Wallnau's analysis is ringing true with many Christians who are looking to make sense spiritually of this very strange election season.
Lance Wallnau believes God is raising up Donald Trump like he did King Cyrus in Isaiah 45. When the charismatic speaker/business consultant first said this long before the billionaire businessman received the Republican nomination, nearly everyone thought he was nuts.
Now, Wallnau's analysis is ringing true with many Christians who are looking to make sense spiritually of this very strange election season.
Wallnau also believes God gives leaders "common grace" to be instruments of His purposes—ones like Lincoln or Churchill or Thatcher. In a recent podcast, Wallnau told me all this and more. You can listen to it here as well as a follow up podcast with Wallnau here.
I felt this message was so important that I asked Wallnau to write it and we published it in Charisma magazine in our October issue which has Donald Trump and Gov. Mike Pence on the cover. An early form of this article was published online in three installments and you can read them here and here and here.
Wallnau told me he had an impression when he first met Donald Trump early this year that there was an anointing on him. He didn't understand the impression since he preferred Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio and Carly Fiorina. Then he saw a meme on Facebook showing Trump as the nation's 45th president. About the same time, he felt the Lord tell him to read Isaiah 45, which says King Cyrus who is called the Lord's "anointed" and later in the chapter says, "I have even called you by your name … though you have not known Me."
Wallnau then told me he felt he heard the Lord tell him "common grace," and he found the term in a Charles Colson book. It was a term the Reformers used to contrast "saving grace," when there was a basic understanding of God that influenced governments and societies even though the people who had this common grace might not have experienced "saving grace."
I urge you to not only listen to the podcast (and share it with friends on social media) but to read the article in Charisma. The full issue is available digitally behind a paywall and you can access it here and learn how to subscribe.
Meanwhile Steve Shultz, founder of The Elijah List sent out an email about my podcast with Wallnau with this incredible subject line: "Wow: The Bible's 'Cyrus the Great' and 'Donald Trump'—Is This God?" Here, he encouraged his readers, as I am, to listen to the podcast, then he gave a detailed report on what Wallnau said. I found it interesting in how Shultz wrote it, and I end my report by quoting him:
Lance Wallnau shares in this podcast:
- God anoints secular rulers in history for specific purposes in order to protect His interests.
- This will amaze you! The three issues that Cyrus took the most satisfaction in:
- Dealing with terror
- Restoring the habitations or economic stability of their cities
- Honoring their sanctuaries or their houses of faith
The Cyrus cylinder (that was uncovered in an archaeological dig) talks about terrorism, economics and faith.
- This election is so critical … Lance says, "I don't know yet if the church is going to be as awakened as they need to be—to show up in the force they need to show up in to support what this man's (Donald Trump) capable of doing in restoration. Because 'if history tells us anything (it's this)—when God shows up He's 'disguised' and His people don't (always) recognize Him."
- "Trump is like a wrecking ball."
- Trump challenged this group of ministers (who met with him at Trump Tower) and said, "If you don't mind me saying so, I think you guys have gotten soft."
Lance went on to explain that Trump was looking at how fear and embarrassment are so often in ministry … with the church backing up from issues.
- Lance continued saying that Trump is like a wrecking ball going toward many controversial issues. And Trump's observation was, "I really think that America's turned against Christianity in the last decade in a way that's not healthy, and I think you guys have gotten soft in terms of taking your ground and holding it."
Only someone like Donald Trump, himself a brand-new Christian, could actually get away with saying that to the church leadership in America.
Steve Strang is the founder of Charisma and CEO of Charisma Media. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. Click here to subscribe to the Strang Report podcast, and here to sign up for the Strang Report newsletter