What a complex prophetic drama is currently unfolding on the world stage! Central to current events is the role of the United States; and its presidential leadership is evoking anxiety and fear, even revulsion, around the globe. Understanding the confusing scene is a demanding challenge:-

Chavez: Bellicose Trump is provoking his own crisis

Donald Trump assured us during his campaign, “I know words. I have the best words.” But are “fire and fury” and “locked and loaded” really the best words for a president to use in an increasingly volatile international crisis involving nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles?

No question, North Korea precipitated this crisis with its aggressive pursuit and testing of a nuclear delivery system capable of reaching not only America’s allies but also our very shores. Kim Jong Un’s bellicose threats (that he would “blow the U.S. from this planet,” and other such claims) upped the ante, but should the president be responding in kind? . . .

If Trump doesn’t start acting more presidential, he’s likely to provoke his own crisis here at home. The Constitution provides a mechanism to remove a president who for mental as well as physical reasons cannot perform his duties. In a press conference Friday afternoon, the president raised the specter of using military force not just against North Korea but also Venezuela: “We have many options for Venezuela, including a possible military option, if necessary,” Trump said. “We have troops all over the world in places that are very, very far away. Venezuela is not very far away, and the people are suffering, and they’re dying.”

'Not helpful,' Donald: World reaction to Trump's 'fire and fury' comments

New Zealand's premier admonished him for remarks "not helpful" in a "very tense" environment. Australia's prime minister said "maximum economic pressure" was the only way to deal with North Korea. In Japan, where Nagasaki was marking the 72nd anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of the city, Mayor Tomihisa Taue said anxiety was spreading "that in the not too distant future these weapons could be used again."

A day after President Trump vowed to respond to North Korea "with fire and fury" if Pyongyang continued to threaten the U.S militarily, many world leaders have yet to weigh in on Trump's comments. However, those that have appear to view the president's rhetoric as more likely to escalate the situation than to settle it. . .

China's foreign ministry appealed for calm and urged Pyongyang and Washington to refrain from using "any words or actions" that could further aggravate the situation. In Berlin, Ulrike Demmer, a spokeswoman for Chancellor Angela Merkel's government, said Germany wanted to avoid military escalation and to settle the conflict peacefully.

Trump pledged to unleash "fire and fury like the world has never seen" on North Korea after a Washington Post story Monday, citing U.S. intelligence officials and a confidential Defense Intelligence Agency report, that said North Korea may have mastered a technological hurdle needed to strike the U.S. with a nuclear missile. That was swiftly followed early Wednesday by a statement from North Korea's army that said it was studying a plan to strike the U.S. territory of Guam with ballistic missiles.

Bellicose Trump Prompts Protest at US Embassy

HUNDREDS were expected to protest at the US embassy yesterday evening as organisers warned of a “very dangerous global situation” developing as Donald Trump’s row with North Korea escalates.

The demonstration, organised by Stop the War and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, has been called to stop Mr Trump’s “nuclear war drive.”

And they demanded that the British government distances itself from the US president’s “nuclear ambitions.”

CND general secretary Kate Hudson warned “it hasn’t quite sunk in … just how close to nuclear war we might be” as Mr Trump continues to threaten North Korea.

The question is whether Trump's reckless words are solely due to his natural bellicosity and mental imbalance, or is there an end times, delusional, ideology associated with his madness. There are two deranged influences on the man who now exercises the powers of the US presidency which support the latter alternative. The two influences are his White House strategist, Steve Bannon, and the Evangelical Christian Supremacists. Both influences are centered on the Middle East; nevertheless it is reasonable to assume that the capacity to envision an apocalytpic war in one part of the world makes it easier to countenance the same in another part. It should be noted that the primary vision of war in the Middle East could be significant in the setting of end of the world prophecies such as Daniel 11:45, and the preceding verses 40-45 which predict a pattern of conflict in that region ³ Also pertinent are Isa. 14:12-14 and Isa. 2:1-6.

Trump’s fire-and-fury messages channel Steve Bannon’s apocalyptic visions

In late July, North Korea tested a type of missile some say can hit Chicago, announcing that “packs of wolves are coming in attack to strangle a nation.” This week, US president Donald Trump hit back, vowing on Aug. 8 to attack North Korea with “fire and fury like the world has never seen.” Pyongyang’s next move was a suggestion that it might bomb Guam, prompting Trump to take to Twitter to declare that “military solutions are now fully in place, locked and loaded, should North Korea act unwisely.”

Was this just macho posturing from the White House, or is Trump really ready to kick this word war up to World War level?

The escalation doesn’t seem to have been born from carefully calculated policy. Trump reportedly improvised his “fire and fury” line, taking John Kelly—the Marine general who’s supposed to be imposing discipline as the new White House chief of staff—by surprise. So where did Trump’s flash of apocalyptic menace come from? Possibly it came from practicing Clint Eastwood impressions in front of the mirror.

