There are days when the news feels less like a headline and more like a warning light on the dashboard of the American church. Yesterday, I wrote about commanders pressuring soldiers to see themselves as instruments in an end‑times battle plan. Today, another article surfaced – this time, civilians being told that a political leader was “anointed by Jesus” to ignite Armageddon. Two different stories, one troubling pattern: people are watching for something Jesus never told us to watch for, and missing the very things He said would matter most at the end of the age.
Check out the adjacent image. It used to be a thriving small town Main Street. But now? There’s an eerie orange glow over everything.
Sure, it comes from that light sconce someone put in the middle of the street.
But no one noticed it. They drove by it. Even drove right over it. But no one noticed.
The town started to die. The people are all gone. No one noticed. No one knows where they went. They’re just gone.
And now? The tree that grew up in the light from the sconce is dead too. But no one noticed. People left cars. No one knows why. The store windows are broken. But no one knows who did it. No one even knows they’re broken. They just are. Even the sun doesn’t shine here anymore. But then, no one noticed that either.
There were warnings of what was happening. But no one was watching for them. But then, even if they were, no one would’ve listened to them if they were shouting from the rooftops about what was happening to their beloved town. Maybe it wasn’t so beloved after all?
In any case, it’s all gone now. At least, as far as anyone can tell. Obviously there’s something left. You just saw an image of it. But do you care enough to notice that this same thing is happening in your town, your city, your country, your world?
❓What really happened?
The truth is, towns don’t die overnight. Neither do nations. Neither do churches. They fade the way this street did – slowly, quietly, while people are busy watching for the wrong things. And that’s the part we don’t want to admit. We expect the end to come with sirens, warnings, and dramatic signs. But Jesus never told us to watch for a political spark or a chosen leader who would set the world on fire. He told us to watch for the small, quiet signs that love is drying up, truth is being twisted, and hearts are drifting away long before anyone notices the collapse.
That’s why the news this week matters. Not because it signals Armageddon, but because it reveals how easily people can be led to look for the wrong signs – and miss the ones Jesus actually gave us.
With that backdrop, let’s find out what’s really happening, right now, in “What Jesus Told Us to Watch For – What We’re Watching Instead”.
Two Articles, One Pattern
Reports of U.S. troops being told the conflict with Iran is “part of God’s plan” raise a deeper issue: what happens when government authority crosses into religious messaging? This post explores how the Constitution’s no‑establishment and free‑exercise principles are meant to prevent exactly that.
Yesterday, I wrote, “When the State Claims God’s Plan”.
I thought, “this is bad”. Bad on many levels.
As a Christian, this is not what our Holy Scripture says. Yes, people twist it and make The Bible say all sorts of things.
And yet, this is beyond twisting. As someone who teaches this, currently leading a very detailed class on Revelation, I can tell you this isn’t what we’re told by Jesus.
And yes, Armageddon is bad enough.
But hey – this is about people’s eternal souls as well.
Many places in the Bible warn us about false teachers. And about the end. But all those warnings won’t help us if we don’t know them – or if we know them but don’t watch out for what they tell us.
A few minutes after I clicked publish on that article, I read another news story: US commanders tell troops Trump ‘anointed by Jesus’ to start Iran war sparking hundreds of complaints. This was even worse. And so, while I had other plans for today, it’s time to get into why this claim just isn’t/can’t be true.
What happened to spark this article?
Even the title, US commanders tell troops Trump ‘anointed by Jesus’ to start Iran war sparking hundreds of complaints, should be enough to know why I’m writing today. But honestly, saying only that is akin to what’s causing the problem with those statements. We can say virtually anything. But – can we back it up?
As you’ll see, the commanders, and therefore the government, cannot support its claims. On the other hand, I’ll lay out what was reported, and show why it’s just not what the Bible tells us.
