November 6, 2004

My recent editorial on the presidential election landed some interesting responses. Among them was the question as to whether President Bush is truly a Christian. More specifically, can a man speak the way President Bush has been speaking about America and world democracy and still be a true Christian? This is an honorable question. Here, I will offer as much illumination as I have on the issue.

In approaching this, let’s understand there’s a wide spectrum of views about the President’s faith—everything from “George Bush is the heaven-sent born-again savior of America” to “George Bush is a devil-sent arch-deceiver masking as a believer to bring in the antichrist one-world government.” My illumination falls somewhere in between these assessments, sharing elements of both.

Governing Observations

As a prelude to my thoughts on George Bush, I have three really important observations to make.

First, as evil as this sounds—and it is—scripture clearly teaches it’s possible for redeemed believers to be guilty of gross sin and even serve as mouthpieces for demons, yet still find redemption through repentance by God’s grace. Lot, David and Peter are clear examples of this.

From all evidence in Genesis, Lot was nothing but a morally loose opportunist—offering plenty to convince me he did not know or serve God. Yet Peter says he was righteous. Now I have no idea what Peter’s basis is for this statement. All I know is, I can’t argue with him. If Peter says Lot was righteous, despite the evidence of Genesis, then I have to accept that Lot somehow found grace to be justified before God. End of story.

David offers the most obvious example of a believer committing gross sin who yet finds grace for repentance and redemption. What compares with his devilish plot to kill Uriah just to hide an affair? Actually, several incidents about David’s life really trouble me—deeply! But I have to accept the verdict of the Lord concerning him—a perfect man.

Peter provides a unique example of a true believer serving as a mouthpiece of satan. In one breath he utters a heaven-inspired revelation that Jesus is the Christ, yet in the very next breath becomes a voice for satan himself. Accordingly, Jesus praises Peter’s first response (“Blessed are you, Simon!”), then turns right around and rebukes his second response (“Get behind me satan!”). Yet the Lord does not disown Peter for this.

Second, we have a tendency as maturer disciples to “raise the bar” on what qualifies others after us to lay claim to eternal life. As we grow in obedience, we often tend to make our later level of understanding and commitment the necessary beginning point of understanding and commitment for others before we will consider them true believers.

Every reader should pause here and think about where he began with God—how much did you understand when you first came to the Lord? Then ask yourself, would your own new birth experience meet up to your present standard for evaluating the new birth of others? If we believe we were really born again despite our great early ignorance and weak discipleship, we must allow others claiming new birth today the grace of the same ignorance and weakness.

Third, there’s a difference between entering the kingdom and inheriting the kingdom. The two are not the same. All believers who receive spirit rebirth by repentant faith enter the kingdom. But only disciples who obtain the end-salvation of soul (Mt. 10:22) inherit the kingdom’s blessings, privileges and authority. All true believers are children who receive power to become sons. But only overcomers who exercise that power become sons. (More on this another time.)

So there is a vast spectrum of position in the born again realm. As Paul says, in a great house are many vessels, some of noble use, others of ignoble use. Only those who purge themselves from the world find noble status in the house. But those who do not purge themselves are still in the house, even if ignobly. Paul and Jude both say many will be saved, but “so as by fire.”

There will be millions upon millions of born again believers who failed to fulfil the requirements of discipleship to inherit the kingdom of God. They will fulfil less noble functions in the kingdom. And they will weep over what they could have become but did not. Yet, they will still be in the house. They are true believers. They were more than mere professors.

Perceiving the State of George Bush’s Faith and Discipleship

Based on the foregoing, I can now offer my assessment of the faith of George W. Bush. In a nutshell, I see in George Bush a truly born again believer with a valid humble faith in Jesus Christ as his personal savior. But I also see a very deceived man under the power of the rulers of this world—a man who is failing to obtain true kingdom inheritance. I see a pawn of evil powers just as Peter was for satan, and a lightning rod attracting like ignorant idolatrous believers.

I don’t question George Bush’s faith. More than ample evidence exists of his personal fruit to convince me the President has a genuine relationship with the Lord—however basic and immature his understanding. He actually has a clear conversion testimony—something I’m unaware of regarding any other president.

In his dealings with opponents, the President demonstrates a grace more characteristic of agape than of politics. Testimony after testimony witnesses to his spiritual warmth toward others, including his enemies—which John says marks the genuine child of God. On personal humility alone, I see more evidence of new birth in President Bush than in some prophets on TBN!