A more disquieting possibility, however, is that it came from his top adviser, Stephen K. Bannon. While it’s hard to know the influence Bannon’s worldview exerts on Trump, the worldview itself is plain to see, revealed over years of filmmaking, radio-show-hosting, and lecture-giving, as Quartz analyzed in more detail earlier this year.

A key part of the Bannon worldview is that big wars are needed to usher in new stages of civilization. Could that be what’s spurring Trump on?

Steve Bannon thinks an apocalyptic third world war is coming, claims historian

Donald Trump's chief strategist has repeatedly spoken of the belief global society goes to war every 80 to 100 years

A historian claims Steve Bannon repeatedly tried to prompt him into saying that the US was on the brink of a third world war.

David Kaiser said Donald Trump’s now chief White House strategist “really made an effort” in a 2009 interview to persuade him the “fourth turning” would be at least as big as the Second World War.

Mr Bannon’s belief that global society repeats itself and runs in cycles, divided up by a war every 80 or 100 years, has been well documented in recent weeks. . .

The former chairman of ‘alt-right’ news website Breitbart appears to believe we are in the midst of an existential war, predominantly with Islam and China.

He told The Washington Post last month “we are witnessing the birth of a new political order”.

In 2011 he told Political Vindication Radio “we’re in a 100-year war against radical Islam” and in 2014 told a Vatican conference: “We are in an outright war against Jihadist Islamic fascism.”

Even as this piece was being written, Steve Bannon's position in the White House was becoming incresinigly insecure. As of August 18, 2017, he was out. This does not mean that delusional apocalypticism has left the White House with him. The false apocalypse inspired by the spirits of devils (Rev. 16:13-14) to obscure and discredit the true is alive and well in the White House and with the loyal supporters of the President:

Bannon gave Trump exactly what he craved

Stephen K. Bannon may be gone, but he won’t soon be forgotten. Firing the chief strategist from the White House will bolster the frayed hopes of Chief of Staff John F. Kelly that he might somehow corral the raging bull in the Oval Office. Plenty of china has been smashed since January, but a few dishes — maybe even the prized platter of tax reform — could yet be rescued. Maybe.

But Bannon played a role for President Trump that no one else can fill, one that Trump will pine for like a junkie pines for smack. The impresario of apocalyptic politics gave Trump a grandiose image of himself at a time when the real estate mogul was building a movement but had no real ideas. . .

Bannon convinced him that he was something more than a political neophyte with great instincts and perfect timing. Trump, Bannon purred in his ear, was the next wave of world history. He painted a picture of Trump as a world-historical force, the revolutionary leader of a “new political order,” as the strategist told Time magazine earlier this year.

Under the influence of a pair of generational theorists, William Strauss and Neil Howe, Bannon conceives of American history as a repeating cycle of four phases. A generation struggles with an existential crisis: the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, World War II. The next generation builds institutions to prevent a future crisis. The next generation rebels against the institutions, leading to a “Fourth Turning,” in which the next crisis comes. Believing that another crisis is upon us, Bannon framed a role in Trump’s imagination for the former real estate mogul to remake the world. To the list of crisis presidents — George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Franklin D. Roosevelt — they would add the name of Trump.

With Bannon gone, the White House might become a place less in love with conflict and chaos. But it is hard to think that Trump will be happy without aides who can paint such a picture for him. . .

Donald Trump no longer has Bannon in the White House; but he still has the unshakeable backing of the Evangelical Christian Supremacists, (the prophets of Baal.) Theirs is another false apocalypticism conducive to confusion and chaos; to what end remains to be seen:

Evangelicals, Trump, and the “Politics of Apocalypse”

What’s up with those evangelicals? Is it the end of the world?

Matthew Sutton’s book American Apocalypse: A History of Modern Evangelicalism, is a fascinating, meticulously researched and well-written study of the complicated relationship between fundamentalism, evangelicalism, and the interplay of these movements within modern culture.

Sutton argues that the distinguishing feature of modern fundamentalism and its morphing into evangelicalism, that which apocalypse images differentiates those conservative streams of Christianity from the rest of the modern world, is an ardent apocalypticism; a drama-filled eschatological outlook with distinct historical stages that culminates in a destructive cleansing of the world and a general resurrection with a final, double-judgment (heaven/hell).

Contrary to popular perception, however, theirs was not an “escapist” theology that led to passivity or a relaxed attitude about culture.

Yes, they mostly held to a premillennial (and often pre-tribulational) eschatology–the belief that Jesus is coming back any day to rapture believers and pour out God’s wrath on the rest of the world, after which he will establish a “millennium” of God’s reign on the earth before the final judgment.

However, the dramatic nature of their apocalypticism actually stirred them up to fervent, passionate action. Not, it should be said, to environmental activism, for example; but to action nonetheless.

They were stirred up to kind of action they deemed consistent with their belief that God was going to violently and radically transform the world, save some souls and damn many others, and eventually usher in a lengthy period of peace. . .

