So which one was wrong – Flurry or the Bible? I dared to study Flurry's article, Why Donald Trump Will Remain America's President, with my knees on the floor and my Bibles open to seek answers and insight.

His article begins with condemnation of the “radical left” for breaking “laws too numerous to count,” including treason. I'll try as best I can to keep politics out of this, and stick to Scripture based on Mr. Flurry's words:

The Bible has a lot to say about Donald Trump and his presidency. The main prophecies are in the book of Kings and in Amos 7, and several other passages speak more generally about America under his leadership. God cannot lie!

PARTLY TRUE. The apostle Paul declared “God... does not lie” in Titus 1:2. So when things don't go the way we expect, even after reading the Bible, is God wrong – or is our understanding of Him and His Word wrong? We'll develop that as we go along.

Amos 7:7 reads, “Thus he shewed me: and, behold, the Lord stood upon a wall made by a plumbline, with a plumbline in his hand.”... God uses it differently here: to measure the destruction that is to come upon the nations of Israel, especially America.

PENDING. I heard a speaker in another COG group refer to this verse as well, in the weeks after the election. Verses 8-9 agree that the context is “Israel” - which many COG's say refers in part to the modern U.S. We dig deep into that theory in a two-part article.

In the preceding paragraph, Flurry declares without evidence (as TV reporters during the Trump administration often said) that Amos 7 “is about Mr. Trump.” He was committed to this view as far back as 2017, when Mr. Trump took office. Yet other COG's found parallels with the U.S. long before the Trump election in November 2016.

This is God talking [verse 8]! He has warned these nations several times to try to wake them up, but they have ignored those warnings. So, He says, I’ll warn one last time! We are living through this final warning right now!

PERHAPS NOT. The author is correct in implying that no more warnings were given to ancient Israel after Jeroboam II, until it was conquered by the Assyrians (II Kings 17:6);.none are specifically mentioned in the text.

Yet as it happened, the radio broadcast by Dallas evangelist Tony Evans on Inauguration Day 2021 said the U.S. Civil War of the 1860s was “divine judgment” for “evil taking place in the culture.” President Abraham Lincoln also felt that way at the time. It's a war that COG's don't mention much, except for Mr. Lincoln's proclamations about the country forgetting God. But if ministers like Gerald Flurry had lived then, would they have declared their work a “final warning?”

As I have explained for more than four years now, this end-time Jeroboam [vs. 9-11] is Donald Trump, America’s president.

WHAT ABOUT OTHER LEADERS? Mr. Flurry connects Mr. Trump with Jeroboam II, who reigned over Israel for 41 years. So was predecessor Barack Obama a type of Jeroboam II's predecessor, King Jehoash (II Kings 13:10-13; 14:11-16) – a 16-year king who defeated Judah in war and tore down part of Jerusalem's wall?

While that might seem logical, we found no such connection on PCG websites. Instead, Mr. Obama often was compared to Antiochus Epiphanes. That raises questions of selective interpretation – plucking part of Scripture out of its context to fit your preconceived notions and ideas.

Remember, the book of Kings is part of the former prophets; it contains prophecy for right now.

QUESTIONABLE. Competitor church COGWA indicates those books have that label because they “introduce two of the most well-known and dynamic prophets in the Old Testament, Elijah and his successor, Elisha.” Otherwise, the books “continue the history of Israel,” while showing the importance of “godly leadership and submission” by kings.

Connecting current prophetic “types” to Old Testament characters can be very risky. Many members of the old Worldwide Church of God (now Grace Communion International) were told that Herbert Armstrong was “the modern-day Elijah.” After he died in 1986, some called successor Joseph Tkach Sr. a “modern-day Elisha” who might lead God's people into the Kingdom of God. He rejected that idea – and indeed, quite the opposite occurred.

There is a powerful religious dimension to Donald Trump’s presidency. In many respects, his presidency is underpinned by support from religious leaders and people—but the religion of Jeroboam is false religion!

YES, BUT.... Many U.S. evangelical leaders indeed saw Mr. Trump as a man who could, and perhaps did, God's will. (My personal theory is that they really wanted Vice President Mike Pence, a much more committed Christian, to be in charge.)

Mr. Flurry flips back to the first King Jeroboam of I Kings 12 to make this point. Yet he stops short of saying Jeroboam I is a type of Trump.

But did U.S. conservatives make a “god” of sorts out of Trump? Considering the crowd of people which overran the Capitol in his behalf, perhaps so. Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska referred to it weeks later as a “personality cult” - perhaps similar to what Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez inspired.