But I do not see in President Bush a true disciple. His allegiance is clearly not to the kingdom of God, but to the kingdom of America—as is so for the vast majority of American believers. He gives little evidence of identity purification through the work of the cross. He has not parted ways with his “blueblood” background as a member of the Bush political dynasty—at least in any way I can see.

Despite his faith, many of brother Bush’s policies bear the marks of political expediency over cross-carrying discipleship. (Forgive me for getting into the political here, but—) what disciple would work to make the church more dependent on government handouts? And by what cross-carrying logic could a disciple ever advocate “civil union” status for gay couples?? Moreover, his political spirit has forced him—like David—into uttering factual lies to save his political skin.

The truth is that, despite his faith, the president remains bound to very powerful generational soul ties. His bloodline—like that of the Kennedys and Rockefellers—has served as a special host of dark powers dedicated to establishing the world rule of the beast. The president was/is a member of the Skull and Bones society of Yale University—a secret society given to political wickedness. Has he as a disciple ever renounced this association? When?

For the president to become a true disciple, he will have to repent of his ties to this heritage and find deliverance from them. To do so would be extremely costly. He might even lose his life. But unless and until he becomes a crucified disciple, his faith will remain very mixed, he will not obtain inheritance in the kingdom of God, and he will remain a pawn of the powers of darkness.

(An open question remains: what disciple-class prophets has the Lord already sent George Bush to lead him to this repentance, and what has his response been to them? Could he be secretly mulling over the need of such repentance even now, or could he be rejecting it? Whichever, the Lord has shown me I may not personally support him further until he comes to such repentance.)

O Altar, Altar

In my commentary on the election, I may have confused some when I said “George Bush has made clear his altar of choice.” In saying this, I did not mean to accuse the validity of his basic saving faith in the Lord. Rather, I was speaking from Paul’s spirit when he warned Corinthian believers they could not worship the Lord at the table of devils. In saying this, Paul was not impugning the basic faith of the Corinthians.

What is happening—in my estimation—with brother George and millions of believers with him is they are trying to worship the Lord at the altar of American democracy, which is a table of devils. And it cannot be done. It is a false altar, even if at heart their personal faith is in the true God. (I know that my own faith was genuine though I used to ignorantly worship at that altar.) It is the same as with Catholics who genuinely love the Lord, but worship at the false altar of the mass.

James says that two streams should not come from the same mouth. Yet, as we saw with Peter, they can and do. I hear such dual streams from the mouth of the President. I hear a clear stream of personal faith in Christ and agape warmth toward others. And I hear a vile arrogant stream that exalts the filthy American beast nation. I hear the voice of the beast!

When I hear these competing streams, my spirit alternates between the warmth and wrath of the Lord toward our brother just as the Lord felt toward Peter. When brother George speaks from personal humble agape toward others, my spirit feels God’s warmth toward him. But when he speaks from the spirit of the antichrist, my spirit is grieved and filled with the holy anger of the Lord for the jealousy of His Name.

In summary, I see the President, marked as he is by personal humility and compassion, as a true believer, not a purposed Deceiver. But because he is not a soul-crucified disciple, I see him as a highly deceived conduit for the Deceiver. I add only this caveat: should at any time the President finally lose his personal humility and compassion, I will have to alter my assessment and mark him as a purposed antichrist Deceiver. I will then reverse my conclusion that he is born again.

May this clarify for you my understanding of the faith of George W. Bush.

Postscript – David, Micaiah and the Iraq War

Since we’re on this topic, I want to offer some closing insights on the President and the Iraq War. From its very beginning, my spirit was grieved over his determination to wage this war. I never felt it was of the Lord for any constructive purpose regarding the Body. In the time since, my spirit has been given illumination on the war—illumination you may put to the test.

Elements from two scripture stories came to me for understanding this war. In one story, a godly king was incited to make a fateful move leading to judgment on the land because God was angry with the people as a whole:

II Sam. 24:1 Now again the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and it incited David against them to say, " Go, number Israel and Judah." [I Chr. 21:1 Then Satan stood up against Israel and moved David to number Israel.] 2 The king said to Joab …, "Go about now through all the tribes of Israel, … and register the people, that I may know the number of the people." 3 But Joab said to the king, " … why does my lord the king delight in this thing?" 4 Nevertheless, the king's word prevailed against Joab and against the commanders of the army. [7 God was displeased with this thing, so He struck Israel.] 10 Now David's heart troubled him after he had numbered the people… 14 Then David said to Gad, "I am in great distress. Let us now fall into the hand of the LORD for His mercies are great, but do not let me fall into the hand of man." 15 So the LORD sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning until the appointed time, and seventy thousand men of the people from Dan to Beersheba died.

