“The end is nigh”, or so a recent slew of Facebook posts would have me to believe. Coincidentally these posts started appearing exactly at the same time as a particular mugshot was released. It’s once again disheartening to see so many of my Christian friends flock to conspiracy so that their idol can keep his sheen. How many times does a man’s behavior prove the insincerity of his heart before people realize Christianity is a prop to him?
The End Times are Easier
As I’ve reflected on this coincidence I’ve come to one conclusion regarding this correlation. Belief in the sudden acceleration of the end times is much easier than admitting your golden calf is just a statue. It brings to mind a quote from David Michaelis in Schulz and Peanuts, “People would rather live drunk on false belief than sober on nothing at all, at whatever cost in ridicule.” As Donald Trump’s undoing continues to prove him the charlatan he is, it is much easier to put your faith in something just as filled with grandeur than it is to admit faith misplaced. I think the end times provide a dangerous sense of pridefulness in Christians, especially those that are certain they’ll be taken up and spared the seven years of torment. There’s an attitude of “y’all messed up but I’ll look down on you in safety.”
At the same time, the end times are a sure bet. While no one may know the day or hour, as Christians we do firmly believe that we know what will happen. While even this certainty can be easily misplaced, it provides a failsafe that other idols do not. You might not know what will come of Trump’s indictment or the upcoming election, but you do know that eventually all this world will come to an end.
The End Times Don’t Accelerate
I find it interesting that each new wave of end times posts treats the concept of rapture as if it’s something that was taking its time but has suddenly become much more sudden. Time doesn’t suddenly decide to sprint towards the finish line just because a criminal did a crime. Treason against the United States won’t move up the date the world ends any faster than the arrest of a former President. With that, the purpose of the end times isn’t “I’m safe, sucks to be you.” It is not a moment for boastfulness but mourning. As a Christian the return of Christ should be an exciting thing but the destruction of all created things should not.
Trump Card
Donald Trump has no power over the end times. There’s no secret agenda against him and God’s plan for the world will not suddenly shift gears because he’s behind bars. He is merely a powerful man who disrespected the democratic foundations of the nation he was charged with leading. He instilled dissent and is now being asked to pay the consequences of his rhetoric and division. If your faith in the world is tied up in the fate of one man, you have an idol. If you can’t see the truth behind January 6th despite the evidence that continues to pour out, you have an idol. If saving Donald Trump is what stops the end times, you have a faith that is greatly misplaced.
A favorite theologian of mine once said, “sometimes bad things happen to you because you’re just stupid.” Rather than showing hubris in these events, now is the time for humility. Admitting the misplacement of faith is important, the same as it is to call out false idols and those who are harmful not only to the body but to your friends and neighbors. Rather than running from one conspiracy to the next, its time that those claiming this is a “Christian Nation” center themselves around Christ rather than cronies and conmen.
Collin Willis 