I’ve been feeling stuck in a perpetual Saturday of Holy Week– between Jesus’ execution by what looked like victorious powers, and his defeat of death through resurrection. 

Death seems to be winning on so many fronts. Confessing Jesus as victor feels necessary as an act of resistance. But it requires faith that must be fed by stronger doses of Gospel truth. True hope must keep us bold enough to stand in the face of harsh realities.

The earth’s temperature is rising unabated, accelerated by climate change denying politicians and business people. Meanwhile subsistence farmers in the Global South are being turned into landless, stateless refugees.

I’m on a flight now to Burundi to offer our Certificate in Holistic Liberation to pastors from remote villages who are are struggling to survive in hostile environments. The following week I’ll be doing the same thing in Malawi, a nation struck by cyclones, a record-breaking drought and resulting crop failures. What signs of resurrection hope await me?

Death seems to be winning in Gaza, with body counts increasing daily and starvation threatening. The rich and powerful are getting richer and meaner– visible in our increasing use of prisons to punish even the innocent.

My own brother Peter’s 2 1/2 years of incarceration in Charleston County, South Carolina’s Jail despite his innocence and no trial or even a plea offer, is a personal reminder of the state’s relentless, unjust warehousing of people.

The Trump administration’s contract with El Salvador’s brutal Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo (CECOT), where prisoners are kept like animals in cages, feels like a contemporary taunt against Jesus’ liberation movement:

“He saved others; he cannot save himself [and those oppressed prisoners]. He is the King of Israel; let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in him. “He trust in God; let God rescue him now [and all of our beloved community members trying to stay sober and our of jail], if he delights in him; for he said, ‘I am the Son of God’” (Mt 27:42-43).

Yet last week my friend Jason and I were able to visit and personally encourage a prisoner friend incarcerated in a maximum security unit of Clallam Bay Corrections Centre. Talking, reading the Bible together and praying left us feeling tenderized and more hopeful. 

Even as my brother Peter continues to wait for legal relief, he regularly recounts his many opportunities to pray with prisoners facing even harsher challenges than his.

Hebrews 2:8-13 seems highly relevant now– speaking to me of the “not yet” and “alreadiness” of our resurrection hope.

The writer first quotes Psalm 8’s declaration of victory over the powers, “You have put all things in subjection under his feet” (Heb 2:8).

He then goes on to assure us as readers that “in subjecting all things to him, he left nothing that is not subject to him, in a bold declaration of the thoroughgoing, total nature of Jesus’ victory. Then his realism kicks in, followed by a bold declaration of faith.  First the realism. 

The writer speaks honestly, expressing the bleakness of the now in a way that gets my attention, inviting me to refuse any kind of false optimism that might want to pose as faith. “But now we do not yet see all things subjected to him! True enough!

The writer than announces Jesus, presenting and interpreting his victory and his suffering in a way that is both  hope-inspiring and daunting. First the hope-inspiring part.

“But we do see him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone” (Heb 2:9).

May God reveal to us the truth of Jesus’ victory over the powers, and over death itself, so we can “see” Jesus! He is crowned with glory and honor now, having tasted death for everyone, insists the writer– and I choose to believe it. The writer continues with the part that is daunting.

“For it was fitting for him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons and daughters to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings” (Heb 2:10).

God our Father is inviting each and every one of us to share in this same glory, of which Jesus is the author and forerunner. But it seems that we too are brought to glory through suffering.

For both he who sanctifies [Jesus] and those who are sanctified [us] are all from one Father; for which reason he is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters” (Heb 2:11).   I hear “fellow sufferers” here regarding us as Jesus’ sisters and brothers– daunting indeed!

As God’s people positioned between the cross of Good Friday and our own eventual resurrection, may we join Jesus in being perfected through suffering. It is Jesus’ very suffering and death, overcome by his resurrection that gives us hope in the midst of the struggles.

I look forward to sharing with you stories of resistance and hope from fellow believers in Burundi and Malawi, who I expect have much to teach us.

May we put our trust in Jesus afresh this Resurrection Sunday and beyond.  

Check out the video below documenting part of our journey to where we are offering our training.

Gracie and I just returned from a week in the Kingdom of Lesotho, a small, land-locked mountain country surrounded by South Africa. We were invited to offer our Certificate in Holistic Liberation to a group of 35 pastors and leaders. As we introduced ourselves before launching into our first session I mentioned how sorry I was that our US President Donald Trump had dishonored their country March 4, saying:

“Eight million dollars to promote LGBTQI+ in the African nation of Lesotho, which nobody has ever heard of.”

This statement was met with laughter and applause from Republican lawmakers, who blindly accepted it as confirmation that Elon Musk is being effective at identifying and stopping international aid that goes against Republican values.

Trump’s slam shamed the people of Lesotho and worsened the situation for already marginalized LGBTQI+ individuals. Lesotho’s main LGBTQ rights organization, the People’s Matrix, denied receiving eight million dollars in US funding.

The pastors and leaders in our People’s Seminary training were visibly moved that I acknowledged Trump’s public disrespect for them and their country, and that I apologized. 

They clapped and cheered when I affirmed that the Creator of the Universe, our Father in heaven knows where Lesotho is, and sees, knows and loves every individual Mosotho of the country’s 2.4+ million population. 

I shared God’s words to his people in Isaiah 49:16: “See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands.”

Lesotho is a poor country, with over 70% of the population living below the international poverty line. 

We saw together that in Jesus’ parable of the rich man and Lazarus, it is the the poor beggar who sits at the gate who the rich man ignores whose name is known by Jesus. In contrast, the rich man has no name. 