King Jeroboam ii was not a righteous man. He did evil and committed the same sins against God and the throne of David that the first Jeroboam had. Nevertheless... God actually used this unrighteous king to help the nation!

SO?! That's not meant to belittle God – but hasn't God used unrighteous leaders throughout U.S. history? For instance, the country had economic strength through the 1990s under President Bill Clinton, even though he wound up being impeached for lying about an adulterous affair.

2 Kings 14:26-27 show that God used Jeroboam ii as “a savior.” This is also true of the modern-day Jeroboam. It is a temporary salvation, just as it was under Jeroboam ii before Assyria finally conquered the nation.

DEBATABLE. Verse 27 also says, “Since the Lord had not said he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven....” Was that really close to happening when President Trump took office in January 2017? Was the European Union poised to turn west and conquer the U.S., as COG's have warned about for decades? Or were the real threats China, North Korea and Russia?

Consider some of the things that King Jeroboam II did. He “restored the boundaries of Israel” (verse 25). Did simply building a partial wall along the U.S.-Mexican border accomplish that? Or does this mean an expansion of territory, after God reduced Israel's size through King Hazael of Aram (10:32-33/I Kings 19:15)? Did President Trump even attempt to claim Damascus, the capital of war-torn Syria (verse 28)?

The modern Jeroboam doesn’t know any of this, but the prophecy in Amos 7 shows that God will explain it to him before it’s over. We have to get this message to him, and we haven’t done so yet. This is another reason I am confident Jeroboam is not going to disappear from the scene!

WHY NOT? This paragraph raises more questions than it answers. What did the Philadelphia Church of God do for four years? Did it send any magazines to the White House and “thought leaders,” the way other groups such as United Church of God have done with their publications? Did it deliver any DVDs of The Key of David?

Certainly the problem couldn't be a lack of income, as the telecast remains on dozens of U.S. stations. Did PCG expect an “angle” to develop for a direct meeting between Mr. Flurry and Mr. Trump, the way Herbert Armstrong met with world leaders in his latter years?

(Yet in a curious contrast, PCG applied quickly to the Trump administration for a coronavirus loan in early 2020 – and received $1.2 million.)

As Jesus put it: “As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no man can work” (John 9:4).

These forces attacking America today... want to destroy traditional America, especially its Judeo-Christian heritage and its history with God. Looking at this modern-day Jeroboam, you have to say God gave Israel a “savior”—at least to the extent that He wouldn’t let these enemies bring down the nation.

SEEMINGLY MISLEADING. Rebellion in U.S. cities surged in the summer of 2020, after the death of George Floyd and other fatal police actions. It grew to that extent during the Trump administration.

Is his job finished? No, it isn’t. So I don’t believe at all that he will depart from the scene! I still believe these prophecies are 100 percent accurate.

WRONG – at least the way Mr. Flurry puts it. The presidency changed hands in January 2021. While Mr. Trump has dropped hints about a 2024 campaign (something that could be stopped, depending on a U.S. Senate impeachment trial), at this writing it is not reality.

The prophecy in Revelation 12:7-9 speaks of a war in heaven in which Satan and his demons were cast down to Earth. This happened in the end time.

DISPUTABLE. The article now moves beyond the Trump prophecy, to end-time events in general.

Gerald Flurry believes the “war in heaven” occurred (or at least ended) on the day of Herbert Armstrong 's death in January 1986. His reasoning for that is hard to find online. If we presume verse 6 as “a day for a year” with the chapter as a historical timeline, what happened to the church in 726 (1,260 “days” earlier) that led to a departure to a desert?

Wikipedia mentions an emperor's ban on veneration of images in that year, which led to “mass unrest” in Europe. But we found nothing on PCG's websites to connect those events.

Donald Trump certainly has his problems, and God sees those—but He chose him as a savior, temporarily, for America! 

WHAT PROBLEMS? Search for “Trump sins” at The Trumpet's website, and you'll find many articles defending the former president and accusing the “radical left.” But you'll find nothing (at least we didn't) specifically calling him to account for lying, sexual misconduct, not “loving your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39) and other sins. Perhaps PCG has left that for the mainstream media which it distrusts.

Amos 7:12-13 describe a religious man speaking to Jeroboam and conspiring to expel the man who delivers this warning from the country. Who is this end-time “Amaziah”? He is described as “the priest of Bethel” (verse 10). Bethel is a name for God’s house, which spiritually is the true Church of God... prophetic language for a minister who comes from the Worldwide Church of God (wcg).

