Let's Be Patriots
My personal response to the assassination attempt of Donald Trump:
Life is full of unknowns. I mean, really full of unknowns. If you had asked me what my next blog would be about, the topic of My personal response to an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump would not have cracked the top 10,000 ideas. It was this past Shabbat, around 6:15 PM, my family was out to eat with another family with whom we had been friends for many years. We were discussing the sermon I had given earlier that day on “The Day of the Lord” and the events leading up to it. Needless to say, an interesting topic of conversation before witnessing an assassination attempt. As we watched the events unfold it was hard to understand what was happening because there was no sound on the TV in the restaurant, but it became apparent that Donald Trump had been shot. Not three minutes later my phone was blowing up with text messages.
Now what really intrigued me was Donald Trump’s response.
When I saw the now iconic picture of him pumping his fist, bleeding from his ear, with an American flag in the background I immediately said “You will see that picture for years to come”. Then we saw the video of him getting up and pumping his fist again, seemingly mouthing the words, “Fight, Fight”. For many, that response fired them up, but for me, I had just two thoughts.
First, what is the motivation within him to do that, and second, what do I think I would have done if I was in his shoes?
Hypothetical questions I know, but questions that make you look in the mirror and examine where you stand in regards to your nation. I knew that this event was going to lead to some soul-searching unlike other events surrounding politics.
If you are familiar with my ministry, you know that I tend to not bring politics into my teachings (with the exception of events surrounding Israel), and there are various reasons for that, some I will mention later on, but for the most part, my observation is: everyone else is talking about politics, and there are still people out there that want in-depth Bible teaching that will help them grow as disciples of Yeshua (Jesus). So I let the others handle politics and I teach the Bible. As simple and idealistic as that approach is, sometimes life (most of the time) isn’t simple and most certainly is not idealistic.
Listen, I want what is best for America as much as anyone else.
I want inflation to go down, I encourage people to vote for the candidates they feel best represent righteousness according to the Scriptures, which includes supporting Israel, and I certainly want to see morality return to this nation, as a nation under God. I was born in America. This nation gave my Jewish immigrant great-grandfather, Abraham Levitsky, the ability to flee persecution from Czar Nicholas of Russia, make a living, and give his family a safe place to grow. I have friends and family members who fought in Iwo Jima, Vietnam, Korea, Afghanistan, and Iraq. I am aware of the liberties we have and the sacrifices that have been made, and I am grateful for that. Although I never personally served in the military, I always considered myself a patriot and “Proud to be an American”.
But for the last four years, I have been pretty disconnected within myself from American politics. Sure I know enough to “shoot the breeze”, but I honestly had reserved myself to let whatever happens to America happen and just stay true to the Word, teach it, and help others prepare for the Kingdom of God to come. I had become weary of politics filling the pulpits, Christian personalities on YouTube highjacking current events to create content that gains a following, the Body of Messiah freely speaking evil of leaders without conscience, and taken the firm position that if we want to pin blame on the moral decline of America, it should be pinned on the failure of the pastors and Bible teachers of America for adulterating the Word of God since World War 2. Because of this, I challenge my listeners to the higher standards of the Kingdom of God presented in Scriptures such as “The Sermon on the Mount” and not just the U.S. Constitution. These are still my positions even as I write this, but as I said before, the assassination attempt on Donald Trump is demanding me to look in the mirror and examine where I really stand regarding my country and why.
The first thing I said when I was able to put together the sequence of events I was seeing on the television, in particular, the fact that his ear was just grazed by the bullet, was
“That was supernatural protection”.
There was no doubt in my mind that without supernatural protection, Donald Trump should have been killed. And that got me thinking… If God was protecting him, then He was protecting him for a certain reason, and not just so his family did not lose a husband and father, although that is a thankworthy reality. But I was really awakened to the reality that God must want to use Donald Trump for a very specific purpose (By this point you can probably tell that all the Trump “prophets” have not had much of an effect on me. There are only a couple I give any weight to).
Now, I am not going to name what that purpose is because I do not know, however, it goes far beyond the economy and border security. It may be very specific to Israel, maybe it is specific to both Israel and America, but the fact remains if God uses Donald Trump it will be as the President of the United States of America. And that got me thinking… again…, but it got me thinking, “God still has a reason and purpose for America at this present time”. Now, I am not sure it is the same reason and purpose it has been in the past, but a reason and purpose for God nevertheless. To be clear, this is in no way a prophecy or even a prediction about who will win in November, but I feel strongly about this.