The excerpts below are from The Mirror, a U.S. based news organization, a sister publication to the UK based organization of the same name. The source article for my writing is “US commanders tell troops Trump ‘anointed by Jesus’ to start Iran war sparking hundreds of complaints“.
Reports to Military Religious Freedom Foundation
Let’s begin at the beginning. How did these reports get out?
✏️…hundreds of U.S. troops across dozens of units and installations have submitted complaints to the non-profit watchdog, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF), since the attack about combat unit commanders providing Christian reasoning for the war…
Falyn Stempler, The Mirror US
Given the extent of the secrecy of this administration, and the extent to which they punish whistleblowers, it took courage to make these reports. This is part of what I meant by not only noticing that something’s wrong, but caring enough to do something about it.
And what were some of those reports?
Part of God’s plan
Non-commissioned officers (NCO) who attended a briefing Monday told the MRFF that a combat-unit commander “urged us to tell our troops that this was ‘all part of God’s divine plan’ and he specifically referenced numerous citations out of the Book of Revelation referring to Armageddon and the imminent return of Jesus Christ.”
✏️Non-commissioned officers (NCO) who attended a briefing Monday told the MRFF that a combat-unit commander “urged us to tell our troops that this was ‘all part of God’s divine plan’ and he specifically referenced numerous citations out of the Book of Revelation referring to Armageddon and the imminent return of Jesus Christ.
Falyn Stempler, The Mirror US
I haven’t seen or been able to locate the specific verses yet. However, I will address those verses most commonly used in these circumstances. If/when I find out what they are, they’ll be included in an update here, or in a new article.
But wait, there’s more.
Trump anointed by God to signal Armageddon?
What was said about Trump being appointed by God?
✏️The commander also argued that Trump “anointed by Jesus to light the signal fire in Iran to cause Armageddon and mark his return to Earth” and that the Iran war is part of God’s plan, the NCO claimed.
Falyn Stempler, The Mirror US
There is no just statement anywhere in the Bible that, when correctly interpreted, says anything even slightly approaching that claim. It does, however, warn us about such claims.
Believe it or not, there’s still more.
Commanders are euphoric about biblically sanctioned war
The quotes just keep getting more and more outrageous.
✏️MRFF President Mikey Weinstein, an Air Force veteran, told Larsen that his office has been “inundated” with such complaints, explaining, “These calls have one damn thing in freaking common; our MRFF clients [service members who seek MRFF aid] report the unrestricted euphoria of their commanders and command chains as to how this new ‘biblically-sanctioned’ war is clearly the undeniable sign of the expeditious approach of the fundamentalist Christian ‘End Times’ as vividly described in the New Testament Book of Revelation.”
Falyn Stempler, The Mirror US
While the Bible does foretell Armageddon, it’s not because it’s something to celebrate. It’s a warning.
And somehow, it continues to get even worse.
Commanders are euphoric about very bloody biblically sanctioned war
✏️He added, “Many of their commanders are especially delighted with how graphic this battle will be zeroing in on how bloody all of this must become in order to fulfill and be in 100% accordance with fundamentalist Christian end of the world eschatology.”
Falyn Stempler, The Mirror US
Beyond the excited anticipation of a bloody war, allegedly sanctioned by the Bible, it can’t possibly be 100% accordance with a truly Christian point of view, because there’s no such thing in the Bible.
However, there is some hope.
See something – say something
If I can borrow the homeland security saying, these people saw something wrong – and said something about it. Thank God. And by that, I mean the true Christian God of the Bible.
✏️The remarks were submitted in more than 110 complaints about commanders across all military branches, including more than 40 units across 30 military installations, the MFRR told Larsen.
At least one complainant from an NCO identified themselves as a Christian, who could be deployed at any time to Iran, writing on behalf of 15 troops, including 11 Christians, one Muslim and one Jew.Falyn Stempler, The Mirror US
The inclusion of Christians, as well as even 1 Jew and 1 Muslim, means one of two things.