This does not mean that there is no hope for individuals who are rich. But Trump’s ignorance and US lawmakers’ applause shows how the world’s most powerful seem clueless about God’s priorities and the movement of Jesus’ kingdom, as Mary states them:

“He has done mighty deeds with his arm; He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart. He has brought down rulers from their thrones, and has exalted those who were humble. He has filled the hungry with good things; and sends away the rich empty-handed” (Luke 1:51-53).

Gracie, our Zimbabwean partner Pastor Richard Malitino and I were moved by the people’s deep humility and intelligence, the vibrancy of African worship and their commitment to be carriers of Jesus’ liberating message to the poorest and most far-flung places. We return home inspired afresh.

In Revelation 18:1 John sees an “angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illumined with his glory. And he cried out with a mighty voice, saying: “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!”

This vision is highly relevant to our situation now as America is in upheaval. On the one hand the divine messenger illuminates the earth with his glory– a heavenly perspective I need in these dark times. On the other hand the angel’s strong declaration of the dominant earthly power’s doom and five orders to those willing to listen have plunged me into weeks of prayerful study.

In Revelation, Babylon symbolizes the most powerful empire of our world, which in the first century AD was Rome, but has since manifested in many empires. Last week when I asked Christians living inside Iran with whom I meet monthly via Zoom who they think Babylon would be today, some wrote in the chat: آمریکا (America)—though there could be other contemporary manifestations.

John of Patmos next describes Babylon with detailed imagery, inviting us to honestly consider our own contexts now.

“She has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird. For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the passion of her immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality” (Rev 18:2-3).

When I look at what America hosts and exports I see possible contemporary equivalents of Revelation’s list. America hosts the world’s most exploitive multinational corporations, billionaires, weapons manufacturers, and largest jail and prison system. America exports weapons, media violence, profanity, sexually explicit content (including porn), and other negatives– including greenhouse gas emissions, which contribute more to heat our planet per capita than any nation. And this is only the beginning of a noxious list of offenders.

The angel in Revelation 18 reveals God’s perspective on the powers– a zero-tolerance declaration that powers qualifying as Babylon are doomed to destruction. Though Babylon then and America now can look all-powerful in their arrogance and wealth— the divine messenger declares their true destiny: “fallen, fallen is America the great!”

Declaring these words now over America is certainly the opposite of today’s idolatrous mantra “make America great again.” Yet it seems especially called for in the face of the blatant and accelerated idolatry of America (evident in Trump’s renaming of the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America,” declarations of taking over Greenland, making Canada the 51st State, and turning Gaza into luxury resorts).

The Trump Administration’s ongoing demonization of immigrants, refugees and so many others requires followers of Jesus to resist. Silence in the face of Trump’s self-adulation and dominance is highly irresponsible. A verse I memorized as a child keeps coming to mind:

“Pride goes before destruction, and a haughtier spirit before a fall” (Prov 16:18).

America truly looks like it is falling, especially from a European vantage point (where we were last week), and even more now from our vantage point in Lesotho, Africa, which Trump recently dissed.

America is currently turning its back on its European friends, punishing its closest neighbors with hostile tariffs, cutting off international aid to programs in the global south that mean life or death to millions in Africa, deporting vulnerable refugees, and threatening to round up and deport America’s undocumented immigrant workforce, and gutting its own government through mass firings, so it can afford massive tax cuts to the super rich.

The angel’s declaration regarding Babylon and its equivalent’s fall aligns tightly with Biblical teaching on the powers—which are not presented as reformable but as being eventually destroyed.

Yet watching things move towards going up in smoke is painful, even horrific. Certainly we must still engage in efforts to challenge and reform the powers for the sake of human beings (and our family and friends!), with a priority on advocacy for the powers’ most immediate victims and for the most vulnerable. Yet we mustn’t advocate naively, as if we will succeed at making America great again in a way that pleases us.

Moses did advocate for the Israelite slaves before Pharaoh. However, Moses’ advocacy backed by the ten plagues did not result in their release nor in Egypt’s reform. Pharaoh and his chariots perished in the sea.

God judges the rulers in Psalm 82, which are also called “sons of God” (a reference to their being originally created for good).

“They do not know nor do they understand; they walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken. I said, “you are gods, and all of you are sons of the Most High. Nevertheless you will die like people and fall like any one of the princes.” Arise, O God, judge the earth!” (Ps 82:5-8).

The Psalmist’s exposure of the ignorance and pathetic failure of the powers in reminiscent of Isaiah’s prophetic exposure of the total incapacity of human-fabricated wooden idols to save– and the resulting blindness to of those who worship them (Is 44:16-19).

The Apostle Paul is even clearer about the destruction (and not reformation) of the powers, which certainly includes USA when he says

“Then comes the end, when he [Jesus] hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when he has abolished all rule and all authority and power” (1 Cor 15:24).

Coming out of America

Because Babylon, now manifesting as America, will fall (and appears to be falling now), what would it look like to seriously follow the angel’s first order, and four subsequent ones? John of Patmos hears another voice from heaven that calls disciples of Jesus to leave Babylon and her equivalents:

“Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues; for her sins have piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities” (Rev 18:4-5).

“Come out of her!” is the divine messenger’s first order— the polar opposite of patriotic homeland defense. As someone who owns a home and land in the gorgeous Skagit County in Washington State, fully engaged in a faith community that I love, I have been prayerfully and painfully considering what this means.