DOES IT FIT? Let's insert the modern names that PCG believes fits this section of Scripture. Has GCI President Greg Williams or former leader Joseph Tkach Jr. told Donald Trump that PCG is predicting Mr. Trump's death “by the sword” (verses 9, 11), with the U.S. (or at least PCG) then being forced into exile in response? Mr. Flurry himself admits that hasn't happened two paragraphs later....

(But first, this noteworthy side point: the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge says Amos 7:9 was “fulfilled” by the violent death of Jeroboam II's son Zechariah in II Kings 15:8-10!)

This prophecy has not yet been fulfilled; this is another reason Mr. Trump must remain president. This means we should expect Amaziah, this false priest, to come on the scene soon!

NONSENSE. With the change in U.S. leaders, it clearly wouldn't make much sense for GCI to contact Mr. Trump in this way. And if it happened during the Trump administration, GCI has not disclosed it online. (That group had four years to do it, too.)

Throughout his cover story, Mr. Flurry walks around Amos 7:11. We had to use a general search engine to reach the core of what PCG really says about that. Robert Thiel of the competing Continuing Church of God posted much of what Mr. Flurry wrote about Mr. Trump in March 2017. That article actually does fault the then-new President for being egotistical.

Here is what I wrote in that 2019 article: “‘Prophesy not again any more at Bethel,’ Amaziah says [Amos 7:13], referring to the capital city—we could liken that to Washington, D.C., today...”

DOUBLE-TALK. First Mr. Flurry calls Bethel “God's house” and says it refers to WCG/GCI. Then he says the capital of Bethel is a type of Washington, D.C. - even though GCI's home office is now in Charlotte! It's a church, then suddenly it's a state?! Besides, if this is based on Amos 7:13, Donald Trump certainly has not worshiped with GCI.

Later in the article I prophesied: “I believe this prophetic account in Amos 7 implies that there is a conservative advantage in the Supreme Court, one that favors Jeroboam.”... Justice Barrett’s nomination could prove decisive in this election and to Mr. Trump remaining president!

WRONG – at least in terms of the 2020 presidential election. A last-ditch appeal by Trump supporters challenging vote counts didn't even receive a U.S. Supreme Court hearing. Only two justices wanted one, and new Justice Amy Coney Barrett was not one of them.

The light of David’s throne continues to shine brightly! The question is: Will we let it shed light on our flaws and sins and stir us to repentance?

APPARENTLY NOT – neither for the U.S., nor for Gerald Flurry. Five days after his prophecy failed, he released a Trumpet Brief article admitting: “I made a mistake.” He returned to Amos 7, warning of “severe correction” on the U.S. and Britain “if they don't repent.” But he never said he has repented, apologizing only for the word “remain” in a headline that was “creating confusion.”

In fact, Mr. Flurry wrote in his post-inaugural analysis: “...based on this prophecy alone, we can be sure that God is going to give Donald Trump that office of presidency of the U.S. sooner or later.... Is it possible that.... to Him, there is NO GAP there?” He resisted the possibility that his teaching about Jeroboam II is simply wrong.

Something has to happen, and for God to fulfill this prophecy, it will have to be a miracle. But He is a God of miracles! And He is the one who ultimately places leaders in power....

TRUE – and here he finally cites what he should have realized all along: the message of Daniel 4.

“The decision is announced by messengers, the holy ones declare the verdict, so that the living may know that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes and sets over them the lowliest of men” (Daniel 4:17; see also verses 25, 35). These are words of a king who felt firsthand the power of God to humble.

In contrast, how should church members (especially in the Philadelphia Church of God) look at Gerald Flurry? Since he declared he “prophesied” various things, doesn't Deuteronomy 18:21-22 now apply to him?

“You may say to yourselves, 'How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the Lord?' If what a prophet proclaims in the nae of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. [CEV: “falsely claiming to speak for the Lord...”] Do not be afraid of him.”

CONCLUSIONS: Several COG groups went “all-in” on the Trump presidency, as did many mainstream evangelical ministers. In the 2020 election, their supposed “apolitical” belief systems were exposed as false fronts. Even UCG ran a lead magazine editorial opposing the Democratic Party – listing several “radical” proposals, without bringing itself even to name the party.

Can these “faith groups” accept the possibility that God might have wanted someone else to prevail in the 2020 election – to accomplish His will and purpose, which might not yet be clear? “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:9).

Mr. Flurry wrote near the end of his follow-up article: “Time will tell if I'm right or wrong.” It also will tell if the late 2010s really were God's “final warning” on the U.S. Other Christian ministries have promoted “final warnings” for decades. May we all learn to “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33), while having patience with God as He leads us toward it.

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