Drain the Swamp

Drain the Swamp!  Donald Trump is not the first person that tried to do that.   The religious establishment during the time of Jesus Christ was a cesspool filled with leaders that were mostly concerned with holding on to power.  Jesus represented a real threat to their way of life.  Disguised under the banner of ‘protecting the people’ from heresy, they created a campaign based on lies and fake news to destroy him; which they certainly did not. 
 
Jesus called these people “Hypocrites”.  It is derived from the Greek word “hupokrites” which means, “An expounder or interpreter of dreams, then an actor.  That is what the Greeks used to call a stage player who acted under a mask impersonating a character.  A counterfeit.”  Ironic how the word parallels today’s ‘celebrities’ who espouse morality and preach how we all should live, while they live lives that are completely to the contrary.   It’s easy to feel the same agitation that Jesus felt against the spirits of his adversaries. 
 
In Luke 12: 1b, Jesus says, “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which IS hypocrisy.”  He called out their sin for what it was.  They were hypocrites when it came to telling the people how to live and then living as if the same laws didn’t apply to them.  They were somehow ‘above the law’, a reference I’ve heard leveled at our president during these impeachment hearings.   Again, the hypocrisy of just that statement alone is astounding. 
 
And in every case where Jesus confronted them, their response was always the same, “the Pharisees and the teachers of the law began to plot ways to kill Jesus….” (Luke 22:2…and others.)  I love what Luke 13:17 says, “When he said this, his opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing.”  (I have to admit that I do delight in how the president is winning in the battle against his/our adversaries.)  Meanwhile, his enemies have been trying to destroy him since before he took the oath of office.
 
I can’t help but see the parallels of today’s political theatre.   It is evident that the hypocrites of our Congress are trying to crucify a duly elected president because he represents a threat to their power.  And there is no argument to be made when facts do not matter and deception reigns.  Logic is thrown out the window and emotional tirades rue the day.  President Trump is no Messiah (as his predecessor was labeled), but he clearly stands for values rooted in a Judeo-Christian worldviews.  And those values, including nationalism, are vehemently opposed to whom the real villain is in this melodrama:  GLOBALISM. 
 
How long President Trump can stem the tide of these forces remains to be seen.  But for now, at least, I am grateful for his leadership.  I know there are many who disagree.  But I see the parallels in Scripture and know the struggle is ultimately “not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers and authorities of this dark world and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens.”  (Ephesisans 6) And so, I’m reminded to keep praying.
 
Jesus didn’t succeed in ‘draining’ the swamp before he died.  But his death made the way for the swamp to be drained.  He ushered in the kingdom of God for all who believe and gave us power and authority to do the work.   I am with President Trump and all he is trying to do.  But he will not drain the swamp in his lifetime.
 
 This swamp will be drained only when it is ruled by Jesus Christ.   SOON.