This post is the third in a four-part series on how Bible prophecy relates to current events in January 2025. The subject of this article is how the election of Donald Trump and other recent events in the United States relate to biblical prophecies of Babylon the Great.

Babylon the Great

Revelation 17:1–19:5 describes an entity called Babylon the Great which is a superpower that dominates the world of the end times. Babylon the Great is the greatest country the world has ever seen; not only are its wealth and military power unparalleled, its economic and moral/cultural powers are also unparalleled. Babylon the Great is especially noted for corrupting the entire earth through its materialism, which has both economic and spiritual aspects. It is also clear that Babylon the Great exerts a degree of control over the other countries of the world through a financial regimen—evidently a universal digital currency (Rev 17:18). Babylon the Great shapes the economy, financial system, culture, and spirituality of the world of the end times, and God holds it responsible for the state of extreme spiritual corruption in which the world exists at the start of the tribulation period—including a global campaign of savage martyrdom of Christians (Rev 17:6; 18:20, 24; 19:2). God judges Babylon the Great, ironically, through the antichrist, who cannot become preeminent in the world while Babylon the Great exists. The antichrist will destroy Babylon the Great in a massive nuclear strike very early in the tribulation period (Rev 17:16-17; 18:8). Control of the global digital currency will subsequently pass to the antichrist or his henchman, the false prophet, who will require all to receive a mark without which they cannot buy or sell (Rev 13:16-18).

The nature and scope of Babylon the Great’s dominance is such that only one entity of its kind could ever exist in the history of the world, and there is no doubt that the United States of America is this entity, or is in the process of becoming this entity. The United States is already the world’s only true superpower, and its economic and military power are far beyond that of any other country. As the engine of the global economy and possessor of the world’s primary reserve currency, it is and will continue to be responsible for the great era of wealth creation among the nations in the last days (Rev 18:3, 9). It also is uniquely imposing sinful aspects of its culture—especially a materialistic worldview—on all the nations of the world. While some aspects of the prophecy remain to be fulfilled—most notably the prophecies of Babylon the Great’s attempts to put Christians to death worldwide—enough aspects already match so as to leave no doubt as to the fulfillment of the rest. For more information about Babylon the Great, see this post.

The second term of Donald Trump

Donald Trump’s reelection to the presidency only four years after seeking to overturn an election result is the most startling political resurrection in the long history of American politics, perhaps comparable to Adolf Hitler’s election following his imprisonment for leading the Munich Beer Hall Putsch. While there are some important policy differences between Trump and Hitler, it is interesting that in both instances their political resurgence was fueled by a personality cult, a new nationalism, economic malaise, conspiracy theories, and big rallies that included spectacular shows and grandiose speeches. Trump appears to be aiming for something close to dictatorial control of both the United States and the world—in contradiction of both the United States Constitution and the UN Charter.

Trump’s first term was largely a recovery from the Obama presidency, guided and constrained by such steady hands such as Mike Pence, John Kelly, Bill Barr, and John Bolton. Trump was also constrained by fierce establishment opposition, both in the government and in corporate America. Trump’s attitude changed dramatically with his loss of the 2020 election and his ensuing legal problems. He became angry, vindictive, dismissive of legal restraints, and demanding of absolute personal loyalty. Trump also moved to the left on the key issues of abortion and homosexual rights. Conversely, opposition to Trump has weakened greatly because (1) the opposition is exhausted and diminished; (2) Trump’s leftward shift has made him more palatable to the establishment; (3) business executives and politicians fear Trump’s wrath if they oppose him; and (4) Trump is only appointing sycophants who are personally loyal to him. In short, there are far fewer checks on Trump’s powers now than there were during his first term, and Trump has adopted a much more strident attitude and a radical agenda.

There is nothing specifically about Donald Trump in prophecy, and it remains to be seen exactly what Trump will do in his second term. (This post was published a few days after Trump’s inauguration.) However, there is no doubt that Trump’s return to the presidency is an extraordinary event in the history of both the United States and the world. My purpose in this post is to highlight connections between actions that Trump has indicated that he will or might take, and biblical prophecies of the end times.