With this realization, I was also convicted. Realizing that God still has a reason and purpose for America at this present time, I came to see that I had lost faith that God had much of a purpose and reason for America anymore. I never want to be at variance with God, so it has led me to repentance regarding how I view my country. I had given up on America having a positive impact on the planet, but it seems as though perhaps God has not.
Whenever I recognize the need to repent, I want to know (if possible) when and how I began to stray from being in agreement with God. In this particular instance, I think I can trace it back to January 6th, 2021, when our nation's capitol building was breached at a level not seen since 1814. Looking back now, my response to January 6th was this… It was a deep shame to be an American. I was embarrassed for our country, I wanted no association with either side of the fight, and in a country where it seems you must pick one side or the other, I withdrew myself with the attitude, “Ya’ll fight it out, I will be over here on the side doing my thing”. Mind you, these are deep responses that don’t always have words to them, but they produce mindsets and actions. But I realized I had given up on my country, and I was convicted because you can’t be salt and light to a country you have given up on.
But you also can’t be salt and light for God and truth when you hate your enemies, so becoming a nationalist just isn’t an option, but loving my country again is. Rather than be nationalists, as believers in the Messiah, we should be patriots. And there is a BIG difference that needs to be understood. Nationalism was the demise of Germany during the rule of Hitler. Many spiritual leaders put the nation and its greatness before staying true to the Word of God. There was a desire in Germany not to be a great nation, but a nation greater than any other nation. This naturally resulted in prejudices and that is the error of nationalism. Do you see the difference? By the way, nationalism is an issue within the American church. Patriotism on the other hand is defined in Webster’s 1828 as: Love of one's country; the passion which aims to serve one's country, either in defending it from invasion, or protecting its rights and maintaining its laws and institutions in vigor and purity. patriotism is the characteristic of a good citizen, the noblest passion that animates a man in the character of a citizen.
Something interesting to note is the word patriot can be traced to the Greek word, “patrios” which means, “of one’s fathers/fatherland”. It has a similar etymology as patriarchs, meaning fatherly. So in my understanding, a patriot is one who recognizes the land and country they have inherited from their fathers, appreciates it, loves it, cares for it, and attempts to pass it down better to the next generation. A patriot is not trying to make their people or nation better than others, but simply make it a blessing to the world and keep it a blessing for those that live in that nation.
However, to do this effectively, we need to become doers of the Word again. For example, fathers turning their hearts to their children is the foundation for patriotism in a nation and passing patriotism down to the next generation. So, praise the Lord, He has used this assassination attempt on Donald Trump to release me to be a patriot again, however, my aim is not to tout it as a badge of honor, but rather live it out.
Lastly, in my personal response to the assassination attempt on Donald Trump, I want to share an observation. This has been an ongoing observation, but I think it really speaks to how God created mankind, and what kind of government we were made to live under. Obviously, America is a democracy. We choose the leaders and they in theory “represent” the people and thereby America is “governed” by the people. This prevents evil dictatorship among other things, and I personally agree with Winston Churchill when he said, “Democracy is the worst form of government… except all the others”.
Basically, what I am saying is, democracy is what is best for now but it is not the final solution.
Why am I saying all this? Well, what I am seeing in this country right now is not people saying to a leader “represent us”, but a people saying “save us”. I genuinely think many people are looking to Donald Trump to save this country whether they understand that or not. The President of the United States has a lot of power to do good or do evil, but they are also very limited by terms or other legislative measures.
The only type of ruler that can truly save a people is a king who rules in an absolute monarchy.
The children of Israel observed this in other nations, so they cried out for a king, not understanding and they rejected God as king (1 Sam 8:6-8). When God used Gideon to defeat the Midianites, the children of Israel again cried out for Gideon and his sons to be their king (Judges 8:22-23). Gideon refused, but rather said that God would rule them.
To be clear, I am not being critical of anyone, but simply pointing out that in this current season, it is very apparent to me that mankind was made to live under a King and a righteous One at that. God may very well use Donald Trump for His purposes, but he will never be the king who saves and ultimately causes mankind and the nations to dwell in safety.
So let’s be patriots, holding fast to the Word of God,
never giving up on our country, but being salt and light till the end. Let us thank God that He uses men for His purposes and will even protect them from evil forces so His will may be accomplished, and let’s continue to look for our King from Heaven who alone will establish us in safety and shalom in Jerusalem and all nations.
