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Trump’s Presidency & Prophecy – What Can We Expect?

Updated: Apr 1

Donald Trump was officially made America’s 47th President of the United States on January 20, and he has already begun to make good on some of his campaign promises. What follows is a fairly long list of articles, but please read each to get an idea of how drastic a change his presidency already is:

From this early stage, Trump’s election has already marked a stark change in US policy on many issues, and it’s noteworthy how quickly many nations are responding and pivoting. There’s so much going on that it’s honestly difficult to discuss it all in a cohesive way, but we will try.

In my mind, there are two big questions regarding Trump’s election:

1.     How might this lead or contribute to Israel’s isolation as shown in prophecy?

2.     How might this align the nations into their prophesied positions?

For the sake of clarity, let’s consider each under its own heading. While this article is a little longer than I aim for, there’s much to consider, and I encourage you to read it all if you can.

Trump & Israel – Where Things Are & Where They Might Go

With Bible in hand, we know that Israel must eventually be isolated from her enemies. As the Scriptural foundation for this has been discussed in previous letters, we will not examine it in any depth here. A simple reading of a number of prophecies makes this quite clear, for Israel is forced to turn to their God for salvation (see Isaiah 63:1-3, etc.). That being the case, there was great cause for excitement with the Biden administration. They acted against Israel in great ways, and there were numerous plausible possibilities which could have led to Israel fighting her Islamic neighbors on their own just as prophesied (Psalm 83, Zechariah 12, 14, etc.).

But now things appear to have been reversed with Trump’s election. As we saw earlier, Trump has already removed the arms restrictions to Israel and the sanctions which Biden just placed on Israeli settlers. He has cut funding to UNRWA which is perhaps the most antisemitic faction of the United Nations. While Israel has been vilified for their actions in the Gaza Strip against Hamas, Trump and his team are supporting Israel, and the new Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has stated that “I support Israel destroying and killing every last member of Hamas” (All Israel News). The same article noted what a marked difference this is from the previous administration, and that “The Biden team literally never said anything of the kind over the last 15 months.” On top of this, Trump’s new UN ambassador pick Elise Stefanik believes that Israel has a “biblical right” to the Gaza Strip, another stark contrast to the Biden administration (Al Jazeera). Indeed, Trump has pledged to be a staunch supporter of Israel, and actions are so far resonating with words.

As Biden appeared to be moving the needle closer to the time when Israel would cry to their Lord, Trump’s election might therefore appear to be an enormous step backwards. The thought is, “If the US is now a great friend of Israel, doesn’t this mean that the prophecy remains far into the future?” Not so fast. 

First, I believe it’s critical to draw the distinction between when Christ begins conquering on the earth and when Christ gathers his household for judgment. These are two very different things which occur at different times, and I believe they could be separated by months or even years. This will be the subject of a special Prophecy Letter which we will send out in the near future (Lord willing), but we mention it now as it’s important to be aware of. The point is, if we know that Christ will save Israel from the Psalm 83 nations when their confederacy attacks, those who have come into covenant should not expect to see that confederacy come against Israel. There are things which will involve servants of the Lord prior to this, and we therefore shouldn’t be discouraged if things don’t always appear to be on the cusp of breaking into all-out war.

That being said, it is naïve to conclude that US-Israel ties will always be as cozy as they are now, and there are certain subjects which the US and Israel do not always see eye to eye on. For example, Trump recently gave an ultimatum that there must be a hostage deal between Israel and Hamas before he assumes the presidency, and this ultimatum was also aimed at Israel (World Israel News). Trump was not happy with some of the things Israel was doing, and things could develop in the future which cause for a rift between the two allies.

But all of this is conjecture, and in my finite mind, I believe that Israel and the US will likely be close allies, at least in the near term. All we know is that Israel will eventually stand alone, the question is simply when and how. With Biden, it looked like America would be able but unwilling to help Israel in their hour of need. With Trump, the most likely scenario is for America to be willing but unable to help Israel, and that could be the result of a third World War.