Actual physical departure may one day be called for and should even prepared for– depending on what comes. Millions of people throughout the world have had to flee their countries as refugees—including most of America’s original colonizers. Boycotting certain companies and divesting from questionable investments and other actions may also be appropriate. However, the leaving the angel orders is first and foremost a heart posture of breaking ties of allegiance in favor of a higher calling– as when Jesus tells his disciples:

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and Mammon (Babylon, USA, democracy, the Stock Market, US dollar…)

But let’s look more closely at why the angel’s first command is: “Come out of her!”

The angel gives us a direct answer in the next line, warning that not coming out means continuing to participate in her sins, and receiving her plagues!

Another reason is visible in God’s designation “my people.” Coming out in response to God’s order means we are breaking with our old identity as Babylonians (Americans, British, Russians, Chinese, Israelis, Iranians, French…), behaving instead as God’s very own beloved people.

When we come out in response to God’s command, we die to our earthly identities, and fully receive our baptismal identity as God’s child. We then enter the Kingdom of God (by water and the Spirit), which then makes us “strangers and aliens” in this world—and we are not allowed dual citizenship!

Following the Angel’s next four orders

Once we have broken out of our captivity to the powers, renouncing our allegiance to the kingdoms of this world, we are then free to follow the angel’s next four orders. Serious prayer, research and reflection is needed to come up with Spirit-inspired action in response to these commands. A small sampling of possible actions are included under each order below.

The angel’s second order “Pay her back even as she has paid!” (Rev 18:6) is a command to engage in a sort of retributive justice. This is certainly not a call to exercise violence against flesh and blood humans (Babylonians, American, Russians or whomever), as Paul writes:

“Never pay back evil for evil to anyone” (Rom 12:17). But we are called to spiritual struggle against rulers, authorities, powers, world forces of darkness in the heavenly places (Eph 6:12).

Paying back here refers to retributive justice against a non-human entity, her, Babylon. Since America is now brazenly becoming a self-serving, oppressive idol, even fitting the OT category of a high place, it seems its spiritual and social status must be somehow torn down even as it has built itself up at others’ expense.

Paying back America “even as she has paid” requires research into how she has behaved in the past and how she behaves now. Prophetic exposure of America’s sins, in direct attack against her boasts is a way to practice this imperative now.

• Exposing and denouncing the failure of America’s prison system to rehabilitate the incarcerated and assist then in effective re-entry.
  Exposing each and time the US Government broke treaties with indigenous tribal communities, restoring land and other treaty rights with interest.
• Exposing and denouncing each and every self-serving US military intervention that pretended to defend or liberate.

The third order “Give back double according to her deeds” is similar to the second. Precision consequences are related to offenses times two—a kind of spiritual warfare retributive against the power called “America.” Examples might include:

• Exposing and publicly denouncing twice as many of America’s abuses of human rights than positive contributions claimed by America’s apologists.
• Exposing the corruption of America’s legal system twice as much as its proponents laud its superiority, demonstrating how it acquits the rich and powerful of their crimes and condemns the less privileged and poor.
• Calling back twice as many Christian nationalists to Jesus from the clutches of allegiance to America.

The fourth order follows in kind: “in the cup which she has mixed, mix twice as much for her.”

• The “cup” here might reflect what the dominant power (here identified as America) has given people to drink a manifestation of its hospitality.
• Acknowledging, decrying and mourning the US Constitution’s second amendment right to bear arms as leading to extreme insecurity and fear inside America due to gun violence.
• Decrying the failure of America’s education system to effectively educate its citizens and residents, and the mainstream media’s failure to effectively report national and world news due to its ownership by corporate and billionaire interests.

The fifth and final order again requires research to accomplish: “To the degree that she glorified herself and lived sensuously, to the same degree give her torment and mourning.”

• Immediate, informed responses to each and every official or public statement glorifying America with detailed denunciations of America’s failures to liberate and defend life.
• Public mourning for America’s crimes and failings, in direct response to each and every celebration of its claims to greatness.
  Acknowledging and mourning America’s failure to effectively address the roots of homelessness, the opioid pandemic, and mental health crisis.
• Decrying and grieving the failure of America’s democracy, showing how its two-party system has been co-opted by the rich and powerful.

Far more prayerful work is needed if we’re to properly respond to the angel’s orders and prepare ourselves for highly challenging future. In conclusion, departure from America is an invitation to a new freedom to join Jesus himself, those already cast out, and those Jesus seeks, “outside the camp,” as Hebrew 13:13-14 brilliantly invites us to do:

“So, let us go out to him outside the camp, bearing his reproach. For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come.”

As Donald Trump was inaugurated America’s 47th President and begins his term I find comfort in remembering and celebrating the world’s highest (and very different) Commander-in-Chief—Jesus, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Jesus was enthroned on the cross, where he defeated the ruler of this World and every one of Satan’s principality and power minions. This I celebrate! Let us choose to worship Jesus.

Jesus understood his destiny as he approached Jerusalem—the Israeli equivalent of Washington DC. He revealed to his disciples then (and to us now) how the leaders of God’s people and secular rulers would respond to him. He highlighted their reaction so that they (and we) would know in advance what we can expect as we follow him.

“Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death, and will hand him over to the Gentiles to mock and scourge and crucify him, and on the third day he will be raised up” (Matthew 20:18-19).

The leaders of God’s people and the majority they influenced did not “elect” Jesus as their King when he came in the flesh—so why would they now? They rejected him, engaging in the then equivalent of organizing, voting, lobbying, and demonstrating before the Roman Empire’s governor, Pilate to have him executed.

“We have no king but Caesar!” stated the chief priests of God’s people, a warning to us all as we watch the equivalent today.

Jesus prophesied his elevation (enthronement) at his execution on the cross, where he would be glorified, as he defeated the ruler of this world.

“Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to Myself” (John 12:31-32).

He declared that his enthronement would benefit the whole world that he came to save— with no resemblance to anything close to “make Israel (and certainly not America) great again.”

Jesus, Israel’s Messiah and the world’s King was enthroned at his crucifixion. He took no mountain (of the supposed “seven”)– but was taken to Golgotha, the Place of the Skull.

The soldiers of the world’s most powerful empire draped a scarlet robe on his bleeding shoulders. They placed a crown of thorns on his head, a reed in his right hand and mockingly knelt before him, spitting on him and striking him on the head, saying: “Hail King of the Jews” (Mt 27:27-31). They crucified him between two criminals, and placed a sign over his head, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews” (Mt 27:37).

The king of America will no doubt receive much better treatment.

Jesus was brutally enthroned, without fanfare or endorsements from the equivalents of tech billionaires, media moguls, defense industry and financial sector CEOs, religious leaders, and other powerful opportunists. No former or present heads of state were there.

His only endorsers were his acquaintances and women who followed him who were looking on from a distance, a criminal who said: “Jesus, remember me, when you enter your Kingdom,” and a centurion who on seeing the way he died confessed him to be the Son of God (Mk 15:39).

Today as we commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. and as Donald Trump is being glorified, let us choose to remember and celebrate Jesus, who “sanctified the people through his own blood, suffering outside the gate.”

“So, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing his reproach. For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come” (Hebrews 13:12-13).

May we choose to accompany those who are outside the camp now: undocumented immigrants, asylum claimants, the homeless, addicted and incarcerated, those who await execution on death row, the poor and excluded, and anyone who is not represented or attended to.

May we fix our eyes on Jesus, our Commander-in-Chief, victor over the powers and over death itself—and celebrate!

Hostility towards strangers and aliens is the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah which resulted in their destruction in Genesis 19. This is visible when the men of Sodom surround Lot’s house, and demand that the visiting men (who we know to be angels) come out so they can violate them. This contrasts radically with Abraham and Sarah’s lavish hospitality in Genesis 18. Lot’s subsequent offer of his home as a sanctuary serves as a partial model of righteous aiding and abetting of aliens at a time when many North Americans and Europeans are scapegoating immigrants and refugees, calling for their deportation. The alien angels’ visit becomes a rescue mission to their hosts, as they urge Lot and his family to flee for their lives—before it’s too late. This story speaks prophetically to our situation in the USA now as we anticipate the Trump Administration coming to power January 20.

In the past few weeks, I’ve had numerous encounters with Mexican farmworkers who are terrified by threats of mass deportations in 2025. One man who has done back-breaking menial labor for years called over to me from across the street as I was leaving after our Sunday service. When he could see that I didn’t recognizing him as it was dark, he ran over.

“Roberto, what do you think is going to happen once Trump comes to power? Will they deport me right away?” he asked, with fear in his eyes. “I’m worried. Who will take care of my mother if they send me back to Mexico? She’s getting old and needs me.”

I told him that I’d let him know whatever I learned, and we exchanged phone numbers.

I visit a young indigenous farmworker couple from Oaxaca who are undocumented and have been in the USA since they were children. They’ve been working hard in the fields since their teen years, harvesting food for our tables. They share with me their fear that Trump will deport them, leaving their three US citizen children without parents.

“What will we do if they send us back without our children?” they ask.

An immigration attorney friend recommends that undocumented immigrants give Power-of-Attorney to a friend or family member who is a US citizen, so they can legally be granted custody and care for their children should they be deported.

As a parent considering the anguishing dilemma of our farmworker friends, I am sad and outraged. As the grandson of an immigrant grandfather from Sweden, who lives in close proximity to five Native reservations, I’m further pained by my “unjust” legal status. The Triqui-speaking Oaxacan farmworkers mentioned above are native to our North American continent (as are most farmworkers), yet they are only “immigrants” since European settlers took their land. This adds insult to injury when people label them “illegal aliens.” The prophet Ezekiel’s words to God’s people, whom he calls Sodom’s sister, ring true now.

“Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had arrogance, abundant food and careless ease, but she did not help the poor and needy” (Ez 16:49).

In radical contrast, Abraham and Sarah are elevated as offering exemplary hospitality to foreigners, right before the story of Sodom and Gomorrah’s destruction.

In Genesis 18 Abraham runs from the door of his tent to meet three approaching foreigners, bowing himself to the earth before them. He addresses them using God’s singular proper name (YHWH) and offers them his best hospitality:

“My Lord (YHWH), if now I have found favor in your sight, please do not pass your servant by. Please let a little water be brought and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree; and I will bring a piece of bread, that you may refresh yourselves; after that you may go on, since you have visited your servant” (Gn 18:3-5).

Abraham and Sarah spring to action as soon as their guests accept hospitality. They prepare a choice calf with curds and milk and set it before them. The visitors prophesy the miracle birth of Isaac. Then, before two of them continue down towards Sodom they share their concern with Abraham:

“The outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah is indeed great, and their sin is exceedingly grave. I will go down now, and see if they have done entirely according to its outcry, which has come to me; and if not, I will know” (Gn 18:20-21).

The migrant messengers do not give specifics about the reasons for the outcry. The Hebrew word zoaqah can mean shriek, cry out in need, and often implies an outcry against an oppressor.

“The one who shuts his ear to the cry (zoaqah) of the poor will also cry himself and not be answered,” states in proverb in Proverbs 21:13.

The men proactively head down to Sodom “to see.” They are met by Lot, Abraham’s nephew, who sits at the gate, seemingly vigilant. Lot exhibits watchfulness, but also exemplary hospitality like his uncle.