In view of the last sentence, the Evangelicals are probably less likely to be alarmed by Donald Trump's bellicosity than the rest of the American nation:

Millions of Evangelical Christians Want to Start World War III … to Speed Up the Second Coming [2012 Essay.]

Millions of Americans believe that Christ will not come again until Israel wipes out its competitors and there is widespread war in the Middle East. Some of these folks want to start a huge fire of war and death and destruction, so that Jesus comes quickly.

According to French President Chirac, Bush told him that the Iraq war was needed to bring on the apocalypse . . .

Bill Moyers reports that the organization Christians United for Israel – led by highly-influential Pastor John C. Hagee – is a universal call to all Christians to help factions in Israel fund the Jewish settlements, throw out all the Palestinians and lobby for a pre-emptive invasion of Iran. All to bring Russia into a war against us causing World War III followed by Armageddon, the Second Coming and The Rapture. . .

If the expectation of these Evangelicals is to be taken seriously there is legitimate cause for widespread fear in America. These are the people who recently prayed and laid hands on Donald Trump, have supported him overwhelmingly and continue to support him steadfastly:

How Apocalypticism Strengthens The Evangelical Affinity For Trumpism

Apocalyptic resonances within Trumpism made the man and his message especially palatable.

One great mystery of Donald Trump’s rise to power involves the overwhelming support he received from white evangelicals during the 2016 campaign ― support he still enjoys despite his constant and easily verified lying, his attacks on the courts and the free press, his close associations with open racists, his aggressive pursuit of undocumented persons, and his support for a wretched health care policy. Yes, white evangelicals tend to be conservative, but one would hope their gospel values would reject dishonesty, authoritarianism, and cruelty.

So powerful is the evangelical affinity for Trumpism that dissenters face punishment. Look what’s happened to Russell Moore, the Southern Baptist ethicist who called out Trump’s “serious moral problems” and un-Christian personal behavior. Under withering pressure from his own denomination, Moore offered a public apology for being “overly broad” and “unnecessarily harsh” in his criticisms of Trump supporters. That apology might have saved Moore’s job, but it reveals the fierce support Trump enjoys among evangelicals. How do we explain the evangelical affinity for a movement that so obviously conflicts with Christian values? Some propose that evangelicals have fallen in love with political power. They’ve sold out themselves and their values in order to support a conservative agenda ― and to find themselves seated at the table when key decisions are made. Perhaps their pro-life convictions outweigh all other considerations, or maybe they’ve just corrupted themselves. Surely this criticism bears a measure of truth. We should not overlook another dimension of white evangelicals’ attachment to Trumpism: apocalypticism.

With respect to contemporary religion, scholars use words like apocalypticism and millennialism somewhat loosely. But these terms describe a widespread fixation among evangelicals with the end times, particularly the belief that we are currently living in the last days. . .

The apocalyptic stream runs a long, winding course through American history. Donald Trump appeals to American evangelicals for many reasons. Apocalyptic resonances within Trumpism made the man and his message especially palatable. Trumpism’s rejection of international and interreligious cooperation, combined with its tendency to demonize its opponents, touched a deep place in the evangelical mindset.

Note the last sentence, and consider how much it is out of harmony with the ecumenical work and ultimate objective of the papacy. This is a central factor in the complicated state of affairs connected with fulfillment of the Dan. 11:45 prophecy.

There is another aspect of the Evangelicals' apocalypticism that is astonishing in its delusional fantasy, especially coming from so-called "Christians" who boast of understanding Bible prophecy. It betrays how far they have strayed from the correct principles of biblical exegesis. They view Donal Trump as embodying an end-time Nebuchadnezzar, and even more generally Cyrus, who is expected to execute a prophecy completely fulfilled over two millenia ago! Significantly, they are joined in this delusion by some Israelis:

Does the 'Cyrus prophecy' help explain evangelical support for Donald Trump?

The Persian king might have been a pagan, but he still served God’s plans. For some Christians, Donald Trump does just that.

“Donald Trump is anointed by God,” my Indianapolis Uber driver confided. I’d asked why she had Trump/Pence stickers on her rear bumper. It was the day before the presidential election and I would have asked anyone, but I was particularly interested because she was a decorous, middle-aged black woman.

“Well,” she’d begun, “I’m a Christian and I’m very much against abortion, and I don’t approve of same-sex marriage either. And, Mr Trump has said he’ll appoint supreme court justices who agree.”

I told her I understood. Still, I wondered how she could support someone so greedy and self-aggrandizing, so profane and offensive to women and minorities, someone who seemed so “un-Christian”.

“Yessss,” she responded slowly. “You’re right. But he doesn’t have to be a Christian to be part of God’s plan. Our minister says he’s come to tear down the corrupt order just as Nebuchadnezzar did.” And just as the pagan Nebuchadnezzar had the prophet Daniel to counsel him, “Mr Trump has godly men around him. Governor Pence, Jerry Falwell Jr, Mike Huckabee.”

