Wake Up, Look Up

Hello, everyone. Thanks for listening to Wake Up, Look Up, a podcast where we connect events happening in real time to the gospel of Jesus Christ. I'm Zach Weihrauch. And in today's episode, we are throwing it back. We're doing this occasionally this summer where we take a look at an old episode, an episode that got a ton of interest from you, our listeners, and a lot of times, a ton of feedback.

And we're asking, should we reaffirm the position we took or reexamine, particularly in light of your comments. And today, we're throwing it back to the episode we did asking the question, is Donald Trump God's anointed leader? This episode still gets comments to this day. Obviously, moving the needle with you as listeners. How should we think about president Trump and whether or not he was hand selected by God in the way that maybe King David was in the old testament?

Well, a couple of things here. One is it is true that the Bible affirms in the book of Daniel or in the book of Acts that God moves in human history, that God raises up leaders and brings them down. Another way of saying that is imagine a circle in which everything exists, everything that's ever happened throughout history, every leader, every country, every event. And what we'd say is God is in control of everything in that circle. Bible clearly teaches that, including who's in charge of a particular country in a particular moment.

That is true. If you said Donald Trump is president because God wanted him to be, I would say that is indisputable fact. God raises up leaders and brings them low. The question I would ask you if you say that is do you also think that God wanted president Biden to be president? Maybe let me push a little further.

Do you also believe that God wanted president Obama to be president? Because you see, sovereignty doesn't begin when an election goes the way you want it to go, and it doesn't end when an election doesn't go the way you want it to go. If that's your view of sovereignty, then you're not talking about God. You are viewing yourself as God, and you're simply attaching his support to whatever candidate you prefer. Because the Bible does say God raises up leaders and that he brings them low.

God the Bible does say no one ever comes to power outside of God's control. But that is not the same thing as saying that God is in support of that political leader. I bet you already thought that about president Obama or president Biden, and that's the point. Look. Read the book of first Kings, second Kings, first King or first Chronicles, second Chronicles, Because what you're gonna find is leader after leader that, again, God raised up, and yet a leader who did not do what was right in the eyes of God.

By the way, the book Daniel, which is one of the books for where we get the idea that God raises leaders up, is full of leaders like Nebuchadnezzar, who builds a giant golden statue and tells everyone to worship it. So if I say Nebuchadnezzar is king because God wanted him to be king, does that mean God supported his worship initiative of a false God? Of course not. God's plans are bigger than any one generation, bigger than any one country, bigger than any one leader. And I couldn't even begin to understand how he moves the chess pieces around the board to accomplish his purposes.

I just know that he does. God moves the chess pieces to bring about the result he wants, but that doesn't mean every single action is something he's in support of. Should we pray for leaders? Sure. Should we acknowledge God's sovereignty over leaders?

Sure. Should we attach the label of God's anointing? Absolutely not. That's because, number one, that label belongs to God. In the old testament, when you know that God has anointed someone, you know that, testament, when you know that God has anointed someone, you know that because he tells you.

It's his anointing to give to whoever he wants. And in the new testament sense, he has already given it to one person, and that person is Jesus Christ. Now on this, I have to double down because here's a simple argument. If you say things about any political leader, in this case, president Trump, that you really should have said about Jesus, your problem isn't politics. Your problem is blasphemy.

In Psalm two, when the nations of the earth gather together against the Lord and against his anointed, that's a reference to the son of God, the Messiah, the king of heaven, Jesus Christ. It's not a reference to Donald Trump or to any other political leader. Now will Donald Trump move this country in some positive directions? I'm sure. Will he move this country in some negative directions?

I'm equally sure. That's not because of my politics. That's because I've read a history book. The only leader behind whom I can rally unquestioningly and unflinchingly is the anointed son of god, Jesus. He gets my ultimate allegiance, not Donald Trump, and you shouldn't give it to him either.

Is Trump God's anointed? No. Not anymore or any less than any other leader throughout history. God has an anointed. The job is not open.

It belongs to Jesus and to him alone. Hey. Thanks for watching this episode of Wake Up, Look Up. If you enjoyed it, please help us get the word out by sharing it with someone you think might benefit from it. And while you're here, make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to get further content or even download the CCC app where you'll find even more resources to help you grow in your faith and relationship with Jesus Christ.

Have an article you’d like Zach to discuss? Email us at wakeup@ccchapel.com!