First, it could mean they object to fighting in an allegedly “Christian” war.
On the other hand, it could simply mean this: each of the Abrahamic faiths has its own way of imagining the end of the age. And since the news story mentions Christians, Jews, and Muslims, let me say this plainly: none of our traditions teach that a modern political leader will be “anointed” to start the final conflict. That idea only exists on the extreme fringes. So if you’re Jewish or Muslim, feel free to translate the logic into your own framework – the misuse of Scripture is the same, even though our end‑times beliefs differ and the Christian idea of “Armageddon” isn’t shared across all three.
What to make of these reports to Military Religious Freedom Foundation
So, what do we do with all this? I have to admit, it’s more than I first imagined. But it’s also something I did realize right away – false.
What Jesus Actually Said About the End (Matthew 24)
Jesus said quite a bit in what the NIV subtitles “Signs of the End of the Age.
Too much to go through all of it today. We’ll get there, a bit at a time, in other articles. For today though, I include the entire passage so you have the full transcript, but we’ll focus on the portions that directly relate to the claims in the article.
Search WGCS 🔍 | Search GVR 🔍
Mt 24:1 Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. 2 “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”
Mt 24:3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
Mt 24:4 Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. 6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.
Mt 24:9 “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
Mt 24:15 “So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel-let the reader understand- 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let no one on the roof of his house go down to take anything out of the house. 18 Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. 19 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 20 Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now-and never to be equaled again. 22 If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. 23 At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect-if that were possible. 25 See, I have told you ahead of time.
Mt 24:26 “So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the desert,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27 For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28 Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.
Mt 24:29 “Immediately after the distress of those days
” ‘the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light;
the stars will fall from the sky,
and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’
Mt 24:30 “At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. 31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
Mt 24:32 “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 33 Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. 34 I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”
As you can see with the highlights, Mt 24:4-14 contains quite a lot of what we need to put the lie to the claims in the article. However, Mark and Luke also recorded a few more things that Matthew didn’t. That’s not surprising, since each had their own background and wrote for a different audience with varying backgrounds. As such, I need to include them as well. Since Luke recorded
First, Luke includes fearful signs and pestilence.
…
Lk 21:10 Then he said to them: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11 There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.
…
Also, Luke includes the Holy Spirit, as did Mark.
Lk 21:12 “But before all this, they will lay hands on you and persecute you. They will deliver you to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. 13 This will result in your being witnesses to them. 14 But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. 15 For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.
Compare and contrast claims with Jesus’ words
Now that we’ve seen both the Mirror article claims and the relevant Gospel passages with Jesus’ words, let’s see how the two line up.
As we go through the process, always keep in mind the opening warning from Jesus: “Watch out that no one deceives you.”
Later in Matthew’s passage, Jesus also warns His followers:
23 At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect-if that were possible. 25 See, I have told you ahead of time.
Mt 24:26 “So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the desert,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it.
Christians are often told that we need to be discerning. To be able to tell the difference between truth and falsehood. But it’s more than just what other people say. It’s also about knowing the difference between the desires we have that are based on the truth of God’s word – and the desires we have based on our own fallen concepts of what’s best for us.
The reality is that the best version of us is the only one that follows God’s true plan for our lives.
1. “This war is part of God’s plan for the end times.”
Claim: Some commanders told troops that the coming war with Iran was part of God’s plan for the end of the age.
Jesus’ teaching: In Matthew 24, Jesus warns that people will misinterpret world events and attach divine meaning to them. He explicitly says:
6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.
Wars are not prophetic signals. They are part of the brokenness of the world, not markers of God’s timeline.
Fear often makes us turn in towards ourselves, because no one else can keep us safe. Or maybe we turn to friends, for a similar reasoning, like strength in numbers. And yet we know the truth, which is that God is our protector.
