A Christian Zionist and a Jewish Zionist fight in Jerusalem to choose winner. Winner captures the flag. Loser gets “Manifest Indigestion.”
In the Beginning was the Conspiracy
Certain evangelical Christians believe that a sign of the second coming of the Messiah manifests as their physical, political occupation of Jerusalem as God’s chosen people. Some believe the sooner this happens the better. Out of grace the evangelicals are willing to share the New Jerusalem with the Jews. Jewish Zionists take exception to this belief. Sadly, zealous groups take the Bible’s spiritual prophecies and convert them into their manifest destiny to take the earthly shares by force from those who do not share their prophecy customized to fit the personal financial balance sheet of the enlightened. “Let us give thanks” is replaced with “Let us send tanks.”
But certain obstacles are parked in the path of the enlightened. For example, Bethlehem, the birthplace of Christ, is located in the Palestinian area of the Holy Land, outside Israel’s border wall. The Muslim’s golden “Dome of the Rock,” a holy site, sits squarely on top of what evangelicals view as their temple’s “Holy of Holies.” Church conspiracy groups buzz about secret tunnels burrowed under the “Dome of the Rock” along with the preparation of bronze bowls, knives, and altars to resume sacrifice of sheep and cattle once the “Dome of the Rock” falls. Any clue of movement gives a theological high pounced upon in hopes of finding final dopamine fix of finding the “Ark of the Covenant.” But show me a Christian faith built by conspiracies, tanks, and bulldozers, and I will show you a quiet faith built on the foundation of service to the poor, care for a neighbor, healing of the sick, and embracing the immigrant. These whisper the coming of the Day of the Lord!
But the show me a Christian faith built by conspiracies, tanks, and bulldozers, and I will show you a quiet faith built on the foundation of service to the poor, care for a neighbor, healing of the sick, and embracing the immigrant. These whisper the coming of the Day of the Lord!
The above Times of Israel story described Ambassador Huckabee’s argument that the Jewish Zionists are not being Christian enough. Implied is, “After all, Jerusalem is all going to be handed over to us Christians. We’ll make some room for you.” Mike Huckabee is the U.S. Ambassador to Israel and Southern Baptist High Priest in Jerusalem. Someone, by the way, needs to tell the Baptists that the First Temple was never officially known as “First Baptist Church of Jerusalem.”
You ask, “Jim, don’t you believe in Jesus and that Jesus is returning through the Eastern Gate to meet his believers?”
The Bible answers that in Hebrews 10:8-10:
By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
Jesus himself said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place” (Gospel of John 18:36).
I believe in Jesus and his words. His words do not neatly fit into end-time charts written by preachers who hawk on Amazon these color-coded end-times charts, conspiracy filled books, adrenalin rush movies, and celebrity pastor Alaskan Bible cruises. Shown below is one of the many future timeline charts available for sale on Amazon.com today:
Christians must take care that, in believing about a future Battle of Armageddon between good and evil, they don’t create an apocalypse as a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Pastor Jim
“Jim, what you allege between the United State’s ambassador and Israel is far fetched.”
Please do not take my word for it alone, considering you may think I am promoting conspiracy. View the video below to review extremist groups at work in Israel today. Watch it to the end as you will find some familiar faces. And as you watch, be mindful of the above quote: “… create an apocalypse as a self-fulfilling prophecy.”
Worship of Conspiracy
One might ask, “Why would Christians go ‘all-in’ on conspiracy theories?” These devout souls bite on a new juicy conspiracy like a trout swallows a wooly bugger fly. Take a moment and view the movie trailers below. Make note of the bits of truth that are strung together as “clues” to hook the viewer to the next “truth bit” until you are firmly down the rabbit hole.
You may say, “Jim, don’t you believe in the U.S. Constitution or the return of Jesus Christ?”
Yes, I do believe in both of them, but even the Apostle Paul warned us about turning aside to follow conspiracies down a hole of no return:
"They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths." - St. Paul in 2 Timothy 4:4
Ward Cleaver Was Right
Motley Fool’s investing article by Nate Parmelee was spot on: Slow and steady may be boring, but it can also be tremendously profitable. Investing is about the future, but to make reasonable predictions, you need a healthy understanding of the past.
The article referenced 1962 Leave It to Beaver episode “Stocks and Bonds”, in which Eddie Haskell tried to convince Wally and The Beaver to invest in Jet Electro stock to turn a quick profit, rather than investing in a boring dividend stock:
Rocket ships or utilities?