Did her whole congregation believe this, and who were they? “Oh yes,” she said. “We all do. And we’re multicultural, too. Black and white and Hispanic. Although,” she added, as I was getting out of the cab, “There are also many who believe that Mr Trump is not Nebuchadnezzar but a Cyrus.” Nebuchadnezzar, I remembered, had destroyed the first temple in Jerusalem, forcing the Jews into the Babylonian captivity.

Cyrus, the pagan Persian king who was called “the Great”, had conquered Babylon in 539 BC, freed the Jews, and returned them to Jerusalem where they would rebuild the temple. He might not have been one of God’s people, the thinking among some Christians goes, but he still served God’s plans.

The belief that a politician is the subject of biblical prophecy gives his election an aura of inevitability and his actions an unquestionable authority. In the year of his campaign, Trump was described by a variety of religious supporters as “the last Trumpet” who would galvanize the second coming of Christ, and a modern King David, as well as Nebuchadnezzar. Most often, however, he was recognized as “Cyrus”.

In an official White House statement on Wednesday, Trump quoted King Cyrus on the occasion of Persian new year. While most will have regarded this as a routine pleasantry, for others, this message will have considerable significance. . .

The earliest and most visible public proponent of the Cyrus connection was Lance Wallnau, a business consultant who has a doctorate in ministry. In 2016, before he met candidate Trump, “the Lord spoke” to Wallnau, telling him: “Donald Trump is a wrecking ball to the spirit of political correctness.” Before his second meeting with Trump a few months later, Wallnau saw an image of him as the 45th president and, once again, heard God speaking: “Read Isaiah 45.”

Wallnau was impressed that God was speaking to him again – and impressed, as well, by the numerical connection between the 45th president and the 45th chapter of Isaiah. “Thus says the Lord,” the chapter begins, “to His anointed, to Cyrus.” Reading further back in Isaiah, Wallnau saw that the Lord had named Cyrus “My Shepherd...” saying to Jerusalem “‘You shall be built,’ and to the temple ‘Your foundation shall be laid.’”

To Wallnau, the message was clear. Trump had been elected by God and would soon be elected by Americans to fulfill the prophecy. He was a warrior against the global “demonic agenda”, “raising the warning cry about the unraveling of America.” Trump’s obvious faults and flaws only confirmed the prophecy: Cyrus, like Trump, was powerful, rich, and pagan, not at all godly.

It’s impossible to know how many voted for Trump believing he was a Cyrus, fulfilling Biblical prophecy, but there are hints.

White evangelicals were crucial to Trump’s electoral victory; 81%, some 28 million, voted for him. The book in which Wallnau recounts his prophecy, God’s Chaos Candidate, was #19 on the Amazon bestseller list shortly before the election, and is still selling well.

And in the months since Wallnau first reported his communication from God, other prominent Evangelists, including Curt Landry and Derek WH Thomas, have spread the word about the Cyrus prophecy. Meanwhile, another Evangelical with a large following, Michael Brown, has been speaking of Trump in a more “nuanced” way, not prophesied but as “parallel” to Cyrus.

Some ultra Orthodox Jews, like Rabbi Matityahis Glazerson, have also embraced the Cyrus prophesy. For them Trump is a “Moshiach,” as well as a Cyrus, a Messiah-like figure who will help Israel to “settle properly in its land”. Trump’s support for Israel, his daughter’s conversion to Judaism, and the president’s commitment to moving the US embassy – a kind of modern temple – from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, confirm the prophecy.

Perceiving Donald Trump as destined to play the role of a modern Cyrus is focused on the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem. This has allied the Evangelicals with fundamentalist Jews in a peculiar way:

Apocalypticism Explained - Jerusalem

When you open the Book of Daniel or the Book of Revelation and read them, there's absolutely no question that the stage is the ancient land of Israel, with the capital of Jerusalem. All the scenarios absolutely center on this, if read literally. ... When fundamentalist Christians read the Bible in the 20th century, something has been fundamentally changed, just in the last 50 years in particular. And that is, they're able to open texts for the first time in 2,000 years--texts like Revelation, texts like the Book of Daniel, all the prophets--and they can begin to see the possibilities of a literal fulfillment, not a symbolic fulfillment as in the past. That is, Jerusalem would mean Jerusalem. The Jewish people would mean literally the Zionists and the Jewish state that now exists. ... In June 1967, at the conclusion of the Six Day War, the Israelis found themselves, for the first time in 2,000 years, in control of the Old City of Jerusalem. Jews could go to the wall and pray. There was this euphoric sense of victory and even survival after this war, from just a Jewish point of view, from an Israeli point of view. Christians, however, who were fundamentalist interpreters of the Bible, had a completely different take on this. It's quite interesting. Not only did they laud and applaud the Jewish sovereignty, but they understood this as the beginning of the end, as a potential fulfillment of Bible prophecy, because in fact every scenario that you can read about in the prophets, from the Book of Revelation back to the Book of Daniel, implies that in the last days Jerusalem would be ruled and controlled not by Turks, not by British, not by all the various cultures that have controlled Jerusalem for the centuries, but by, in fact, a sovereign Jewish population. And so in fact, this was true again. Now, the big event that these interpreters were waiting for would be the rebuilding of the Temple, the so-called Third Temple.