Blessings,
Life is full of unknowns. I mean, really full of unknowns. If you had asked me what my next blog would be about, the topic of My personal response to an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump would not have cracked the top 10,000 ideas. It was this past Shabbat, around 6:15 PM, my family was out to eat with another family with whom we had been friends for many years. We were discussing the sermon I had given earlier that day on “The Day of the Lord” and the events leading up to it. Needless to say, an interesting topic of conversation before witnessing an assassination attempt. As we watched the events unfold it was hard to understand what was happening because there was no sound on the TV in the restaurant, but it became apparent that Donald Trump had been shot. Not three minutes later my phone was blowing up with text messages.
Now what really intrigued me was Donald Trump’s response.
When I saw the now iconic picture of him pumping his fist, bleeding from his ear, with an American flag in the background I immediately said “You will see that picture for years to come”. Then we saw the video of him getting up and pumping his fist again, seemingly mouthing the words, “Fight, Fight”. For many, that response fired them up, but for me, I had just two thoughts.
First, what is the motivation within him to do that, and second, what do I think I would have done if I was in his shoes?
Hypothetical questions I know, but questions that make you look in the mirror and examine where you stand in regards to your nation. I knew that this event was going to lead to some soul-searching unlike other events surrounding politics.
If you are familiar with my ministry, you know that I tend to not bring politics into my teachings (with the exception of events surrounding Israel), and there are various reasons for that, some I will mention later on, but for the most part, my observation is: everyone else is talking about politics, and there are still people out there that want in-depth Bible teaching that will help them grow as disciples of Yeshua (Jesus). So I let the others handle politics and I teach the Bible. As simple and idealistic as that approach is, sometimes life (most of the time) isn’t simple and most certainly is not idealistic.
Listen, I want what is best for America as much as anyone else.
I want inflation to go down, I encourage people to vote for the candidates they feel best represent righteousness according to the Scriptures, which includes supporting Israel, and I certainly want to see morality return to this nation, as a nation under God. I was born in America. This nation gave my Jewish immigrant great-grandfather, Abraham Levitsky, the ability to flee persecution from Czar Nicholas of Russia, make a living, and give his family a safe place to grow. I have friends and family members who fought in Iwo Jima, Vietnam, Korea, Afghanistan, and Iraq. I am aware of the liberties we have and the sacrifices that have been made, and I am grateful for that. Although I never personally served in the military, I always considered myself a patriot and “Proud to be an American”.
But for the last four years, I have been pretty disconnected within myself from American politics. Sure I know enough to “shoot the breeze”, but I honestly had reserved myself to let whatever happens to America happen and just stay true to the Word, teach it, and help others prepare for the Kingdom of God to come. I had become weary of politics filling the pulpits, Christian personalities on YouTube highjacking current events to create content that gains a following, the Body of Messiah freely speaking evil of leaders without conscience, and taken the firm position that if we want to pin blame on the moral decline of America, it should be pinned on the failure of the pastors and Bible teachers of America for adulterating the Word of God since World War 2. Because of this, I challenge my listeners to the higher standards of the Kingdom of God presented in Scriptures such as “The Sermon on the Mount” and not just the U.S. Constitution. These are still my positions even as I write this, but as I said before, the assassination attempt on Donald Trump is demanding me to look in the mirror and examine where I really stand regarding my country and why.
The first thing I said when I was able to put together the sequence of events I was seeing on the television, in particular, the fact that his ear was just grazed by the bullet, was
“That was supernatural protection”.
There was no doubt in my mind that without supernatural protection, Donald Trump should have been killed. And that got me thinking… If God was protecting him, then He was protecting him for a certain reason, and not just so his family did not lose a husband and father, although that is a thankworthy reality. But I was really awakened to the reality that God must want to use Donald Trump for a very specific purpose (By this point you can probably tell that all the Trump “prophets” have not had much of an effect on me. There are only a couple I give any weight to).
Now, I am not going to name what that purpose is because I do not know, however, it goes far beyond the economy and border security. It may be very specific to Israel, maybe it is specific to both Israel and America, but the fact remains if God uses Donald Trump it will be as the President of the United States of America. And that got me thinking… again…, but it got me thinking, “God still has a reason and purpose for America at this present time”. Now, I am not sure it is the same reason and purpose it has been in the past, but a reason and purpose for God nevertheless. To be clear, this is in no way a prophecy or even a prediction about who will win in November, but I feel strongly about this.
