Once a benevolent King Cyrus, Trump has recently taken on the role of a biblical avenger

(RNS) — A variant of the ancient Persian emperor Cyrus. Or a modern Job defiantly enduring demonic persecution. She is Esther, positioned by providence “for such a time as this.” Now he is David, a flawed but anointed man of God…

Meet the biblical paragon, Donald Trump.

Trump’s Christian theologians I’ve written about over the past decade my new bookThey made a hobby of tying the famously abusive, womanizing, greedy real estate mogul to biblical heroes and quoted Bible verses. The amalgamation of biblical characters, all mirrors of Trump, and his cosmic destiny to lead America is a central pillar of his appeal to evangelical Christians.

But lately these biblical implications and correlations have taken a threatening turn. The most recent iteration of this trope is Trump’s portrayal of the obscure character King Jehu from the Hebrew Bible; This may indicate a tacit acknowledgment that Trump is bringing a wave of violence.

Almost as soon as Trump entered the political scene in earnest, charismatic prophetsEvangelical followers to believe Today they are literally speaking the word of God and portraying Trump as a biblical prophetic figure. The original and perhaps still the most iconic comparison of this kind It was suggested by Alabama priest Jeremiah Johnson Just a month after Trump ran for president in 2015, she paired Trump with Persian King Cyrus the Great.

After Cyrus and his Persian armies conquered the Babylonian Empire, Cyrus sent the Israelites who were then captives in Babylon home to rebuild Jerusalem. The prophet Isaiah quotes Cyrus from God’s “anointedHe states that the non-Jewish king did not accept the Hebrew god. In Isaiah’s vision, Cyrus is a secular savior, an instrument in God’s hand.

This Cyrus-Trump comparison, basic evangelical rationalizations On supporting Trump in 2016: He is not a believer, or even a good man, but he is a man of God. Johnson and a handful other Prophets who bet big on Trump’s victory became celebrities in the evangelical media. Charismatic prophets like Lance Wallnau and Paula White then brokered the hedgehog-hugging partnership between Trump and his ever-loyal evangelical voter base, casting Trump as a supposedly biblical, God-chosen tool for revitalizing American Christianity.

So it started avalanche of such prophecies. Encouraged to feed Christian supporters’ rapacious demands for more positive messages about Trump, hundreds, perhaps thousands, of charismatic evangelical prophets have jumped into the pro-Trump prophecy market.

But since Harris became Trump’s opponent, the dominant biblical figure mentioned in these prophetic circles has begun to shift away from Cyrus (or Job, Esther, or David) toward Jehu, a chilling model for the post-election era.

Jehu ascended to the throne of Israel following the infamous misrule of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel, who led the people of Israel to worship false gods, persecuted what remained of the devout Israelites, and became two of the most heinous characters in the biblical narrative. against the famous prophets Elijah and Elisha.

Jezebel’s name was once a commonly used word for a scheming woman, but in charismatic circles where depictions in the Hebrew Bible were more important than real life, it was used as a description of promiscuity, abortion, LGBTQ+ rights, and other attributes they viewed as anything to them. still maintains its strength. treacherous feminism. Charismatic prophets have lamented for decades how the “Jezebel spirit” has taken over American culture, and Harris echoed that sentiment almost immediately as she became the Democratic nominee. tagged with name.

Jehu, anointed king He presides over the destruction of Jezebel after Ahab’s death. He asks his servants to throw him out of a high tower and then crush his body with his horse. Wild dogs come and eat his corpse. The message of the story: Jezebel was so disrespectful and disgusting that all memories of her were erased.

“Queen Jezebel is Punished by Jehu” by Andrea Celesti, late 17th century. (Image courtesy of Wikimedia/Creative Commons)

A few weeks ago, tens of thousands of evangelicals gathered on the National Mall for a day. prayer, worship and prophecy to influence the election. After 10 hours of work politicized religious fervorThis week, Ché Ahn, a California pastor and apostle who is one of the most respected charismatic Christian leaders in the country photographed Standing in the middle of a circle of Christian leaders, joining hands with Trump and praying for him proclaiming God’s will: “Donald Trump is kind of a Jehu and Kamala Harris is kind of a Jezebel. As you know, Jehu cast out Jezebel. … I make the decision in the mighty name of Jesus, and I do so with the conviction that on November 5, Trump will win, he will be our 47th president, and Kamala Harris will be impeached, and she will lose.”

Linking the vice president, himself a Baptist Christian, to Jezebel in our moment of political violence verges on a threat to his life.

Another provocation like Trump has arrived gathered on October 25 with the National Faith Advisory Board, his official circle of evangelical advisors, and Messiah Rabbi Jonathan Cahn, bestselling author books about divinationit was said this statement From the stage to Trump:

President Trump… God has called you to walk in the pattern of the warrior king Jehu. He called Jehu to make his nation great again. Jehu came to the capital to drain the swamp… If he (God) now raises you to the height of power, it will be for his glory. This will be the final act and perhaps America’s last chance for salvation.

Cahn and other prophets who use this image not only point out interesting parallels between Trump and Jehu. Rather, they direct Trump to act according to the template of Jehu, a biblical script that must be fulfilled.

For example, note how, according to a Bible story, Jehu drained Israel’s swamp. second Book of Kings. Jezebel’s execution pales in comparison. After Jezebel’s plea, Jehu flies into a rage, slaughters all of Ahab and Jezebel’s children, and piles their heads on the city gates. It continues to kill hundreds of Israeli citizens, including religious leaders who support Jezebel. Jehu’s revenge, one of the most brutal and vengeful scenes in the Bible, is presented as a divinely ordained template for Trump’s second term.

If we hadn’t listened to Trump’s recent rally speeches, we might have dismissed the comparisons to Jehu as metaphors. These biblical quotes echo Trump’s own campaign rhetoric, which has become more vengeful and violent. He launched his 2024 campaign as follows: declare“I am your warrior. I am your justice. And for those who were oppressed and betrayed: I am your punishment.” It closes with the promise of elimination.”the enemy within” and to their American rivals “vermin.”

Like Jehu’s rage against the old regime, Trump promises to purge government and society (by violence if necessary) of the malevolent forces that his people hate and fear.

These biblical appeals reveal the accommodations Christians have made to embrace a populist, authoritarian, vulgar persona. The Bible, the source book of all truth and guidance in the evangelical faith, shapes the imagination of evangelical Christians. Portraying Trump as a Jehu creates theological license for Christians to embrace the violence Trump promises.

If he wins this election, the image of Jehu tells Trump’s Christian supporters that some real-world violence may be needed to cleanse America of its demons. Especially if he loses to Kamala Harris, the Jehu template commands revenge and violence until the Harris regime is destroyed.

(Matthew D. Taylor is a senior fellow at the Institute for Islamic, Christian, and Jewish Studies in Baltimore and the author of the forthcoming “BookSevere Forced Takes: The Christian Movement That Threatens Our Democracy.” The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily reflect the views of Religion News Service.)