We have already seen that Trump has taken a hard stance against Russia and China, and it’s not hard to see how things could explode into a world-wide conflict. History has shown that World Wars determine who rules the roost, and it’s very possible that the US could be kicked out of the number one spot. We note what might be a hint of this earth-shattering result in two prophecies: Ezekiel 38:13 says that the western powers will merely verbally oppose Gog when he moves southward toward Israel, and Psalm 48:7 says that the Tarshish powers will be broken “with an east wind”, which just so happens to be the name of China’s intercontinental ballistic missile (it is called the Dongfeng, which is Chinese for “east wind”). Considering that Russia, China, and Iran have been actively building a coalition to fight US supremacy for years, this seems like a very real possibility. When I read what the Bible says the nations are going to do, I cannot help but feel that things will have changed significantly from what we see today. These changes could be made very quickly, but there certainly appears to be a shift in power and dynamic. Again, we emphasize that this does not mean that Christ will not return for a while. Rather, it’s my belief that we could be gathered at any moment.

All of this is to say that we can’t know for sure when and how things will happen, but we do know that God’s Word will be accomplished. But as relates to Israel, there is one prophecy which Trump will certainly help to further (whether he knows it or not). While he is pro-Israel, some US Jews are hesitant about his second term. Why? An article from Ynet News explains that “Since his first election, we’ve seen a spike in antisemitic incidents in the U.S”. Even though Trump might be pro-Israel, many US citizens are not, and as they despise Trump himself and everything he represents, his increased support of Israel therefore also increases the villainization of Israel by his opponents. Considering that “half the world now holds ‘significantly antisemitic’ views”, Trump’s pro-Israel policy is likely to increase antisemitism in every country (All Israel News). This will help further the prophecies concerning the regathering of the Jews to their ancient homeland as foretold in so many places (Isaiah 27:13, 43:6, Psalm 147:2). History has shown that the greatest driver to bring Jews back to the land is persecution in their foreign lands, and there’s no greater example of this than the Holocaust (see Jeremiah 16:14-16 where God sends for “hunters” and “fishers” to force Jews back to the land). While the work of regathering dispersed Jews will continue into the reign of Christ, it is clear that they will continue to pour in until he returns (Zechariah 10:8-10, Isaiah 5:26-27).

Let’s now look at how Trump might be utilized to bring about other prophetical development on the greater world scene:

Trump & the Rest of the World – The Role Trump May Play

For clarity, we will look at this by considering each nation independently and examine what prophecy says about them, what they’re trying to achieve, and how Trump might factor in. Let’s start with

Saudi Arabia

The role of Saudi Arabia has been the subject of diverse Christadelphian thought, some seeing them as “the Ishmaelites” of Psalm 83 and therefore against Israel, and others see them as “Sheba and Dedan” of Ezekiel 38 and therefore friendly (or at least neutral) with Israel. Some go so far to say that the Saudis will help Israel fight against Gog, but this makes Ezekiel 38:13 say too much. What is Saudi Arabia’s role?

The reason for these differing views is primarily because of geography and where these entities existed in the past. It’s well established that the Ishmaelites of Psalm 83 inhabited the northern half/majority of the Arabian peninsula, and this therefore inescapably points to the Saudis. But Sheba and Dedan are harder to pinpoint, and some maps show them encompassing the entire Arabian peninsula (which seems to me to be an enormous generalization) while others show them to have inhabited only the southernmost parts of the peninsula. If this is the case, then Sheba and Dedan wouldn’t relate to Saudia Arabia at all, but rather countries like Oman and Yemen. From my studies, this is my current view, yet it also seems possible to me that as a result of the Psalm 83 conflict and the northernmost parts of the country being taken into Christ’s Kingdom, the Saudis in the southern part of the nation will have learned not to rebel, and they therefore show a different position when Gog comes down. For a more detailed identification of the Saudis, read these two Prophecy Letters from August 2023 and October 2023. To summarize, I am expecting Saudi Arabia to be part of the Psalm 83 conflict and then potentially change their tune after Christ’s establishes the Kingdom.

What is Saudi Arabia’s position today? The Saudis have historically been a rival of Iran, and this has been a large factor in driving them into peace talks with Israel on the basis of “the enemy of my enemy is my friend”. Under Trump’s first term, the Saudis were close to making a peace and normalization deal with Israel, but this fell apart when the Biden administration took office. Their friendliness toward Israel then dwindled and turned into hostility, but now that Trump is back in, it seems like peace with Israel and warm ties with the US are high on the to-do list again:

So far, this is just a trade deal with the US and doesn’t directly involve Israel, but that part is surely to be worked on. As for peace with Israel, the Saudis have historically made it contingent upon Israeli acceptance of a Palestinian state, but an Israeli official recently restated Israel’s position that this is not agreeable to them (Times of Israel).

