A Temporary Human Experience

Editor’s Note: This is the eighth of a nine-part series, with a new installment presented every day in Charisma Digital Daily. You can access the previous story here. These articles are excerpted from Stephen E. Strang’s God, Trump and COVID-19, which is now available to purchase. Click here to learn more.

An entire section of my book God, Trump, and the 2020 Election is about “Understanding the Spiritual Realm.” Even though I was trained as a secular journalist at the University of Florida, as a believer I see everything from a biblical worldview. To me that means God created all things, and there is an unseen spiritual realm as real as the physical world we see. I agree with my friend the late John Paul Jackson, who quoted French philosopher Pierre Teilhard de Chardin: “We are not human beings having a temporary spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings having a temporary human experience.”

I also believe there is spiritual warfare at work in our world. And if we understand that, many of the things that otherwise don’t make sense are understandable. I’ve spent my career reporting on the Christian community, the spiritual world, and God’s end-time plan for man. Readers who know me through Charisma magazine, listen to my Strang Report podcast, or who have read my other books on Trump know this and won’t be surprised that I am trying to discern what all this means spiritually.

As I have written from the start, it has never been about Donald J. Trump. Although many like to critique, criticize, and analyze his every move, this really isn’t what God is concerned about at all! What happened in 2016 was a direct response to the prayers of the righteous here in America and beyond. It was a last-minute reprieve! It was a period where God was willing to show His mercy, His grace, and His love and give us just a little more time.

The time was given not only to the American people but more so to the American church! Our mandate was simple: Do not act as if it’s business as usual. God wanted us to repent as a nation and as a church! To begin to lead the culture again in accordance with the truth of the Word of God. To once again stand for righteousness and push back against the demonic agenda we were under so we could change the trajectory in which this nation was headed. At that time, we had seen decades of moral decline, a prolonged anti-God/anti-Christianity movement, and a death culture that continued to celebrate the murder of our most innocent societal members—our babies! Has any of this changed?

Now, as we look back at the last four years, has the American church done its part of the bargain? Have we risen up in prayer, fasting, and standing for righteousness? Have we been outspoken from the pulpit and pushed back against the assignment of the enemy to morally bankrupt our culture and attack our children’s minds and identities? Have we made progress in taking our country back from falling off the moral abyss? Have we done enough?

I believe the moment of truth will soon be upon us, as there are two very different possible scenarios ahead. They are as follows:

1. We could see the president fully vindicated in each and every accusation, attack, and plan that was devised by those who have opposed him. Not only this, but also we could see large elements of the corrupt shadow government taken down. We could even witness indictments and arrests and finally see “the swamp” truly drained. This would be the best-case scenario. In this possible outcome, there could be a restoration of law and order, a fresh respect for the Constitution, and peace and prosperity restored to our great nation! This could also usher in a new era of American ingenuity, renaissance, economic growth, and, even more important, a great spiritual awakening and return to morality and biblical values. I pray this is our fate!
2. We could plunge into a period of tremendous unrest. The president could lose the 2020 election and be removed from power. We could see great economic peril and decline resulting in a plummeting of our dollar and global currency hegemony. We also could face immediate international threats from our adversaries, which could lead to an outright war.

In addition to these things, there could even be an escalating civil unrest here at home. People could take to the streets in protest. Even with a somewhat smooth transition of power, the change in leadership could be enough to sink our forward trajectory, as there are many sensitive variables at stake. The whole situation is a massive powder keg.

There is also a third option where the president wins in 2020—stays in power—and yet we still see tremendous turbulence and unrest, as the spiritual battle between light and darkness rages on for the heart and future of America!

What does it all mean?

I am concerned that if Trump loses, our reprieve as a nation and church could be over. God has given us four years of grace so we could be about His business! If that grace period comes to an end, I believe that will be a direct rebuke to the church and the fact that we didn’t do enough, despite the tremendous grace He showed us. Instead, we in fact did continue with business as usual and basically lost our blessing period, ushering in a period of great sorrow and woes, maybe even worse than the Great Depression.

Although both scenarios depicted are not only fluid but subject to change and to be looked at through the lens of our own beliefs, views, and interpretation, I cannot stress enough the importance of the time period we are in right now! God responds directly to the prayers of the righteous! We have seen this consistently throughout the Bible and history. What we do right now is utterly important! Will we respond in a manner that pleases the Lord?

Many Christians have not even understood the importance and spiritual relevance of this reprieve season of grace. Instead of activating, many have been focused on the wrong things or remained in a spiritual stupor. Others have looked to the president to make the needed changes. This question is, Have we really done what God has asked of us? Is it too late already? Or can we still step up and make our impact now? To those reading this article today, this is no mistake. God has placed this message heavily on my heart for a reason! His question remains: Will you respond? I believe the ball is in our court as a church body. This is a moment of great decision. What we do and what happens next will determine a lot. Our very future is at stake.

To be continued in God, Trump and COVID-19. To purchase the full book now, click here.