was patiently waiting to see the Messiah.  The account of his encounter with the baby Jesus in the temple is a glorious record of God’s faithfulness to this man.  Verses 34 and 35 read, “Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
 
Certainly this prophetic word would affirm what Mary and Joseph already knew.  I wonder if it made them smile; or at least up until the last sentence, right? Jesus would grow up in obscurity to become the center of every day life; not just for Jews but for everyone.  His influence certainly included the realm of politics and governments.  While the Jewish religious leaders put a political spin on their venom against Jesus, they were clearly more concerned about how he was affecting their base of power even though they would disguise it as protecting the people from false teaching.   It was a swamp and Jesus was an outsider.  His rise to prominence through the signs and wonders that followed his ministry clearly pointed to his divine authority.  Yet, the ‘fake news’ against him dogged the good news of his message. 
 
Jesus wasn’t divisive.  Even in Matthew 10: 34-36, I don’t believe Jesus is saying that HE is dividing families. That would go against everything we know about the Bible AND Jesus.  But, everyone must do something with Jesus.  “He is a sign that is spoken against so that the hearts of many are revealed.”  There are certainly times where those disagreements over Jesus turn sharp and divide families.  So, Jesus is not dividing people.  But people are divided over Jesus.  He just reveals the division that already existed.
 
President Trump’s policies are:
-Pro Israel
-Pro America (nationalism vs globalism)
-Pro LIFE
-Pro Military
 
He is a D.C. outsider who has brought common sense back into the SWAMP and he is getting CRUCIFIED.  Please don’t get me wrong.  He’s no Jesus!  He’s no Messiah.  And yet, I believe we are seeing a shadow of the Spirit of the Age we are living in.  People who infer that he is dividing this country are misinformed.  He is revealing the deep division that already exists.  It is being moved along by the Spirit is Lawlessness and it will be the preeminent characteristic of the Antichrist as shared in 2 Thess 2: 1-12.
 
We are moving towards globalism.  There is no way to prevent it because the Bible clearly indicates a one-world order in the last days.  This will be the final throne of the Anti-Christ before Jesus’ returns.   President Trump is standing (mostly) alone trying to stem the tide of the inevitable tsunami that is going to wipe out the world.  I admire his courage and I support him.  But I’m afraid we’re fighting a losing battle apart from a soul-awakening revival, which we should all continue to pray for along with the salvation of Israel.
 
As a Christian, we are commanded to pray for our leaders, whether we like them or not. (Romans 13:1; 1 Tim 2: 1,2) I encourage you to pray Psalm 140 over our President and Vice President.  And remember that our struggle is NOT against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, authorities, and principalities in high places."  Ephesians 6:12.

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