Making America Greater

The slogans Trump used in his campaigns and rallies fit very well with the prophecies of Babylon the Great: “Make America Great Again,” “Make America Rich Again,” and “Make America greater than ever before.” Although America already is the greatest superpower the world has ever seen, I believe that Trump and his successors will succeed in making it much greater. America will become a much richer country, and will exert greater control over the world economic and financial system. Trump has a history of personally abusing power and flouting rules and regulations, and it is likely that he will direct the U.S. government to do the same, in order to enrich the United States. Trump and his supporters also believe they should glorify America as much as possible (cf. Rev 18:7); Trump has announced his intention to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to “the Gulf of America,” among other things. While there are some people who think that China will replace the United States as the world’s greatest superpower, this is not what the Bible teaches. The Bible teaches that in the era of world history leading up to the tribulation period the United States will dominate the world economically and culturally (spiritually), and Trump’s second term should go a long way toward making this happen.

Trump and his supporters place great emphasis on patriotism, and this is an area where Christians must be cautious. While the New Testament commands obedience to governmental authorities, it does not glorify Rome. Christians have a heavenly citizenship and allegiance (Acts 5:29; Phil 3:20), and should never put country ahead of God or swear absolute allegiance to a country or its ruler. Also, Americans are not intrinsically better than anyone else by virtue of being citizens of the greatest superpower the world has ever seen. In fact, American Christians who have resources have a moral obligation to use these resources to help poor Christians in other countries (cf. Acts 11:29-30; Rom 15:25-27; 1 Cor 16:1; 2 Cor 8:1-15; Gal 2:10).

Trump and many of his supporters have a prosperity theology, in which they talk about God blessing them and blessing the United States, with the material prosperity of the United States presented as evidence that the country is specially favored by God. Trump also points to his physical protection as proof that he is specially favored by God. However, Trump is completely unwilling to accept biblical rebukes and submit to God. In fact, most of the rich and powerful countries and men throughout history have been wicked, while many of the best have been poor. The mere fact that God has brought Donald Trump to power does not mean that Trump is a good man or that he will govern in accordance with biblical principles, nor does the material prosperity of the United States mean that it is a just nation. It should be remembered that God raised up Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian Empire, who destroyed Jerusalem and burned the temple.

Materialism

Trump’s second term can be expected to inaugurate a new era of materialism in the United States. This will include not just unparalleled wealth, but also unparalleled covetousness, arrogance, selfishness, and self-sufficiency. Material things will increasingly be viewed as the substance of life (against Luke 12:15); covetous Americans will be godless idolators (Col 3:5), and will continue to spread this idolatry throughout the world. The things of God and eternal things will be despised, since they hinder the pursuit of the material and the temporal. Attitudes such as “greed is good,” “the ends justify the means,” and “friends and allies are disposable” will become more commonplace as materialism is exalted as a virtue.

Many people who read Genesis 19 assume that Sodom was destroyed because of rampant homosexuality (sodomy). However, this is what Ezekiel 16:49-50 says: Behold, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: pride, fulness of bread, and prosperous ease was in her and in her daughters; and she did not strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty, and committed abomination before Me: therefore I took them away when I saw it. The greatest sins of Sodom were pride and materialism; sexual immorality (“abomination”) was a secondary cause of God’s judgment. Likewise, Babylon the Great’s foremost sin is identified as materialism (Rev 17:2, 4; 18:3, 9, 23; 19:2), which it spreads throughout the world through economic intercourse (“prostitution”). Sexual immorality and perversion only constitute one aspect of a materialistic value system that puts man in place of God and sees the accumulation of material things and physical pleasure as the substance and goal of life. Trump and his followers (including many professing Christians) consider both materialism and self-promotion to be virtues (against 1 Tim 6:6-10). Where the world looks to America and sees a great economic success story, God sees a spiritually corrupt system—a self-sufficiency and self-worship that is intended to replace God. No wonder, then, that the persecution of Christians is the other major cause of God’s judgment of the country called “Babylon the Great” in the book of Revelation (Rev 17:6; 18:20, 24; 19:2).

Assisted suicide, euthanasia

Another aspect of Trump’s materialism is that he only sees value in people who are healthy, beautiful, and strong. He does not see value in disabled people, since he does not value the spiritual. It seems that Trump would prefer not to have any seriously disabled people around, as (1) he does not enjoy seeing them; (2) he (wrongly) thinks they are unhappy; and (3) he sees them as a financial drain to the economy. He does not see the moral and spiritual value of disabled people. Trump has already ended federal hiring preferences for people with disabilities, who often struggle to find employment, and his associates have announced their intention to make cuts to Medicaid. Trump’s America will give preference to the rich and the strong.