One of the strangest and most unusual symbiotic relationships that has developed from the Six Day War is that fundamentalist Jews and fundamentalist Christians have something in common. You would not expect this to happen. But after 1967, with Israeli control over the holy places, and the Temple Mount in particular, here we have a double interest. On the one hand, we have fundamentalist Jews who believe that the destiny and future of Judaism and of the Jewish people is the rebuilding of the Temple up where the Dome of the Rock is, where the mosque is. Now, why would Christians be interested in this? Traditionally, Christians have had no interest in the Jewish Temple. And this is what we've seen develop just in our time. When Christians read the Book of Revelation, they read about a figure coming into Jerusalem from the outside and occupying Jerusalem, and in fact, sitting in a temple of God, claiming to be God, stopping the Jewish sacrifices. And so it's a simple matter of literal reasoning. If in fact the world is going to end, if Jesus is going to come back, if these things are going to happen, we have to have a temple. And so we have Christians interested in seeing that the Temple is built, in some cases even willing to raise funds and even pay for this to be built. Gershon Solomon, who is one of the most vocal advocates of rebuilding the Temple, does much of his speaking not at synagogues, when he comes to the United States, but in Christian churches. He draws thousands of people that want to hear the latest news about the potential rebuilding of the Temple on the Temple Mount. And so it is one of the strangest things, I think, that we've seen develop in our own lifetime. . .

Indeed, the symbiotic relationship between the fundamentalist (Evangelical) Christians and fundamentalist Jews is confirmed by the following:

President Trump: "Be a King Cyrus!"

Temple Mount Faithful to President Donald Trump: "Declare, Call, and Stand with Israel to Build the Third Temple in Jerusalem Like King Cyrus of Persia Did in 536 bce."

"Call the Pope to Return the Temple Menorah and Articles to Jerusalem to Be Used by Israel in the Third Holy Temple, soon to Be Built, Like King Cyrus Did When He Returned the Temple Menorah and Articles from Babylon to Be Used in the Second Temple."

The Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful Movement blesses President Donald Trump upon his election as the next president to lead the United States of America. Today we are blessing President Donald Trump with an ancient Jewish blessing: "Blessed are You our LORD, King of Kings, for sharing His honor with human beings".

Many in Israel think and believe that the election of President Donald Trump was not an accident, but rather an important part of end-time events that we are now experiencing during this very significant era of modern history. President Trump appeared suddenly from nowhere. He never was an active member or an official in any of the political parties in the United States. He came with a completely different vision from all other candidates in the recent elections and especially different from the previous president that served before him. His vision for America is basically to return to the vision of the founding fathers of America, a vision based and adopted from the biblical mandate laid out by the prophets of Israel. More than this, President Donald Trump was elected by the American people with great excitement and expectation, especially concerning his vision and policy toward the greatest ally of the United States, Israel.

The Temple Mount and the Land of Israel Faithful Movement is calling President Donald Trump to stand with Israel in her main mission to build the Third Holy Temple on the Holy Temple Mount in Jerusalem and to fulfill the call of the G‑d of Israel to do it in the lifetime of our generation with no delay. It will be the greatest day for all mankind when Israel will invite the G‑d of Israel and the universe to dwell in His Holy House in Jerusalem in the midst of the life of His people Israel and the entire world.

When the vision of G‑d of thousands of years that always pointed to our end-time generation is fulfilled, it will open a new and unique age that never was before, an age of true worldwide peace when G‑d will reign in the midst of His capital in Jerusalem and bless all of His creation. President Donald Trump, please read and give attention to this great and wonderful prophecy of the G‑d of Israel about our generation:

"And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD's house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow to it. And many people shall go and say, "Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the G—d of Jacob; and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths; for from Zion shall go forth Torah, and the Word of the LORD from Jerusalem. And He shall judge among the nations, and shall decide for many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, nor shall they learn war any more.... But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the LORD of Hosts has spoken it." (Isaiah 2:2 -4, Micah 4:1-4) [Cf. Isaiah 14, and Isaiah 2 (entire chapter)]

That Pope Francis and his supporters in the Vatican and worldwide must have been chafing over all of this has always been obvious. Now it has burst into the open:

Confidants of Pope Francis blast right-wing American evangelicals in article that mentions Trump

Two confidants of the pope penned an article condemning the desire for religious influence in the political sphere

Two collaborators of Pope Francis condemned the growing link between politics and religion in an article this week published in La Civiltà Cattolica, a Jesuit publication that is reviewed by the Vatican’s Secretary of State before circulation.

