The Conflict Between the Church and the Powers of Evil.
Resisting the Pressure to Conform and Holding Fast to Christ
A historic American election will shape the nation’s future in a few days. As Kamala Harris and Donald Trump contend for leadership, this publication focuses not on the political outcome but on the more profound spiritual impact this decision may bring.
Preface
This commentary is inspired by Revelation 12, which highlights the conflict between the Church and the powers of evil. I believe this reality will persist regardless of who wins the election. We are moving along a cosmic timeline leading to Christ’s second coming. This path does not promise an improved moral compass for society, greater comfort for Christians, or freedom from tribulation. Instead, as Scripture reveals, this journey is marked by adversity, persecution, and escalating evil.
Introduction
Before exploring the depths of apocalyptic literature, I must caution readers who might be expecting sensational tales of prophecy, mystical numerology, or thrilling end-time mysteries. This commentary focuses on the literal truths of Revelation, which may differ from the more dramatized interpretations found in religious fiction.
Background
The word “revelation” in Greek means “apocalypse,” or the unveiling of something hidden. This letter serves as a prophetic vision and a warning about future events. Revelation has three main focuses: “things you have seen,” “things that are,” and “things that are to take place” (Rev. 1:19). Here, we will focus on the “things that are to take place,” specifically the period known as the “tribulation.”
Some mistakenly believe Revelation was written to frighten readers. In truth, it was written to lovingly forewarn God’s people, strengthening their faith and confidence in his sovereignty.
At the heart of Revelation is faith in the victorious life, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ. His sacrificial death and redeeming resurrection marked an absolute victory over Satan and his fallen angels (Rev. 12:7-9). Although Satan continues to wreak havoc on God’s people (12:12), Christians conquer him through covenant faithfulness to Jesus and the gospel, relying on Christ’s atoning work on the cross (12:10-11). Through their faithful relationship with Jesus, believers receive divine protection during this period of persecution (12:15-17), rendering Satan’s supernatural attacks powerless.
Historical Context
During Emperor Domitian’s reign, the apostle John wrote to a first-century Christian community around AD 95-96. John’s exile on the island of Patmos symbolized the onset of Christian persecution. Let’s set the scene. Civil authorities opposed the Church, igniting a struggle between religious freedom and growing cultural pressure to worship the emperor as a god.
More than any emperor before him, Domitian claimed divinity, pressing Roman citizens to worship him as God. His favored title was Dominus et Deus noster, “our Lord and God.” The drama of the first century is not unlike that of the twenty-first: a looming conflict between worshiping a false god or the true God.
Roman society and cultic priests zealously promoted emperor worship and opposed Christians who resisted, persecuting and ultimately martyring them. Consider this: when American society and radical social forces empower an authoritarian regime, their first act will likely be to challenge religious freedom. This new despotic American system could demand submission and allegiance, echoing Domitian’s demands of the Romans. Drunk with power and irreligious paganism, the government would expect obedience above all, even above God. By all measures, there is little difference between ancient emperor worship and modern loyalty to a corrupt government.
From Genesis, the book of beginnings, to Revelation, the book of consummation, the storyline of human history has remained constant. This is a spiritual battle—between God and Satan, good and evil, heaven and hell, demonic influence and righteousness, the kingdom of God and the kingdom of this world. America stands in conflict between a Christian and a cultic society.
The Nature of Evil in Society
The satanic nature of contemporary civil authority emerges when the government takes on a god-like role, demanding adherence, obedience, submission, fear, and worship—standing in direct opposition to the true worship of the true God.
Soon, a government may arise that is no longer content with receiving “the things that are Caesar’s” but instead demands “the things that are God’s” (Matt. 22:18). Every Christian in the United States will be faced with a choice: allegiance to a cultic social order or faithfulness to their religious convictions—a decision between worshiping the antichrist or the true Christ.
The day is fast approaching when neutral Christianity will no longer exist. Conflict is coming to the Church, where safe religious spaces, personal autonomy, and constitutional protections may be stripped away. We live in the final days of America’s version of Pax Romana, a period marked by national peace and religious tolerance—a time of intellectual, spiritual, private, and public freedom. Yet the freedom to think and speak freely, to worship according to one’s conscience, and to live without oppressive governmental interference is fading. The separation of church and state teeters on the edge of infringement and state control. This has happened to Christians in the first century under emperors, the sixteenth century under kings and queens, the seventeenth century under colonial authorities, and the twentieth century under dictators and presidents.
My fellow Americans, we have enjoyed a long reprieve from the persecution and suffering our brothers and sisters in other places and eras endured. But as America continues to reject God, embrace evil, practice paganism, worship idols, kill babies, and celebrate homosexuality and transgenderism, our society erodes. We tell young boys they can be girls and young girls they can be boys.
When radical social movements pressure medical professionals to support children in self-diagnosing and treating their mental health crises as gender dysphoria—encouraging hormone therapies or even sex reassignment surgeries—is it any wonder why God’s judgment has fallen on us?
