Lesson 14: The Story of the Prophet John
Although we usually think of conservative Evangelicals and Roman Catholics as supporting Donald Trump, most of the Christians he counsels are Pentecostals. They are the ones we see gathered around to lay hands on him as God’s chosen. Most Christian Nationalists also exhibit Pentecostal features.
Prophets in the New Testament and modern Pentecostal churches receive direct messages from God in the vernacular rather than glossolalia (tongues). The most famous of these is John, the prophet who wrote the Book of Revelation.
His story involves being sent into exile for conveying charismatic visions in which God instructs Christians to oppose the Roman Empire. He finds a way to continue his ministry from the island of Patmos by putting his visions into writing and having his former churches read them out loud. The book of Revelation is one of these auditory visions.
Although most modern people consistently misread his prophecies as predictions of the future, those who study the first century recognize that John meant to reveal how God was operating at that time. His message exposed God’s condemnation of the Roman Empire for impoverishing other nations so they could enjoy luxury. The rich and powerful took advantage of the poor and weak. God calls Christians to have nothing to do with Rome, assuring that she will self-destruct in two and a half years.
Every time I taught Revelation to young adults, they quickly observed that John could be picturing the American Empire when he described Rome exploiting the resources of poor nations. They are especially impressed with fleets of ships carrying precious goods to Rome.
John’s story brings up at least three thoughts relevant to this series. The first is Donald Trump‘s continual effort to silence anyone who disagrees with him. He exiles any opposition. Certainly, Revelation calls us to find creative ways to speak truth to this misuse of power.
The second is the need to regulate wealth. The president has surrounded himself with extremely wealthy people to whom he promises massive tax breaks. The assumption is that the rich deserve priority treatment because wealth indicates intelligence. These people know what makes success in business and therefore also in politics. At the same time, aid to the poor and needy is discontinued because it is regarded as waste extended to unworthy failures. John’s prophecy certainly condemns this approach.
The third is the need to regulate charismatic messages. We might appreciate what John writes but should recognize the New Testament early on felt the need to control charismatics who claimed God gave them special messages. These are the false prophets the Gospels, Acts, and Paul warn us to evaluate carefully. The canon was developed to offer regulation of their often self- serving posturing. That should motivate us to use scripture as a check on Christian messages. I think our series has revealed those supporting Trump would fail the test.
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Excellent!