Trump has suggested various times in the past that disabled people would be better off if they were euthanized. This correlates with a general shift in public opinion, as Trump was the people’s choice. Society in general has a much harsher view toward death than before; the majority of Americans are cremated when they die, many with no funeral service. Some U.S. states have already legalized assisted suicide, and it seems inevitable that this will become national policy. Nearly five percent of all deaths in Canada last year were caused by assisted suicide, and that number will greatly increase in 2027, when Canada will legalize assisted suicide for depression. (Depressed people often wish to die, but are glad years later that they did not.) Assisted suicide is already legal in many countries for non-terminal conditions, such as chronic pain. It is likely that involuntary euthanasia (killing a person without his consent for supposed medical or financial reasons) will eventually become legal. When a person becomes too bothersome or costly to society, he will be executed without a trial.

It became apparent during the COVID-19 pandemic that governments have considerable emergency powers, and Trump has already declared two (fake) national emergencies—one at the southern border, and another in the energy sector. It is not hard to see how this could be applied at some point in the future to biblical Christianity. Certain Christian beliefs could be classified as a mental illness, a public health emergency could be declared, and Christians could be subjected to forced euthanasia due to their supposedly incurable mental illness.

Trump’s depreciation of human life is also seen in his love of violence, as he regularly attends UFC fights and suggests that torture is okay. Perhaps America will someday hold Roman-style gladiator fights again. It is also possible that police violence, torture, and arbitrary detention of the type seen in many authoritarian countries will be seen in the United States someday. Legal forms of slavery could also expand in the United States, in accord with Trump’s concept of American privilege and superiority and his desire to punish his opponents (cf. Rev 6:15; 13:16; 18:13).

The Bible teaches that human life has intrinsic value because man is created in the image of God (Gen 1:26-27; 5:1; 9:6; James 3:9). In addition, 1 Samuel 16:7 says, “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” The true church consists mainly of those who are weak, poor, and lowly in this world (1 Cor 1:26-31). Christians should not be impressed with people’s wealth, health, good looks, or noble birth; we should value character and fidelity to God’s Word.

The Constitution

Though it remains to be seen exactly what actions Trump will take, some of his supporters have been calling for a new constitutional convention in order to rewrite the Constitution according to current right-wing priorities. Trump is frustrated by many of the Constitution’s restrictions on what he can do, and if Trump’s agenda is blocked by the courts and Congress, he may well seek to call a constitutional convention.

Article V of the Constitution states that a constitutional convention can be called by two-thirds of the states, but says little about how the convention would be run. Some people think that enough states have already proposed constitutional conventions for various purposes so that the President could legally convene one at any time. A constitutional convention would quickly become a runaway train in the hands of the President who runs it, who would decide the rules (e.g., one vote per state, with a representative appointed by the governor of each state in consultation with the President). The convention would have the power not just to approve new amendments to the Constitution, but to gut the Constitution in its entirety and promulgate a new Constitution. Unlike in other countries, there would be no popular vote on the resulting document before it comes into effect. Constitutional scholar Peter Prindiville calls a constitutional convention “the ultimate high-risk gathering,” due to the uncertainties surrounding what might happen at the convention. However, if Trump is sure of his ability to control the convention, for him the risk would be low and the potential for power would be great.

Far from solving the country’s problems, calling a new constitutional convention would very likely result in the end of freedom of religion, free speech, and freedom of the press. For example, the new Constitution could allow the President to suspend certain freedoms and could prohibit “unpatriotic” speech. (Trump’s nominee for head of the FCC has pledged to revoke the broadcast licenses of anti-Trump television channels.) Many of the checks and balances on presidential power might be eliminated. Trump could also include in a constitutional rewrite a requirement that every U.S. citizen must swear an oath of loyalty to the United States or take the pledge of allegiance. Whatever might be in the final document, a new Constitution would mean the end of America as we have known it and the beginning of a new country which will look increasingly like the Babylon the Great described in Revelation 17:1–19:4.