Rev. Antonio Spadaro, the editor-in-chief of La Civiltà Cattolica, and Rev. Marcelo Figueroa, the editor-in-chief of L’Osservatore Romano, co-authored the article that specifically targeted American evangelicals.

Titled, “Evangelical Fundamentalism and Catholic Integralism: A Surprising Ecumenism,” the article explicitly references President Donald Trump and his chief adviser, Steve Bannon.

The co-authors wrote that “a strange form of surprising ecumenism is developing between Evangelical fundamentalists and Catholic Integralists brought together by the same desire for religious influence in the political sphere” in the U.S., Crux reported.

“The most dangerous prospect for this strange ecumenism is attributable to its xenophobic and Islamophobic vision that wants walls and purifying deportations,” the authors added.

The pair warned that the politics of Bannon was “apocalyptic” and reminiscent of ISIS, the Huffington Post reported.

“We must not forget that the theopolitics spread by Isis is based on the same cult of an apocalypse that needs to be brought about as soon as possible,” they wrote.

Spadaro and Figueroa argued that the goal of Christian fundamentalists is to “submit the state to the Bible with a logic that is no different from the one that inspires Islamic fundamentalism.” . . .

Pope Francis allies accuse Donald Trump's team of 'apocalyptic geopolitics' similar to Isis

Leading Vatican-linked figures accuse US President's team of 'evangelical fundamentalism'

Donald Trump’s administration is responsible for promoting an “apocalyptic geopolitics” with roots similar to those of Islamist extremism, two allies of Pope Francis have said.

Writing in La Civilta Cattolica, the newspaper’s editor-in-chief, Antonio Spadaro, and Marcelo Figueroa, the editor-in-chief of the Argentinian edition of the Vatican newspaper, accused Steve Bannon, the US President’s chief strategist, of being a “supporter of apocalyptic geopolitics” and claimed Mr Trump’s team promote an “evangelical fundamentalism” that twists Christian scripture to promote conflict and war. . .

In the article, the authors accuse Mr Trump’s team of using a selective interpretation of the Bible to demonise “the migrants and the Muslims”.

“Within this narrative, whatever pushes toward conflict is not off limits”, they write.

“It does not take into account the bond between capital and profits and arms sales. Quite the opposite, often war itself is assimilated to the heroic conquests of the ‘Lord of Hosts’ of Gideon and David. In this Manichaean vision, belligerence can acquire a theological justification and there are pastors who seek a biblical foundation for it, using the scriptural texts out of context.”

They say the belief that leaders should “submit the state to the Bible” is “no different from the one that inspires Islamic fundamentalism”.

“At heart, the narrative of terror shapes the worldviews of jihadists and the new crusaders and is imbibed from wells that are not too far apart,” the authors write.

“We must not forget that the theopolitics spread by Isis is based on the same cult of an apocalypse that needs to be brought about as soon as possible.”

The article is likely to deepen tensions between the White House and the Vatican. [Cf. RIGHT WING SUPREMACY]

It is worthy of note that Pope Francis has not given up on diplomacy:

Report: Jerusalem, Vatican in talks on pope visit to Israel Deliberations are reportedly underway about Pope Francis's possible second trip from the Holy See to the Holy Land.

Officials in Jerusalem and the Vatican have been discussing the possibility of Pope Francis visiting Israel this coming autumn, Channel 10 reported on Thursday.

The report, citing unnamed sources, did not provide further details on the alleged deliberations. The pope previously visited Israel in 2014, coinciding with the 20th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the Jewish state and the Holy See. Channel 10's report Thursday emerged the day after the pontiff and US President Donald Trump met at the Vatican on the third leg of the American leader's nine-day foreign tour, which also included stops in Israel and Saudi Arabia.

Pope Francis urged Trump to be a peacemaker in what was expected to be a tense meeting after the two had exchanged sharp words last year.

Trump at first did not plan to stop in Rome during his visit to Europe, which some in the Vatican saw as a snub. When he changed his mind, the Vatican squeezed him in at 8:30 a.m. on a Wednesday morning, an unusual day and an unusually early time. . .

The Vatican's policy on Jerusalem has been crystal clear for a long time. Jewish and Christian Zionists have been impeding Rome's progress in the implementation of the policy. Promoting the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians has been a critically important component of papal policy. Now with Donald Trump's election and the madness of the Evangelical Christians who support him, there is both a continuing intransigence by the Israeli government supported by the Christian Zionists, and even more alarming for the world as well as the Vatican the threat of fomenting war in the Middle East. Here one cannot ignore the prophecies of Dan. 11:40-44.

Which will prevail - the peace efforts of the Vatican and the United Nations, or the provocation of wars by the presidency of Donald Trump? If the latter, how will Rome ever establish her presence in Jerusalem according to the prophecy of Dan. 11:45, which undoubtedly will be fulfilled? It is profitable to compare the fantasies described in the articles cited above to parallel prophecies of the Bible.

