The Incident

It’s now four days after “the incident” and we’d properly expect for some of the smoke to clear, and for there to be at least a reasonable framework for understanding what allegedly occurred in Butler, Pennsylvania. I’m not going to add to the growing list of conjectures. Rather, I’d like to invite us all to step back and, instead of being distracted by theories and the details, try to look at the bigger picture.

The lens I have chosen is the one discussed previously: 1 Kings 22 (also 2 Chron. 18:9-27) and the destruction of King Ahab. I suggest this could be a “double prophecy” because Micaiah mentioned “… all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd.” We know from scripture that this was NOT the destruction of the kingdom – the people of Israel then came under the “shepherd” of Jehoram (also called ‘Joram’), who proved to be another wicked king. The Lord had said, “These have no master. Let each return to his house in peace,” but it appears from the Biblical record that there was another master, no return, and no peace. Perhaps the Lord had someone else in mind.

Some of you may be familiar with a certain Brandon Biggs, who gave a prophecy in March 2024 which some believe was partially fulfilled on July 13th. If you listen to his comments in context, you will quickly realize that several of the things he predicts have not happened, at least not yet. Biggs went on at some length explaining how America is NOT “under judgment” but God is simply “sending correction.” Biggs thinks there will be a new wave of patriotic fervor, and that the faith of our Founders will be revived. “There may be hard times in the immediate future” (my summary of his message) “but God will give us victory.” Amanda Grace and Steve Cioccolanti both agreed.

Let’s all re-read Micaiah’s comments:

So he said, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.‘ And the Lord said, ‘You shall persuade him and also prevail; go out and do so.‘

Therefore look! The Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of these prophets of yours, and the Lord has declared disaster against you.”

– 2 Chron. 18:21-22 NKJV (emphases added)

Cioccolanti, Biggs and Ms. Grace may have authentic God-given gifts … OR they may be empowered by “the Dark Side.” I am almost completely ignorant of their activities, but strongly suspect the Rider on the White Horse has paid them a visit and they are among those about whom Jesus warned us. They come in Jesus’ name, they claim Jesus is the Christ, and they are deceiving many. (Matthew 24:5)

Pastor Greg Laurie has also weighed in. I posted the following comment: “Trump does not need to be comforted or guided by a pastor. He needs to be confronted by a prophet. And I daresay he would NOT be amenable to that experience. America is under judgment. We had a 40-day window for national repentance, but we don’t WANT national repentance. We want to continue in our sin but have our bank accounts and standard of living preserved. We want less wars, less violence, less invasion over the border.

“But do we want the end of abortion? Do we want prayer in the schools? How do we feel about the sexualizing of our KIDS from music and the popular culture? Because a prophet would tell Trump how God sees this national wickedness. 1 Kings 22 my friends – the spirit of deception has been released and America will not recover because America will not repent.” I submitted this comment twice and it was deleted twice – something in there that the YouTube algorithm does not like. (Probably the part about the “sexualizing of our kids.” God doesn’t like that part either.)

The fact that Mr. Trump’s ear was (allegedly) hit speaks prophetically of damaged hearing. We no longer have ears to hear, even though we may think otherwise. We certainly don’t hear – and apparently don’t care to hear – what God is saying. If the blind lead the blind, they both go into the ditch. If the deaf lead the deaf, I’d expect a similar result. Mr. Trump may speak of a glorious re-birth of America; perhaps a few tough years ahead while we un-do the damage done by Obama and Biden, and then peace and prosperity in our little corner of the global village.

I don’t think we have years remaining – in fact, I think “months” is an optimistic and unrealistic expectation. “Weeks” (and not many of them) is realistic. Prophets Biggs and Cioccolanti see a rebirth of patriotic fervor, as if that’s either what God wants, or it’s a blessing God desires to bestow. I would say: “Neither!” We are foreigners and pilgrims, ambassadors for Christ sent to a Christ-rejecting world. Our citizenship is in heaven. We are called to unswerving and uncompromising fealty to Christ and His kingdom. Contrary to the socialist designs of Mr. Francis Bellamy, our singular allegiance is always and only to Jesus Christ.

We have conflated love of God and love of country. How this is connected to the “incident” in view becomes clear through another lens: IDOLATRY. Elijah’s combat with Ahab and Jezebel was over this single issue. Would it be God or Ba’al? For us, a similar question: will we trust our salvation to Jesus Christ … or to the glowing promises of restored prosperity and national pride offered by Mr. Trump and the RNC? Trump (allegedly) took a bullet for us. Jesus took a merciless Roman flogging and a fatal crucifixion.

The issue before us is not “liberal v. conservative” or “Democrat v. Republican” or any of the other societal divisions being foisted on us. We’re seeing the enemies of God (in all political parties) aligned against Christ’s kingdom of righteousness. Tucker Carlson pointed out the battle lines clearly in his presentation to the RNC. He said, “What group do they dislike most? What group are they absolutely terrified of and hoping to eliminate? Well, it’s Christians. That’s who it is, it’s Christians.” This, Tucker says, is not a new battle. It’s been seen over and over again throughout history. (More here.)

The final lens through which I am viewing the events of July 13th is the recent Nineveh eclipse. If this is not in view in Luke 21:25, then “signs in the sun, moon and stars” is, for me, an impenetrable enigma. I am of the settled opinion that God warned us – through both natural signs AND His scriptures – and we as a nation have ignored the warning. According to Flavius Josephus (an eyewitness), in the days leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, God sent SEVEN warnings. God has warned America and we have turned our backs and turned up the volume of our favorite distractions. God’s final warning was on April 8th. We reached the end of His patience on May 18th.

God dealt with His errant people in the days of Amos:

“I gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities and lack of bread in all your places, I withheld rain, I blasted you with blight and mildew, I gave your gardens and vineyards to the locusts, I sent you a plague after the manner of Egypt,

“I killed your young men with the sword and made the stench of your camps come up into your nostrils, and I overthrew some of you as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah – yet you have not returned to me,” says the Lord.

“Therefore thus will I do to you, O Israel; Because I will do this to you, Prepare to meet your God, O Israel!”

– Amos 4:6-12 NKJV paraphrased

Under God’s various chastisements, the people still would not return. In the New Testament, God tried a different approach: “Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?” In Romans 2:4 we see that GOODNESS is intended to engender repentance. And we can see that God has been very good to America.

But instead of engendering repentance, we have responded with completely unwarranted contempt. We seem to think we can enjoy the gifts and disobey or ignore the Giver. Like ancient Israel, we’re advised to prepare to meet our God. That meeting is not far off.

I expect a LOT of our Christian and political leaders will jump on this “resurgence of patriotism” bandwagon in the coming days. Our pulpits may be aflame with appeals to a return to our “bedrock Christian principles” upon which the nation was founded. There may be new passion for righteousness and a return to political civility. But it will be short-lived, partly because we don’t really mean it, and partly because there’s practically no time left on the clock. God sent America a Nineveh warning. We shrugged it off. Amos had a word for his people, and it’s also a word for us:

Therefore thus will I do to you, O Israel; Because I will do this to you,

Prepare to meet your God, O Israel!