In the episode, Ward steers Beaver and Wally toward a dividend-paying company, Mayfield Power and Light. If that doesn’t sound like a nice, safe, and absolutely boring investment, I don’t know what does. But the boys are simultaneously tempted their friend Eddie Haskell to invest in Jet Electro, a company that builds rockets.Naturally, Jet Electro’s stock shoots up, and the boys can’t stand their boring local utility a minute longer. Ward relents and moves their money into the rocket company. Can you guess what happens next? The rocket company loses steam, and the boys lose almost their entire investment. Anyone who indiscriminately picked up a dot-com in 2000 can empathize. In the end, Ward saves the boys because he kept some of their money in slow and steady Mayfield Power and Light.
The Christians who pursue conspiracies and cheap prophecies of political power trade the gospel of Jesus Christ for a Jet Electro quick spiritual high — a Christian scratcher ticket, addicting the pilgrim to the dopamine of digging more theories hoping for a winning ticket.
Final Investment
Jesus said, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:19-20).
Jesus calls us to a life “slow and steady” upward movement of growth in the kingdom of God, in this life and the life to come. If you want “revolution now!” and “force the Kingdom of God now!,” take a moment and consider those in the gospels who tried to force Jesus’s hand, beginning with the temptation of Christ by the devil. Jesus showed us the way: “Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28).
Learn from Our Past “Great Disappointment”
Our evangelical friends can learn from The Great Disappointment of the Millerites at which time William Miller, Baptist lay preacher, prophesied that Jesus Christ would return October 22, 1844, the chart below shows his prediction –
The day came and went, evaporating the hopes the 50,000 to 100,000 Millerites went “all in” camping out on that date expecting the Second Coming. On October 22nd, the Millerites donned white robes, gave away all their possessions, and climbed mountains or trees to speed their ascension into heaven. When the prophecy failed, most abandoned Miller’s apocalyptical teachings and returned to their original churches.
I waited all Tuesday [October 22] and dear Jesus did not come;—I waited all the forenoon of Wednesday, and was well in body as I ever was, but after 12 o’clock I began to feel faint, and before dark I needed someone to help me up to my chamber, as my natural strength was leaving me very fast, and I lay prostrate for 2 days without any pain—sick with disappointment.
Henry Emmons, a Millerite
The Great MAGA Fall From Grace
MAGA Christians sat on America’s front pew and could have shown the United States and the world what God’s love was all about in culture and in government. This walk onto the stage of history dwarfed the combined Utopian and Second Coming movements of the 19th century United States, which taught that God was making a perfect society of heaven on earth in the U.S. [One of these groups, The Shakers, practiced celibacy, neither marrying nor having children.], as Adventist groups declared days of Jesus return.
The MAGA gospel taught today teaches, for the most part, the same end times charts as the Millerites. In other words, they hold the secret to the end times … or so they believe. The difference is that the MAGA Gospel, rather than a white dove or robe, wields the self-righteous sword to force the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. The MAGA disciples serve as the Armed Knights of the MAGA Crusaders for Christ.
Take a moment to consider the evangelicals orbiting the Trump administration:
Mike Johnson – Speaker of the House. Paula White-Cain: Televangelist appointed as Senior Advisor of the White House Faith Office. Mike Huckabee: Ambassador to Israel. Former governor of Arkansas and a popular figure among evangelical Christian conservatives, many of whom are strong supporters of Israel. Kristi Noem: Secretary of Homeland Security. Pete Hegseth, Department of Defense (See end of Israeli Extremist video above).
Mustard on Your Tie
As groundswells of the U.S. populous rise in protest at the inhumane treatment of citizens and noncitizens alike, the evangelical churches sit blindly knitting at their circled tables of deception. The chart below shows April, 2025 that 72 percent white evangelicals approve of the Mr. Trump’s handling of the job as President:
The False Flag of Persecution of the Poor
Our grandchildren will ask us, “Why were the churches silent? Did they not know how migrants were treated less than human? Why did they remain silent? Were they threatened? Did the government hold the pastors hostage? Were they not aware of their stain on human history?”
If you are a descendent reading this, and if this survives the great evangelical book burning, a large swath of churches was complicit. Rather than The Great Disappointment of 1844, congregations in the United States experienced The Great MAGA Fall From Grace. Eventually the fog of their faith-war lifted and MAGA faithful saw firsthand the chains they forged to persecute the poor, migrants, homosexuals, disabled, minorities, homeless, and the sick.