Before doing so, it must be noted that there is a true Apocalypse revealed in the Bible, which is now rapidly approaching, in the light of the prophetic Word. There are the detailed prophecies of Jesus Christ in the Book of Revelation and in the Gospels. There are also prophetic references to the Apocalypse in the Old Testament (e.g. Isa. 2:10-21; Isa. 13:9-13.) Related to Dan. 11:45 are two prophecies which fill in details of events that are to occur during the period of time covered by that verse (Isa. 14:12-14; Isa. 2:2-5.) It is also evident that the events of Rev. 17:7-13 fall within the same time period, preceding Dan. 12:1 and Rev. 17:14.

Close and prayerful study of the prophecies should not fail to yield enlightenment and understanding; but always in opposition to the Truth has been Satan who ". . .abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it (John 8:44.) There are many fables about the apocalypse inspired by him, perhaps the most egregious because of their influence on world politics are those of the Evangelicals, as described in the articles cited above. There are two major parallels between their fantasies and the true prophecies:

The Evangelicals predict wars raging, particularly in the Middle East, to herald the Second Coming of Jesus. (Millions of Americans believe above)

Dan. 11:40-44 predict wars in the Middle East immediately prior to the fulfillment of Dan. 11:45; which is followed by the close of probation for the world.

Although not predicting the building of a third Temple in Jerusalem, the prophecy of Isa. 14:13 clearly associates Satan with an "enthronement" on the Temple Mount.

So again the question arises: how will Rome ever establish her presence in Jerusalem according to the prophecy of Dan. 11:45? Conservative reasoning would lead to the conclusion that this will be by means of peaceful negotiations; and indeed this has been the choice of the Vatican for decades. However, the policies espoused by the Evangelicals, who are now firmly ensconced in the governance of the United States, promise nothing but conflict, and Dan. 11:40-44 predicts conflict. This raises the question whether the fulfillment of Dan. 11:45 will emerge out of conflict by a supernatural event? Here the counsel of Elder James White is relevant:

Fulfilled prophecy may be understood by the Bible student. Prophecy is history in advance. He can compare history with prophecy and find a complete fit as the glove to the hand, it having been made for it. But in exposition of unfulfilled prophecy, where the history is not written, the student should put forth his propositions with not too much positiveness, lest he find himself straying in the field of fancy. (Review and Herald, Nov. 29, 1877)

Mindful of this wise counsel, the thoughts that follow are offered with the utmost caution; but with a sense of the need to be watchful against being caught unawares by the ultimate supernatural event predicted in Bible prophecy (Rev. 17:7-8; Isa. 14:12-14; Isa. 2:2-4 cited above.)

Elder Wm. H. Grotheer begins his Revelation seminar sermon, Part 3, with the following quotation:

The great Joseph Mede long ago remarked that “the Jews expected Christ to come when he did come, and yet knew him not when he was come, because they fancied the manner and quality of his coming like some temporal monarch with armed power to subdue the earth before him. So the Christians, God’s second Israel, looked [expected that] the coming of Antichrist should be at that time when he came indeed, and yet they knew him not when he was come; because they had fancied his coming as of some barbarous tyrant who should with armed power not only persecute and destroy the church of Christ, but almost the world; that is, they looked for such an Antichrist as the Jews looked for a Christ.” (Mede’s Works, p. 647.)-“Daniel and His Prophecies,” Charles H. H. Wright, D. D., “Introduction,” p. xvi. London: Williams and Norgate, 1906.

Perhaps the danger for our generation which believes that THE Antichrist in the person of Satan impersonating the TRUE Christ will come, is that we misjudge how near and sudden this stupendous event might be, and are caught unawares. While we may look for and anticipate the successful completion of the Palestinian-Israeli peace process as a necessary precursor to the fulfillment of Dan. 11:45, might fulfillment emerge suddenly out of widespread conflict in the Middle East?

Turning again to a statement of Elder Grotheer, in JERUSALEM - PAPAL POLICY, WWN 8(84,) he writes: "It would appear that the Basic Law of Israel, and the policy of the Vatican are on a collision course. But should Satan coming as the Messiah in the outward splendor as the Jews have perceived the coming of the Messiah to be, and claim "the throne of his father, David," could Israel resist such an overwhelming "delusion?" There does not appear to be any elaboration of this statement elsewhere in his writings; but the statement seems to be very reasonable, given the obstinacy of the Israeli government and the strong convictions of the Zionists, Jewish and Christian.

Elder Grotheer based his observation on the certainty of Dan. 11:45 being fulfilled in spite of the intractable opposition of the Zionists. An investigative journalist based in Israel views the Vatican's designs on Jerusalem from a different perspective; but the scenario he presents of how this is being approached follows a strikingly similar track to that observed as possible by Elder Grotheer:-

The Vatican Agenda:

How Does The Vatican View The Legitimacy of Israel's Claims To Jerusalem?