With this realization, I was also convicted. Realizing that God still has a reason and purpose for America at this present time, I came to see that I had lost faith that God had much of a purpose and reason for America anymore. I never want to be at variance with God, so it has led me to repentance regarding how I view my country. I had given up on America having a positive impact on the planet, but it seems as though perhaps God has not.
Whenever I recognize the need to repent, I want to know (if possible) when and how I began to stray from being in agreement with God. In this particular instance, I think I can trace it back to January 6th, 2021, when our nation's capitol building was breached at a level not seen since 1814. Looking back now, my response to January 6th was this… It was a deep shame to be an American. I was embarrassed for our country, I wanted no association with either side of the fight, and in a country where it seems you must pick one side or the other, I withdrew myself with the attitude, “Ya’ll fight it out, I will be over here on the side doing my thing”. Mind you, these are deep responses that don’t always have words to them, but they produce mindsets and actions. But I realized I had given up on my country, and I was convicted because you can’t be salt and light to a country you have given up on.
But you also can’t be salt and light for God and truth when you hate your enemies, so becoming a nationalist just isn’t an option, but loving my country again is. Rather than be nationalists, as believers in the Messiah, we should be patriots. And there is a BIG difference that needs to be understood. Nationalism was the demise of Germany during the rule of Hitler. Many spiritual leaders put the nation and its greatness before staying true to the Word of God. There was a desire in Germany not to be a great nation, but a nation greater than any other nation. This naturally resulted in prejudices and that is the error of nationalism. Do you see the difference? By the way, nationalism is an issue within the American church. Patriotism on the other hand is defined in Webster’s 1828 as: Love of one's country; the passion which aims to serve one's country, either in defending it from invasion, or protecting its rights and maintaining its laws and institutions in vigor and purity. patriotism is the characteristic of a good citizen, the noblest passion that animates a man in the character of a citizen.
Something interesting to note is the word patriot can be traced to the Greek word, “patrios” which means, “of one’s fathers/fatherland”. It has a similar etymology as patriarchs, meaning fatherly. So in my understanding, a patriot is one who recognizes the land and country they have inherited from their fathers, appreciates it, loves it, cares for it, and attempts to pass it down better to the next generation. A patriot is not trying to make their people or nation better than others, but simply make it a blessing to the world and keep it a blessing for those that live in that nation.
However, to do this effectively, we need to become doers of the Word again. For example, fathers turning their hearts to their children is the foundation for patriotism in a nation and passing patriotism down to the next generation. So, praise the Lord, He has used this assassination attempt on Donald Trump to release me to be a patriot again, however, my aim is not to tout it as a badge of honor, but rather live it out.
Lastly, in my personal response to the assassination attempt on Donald Trump, I want to share an observation. This has been an ongoing observation, but I think it really speaks to how God created mankind, and what kind of government we were made to live under. Obviously, America is a democracy. We choose the leaders and they in theory “represent” the people and thereby America is “governed” by the people. This prevents evil dictatorship among other things, and I personally agree with Winston Churchill when he said, “Democracy is the worst form of government… except all the others”.
Basically, what I am saying is, democracy is what is best for now but it is not the final solution.
Why am I saying all this? Well, what I am seeing in this country right now is not people saying to a leader “represent us”, but a people saying “save us”. I genuinely think many people are looking to Donald Trump to save this country whether they understand that or not. The President of the United States has a lot of power to do good or do evil, but they are also very limited by terms or other legislative measures.
The only type of ruler that can truly save a people is a king who rules in an absolute monarchy.
The children of Israel observed this in other nations, so they cried out for a king, not understanding and they rejected God as king (1 Sam 8:6-8). When God used Gideon to defeat the Midianites, the children of Israel again cried out for Gideon and his sons to be their king (Judges 8:22-23). Gideon refused, but rather said that God would rule them.
To be clear, I am not being critical of anyone, but simply pointing out that in this current season, it is very apparent to me that mankind was made to live under a King and a righteous One at that. God may very well use Donald Trump for His purposes, but he will never be the king who saves and ultimately causes mankind and the nations to dwell in safety.
So let’s be patriots, holding fast to the Word of God,
never giving up on our country, but being salt and light till the end. Let us thank God that He uses men for His purposes and will even protect them from evil forces so His will may be accomplished, and let’s continue to look for our King from Heaven who alone will establish us in safety and shalom in Jerusalem and all nations.
Blessings,
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