One source for this truth is:
Request for Prayer 🔍
2Th 3:1 Finally, brothers, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you. 2 And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men, for not everyone has faith. 3 But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one. 4 We have confidence in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we command. 5 May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.
So, hold onto that thought. Hold on to Jesus. And don’t let go.
2. “This is the spark that will ignite Armageddon.”
Claim: The conflict was described as the spark that would ignite Armageddon.
Jesus’ teaching: Jesus never told His followers to watch for a political or military trigger. The signs He gave were relational and spiritual: deception, fear, betrayal, cold love, and endurance. Armageddon is not a geopolitical event Christians are supposed to predict or provoke. It is a symbol of God’s final justice, not a war started by human leaders.
There’s nothing else to really point to here – because Jesus never does point to a person as being who we should watch for. The closest I can come is probably the passage below, which isn’t about a person at all.
The Day and Hour Unknown 🔍
Mk 13:32 “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. 34 It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.
Mk 13:35 “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back-whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36 If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’ “
You see, we’re told to watch for Jesus’ return. And for that, Jesus told us to watch the signs of the end of the age, which is what we’re examining right now.
3. “Some commanders spoke with excitement about a bloody, biblically sanctioned war.”
Claim: Reports described commanders speaking with excitement about a bloody, biblically sanctioned war.
Jesus’ teaching: Jesus never blessed violence or encouraged His followers to anticipate bloodshed with eagerness. In Matthew 24 and Luke 21, He warns that fear, deception, and cold love will mark the last days-not excitement for holy war. The Holy Spirit’s presence is the sign of God’s nearness, not conflict or carnage.
This isn’t the time or place to go deep into what’s likely happening here, but I want to give you a quote from one of the books in my eLibrary, as well as an AI summary from a relevant portion of a chapter titled, “The Spirit of The End Times”.
First, the quote used to introduce that chapter.
Fear hypocrisy: fear it precisely because it is in the character of the times and is able to infect everyone at the smallest deviation into lightminded conduct.
-Saint Tikhon of ZadonskQuoted in — Ultimate Things: An Orthodox Christian Perspective on the End Times
And now, an AI summary related to what appears to be happening with the claim of military leaders who are so excited about the prospects of a bloody Biblically sanctioned war.
Engleman points out that nihilism isn’t mainly an idea-it’s a spiritual condition. It’s what happens when someone stops believing anything good can be saved, so the only thing that feels “true” anymore is tearing everything down. When you’re in that place, a violent ending can start to feel cleaner than a slow, patient hope.
I used to know someone who lived that way. They loved Nietzsche because he gave them a world without God and without meaning-a world where nothing mattered enough to protect. When I hear people today talk about war like it’s God’s plan, or say a leader is “anointed” to start it, it feels like the same thing. Not hope. Not prophecy. Just nihilism wearing a Christian mask.
There is much more to this train of thought. Sadly, I fear there will be way too many upcoming opportunities to delve deeper into it.
4. “You are instruments in God’s prophetic plan.”
Claim: Troops were told they were instruments in God’s prophetic plan, as if their military role fulfilled Scripture.
Jesus’ teaching: Jesus never assigns prophetic roles to armies or nations. His call is to endurance, faithfulness, and discernment-not participation in a political or military script. When people claim divine authority for human agendas, Jesus identifies that as deception, not discipleship.
Once again, there are no Biblical quotes, since it never says anything like this. So, I” just add these thoughts for you to reflect on for this claim.
Some of this thinking comes from Joel Rosenberg’s novels, which turned Ezekiel 38–39 into a kind of action script where human leaders help set the stage for God.
But the deeper roots go back further. Dispensationalism taught generations of Christians to see prophecy as a timeline that people could “line up.” Christian nationalism added the idea that America has a special role to play. And underneath both is a quiet nihilism-the belief that the world is too far gone to redeem, so collapse feels like the only honest path left.
None of that matches Ezekiel’s actual prophecy, where God acts alone, so no one can claim they brought about His plan.