Religious freedom and moral issues

With regard to religious freedom, a Trump administration will likely be better in the short term than Biden-Harris, though this is not certain; Trump has shifted both himself and the Republican Party away from strong opposition to abortion and homosexuality. Trump is against transgender, but supports homosexual rights and homosexual “marriage,” and transgendering is a form of homosexuality. The weakening of the Republican Party on moral/spiritual issues is of great concern, as until now only the Republican Party has stood in the way of the radical LGBTQ+ agenda. Trump and many of his associates also believe that life should be lived for one’s personal pleasure, with little or no regard for sexual mores. What it means to be “conservative” or “right wing” now, on a wide range of issues, is far different than what it meant to be conservative in the 1990s, or even in 2016.

The Trump administration will likely be the most corrupt administration in history, since Trump believes the ends justify the means—and the ends that he wishes to achieve are materialistic and self-interested. Trump is using his position as president to enrich himself, shamelessly marketing Bibles, guitars, and other Trump-branded items, along with his social media platform and cryptocurrency. The family business is eagerly pursuing lucrative deals in foreign countries. Many of his appointees have a history of legal, ethical, and moral problems, of which they have not repented. Wealthy donors and supporters are openly granted special access and privileges. Federal employees and military leaders are fired or promoted on the basis of loyalty to the president and his agenda. Trump is pledging to punish his political opponents, and has already cowered tech companies and billionaires into supporting him. Conversely, he has issued mass pardons to his cronies, and he could potentially use groups such as the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers as private militias to intimidate or eliminate opponents. Trump has little regard for either the United States Constitution or international law, and intends to abuse power to get what he wants. Time will tell exactly what he does, but he cannot be trusted to preserve civil and religious liberties.

Too many evangelical Christians who used to say “character counts” now say that Trump’s character flaws don’t matter—only his policy positions matter. Nothing could be further from the truth—the personal character of the President of the United States matters a great deal. If the president is selfish, egoistic, and greedy, these vices will be reflected in the president’s official actions, policies, and appointees. The influence of Trump’s materialistic, self-interested attitude on American evangelicals is particularly concerning, as these are the main sins of Babylon the Great enumerated in Revelation 17–18.

Foreign policy

Trump’s foreign policy is based on his America First principle, which could also be said to be a “money first” principle, or just plain selfishness. Trump’s foreign policy is neither isolationist nor internationalist—it is imperialist. Essentially, Trump believes in using other countries for the material benefit of the United States, with little regard for treaties, traditional allies, human rights, or the freedom of other peoples.

Trump believes that defense alliances are financially disadvantageous to the United States, and are unnecessary for national security because the United States has the strength to defend itself on its own. If the United States does deploy forces to another country, it should demand repayment in full. The plight of oppressed or threatened peoples in other countries is of no concern. One of Trump’s first acts as president was to freeze all foreign aid, which many poor countries depend on. It is likely that Trump will withdraw from NATO and will close many U.S. military bases overseas. He may also cancel mutual defense agreements with countries such as the Philippines, Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea; in any case, he cannot be relied upon to uphold such agreements in the event of a war. Trump also intends to use tariffs to financially benefit the United States at the expense of other countries.

Not only will Trump likely withdraw from friendly defense alliances, he has threatened to invade friendly countries for the financial benefit of the United States. Trump has threatened to seize Greenland and Panama by force for economic exploitation of key resources. Panama is virtually defenseless, as it has no army, and no other country would attempt to fight off the United States military on Panama’s behalf. Greenland, by contrast, is a territory of a NATO member (Denmark), but is too far away from the European mainland to be effectively defended from a U.S. invasion force. While the United States certainly has the military power to seize control of Greenland, or the economic power to force Denmark to part with it, such an act would have severe repercussions for relations between the United States and Europe. Henceforth, Europe will view the United States as a threat, rather than as a protector. The United States would almost certainly have to leave NATO, and relations between the U.S. and the EU would sour. (For these reasons and/or others, deep resentment toward the U.S. will build over time in Europe and will lead to the destruction of the U.S. by the EU, as described in Revelation 17:16-17). If Trump seizes control of the Panama Canal by force and raises the price for ships to pass through, this will also have serious consequences for the way in which foreign governments view the United States. Doubtless many world leaders will feel compelled to maintain good relations with the U.S. and profess loyalty to Trump in order to protect their countries economically and politically, but the United States will be viewed as a bully, not as a friend.