In this final self-made Armageddon, these same churches called-for and participated in the MAGA Persecution. These churches traded their”white ascension robes” for self-righteousness tactical armor and ballistic helmets that ignited fires of hate in the name of Jesus. As I write this, America is in crisis with mass deportations, people of color dragged from the streets by hooded military, tariffs against the world, the U.S. government agencies slashed …
You may ask, “Pastor Jim, certainly the U.S. church arose and cried against this evil. Right?”
Sadly, the image below shows the response of the U.S. church. The leaders raised their hands in devotion to their god on earth. The author notes that not all churches have embraced The False Flag of Faith, standing as they can against the winds of public faith of national fanaticism. Sadly the bulk of churches spent more time discussing what flavor donuts, coffees, and sweet creams to offer in their lobbies, sleepwalking through their burning house. Until now the fear of offending someone within or without the church has crippled its prophetic stance, but this is changing. Churches are awakening to stand against the peril of this self-created Armageddon.
“Christian Nationalists Taking Selfies and Praising Jesus for Eliminating Those ‘No Good’ Heathens”
Read and Discuss : The dispiriting truth about why many evangelical Christians support Israel
For many “Christians Zionists,” and particularly for popular evangelists with significant clout within the Republican Party, their support for Israel is rooted in its role in the supposed end times: Jesus’ return to Earth, a bloody final battle at Armageddon, and Jesus ruling the world from the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. In this scenario, war is not something to be avoided, but something inevitable, desired by God, and celebratory. – From “The Dispiriting Truth” (2023)
Voices in the Desert
In the 3rd to 6th century CE, Christian saints fled to the deserts of Egypt, Syria, and Palestine to escape corruption of Christians leaders who were seduced by the wealth and power of Roman government that legalized Christianity in 313 CE. These Desert Fathers and Mothers remind us of the day coming when the church in the U.S. must make a decision to separate from the seduction of money, corruption, and power, even as Christ was tempted, to take the Kingdom of God by force.
What the new Voices in the Desert might look like, the author can only conjecture. Perhaps Christians will form communities committed to care for one another and outsiders in the local community. This neo-monastic life would include building and providing housing and food for all in the community. These “barn raisings” per se would tie the communities together. Food plots would flourish as bankrupted farmers move to the communities of faith and share their agriculture expertise. Medical care is provided by purged government doctors.
What of the evangelical houses of worship? Given their current course, these buildings would likely be transformed into housing for the homeless and food kitchens for the neo-monastic communities. The churches in America stand at a crossroad and have failed the test in correcting its course to date. The author prays for their course correction, before the house collapses under its own weight and we witness The Great MAGA Fall from Grace.
Slow and Steady,
Pastor Jim
Discussion
- Why would the church trade “Jesus Loves Me” for “Jesus Loves Me When We Beat and Arrest the Migrant and the Poor”? How is this movement a “False Flag of Faith”?
- How might a church see the present U.S. environment as Armageddon a call for them to take up arms? What spiritual basis would cause a church celebrate community violence?
- Read John 18:11. Jesus commanded Peter, “Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?” How do Jesus’s words apply to our path of response?
- Review the video regarding Israeli Extremist Groups. What makes extremism so attractive? How can it quickly become destructive and disappointing? Why do extremists gravitate toward religion?
- How can we avoid being fixated on our own “Great Disappointment”?
- Describe a time when you followed a path that resulted in disappointment.
- How might Christians who climbed into the MAGA nationalist wagon find themselves up in the proverbial tree? What makes a “Great Disappointment” movement so attractive initially? Why is it so easy for one to embrace a “Great Disappointment” movement and so difficult to leave it at the end? Do you think some Millerites refused to come down from the rooftops and trees? One Millerite described his disappointment:
I waited all Tuesday [October 22] and dear Jesus did not come;—I waited all the forenoon of Wednesday, and was well in body as I ever was, but after 12 o’clock I began to feel faint, and before dark I needed someone to help me up to my chamber, as my natural strength was leaving me very fast, and I lay prostrate for 2 days without any pain—sick with disappointment. -Henry Emmons - Read and discuss 2 Corinthians 4 and discuss: “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
Extra Credit
Have you heard of Palestinian Christians? Did you know that today Bethlehem is not in Israel; it is in Palestine? Review this video and consider the experience of our brothers and sisters in the Christian faith experience living in Bethlehem and in the shadow of Israel’s border wall.
Consider that Joseph and Mary fled as refugees from King Herod, who slaughtered the male infants of Bethlehem in an attempt to kill the Christ child.
Which side of the wall in the video would Christ be born if his birth was today?