The Saudis want to be happy and rich, and they’ve shown that they will be friendly with whichever power is at the helm at the moment (thus their wavering from the US under the weaker Biden administration and flirtation with Iran and Russia). When considering how they might come against Israel with the other Psalm 83 players, it must be remembered that a World War could quickly change who is the world’s superpower. If the eastern powers of Russia and China were to somehow take the helm, we can be certain that the Saudis will make friendly ties with them. 

It’s noteworthy that Saudi Arabia is seeking to fill the void that Iran has left with the weakening of their proxies (Bloomberg). A top Saudi diplomat is now scheduled to visit Lebanon for the first time in 15 years, showing that the Saudis are seeking a great role in the region (Reuters). If, therefore, the US is demoted from being the world’s superpower and the Saudis gain great sway in the area, they could even become the gel that forms the Islamic confederacy much like Iran was trying to do. This could also explain why Iran (Persia) is not included in the confederacy. There are countless other ways that things could work toward a similar end without a third World War happening, but it is all conjecture at this point.

Iran

Iran is an incredibly easy nation to discern in prophecy, for they are Scripturally named as Persia, and Iran was called Persia until very recent times (1935). It’s significant that the only role the Scriptures show them to have relates to the Ezekiel 38 conflict as one of Gog’s confederates. It’s for that reason that I believe their involvement in the Psalm 83 conflict is little to none.

Iran is quite unhappy with how things have panned out recently. They were loving the Biden administration as they were able to revamp their nuclear ambitions and even attack Israeli soil, but their proxies of Hezbollah and Hamas have now been severely weakened, and their influence in the region has therefore dwindled (though not disappeared). The Biden administration was weak on Iran, but Trump has made it clear that he would let Israel do what is necessary to remove Iran as a threat. As a clear show of this fear, the following was just reported:

Is this genuine? Likely not, for it has also been reported that Iran has hit the “nuclear gas pedal” and is trying to achieve nuclear capability as fast as possible (FOX). I don’t believe that they would make as bold of movements against Israel while Trump is in power, but we will see. It’s certain that Iran will still seek to become a nuclear threat and destroy Israel, but their achievement of this seems unlikely with how things currently are. Yet perhaps this is the reason we see Iran come against Israel with Russia. Again, I get a feeling that when Russia comes against Israel, the status quo that we are accustomed to today will have been done away with. This could, of course, be wrong. But the big player that deserves a lot of discussion is

Russia

I have yet to meet anyone who believes that Gog is anyone other than Russia. There are a few ways we can reach this conclusion (though not to be discussed now for time and space), and we know that they will be the leader of a confederacy which will come against Israel “in the latter days” (Ezekiel 38:8, 16). From the testimony of the Word, I firmly believe that this will take place after the Psalm 83 conflict when Christ has destroyed those nations and planted himself as King in the land promised to Abraham and his seed. In every respect, I find the Scriptures to show that this first conflict sets the stage for Russia to come down.

Like Iran, Russia is another latter-day enemy of Israel that has had to do some reevaluating as of late. They recently lost their puppet Bashar Assad in Syria and therefore have less influence and presence in the Middle East. This has resulted in Russia losing an important sea port in the region. As AL-Monitor reports,

“Syria’s new authorities terminated a contract this week with a Russian company that had managed the port of Tartous for more than five years, further restricting the Russian presence in the country since the fall of the former Assad regime last month.”

This not only affects Russia ships in the region, but also their submarines which might be forced out of the Mediterranean (Telegraph). Trump’s reelection has made things worse as well. When the Biden administration weakened America’s posture on the world stage, some nations began to waver and build ties with Russia. But now that Trump is in, these same nations are starting to backtrack away from Russia, Armenia being just one example (Daily Digest). Adding to all of these troubles is the state of the Russian economy due to the cost of war and the sanctions which nations have put on Russia (Newsweek). Putin has to do something, and he can do one of two things: He could back down from Ukraine and his other national ambitions, and this would return a degree of financial stability because nations would remove the sanctions they’ve placed on Russia, or he could turn up the heat and start a war. Wars are the quickest way for nations to acquire wealth, but they are risky.