It’s troubling to hear modern voices talk as if a nation or a president can force God’s hand, but it isn’t new. And sadly, it won’t be the last time these ideas surface.
I’ve got books on dispensationalism and the other movements behind this mindset-most of which I barely touched back when I wasn’t exactly on speaking terms with God. There will be time to dig into them more deeply in future posts. For now, it’s enough to say that Scripture doesn’t give human beings the power to trigger the end of the age. That belongs to God alone.
5. “This is what faithful Christians must be ready for.”
Claim: Some were told that faithful Christians should be ready for this conflict as part of their spiritual duty.
Jesus’ teaching: Jesus defines readiness as staying awake to the condition of one’s heart-remaining loving, truthful, and steadfast-not preparing for violence. Faithfulness is measured by endurance and compassion, not by excitement for conflict or loyalty to a cause.
Actually, since this is not yet the End Times, Christians are told by Jesus to do something very different.
Mk 13:32 “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come.
Yes, we are to be watchful and to be alert. We also saw earlier that wars and rumors of wars will happen. And that there would be false claims, this being one of them.
And so, we should not be starting wars, we should be watching for the sign Jesus told His followers to be on the lookout for.
6. “Trump was anointed by Jesus to start the war with Iran.”
Claim: The most extreme claim was that Donald Trump was “anointed by Jesus” to start the war that would set the end times in motion.
Jesus’ teaching: Jesus warns that many will come “in my name” and mislead many. He never teaches that a political leader will be divinely appointed to ignite the end. The test He gives is simple: “You will know them by their fruits.” A leader’s character-not their claims-reveals whether they reflect God’s purposes.
Christians should remember what Jesus said about “trees and fruit”.
A Tree and Its Fruit 🔍
Mt 7:15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
Mt 7:21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'”
We need to look at the character of the man that was elected as President. The things he says. The things he does. The way he treats people. Does his life look remotely like what Jesus modelled for us? If we’re honest, the answer is obviously not. How then can we expect that he will somehow produce something good from God, even as he’s carrying out a war that’s expressly against what the Bible prophesies?
One other thing Christians and Jews should remember – God raises up leaders for two very different reasons. One is to lead the people with God’s guidance. For instance, Moses. On the other hand, God also raises up leaders for situations that could very well turn out to parallel what we see today with the Trump administration and the various wars he’s started the last few weeks.
Analysis of God raising up leaders – From LOGOS/Faithlife AI
Leaders God raised up
God appointed Nebuchadnezzar as His instrument to conquer Jerusalem and Judah1, but he wasn’t alone in this role. Jeremiah identified the Babylonian king as God’s servant-not because Nebuchadnezzar believed in Israel’s God, but because his military campaigns accomplished God’s purposes2. Beyond Nebuchadnezzar, pagan rulers like Pharaoh and Cyrus also served as God’s instruments to fulfill His will2.
The search results focus primarily on Nebuchadnezzar’s role, explaining why God employed him. God used the Babylonian captivity to discipline His people for their sin and idolatry, after they had claimed to follow Him while actually abandoning Him as a nation1. Despite repeated warnings from prophets urging repentance and return to God, the people refused-so they faced God’s severe but loving discipline1.
Beyond military conquest, God raised up Jeremiah as the primary prophet to those remaining in Jerusalem, warning them repeatedly that the Lord had chosen Nebuchadnezzar to execute judgment on the city3. These prophetic voices functioned alongside the military instrument to communicate God’s message to His wayward people.
The pattern reveals God’s multifaceted approach: employing foreign rulers as agents of judgment while simultaneously sending prophets to call for repentance. One purpose of the seventy-year captivity was to allow the land to rest, since the Sabbatical Year law had been ignored for nearly 500 years2. Rather than merely punishing, God used these circumstances to teach His people the consequences of unfaithfulness while creating opportunities for spiritual renewal.