“He rose to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground. And he said, “Now behold, my lords, please turn aside into your servant’s house, and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way” (Gn 19:1-2).

As night approaches the people of Sodom’s hostility to aliens becomes visible. They surround Lot’s house, “both young and old, all the people from every quarter” (19:4).

Lot begins to advocate for his guests, going to the horrific extreme of even offering his virgin daughters to the perpetrators (not exemplary!)– but to no avail. The voters express the will of the people and berate Lot as an alien himself. The angels then step up their game and defend their hosts, shutting the door and striking the citizens with blindness. They urge Lot to prepare his family to flee Sodom, which they must have considered too far gone for democratic reform. Lot and his daughters are the only ones who make it out alive.

As I ponder this story these days before Christmas, I consider the wise men (foreigners), who are far more in touch with the time and place of the Savior’s birth than the citizens of Israel. I think of Bethlehem’s lack of hospitality to Jesus at this birth, and of Egypt– which provided asylum to Mary, Joseph and young Jesus. I find myself hoping I’m hospitable, closer to Abraham than to Lot on a continuum.

The angels though, are my heroes. They represent the Kingdom of Heaven, and critique earthly realities from that perspective. They inspire me to a deeper, more holistic advocacy. I am challenged that they combine sensitive attunement to the outcries of the oppressed, with a willingness to serve as vulnerable messengers in a hostile environment, and direct, courageous and faith-filled action to protect and liberate. I am far less comfortable with their role as faithful heralds who announce God’s judgment of the oppressors.

Yet as I keep encountering undocumented individuals and families, I find my heart becoming more tenderized, and upset at the current state of our nation. Many insist that immigrants driven to migrate by poverty go through the normal application process to enter legally, without understanding that the poor are disqualified from the start from obtaining an entry visa due to their poverty!  I wonder what outcries God is hearing from our land now, and what response is required.

An indigenous woman in her late twenties from Guerrero, Mexico came to our Sunday service for the first time six weeks ago. She used Google Translate to find the words to show someone entering our building for worship. “Can you show me the pastor?”

I met with her in our sanctuary and read over a letter she showed me from the US Immigration Service telling her that she was being deported. Her two small children played with toys before us as we talked. The next evening after she finished work in the fields, we met up with an immigration attorney friend who attends Tierra Nueva to see if there was any way to help her. He determined that there was likely no hope that her asylum claim would be granted. She shared how a third child is due to be born in February. She was surprisingly calm, seemingly resigned to whatever might happen. I was struck by her humility, visible in her desire for prayer, full of faith in Jesus, despite her minimal exposure to any kind of church.

Last Sunday, I visited her and her husband to bring them a microwave someone had donated. Their living room was completely bare of furniture. Five young indigenous men sat against the wall in a cold home due to the furnace breaking down– which the landlord wasn’t repairing. The men shared how they’d worked in the potato harvest until it ended in November and would be out of work until the season began again in March. “That is if we’re not caught and deported,” one of them shared. I think of a final Scripture, which is highly relevant now as we resist the status quo in these immigrant-bashing times.

“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it” (Hebrews 13:2).

Last night we heated water and filled up a large thermos and a big insulated dispenser, preparing for our weekly Friday street outreach. I loaded up the back of my Black Toyota FJ Cruiser with a fresh supply of Cup Noodles, hot chocolate, cider, coffee, and plastic forks, and refilled a plastic stow with socks, scarves, and hats. I included a supply of Narcan and as many blankets as I could find from our warm closet at Tierra Nueva, before heading over to the commercial center of Mount Vernon to look for people outside the stores.

Since it was Black Friday, I assumed the police had driven the unhoused out of the sight of shoppers. But the cold also drives people into their tents in the woods, behind dumpsters, and in whatever hide-away they’ve managed to find for themselves.

I headed to our meet-up place, not sure how many of our volunteers would show up on a cold night the day after Thanksgiving. My son-in-law Esteban showed up right as I parked in front of a group of men and women congregated outside the Goodwill, beside the Dollar Tree.

“Would anyone like a hot drink?”  I asked, as we approached the group of twelve to fifteen people standing under the big cement eave of the store. A few of the guys were on bikes, and three of the men were in wheelchairs. Several had grocery carts filled with their belongings.

“We’ve got soup, hot chocolate or cider,” I added.

I looked around and recognized many of the faces as one person after another asked for this or that drink. Esteban and I began filling up Cup Noodles with hot water and mixing hot chocolate as fast as we could, and passed them out. More people showed up who recognized our truck, since we come around every week. Most everyone wanted both hot chocolate and Cup Noodles. People expressed appreciation. I spoke with an older Mexican man I’d known for years who straddled his bicycle, introducing him to Esteban, who spoke with him in Spanish.

I asked if anyone needed blankets, and the men in wheelchairs were the first to say yes. I asked one of them, a Latino guy, how long he’d been in a wheelchair and what had happened. He told me he’d been shot a few years ago, and that the bullet had hit his spinal cord, paralyzing him from the waist down.

I wanted to pray for him as I’d seen Jesus heal a man in jail from paralysis from a gunshot wound. As I pondered whether to go for it, he waived goodbye as his friend wheeled him away, and I let out a feeble “God bless you guys.” Maybe there would be another occasion to pray, once we’d gotten to know each other better.

Suddenly people began to disperse. Maybe they’d seen a police car. We passed out gloves, hand warmers, and hats. So we got in my car and headed over towards Safeway instead, to look for more people. I didn’t see anyone on the streets in some of the usual places, so I drove slowly around the back, adjacent to a large, abandoned field. I then spotted a grocery cart, and noticed a small group huddled in the dark near some dumpsters under a tree.