Joel Bainerman

It can't be that the Vatican is only interested in "access to their Holy Sites" in Jerusalem. They already have that as well as legal jurisdiction under Israeli law for their institutions and assets in Jerusalem. Also, when these "Holy Sites" were under the jurisdiction of the Jordanians from l948-l967, no Pope demanded the "internationalization of Jerusalem".

It is something else, which the Vatican wants. The Roman Catholic Church, need to have certain versions of events be played out for them to stand in front of mankind and proclaim: our Messiah has returned.” Of course, to the Jews, this Messiah will be as false as the first one was supposed to be. Don’t matter. This is the goal of the Vatican and this is what all Israelis need to worry about.

The Vatican/Roman Catholic’s version of events is this:

They know this isn't the end of the story that the Jewish G-d had in mind, but that doesn't mean they won't try and engineer their own ending to the story. So what if it is fraudulent. Doesn't matter, that is their game plan and that is what matters and that is what Israeli Jews need to be better informed about. It is important for everyone to know what The Vatican have up its sleeve because it directly relates to our existence and our future destiny as an independent nation. This a very powerful force this is scheming to get control of the Old City of Jerusalem so you better know why and how the Vatican intends to do this. Once you have all the facts and the chronological record you will be better informed deal with this issue and of foreign control over Israel's political existence and destiny.

First, you have to realize that for centuries The Vatican has attempted to obtain control of Jerusalem, which started with the Crusades. For them to convince the world that the Messiah they put on the world's stage is going to be accepted as genuine, they need to perform this play in the Old City. The story of this production is that this "Messiah" will merge the three monotheistic religions, usher in peace and harmony in the world, and solve the Middle East conflict. The location for this "production" will be in none other than the Old City of Jerusalem.

This so-called "Messiah" that will be proclaimed, will be a false one and it will insist that by having a "world government" (i.e., the United Nations) the world peace and harmony will be ushered in. This will be a lie, and a fraud, but never mind. In our world, reality isn't important. Public perceptions are. The end result is the stripping of Israel's sovereignty as an independent nation giving way to a "regional bloc of nations" in the Middle East. Israel will be pressured to accede to these demands by all world bodies and the superpowers on the claim that "this is the only way to solve the Middle East conflict). In order to the Jews to go along they will convince them that with the "Messiah" having appeared for the Jews, it is time to start rebuilding the Third Temple- what they call "Solomon's Temple". This version of events is widely available through a simple search on the Internet as there are many Christian groups and organizations (the majority of which who are very pro-Israel) who don’t buy into these beliefs and thus are against them. I didn’t come up with the theory- I am just bringing it to the attention of the Israeli public. . .

Reading the foregoing, it almost seems that Bainerman was aware of the prophecies concerning Jerusalem, not least of all Isa. 14:12-14; but there is no mention of Bible prophecy in his essay.

He set out a chronology of events which extends from October 1991 to July 2002, with no mention of the 1996 election in which Benjamin Netanyahu defeated Shimon Peres for the premiership. This ushered in the era of increasingly rightwing Zionist leadership under first Ariel Sharon and then Netanyahu, who has won the premiership four times, most recently in 2015. This course of events, coupled with unwavering support from Christian Zionists in the United States both at the grassroots and Republican government level, has hardened opposition to the "Vatican Agenda."

The chronology includes a segment on what Rome had achieved during the 1990s:

September, 1993

On the 10th of September, just three days before the signing of the Oslo Accords Washington, the Italian newspaper La Stampa reported that then Foreign Minister Shimon Peres concluded a secret deal with the Vatican to hand over sovereignty of Jerusalem's Old City to the Vatican. The agreement and it [sic] was included in the secret clauses of the Declaration Of Principles signed on September 13th, 1993 in Washington, DC.

In the same week that Israeli Foreign Minister and chief Oslo architect Shimon Peres signed the Declaration of Principles with Yasser Arafat in Washington, the Israel-Vatican commission held a special meeting in Israel. Under the Vatican agreement the Israelis would give over control the Old City to the Vatican before the year 2000. The plan also calls for Jerusalem to become the second Vatican of the world with all three major religions represented but under the authority of the Vatican. Jerusalem will remain the capital of Israel but the Old City will be administered by the Vatican. . .

Putting together Rome's objective, the challenge of Jewish Zionist governmental opposition, the apocalyptic ideology of the Christian Right now in the ascendancy in America combined with that of the Jewish "Temple Mount Faithful," it is reasonable to wonder whether Elder Grotheer's suggestion of how the impasse might ultimately be resolved was not prescient. Bainerman's thinking in his essay is also consistent with this idea.

Once again recalling James White's counsel, this is not a prediction. However, the possibility that there might be a sudden and totally unexpected realization of the Vatican Agenda by supernatural intervention demands close watching of the course of events in the United States and Israel.

³With the Trump presidency conflict with nation states of the Middle East has become conceivable, especially with Iran.