As a Charismatic Christian who values critical thinking, I take seriously the Scriptural injunction to test prophecies and the spirit from which they originate.
“Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world 1 John 4:1).”
“Don’t stifle the Spirit. Don’t despise prophecies, but test all things. Hold on to what is good. Stay away from every kind of evil (1 Thessalonians 5:19-22).”
In light of the apostles’ warnings, then, let’s evaluate the popular notion about a Cyrus anointing regarding our president-elect.
We’ll begin with Scripture.
King Cyrus is mentioned in Isaiah, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, and Daniel. He acknowledges the Lord as “the God of heaven,” obeys divine instructions to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem, and restores the treasures which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from it.
Cyrus does this, not for bribes or money, but because his heart is stirred by God. Nothing in the biblical text describes him as evil or wicked. He is evidently a trustworthy leader with good character whom God chooses to deliver Israel.
So does the comparison work?
First, it would be disingenuous to claim there’s nothing troubling about Mr. Trump’s character.
Not to mention, King Cyrus was a foreign monarch exercising power from a distance to deliver a nation from exile and restore their place of worship, whereas Mr. Trump was elected to office by citizens in a nation where Christians worship freely.
We are not in exile. We are not oppressed and marginalized, though some paint us as embattled victims.
During WWII in Germany, my paternal grandfather was poisoned to death by a Nazi informer. His crime? Hosting a Bible study in his home. That’s what real persecution looks like.
Second, as to the parallel made between Isaiah 45 and Mr. Trump as 45th president of the U.S., sometimes numbers do have prophetic meaning—but not always. Chapter and verse numbers were added much later to Scripture. They’re not magical in and of themselves.
Let’s not practice charismatic superstition, trusting in formulas to figure out what God is saying. Let’s rely on the Spirit, not methods.
Third, you might think, “But a Christian leader said that God spoke this word to him and lots of prophets agree with it!”
While confirmation can come by multiple people bearing witness to a word, there’s a story in the Bible illustrating that agreement alone doesn’t validate prophecies.
I Kings 22:1-35 describes Kings Ahab and Jehoshaphat inquiring of 400 prophets whether they should go to war. All 400 say yes, using prophetic language and symbolic acts. But when Micaiah is asked, he prophesies the defeat of a scattered, leaderless Israel.
The 400 prophesied what the kings wanted to hear—but only Micaiah’s word came to pass.
No matter how pleasing or spiritual they sound, all prophetic words must be tested.
Let’s be discerning, not deceivable.
Glaring differences exist between the national, historical circumstances and the character traits of president elect Trump and King Cyrus. Coincidental numbers don’t prove a prophetic word’s validity. Nor does its popularity.
Digging deeper, does this word exalt Jesus, or a wicked earthly leader? Does it bolster faith in Christ regardless of believers’ social status, or tempt them to place their hope in political power?
Does it promote top-down ruling power for Christians, or a Kingdom where the first are last and the last first?
Upon evaluation, this notion fails to pass the test.
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