We pulled in near them and parked. A woman came up, not wanting a hot drink but needing a hat. She said her mother’s birthday was the next day, and I told here that she was welcome to take a scarf or hat for her mom. She was delighted, and found a scarf she thought her mom would like. We approached the huddled group, asking if anyone wanted a hot drink.

“Bob!” one of them yelled. It was a man I knew who’d relapsed back into Fentanyl after a long period of sobriety.

We greeted each other and began to catch up from the previous week. We served him a cup of hot chocolate, and he was glad to receive a fresh supply of Narcan. He told us how many people call 911 too soon, assuming someone who has passed out is in danger when they’re not.

“When they’re turning blue, that’s when you really have to move fast,” he told us.

Just then I spotted a tall, very thin man who was heading towards us on the sidewalk behind the store. He walked with long, determined strides—like a man on a mission.

“Jeff” (not his real name), my friend yelled, “dude, I’ve been looking for you. Come on over!”

Jeff stopped in front of us and my friend gave him a hug. Jeff couldn’t stand still, but lurched forward, twisting around with contorted gestures, a common manifestation of the street drug called “Trank,” which is Xylazine, a veterinary tranquilizer that’s being mixed into the Fentanyl these days.

Jeff spoke haltingly but revealed sensitivity and intelligence. He told us how he was a few credits short of a business degree at the local college, but had messed up “yet again.” I told him we could see that he was a highly intelligent and articulate man, and that it’s not too late to achieve his dreams. It seemed right to ask him if we could pray for him about being able to finish his schooling. He said “yes” he wanted prayer, as he twisted around in a few circles, spiraling down on his haunches before us, bowing his head and cupping his hands over his mouth and chin.

I was deeply touched by his humble gesture, and felt a tenderness as my heart softened. wondered if I was going to cry. I prayed a prayer over him, and his friend and Esteban joined me as we blessed him with success, protection and God’s peace.

When I finished praying I found myself making a comment I hadn’t thought about in advance.

“Well, it’s Black Friday and everyone’s out shopping. But I’m pretty sure Jesus wouldn’t be shopping for deals. He’d be out shopping for people. Searching for what’s most precious to him– you guys!”

The men seemed to receive these words into their souls, and I felt like I was basking in a tenderness from the invisible heart of God that filled the darkness.

Esteban later commented that in fact Jesus is our Redeemer, the One who purchases us by his blood, freeing us from the clutches of the Ruler of this world. We are his deputized agents, invited to search for his beloved ones along the alleyways, highways, behind the hedges and dumpsters.

