The Imitation of Christ: Trump Edition

When many Christians hear the words “The Imitation of Christ,” they immediately think of the well-known book written by Thomas Kempis. And for good reason, as his book, “The Imitation of Christ,” is one of the more popular Christian devotional books of all time.

However, in this video I want to talk briefly about a different imitation of Christ: one that is done by the Antichrist. For although the word _Antichrist_ is usually understood as being someone who opposes Christ, it also means the one who seeks to replace Christ.

Thus, the Antichrist will attribute to himself the characteristics of Jesus, especially that he is the sacrificial lamb. He is innocent and blameless – persecuted like no one has ever been. He is taking all the slings and arrows FOR us. He is suffering for OUR sins.

He will claim to be infallible, and the one who brings righteous judgment upon those who are evil. He will even state that only he will bring peace to the entire world. He will portray himself as our savior, as the only name given to us whereby we are saved. He is the false Christ.

Beyond these things, there is a verse in the bible that perfectly illustrates another, more profound way that the Antichrist will imitate Christ. That verse is in the 10^th chapter of Matthew, is spoken by Jesus, and reads as follows:

“Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.”

This passage is understood as meaning that the gospel of Christ will cause division, even among those who are closest to us. But that division serves to separate the wheat from the tares, as Jesus explained in his parable in Matthew 13.

But in the same way as the gospel of Christ will cause division, even among those who are closest to us, so does the gospel of the Antichrist cause these same divisions. It is yet another way that the Antichrist imitates Christ.

In fact, the Antichrist is prophesied to be one who sows discord. But the full meaning isn’t simply that he causes division, rather that he purposely sows this division in order to reap the benefits. It is how he divides and conquers.

And if there is one thing that we have seen with Trump over the past 8 years, it’s his astounding ability to causes division in families and among friends. To turn parent against child and brother against sister. But this purposeful division isn’t to separate the wheat from the tares, it is to empower himself.

For as many Christians have fallen under the spell of Trump, they have turned against their own family members in order to align themselves with the man who is the literal embodiment of the things of this world.

So the next time you hear Trump speak, or if you read one of his statements on Truth Social, be aware that his attacks on other people, his willingness to denigrate others for not praising him, is intentional. He is sowing discord in order to divide and conquer.

Thank you for taking the time to watch this short video, and I’ll talk to you guys soon. ♦