In another similar story, God—again angry with the land and its king—incites all the king’s prophets to support the king in a misconceived plan to go to war:

1 Ki. 22:13 Then the [king’s] messenger…went to summon [the prophet] Micaiah … saying, "Behold now, the words of the prophets are uniformly favorable to the king. Please let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak favorably." 14 But Micaiah said, " As the LORD lives, what the LORD says to me, that I shall speak." 15 When he came to the king, the king said to him, "Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall we refrain?" And he answered him, " Go up and succeed, and the LORD will give {it} into the hand of the king." 16 Then the king said to him, "How many times must I adjure you to speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of the LORD?" 19 Micaiah said, "Therefore, hear the word of the LORD. I saw the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by Him on His right and on His left. 20 "The LORD said, 'Who will entice Ahab to go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?' And one said this while another said that. 21 "Then a spirit came forward and stood before the LORD and said, 'I will entice him.' 22 "The LORD said to him, 'How?' And he said, 'I will go out and be a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.' Then He said, 'You are to entice {him} and also prevail. Go and do so.' 23 "Now therefore, behold, the LORD has put a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets; and the LORD has proclaimed disaster against you."

From a blending of these two stories, here is what I perceive from the Lord regarding the Iraq War:

The Iraq War is indeed of the Lord—but not in the way most believers think. It is a judgment against the people of the United States authored by the Lord, incited via satan operating in the heart of George Bush and in the mouths of his counselors—including the many Christian prophets that supported his intent.

The Lord was intent on disciplining the United States because (I’m now guessing)—because of the proud response which the country, the President and all the “prophets” gave to the events of 9/11—a wake-up event that should have produced national repentance, but did not.

Those who have said all along the war was a distraction from the war on terror have been correct. It was a calculated diversion orchestrated by the Lord—not only for (as I believe) failing to repent in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks, but because of the cumulative public rejection of His moral Law at all levels of society and government.

From the failure to find the weapons of mass destruction (the stated reason for the invasion) to the crippling quagmire it has become, the war has proved to be a national and international embarrassment to the President and his chief officials. To date, over 1,000 soldiers and dozens of U.S. and other civilians have been killed, not to mention hundreds of Iraqi civilians.

Yet unlike with David, neither the born-again President nor the prophets, nor the church, nor the nation as a whole have yet repented. And I am being led to believe that the Lord will not free the nation from the curse of this war until some kind of substantial repentance is forthcoming.

If you have watched the President on television, and you have spiritual discernment, you will have noticed that every time he is questioned regarding the war, his eyes suddenly narrow, his mind enters an unknown zone, and his speech turns into a slow cadenced rehearsal—as if to a drumbeat—of tired mantras for justifying the war. What you are hearing, friends, is the actual voice of the deceiving spirit sent to incite the President into making this war.

- Who Is the King of Babylon Now?

This is my final observation. Most students of the end-times are aware that the name Babylon plays an important role in the closing hours of world government. Isaiah’s writing—which has an end-time layer of application—pointedly speaks of the king of Babylon.

Oddly, Babylon and its king are described as earth-shakingly powerful. And yet, modern day Iraq—the actual site of Babylon—is nothing in comparison. Meanwhile, end-time prophecy students have labored in vain to find some evidence of the United States—the world’s most powerful nation on record—in prophecy. Many have assigned the name Babylon prophetically to the United States anyway.

Allow me to suggest to you that, as of April, 2003, the geo-political chemistry of the world has finally worked to connect literal ancient Babylon with the most powerful nation in the world. At this hour, by default, the President of the United States is the literal King of Babylon.

If this observation is true, then you may count on the following: the United States will never leave Iraq—despite all present political intentions. Iraq will in effect become a protectorate of the United States. And its local national government will be reduced to the status of any of the fifty states. It may elect its own “president,” but such a president will have no more power than that of a state “governor.” The real king will remain the President of the United States.

You may also count on this: the United States will serve as the seat of that man, that world ruler, that Isaiah 14 king of Babylon, who dares to finally face off against our Lord Jesus Christ at His return.

“Mr. Bush, sir, do you realize what you have really done? Do you realize who you are becoming? Do you perceive the true world title you now hold? Please, dear brother, repent, and lead your followers to repent—before it is too late for you to recover, lest you be proven to be not one of ours after all…”

And prophets. What about you?

Selah.

Chris Anderson
New Meadow Neck, Rhode Island

11/04