I’ve been disturbed and grieved by statements from many Christians since the US Presidential election that God’s sovereign will is now clear: Trump and other Republican Party wins of the presidency, Senate and House of Representatives reflect God’s choices. The underlying assumption is that God is sovereign: behind-the-scenes controlling and even micro-managing of national and world political affairs. If whoever comes to power is there in accordance with God’s sovereign will, then presidents like Barack Obama and Joe Biden were also God’s chosen candidates, which many conservative Christians would not affirm. If God is the mastermind behind every governing leader’s action, then Stalin’s totalitarian reign of terror, Hitler’s ascendancy and subsequent extermination of 6 million Jews, Hamas’ October 7 terrorist attack overseen by democratically-elected Yahya Sinwar, Israel’s brutal response, as well as oppressive regimes and genocides the world over must logically be considered God’s will. A hyper-sovereign theology attributes whatever happens, good or evil (and not just what we want) to God. There are a few key Scriptures that are misused to support this theology which I want to briefly examine here, before looking at some other ways to identify God’s movement in history. Romans 13:1 is mistakenly cited to support the notion that God establishes human leaders, and that we must all submit to them.  Let’s take a closer look at this text. “Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.” The Greek term used here for authority, exousia, refers to non-human systems rather than to individual leaders. In fact, Colossians 1:16 states that that all things “have been created through him [Christ] and for him.” While “all things” include human beings and the material world, non-human powers are mentioned, including exousia: “whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities (exousia).” Thrones, dominions, rulers and authorities refer to positions, roles, systems, laws, ideologies, economies, borders, organizations and such that allow for human organization. Paul is calling Jesus-followers to respect human organizational systems as being established by God as part of creation– and not individual, human leaders. Elsewhere Peter writes that believers are to subject to “every human institution,” and to human leaders like emperors or governors (1 Pt 2:13-14), for whom we are also called to pray (1 Tm 2:1-4). But he doesn’t mention these leaders are chosen or established by God! Colossians 1:17 clarifies that Jesus is “head of the body, the church; and he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he himself [and not an earthly leader] will come to have first place in everything.” Yet we see Jesus himself subjecting himself to the rulers and authorities as Paul and Peter affirm, willingly accepting crucifixion by the Jewish religious authorities and the Roman Empire as the means whereby he defeats the Ruler of this world, destroying death and “making peace by the blood of his cross” (Col 1:20). Systems made “by Christ and for Christ,” who is “head” and has “first place,” evokes Psalm 2, which uses some of the same language regarding rulers as Romans 13 and Colossians, and echoes Christ’s supremacy. “The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his Anointed” (Ps 2:1). Kings and rulers are openly hostile to the Lord and his anointed throughout this Psalm. They do not behave like they were created by and for Christ, nor do they do not govern according to God’s will. Here’s what the Lord says about them and about his King, Christ and Son: “The One who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, “as for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill” (Ps 2:4-6). The Anointed one (Christ in the Septuagint), identified as the Son of God then speaks: “I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel” (Ps 2:7-9). The declarations in Psalm 2 fit with later statements about Jesus’ victory over the rulers, powers and authorities (exousia) in the New Testament (Eph 1:20-23), all of which God put “in subjection under his feet, and gave him as head over all things to the church” (Eph 2:22). These non-human powers and the last enemy, death itself, will be destroyed by Jesus at the end of history (1 Cor 15:24-25.  In the meantime, these powers are commanded to themselves submit to God’s Anointed. “Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him” (Ps 2:10-12). The role of the prophet in the Biblical tradition was to hold human leaders accountable, requiring them to act in accordance with God’s will, which includes justice for the poor and oppressed. Moses is sent by the Lord as a prophet before Pharaoh to advocate for his enslaved people, commanding him on the Lord’s behalf: “Let my people go!” The prophets anointed Israel’s kings, and spoke truth to them, warning, challenging and opposing them on behalf of God. The prophet Samuel resisted the people’s will to have a king like the other nations. God told Samuel to give the people the king they wanted: “They are not rejecting you, but they have rejected me from being king over them” (1 Sam 8:7). Samuel warned the people of the negative consequences, before anointing Saul, whom he challenged regularly as God’s prophet. God’s prophets often warned kings and the people that their choices would lead to negative consequences—such as the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, and people being killed and exile and enslavement by foreign powers. Prophetic challenge was often met by severe persecution by authorities- like Jeremiah, who was thrown into a pit. Remember that Paul wrote Romans 13 while he was under house arrest by the Roman Empire. Romans 13 immediately follows Romans 12:14-21, where he calls disciples to bless those who persecute them, to never pay back evil for evil and to not be overcome by evil, but to overcome evil with good. This is most clearly visible in Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. God’s will does not equal the people’s will It is more accurate to say that in a democratic election it is not God’s will that prevails, but rather the will of the people. It was a majority of US citizen voters who elected Donald Trump. Nowhere in Scripture does it say that the majority vote determines the will of God, that people’s voice equaling God’s voice! God does let us as human beings freely make bad choices that go against his will. Scripture describes people as sheep, lost, or easily led astray by bad shepherds. “All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way” (Is 53:6). “My people have become lost sheep; Their shepherds have led them astray” (Jer 50:6). The Apostle Paul, quoting from Psalm 14:1-3 writes in Romans 3:10-12: As it is written, “There is none righteous, not even one; there is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God; All have turned aside, together they have become useless; there is none who does good, there is not even one” (Rom 3:10-12). To the extent that repentance doesn’t happen, we can be assured we will have a fatally-flawed electorate, that will choose reckless leaders like Israel did when they wanted a king. These leaders may bring judgement on their enemies (deserved in some cases?). They will also bring chaos and devastation from which God will not shield us—the just consequences for believing lies and trusting the untrustworthy. And as usual, the weakest and most vulnerable will suffer the most. Who is the Ruler of this World? Finally, during this time before the end of history, when Jesus will return to fully usher in the Kingdom of God, the Bible describes “the whole world as lying under the power of the Evil One (1 Jn 5:19). It is the “dragon” who “gave authority to the beast,” (Rv 13:4), and not God. “The great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him” (Rv 12:9). When Jesus is tempted by the devil in the wilderness, the devil said to him: “I will give you all this domain (exousia) and its glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. “Therefore if you worship before me, it shall all be yours” (Lk 4:6-7). Jesus doesn’t disagree with the devil’s statements. Rather he puts the devil in his place, under his feet. Jesus simultaneously gives us a clear directive to resist the devil’s temptation to political power, reflecting his sovereign will: “It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and serve him only” (Lk 4:8). In 2 Thessalonians Paul describes “a man of lawlessness as coming, a son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship… whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan [and not the will of God], with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth” (2 Thes 2:3-4, 9-10). Notice here that the consequences of human choices are highlighted. People “did not receive the love of the truth.”  And God then sends a consequent judgment: “For this reason, God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness” (1 Thes 2:11-12). It seems we are seeing this now– evidenced in the blatant use and acceptance of unchecked deception in Trump’s election campaign. As an antidote, let us now pursue the truth that will make us free. I invite you to listen to my podcast released today: “How do you know what is true?”

The Presidential election here in the United States is fast approaching, and we are being bombarded by messaging from candidates. Great boasts, overt lies, and hateful rhetoric abound. Candidates and their advocates stir up fear should their opponents be elected. Many are experiencing this as a time of impending doom. Daniel 7 seems highly prophetic for these times, helping us see things from a higher perspective.

Daniel tells of a night vision that appears before him as he “keeps looking.” He writes as a Jewish exile living first in Babylon (modern-day Iraq), and then in Persia (modern-day Iran). His contemporary equivalents might then be underground believers inside Iraq or Iran. He describes a beast with ten horns, dreadful, terrifying and extremely strong that devour, crush and trample down with their feet. Horns are symbols of strength, haughtiness and arrogance. How does Daniel’s vision help us identify these powers today?

Today horns could be incarnate in the rich and powerful, billionaires who own the news and social media, but also in brands, celebrities, teams. They are myriad, principalities and powers manifesting in politicians, political parties, the corporate elite and influencers of many stripes.

While Daniel is contemplating the horns, he describes another horn, a little one pulling out three of the ten horns by the roots. This “horn possessed eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth uttering great boasts” (Dan 7:8). Where do we hear a human uttering great boasts today?

In our current political climate it is not hard to identify one particular “mouth uttering great boasts,” though there are many. And what this horn does is clearly underway now: “The horn was waging war on the saints and overpowering them” (7:21).