For Americans like myself who have grown up proud of the fact that our country is the defender of the free world, it will be a great shock if we wake up one day with the realization that we are now living in an aggressor state, with our own personal freedoms slipping away fast.

Trump has also declared his intention to pressure Canada into becoming part of the United States, since Canada is a wealthy and majority-white country. Regardless of whether that happens, the world appears to be entering a new era of imperialism or rule by the strong, in which the United States, Russia, and possibly China seek to conquer or control weaker countries for the benefit of their own countries or to settle vendettas. According to Revelation 17:18, the United States will successfully establish an economic regimen that controls the entire world to a certain degree—probably a digital currency controlled by the U.S. government. There are also strong indications that at some point in the future the United States will pressure other countries into a systematic campaign of persecution against Christians (Rev 17:6; 18:20, 24; 19:2).

As for the world’s other great powers, according to Ezekiel 38, Russia will be the leader of a coalition of countries which seem to include nearly the entire former Soviet Union, Iran, Libya, Sudan, and most of the rest of Africa (outside of Egypt, which is not named in Ezekiel 38:5). (For details, see this post.) The European powers have now largely withdrawn from Africa, and Trump does not see much value in Africa for both racial and economic reasons. A coalition of east/south/southeast Asian countries that is presumably led by China and India is spoken of in Daniel 11:44, Revelation 9:13-16, and Revelation 16:12. This indicates Trump’s America First foreign policy will open the door for big, aggressive countries such as Russia and China to solidify their authoritarianism and to dominate alliances in Eurasia and Africa, where many free peoples will fall under the oppressive rule of harsh regimes.

It is interesting that although Hindus comprise less than one percent of the U.S. population, Trump has elevated a number of Hindus to positions of prominence: Kash Patel, Vivek Ramaswamy, Tulsi Gabbard, Sriram Krishnan, and the second lady (Usha Vance). He has also nominated Harmeet Dhillon (a Sikh originally from India) and Jay Bhattacharya (a Christian originally from India) for prominent positions. This points to Trump possibly being sympathetic toward the Hindu nationalist party of Prime Minister Modi of India as a counterweight to China.

Trump has pledged to be pro-Israel (though he just pressured Israel into accepting a ceasefire that seems advantageous to Hamas) and to work toward peace in the Middle East, which will also fulfill prophecy, as described in this post.

Takeaways

There are many questions as to what exactly Trump will do in his second term, and how successful he will be in doing these things. What is certain is that Christians who believe that the United States is God’s chosen nation and that Trump will save it have a worldview that is squarely at odds with the Bible. Just as Democrats have made the United States more like Babylon the Great through secularization and the enactment of an explicitly anti-Christian LGBTQ+ agenda (among other things), the new Republican president will also make the United States look more like the prophesied Babylon the Great. He will do so through an aggressive, materialistic America First agenda, and he may even promulgate a new Constitution that will mark a clear division between the era in which America was a free country and the era of Babylon the Great.

Let me make these suggestions to Christians: give your time, talents, and treasure to God’s work, not to the work of a political party and an earthly hope. If you are working for God, not only are you doing something that will make a profound and eternal difference in the world, you are working for the side which is certain to triumph in the end. If you work to turn America around morally and spiritually through politics, you will surely lose in the long term, and you may become spiritually compromised in the process; but work for God, and you will surely march onward, forward, and upward to victory. Also, do not invest all of your time and energy in America—lift up your eyes, and look to the rest of the world. Remember that our citizenship is in heaven (Phil 3:20), and our call is to make disciples of Jesus throughout the whole world (Acts 1:8). Given the clear direction that America is heading, it is foolish for Christians and Christian organizations not to be thinking about moving to some other country which will offer greater religious freedom for Christians whenever such freedom is lost in the United States. After all, America was originally founded by Christians who left their European homelands in search of greater freedom to serve God according to their conscience. Pursuit of the American dream, by contrast, reflects the deceptiveness of materialism and is untenable for Christians who are realistic about the prophetic future of the United States.

As mentioned above, it is possible that the Trump administration may replace the dollar with a digital currency that allows the U.S. government to control all financial transactions in the world, eventually leading to the mark of the beast. More about this in the next post.

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