Seeing Russia’s situation, is it possible that Putin will back down from Ukraine and his other desires? Perhaps. It’s been reported that Putin is eyeing a reset of US-Russian relations and is open to dialogue with Trump on the Ukraine issue (ABC News, Bloomberg). Given the rising concern over the Russian economy, some Kremlin sources say that Putin believes his war goals have been met (Reuters, US News). We know that his goals of course haven’t been met, but he’s not one to admit defeat, so if he were to back down, he must be able to spin it so he still holds a trophy at the end.

While that’s possible, I feel it’s unlikely as there are multiple points of tension and conflict which will likely rule the day. There’s just as much, if not more, evidence that Putin will press onward and bring things to all-out war. “Chilling” threats have been made from Russia to the US in recent days (The Mirror), and Russia has been preparing for a possible attack on NATO. To NATOs surprise, Russia has been able to rearm faster than was thought (Telegraph). Russia is historically known for being ultra concerned with security, and so the more that the West prepares to combat Russia, the more threatened Russia feels. It’s a vicious cycle which has brought us to where we are today. While it could occur quickly or well into the future, it seems that a third World War is almost inevitable.

We must of course ask the most important question: Does Scripture shed light on this? Considering what we know about latter-day prophecy, I believe a third World War is a very natural way for Ezekiel 38 to be fulfilled. I want to suggest that we might be witnessing the need for the spoil which will entice Gog to come against Israel. The “gold, and silver, and apparel, in great abundance” which Christ and Israel will acquire from “all of the heathen round about” is what will draw Gog down, for we read,

Ezekiel 38:11-13 – And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages… (12)  To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.  (13)  Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?

Compare this passage with the one we cited in Zechariah 14:14 and 2:4-5, and we see that Gog will want what Israel just acquired under Christ.

Here’s something to consider as to how Ezekiel 38 might fit into a third World War. While fighting large wars like a World War, nations eventually have to resupply, and history shows that they will take it from whatever sources can be found. Imagine the following scenario:

World War III breaks about between the United States and NATO against Russia, China, and Iran. War begins and America finds themselves having to commit most, if not all, resources to fighting this war. It’s at this time that the Islamic nations around Israel see their opportunity to attack Israel, for Israel’s greatest and most powerful ally is too occupied by the other forces to support Israel. Christ and the saints appear to Israel’s salvation, and he establishes the Kingdom in Jerusalem and gathers the spoil of all of the heathen round about. Russia, having been depleted both militarily and financially from the Ukraine war, is burdened by having to also fight the United States, and they are desperate for the funds and resources to supply their military. It’s at this time that they notice that an unidentified Jewish figure has pronounced himself “King of Israel” and has acquired all of the wealth of the nearby Islamic nations. And not only this, but their intelligence shows that Israel dwells safely without any defensive bars or gates? Putin then “thinks an evil thought” and seeks to acquire the spoils of Israel’s recent war, but they are utterly defeated by the King of Kings.

This scenario would explain a few things in my mind. Firstly, as already stated, why Israel is on their own, for the US would be occupied and the British powers would be in process of being broken “with an east wind” by China. Secondly, it would give natural explanation to the cause-and-effect relationship which we find between the Psalm 83 and the Ezekiel 38 conflicts. Lastly, the idea of Gog coming down to Israel in the midst of a third World War would explain why Russia already has a confederacy when they come against Israel. This confederacy does not exist today (though it is building), and the Scriptures show that Russia is a protector and leader of these nations before they come against Israel (Ezekiel 38:7). We are already seeing Russia begin to establish military partnerships as the prospects of WWIII loom large (Moscow Times).

These are just ideas, but we can rest assured that God’s plan is on track just as it always has been. We were planning to discuss China, but time and space limit us. Whatever happens, it looks like 2025 is going to be a year of many big “breaking news” stories, and while Trump stated that “God saved my life to make America great again” (World Israel News), we conclude that he was likely spared for reasons of a very different nature. Lord willing, he will be the last president of the United States before the country is forced to bow to the sceptre of our Lord and Master, for “all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him” (Psalm 72:11).

 

In the Hope of Israel,

Tanner Hawkins

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