As I read what Daniel sees here, I wonder whether my own fatigue and extreme disillusionment at how so many Christians appear to be co-opted by the political spirit is overpowering me. I know many others who are at the point of losing faith in the church and most anything “Christian,” which we see as being overpowered by political figures who hold them in their grip.

We see so many who claim to follow Jesus, full of fear of immigrants, other vulnerable people, and things deemed “threats” that are being scapegoated. We see people believing promises of a return to some delusion of past greatness. We see people bowing to those Daniel calls beasts and horns—powers associated with national security, superiority, domination and control.

But Daniel next sees an alternate reality not visible apart from revelation. This reality is not audible, or even readable— meaning it doesn’t come through speeches, tweets, posts, or articles that can be heard or read. This revelation comes through spiritual vision. The higher reality it presents puts all the horns in their place—doomed to destruction.

“I kept looking,” writes Daniel, showing the importance of perseverance at the watch stations. Daniel keeps looking “until thrones were set up.”  And what he sees next is what we need to focus on now.

“And the Ancient of Days took his seat; His vesture was like white snow and the hair of his head like pure wool. His throne was ablaze with flames, its wheels were a burning fire. A river of fire was flowing and coming out from before him; Thousands upon thousands were attending him, and myriads upon myriads were standing before him; The court sat, and the books were opened” (Dan 7:9-10).

But then following closely after this vision, Daniel keeps looking “because of the sound of the boastful words which the horn was speaking.” Oh no, evil persists!

The sound of boastful words is clearly overwhelming and overcoming many who are listening and reading national and world news right now.

But then what Daniel sees next reveals the final removal of this beasts and these horns.

“I kept looking until the beast was slain, and its body was destroyed and given to the burning fire. as for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but an extension of life was granted to them for an appointed period of time” (Dan 7:11-12).

Is this “period of time” the one in which we are now living? We are not given an answer. But the destruction of the beasts and the removal of their dominion is assured, making room for what Daniel sees next as he keeps looking in the night visions.

“And behold, with the clouds of heaven one like a Son of Man was coming, and he came up to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion, glory and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations and men of every language might serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away; and his kingdom is one which will not be destroyed” (Dan 7:13-14).

Daniel is distressed, and asks “someone standing by,” perhaps a divine messenger in the vision. He models prayer for discernment and wisdom, asking “the exact meaning of all this” (Dan 7:16). And Daniel lets us know that this “someone” “told me and made known to me the interpretation of these things,” giving me hope that we can expect to receive wisdom “from above” when we ask for it with faith (James 1:5-6).

The “someone standing by” tells him that four beasts are four kings that will arise from the earth—and we are not told who these are either.

“But the saints of the Highest One, (and not the four kings) will receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, for all ages to come” (Dan 7:18).

But Daniel then keeps looking, and that’s when he sees “that [the] horn was waging war with the saints and overpowering them” (Dan 7:21).

But then I keep looking at what Daniel is seeing as he keeps looking, and my hope begins to return.

Daniel keeps looking “until the Ancient of Days came and judgment was passed in favor of the saints of the Highest One, and the time arrived when the saints took possession of the kingdom” (Dan 7:22).

And here I know Christians following the “little horn” think they will take possession of the kingdom when this horn “wins,” so they can rule from atop the “seven mountains.”  But this interpretation becomes impossible when “the one standing by,” who Daniel asked for an interpretation, repeats details about the horn overpowering the saints in ways that show the battle was not (and is not now) over.

The horn that was earlier described as uprooting three of the ten horns (kings) is then described again using language that could describe what is transpiring now in the USA.

“He (the little horn) will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and they will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time” (Dan 7:25).

Speaking out against the Most High can be done indirectly, by speaking in favor of a “most high” presented using Christian language, but which has nothing to do with the Jesus of the Gospels, but is an idol (the image of the beast). I can see the success of this anti-Christ propaganda wearing down of the saints, despondent that so many people who claim to follow Jesus are listening to the little horn and his spokespeople. But the messenger next makes it clear that his horn is doomed to permanent extinction.

“But the court will sit for judgment, and his dominion will be taken away, annihilated and destroyed forever. Then the sovereignty, the dominion and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest One; His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey Him.” (Dan 7:26-27).

The “Highest One” is none other than the Son of Man, who came as Jesus of Nazareth, called the Lamb of God in John’s Gospel, and the book of Revelation. He will come again to reign forever. This is the one who wins by losing, who identifies his ascent to Jerusalem this way:

“Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death, and will hand him over to the Gentiles to mock and scourge and crucify him, and on the third day he will be raised up” (Mt 20:18-19).

And the saints of the Highest One, who might these be? The Apostle Paul offers the best definition of the saints I’ve found in his greeting to the church in Corinth:

“To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours” (1 Cor 1:2).

In the Book of Revelation John receives revelation similar to Daniel’s, of ten horns who are ten kings, who “receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour” (Rev 17:12). Are we living now in this hour? We are not given an answer. But what we do know is this:

“These (kings/leaders) have one purpose, and they give their power and authority to the beast. These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with him are the called, chosen and faithful” (Rev 17:13-14).

And who are these “called, chosen, and faithful?” They are none other than the Saints described in Daniel 7, those who haven’t bowed to the beast, who demands their allegiance. These “called,” and “chosen” Paul also writes about in 1 Corinthians 1:26-29.

“For consider your calling, brothers and sisters, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that he may nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before God.”

May we seriously consider who we choose to identify with in these treacherous times, refusing anything resembling a boastful horn, choosing instead the humble servant King Jesus. May we seek and find community within the humble yet resisting assembly of the saints: the called, chosen and faithful.