1 Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth and David Jeremiah, Heaven Rules: Take Courage. Take Comfort. Our God Is in Control. (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2022), 53–55.
2 Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Decisive, “Be” Commentary Series (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 113.
3Leadership Ministries Worldwide, Ezekiel, The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible (Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide, 2007), 83.
Therefore, if anything, what the Trump administration is doing fits into this category: If God chose Trump, then God chose him to send a message to return to God. And by that, I mean return to God as He describes Himself in the Christian Bible – not “God” as redesigned in man’s image as espoused by the Trump administration and those who follow him.
The Biblical pattern of bad leaders
In Scripture, anointing is always God’s way of choosing someone for covenant leadership. It’s a positive commissioning-set apart, empowered, and accountable to God. Even Saul, who later failed, was anointed for the good of Israel, not for judgment. When God wants to correct His people, He doesn’t anoint a destructive leader; He simply allows one to rise. That’s the pattern throughout the Old Testament: anointed kings for service, and “raised‑up” figures-sometimes even foreign rulers-for discipline. But nowhere does the Bible show God anointing someone to trigger the end of the age. When God brings history to its close, He does it Himself.
That’s why claims that a modern president is “anointed by Jesus” to start a prophetic war don’t match the biblical pattern at all.
As I mentioned earlier, I have many books on the movements behind these ideas, and there will-sadly-be more opportunities to explore them in future posts. For now, it’s enough to say that Scripture never gives human leaders the power to force God’s hand.
The question may still not quite be answered for some: what exactly are Christians supposed to do? How do we make a decision on these claims?
Returning to Jesus’ Voice
When the noise gets loud, the safest place to return is Jesus’ own voice. He didn’t tell us to watch for political sparks or anointed leaders. He told us to watch our hearts – to guard against deception, fear, cold love, and the slow drift away from Him. Endurance, not excitement. Faithfulness, not prediction. The Shepherd, not political saviors. And sadly, given the way these stories keep surfacing, there will be more opportunities to come back to these themes. But for today, it’s enough to say this: the claims in the article don’t match the Bible. And the Bible is where we stand.
And this is where the final passage on the signs of the end of the age comes in.
Lk 21:12 “But before all this, they will lay hands on you and persecute you. They will deliver you to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. 13 This will result in your being witnesses to them. 14 But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. 15 For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.
Yes, bad things are happening. And they will get worse. However, we must remember that we are children of God. He will save us. The thing is, He may or may not save us from suffering in this life. But He will save our souls for the next life.
You may remember this example from the Old Testament.
Da 3:16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”
No, it won’t be easy. But t will be more than worth it. And it’s only the strength from the Holy Spirit that we’ll be able to act in this manner, if/when the time comes for us.
Keeping Our Eyes Where Jesus Put Them
When you strip away the noise, the claims in the Mirror article fall apart. They don’t match what Jesus said, they don’t match the pattern of Scripture, and they don’t match the character of God. What they do match is a growing spiritual fatigue – the kind that makes people excited for conflict and blind to the slow drift of their own hearts. That’s the part Jesus warned us about. Not a political spark. Not an “anointed” leader. Not a countdown to war. He told us to watch for deception, fear, cold love, and the quiet ways we stop trusting Him long before anything dramatic happens.
There’s more to explore here – dispensational timelines, the misuse of Ezekiel, the way Christian nationalism reshapes prophecy, and the spiritual exhaustion that sits underneath it all. Sadly, the news will probably give us more chances to talk about these things. But for today, it’s enough to say this: the Bible doesn’t give human beings the power to force God’s hand. And the safest place to stand is still the place Jesus pointed us – steady, watchful, faithful, and awake to our own hearts.
If this helped you see the moment a little more clearly, you’re welcome to subscribe or come back for the next part. We’ll keep walking through these questions slowly, with Scripture open and our eyes on the One who told us what to watch for in the first place.
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