The once bright “city on a hill” is now a dark and dirty crime-ridden city infested with fentanyl, abortion clinics, gay pride parades, men emasculating themselves, and women cutting their breasts off. Sacrificing children and self-mutilation are nothing new; they are ancient pagan rituals with modern names. Parents who affirm their transgender kids are walking them down a path that leads to a higher chance of death. The Obama Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services conducted a study that reveals individuals who go through sex reassignment surgery have a 19 times greater likelihood of death by suicide.1
Both men and women who undergo gender-affirming surgery often face permanent sterility.2 One common surgery for biological men is vaginoplasty, which involves removing the penis, testicles, and scrotum. The remaining tissue is reconstructed to create a vulva (the outer appearance of female genitalia) and a vaginal canal (the inner genital area).3 For biological women, sex reassignment surgery includes subcutaneous mastectomy, the removal of breast tissue, and reshaping of the nipples to create a male-looking chest. This is often combined with a hysterectomy, which removes the uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries. Bottom surgery may include vaginectomy and lengthening of the clitoris to create a penis (metoidioplasty), sometimes with the addition of an erection prosthesis.4 Transgender patients who undergo such “bottom” surgical procedures are at risk for irreversible infertility.5
Contemporary Christians Provide No Viable Alternative To the World
The next president of the United States is not our savior; Jesus is. If Kamala wins, it may simply hasten our Revelation 12 experience. There may be some resistance if Trump wins, but we’re still on a collision course with Providence. Christians are already compromising in greater numbers than ever, and true persecution has yet to begin. What will happen when our beliefs actually cost us something? How do you think the vast majority of disinterested, marginal, passive, disobedient, compromised, and biblically illiterate professing Christians will respond when faced with cancellation, lawsuits, tax audits, job loss, family separation, forced business closures, eminent domain, loss of property, imprisonment, or even death? Contemporary Christians struggle to give up comforts like air conditioning—how prepared are they, really, to endure hardship?
Compromised Christian leaders like Andy Stanley tell congregants that “the foundation of our faith is not the Scriptures.”6 Stanley labels the Old Testament stories as “myths” and causes many Christians to question their faith.7 Recently, Stanley hosted the Unconditional Conference, aimed at parents of LGBTQ+ children. Christian apologist and associate pastor Sam Allberry pointed out that two of the speakers were “married gay men” who identify as “Christ-followers.”8 At the conference, Stanley suggested that same-sex relationships could be considered acceptable and that people in homosexual relationships can still live in obedience to Christ by remaining faithful and chaste in these same-sex relationships.
Robert P. Sellers, a professor of theology and missions emeritus at Hardin-Simmons University’s Logsdon Seminary in Abilene, Texas, advocates for Christians to accept the sinful lifestyles of LGBTQ+ individuals. Sellers argues that upholding Christian truth, the gospel, and the Bible is “unkind” to LGBTQ+ individuals due to its dogmatic adherence to moral absolutes. Dr. Sellers believes that Christians who affirm that a person’s gender is determined by their God-given biological sex exemplify a “shameful history of Christian rejection of same-sex relations.”9
Susan Shaw, a senior columnist for the online news outlet Baptist News Global and a Southern Seminary graduate, says that Christians should support “reproductive justice, including abortion.”10 She supports Kamala Harris because she’ll “protect reproductive access,” says Shaw.11 Trump, of course, is an anti-abortion extremist, and measures that oppose abortion are considered “draconian,” according to Shaw.12 Shaw and counterfeit Christians like her ask this asinine question: “Is opposition to abortion really the Christian stance?” She answers, “I’d argue, no. In fact, I’d say Christians actually should support reproductive justice.”13
The compromised state of Christianity in America offers no true alternative to the world. With representatives like Andy Stanley, Robert Sellers, Susan Shaw, and many like them, the church often does more harm than good. This is the outcome of several decades of the seeker-sensitive movement. We have taught Christians to be non-judgmental, kind, and accepting, training them to remove any offensive language from the gospel and to present a loving, patient, but ineffectual Jesus—a great buddy but a poor Savior. We’ve diluted the message, enhanced our churches’ entertainment appeal, and swung the gate to hell wide open, with many beginning their journey on the broad road through the front doors of America’s churches.
If you’re on the frontlines of this battle and feel as the prophet Elijah did in 1 Kings 19:10—like you are the only one left fighting for righteousness, truth, and the honor of Christ—and at times feel hopeless and tempted to give up, know that you’re not alone. I hear you, and so does the Lord. Endure with faithfulness. Revelation reminds us that Christianity is a call to sacrifice everything we hold dear for the surpassing glory of Jesus Christ. Though our reality may be filled with adversity and suffering, we trust in the goodness of our victorious Savior, who alone holds all power and authority over Satan, nations, and sin. It is the Lord we fear, worship, and honor. Our earthly days may grow dark, but the light of Scripture will always guide our path. Hold fast.
Ryan T. Anderson, Ph.D., “Sex Reassignment Doesn’t Work. Here Is the Evidence,” The Heritage Foundation, March 9, 2018, https://www.heritage.org/gender/commentary/sex-reassignment-doesnt-work-here-the-evidence.
Philip J. Cheng, Alexander W. Pastuszak, Jeremy B. Myers, Isak A. Goodwin, and James M. Hotaling, “Fertitlity Concerns of the Transgender Patient,” Translational Andrology and Urology, vol. 8, no. 3, June 27, 2019, https://tau.amegroups.org/article/view/26091/24253.
Fan Liang, M.D. and Andrew Jason Cohen, M.D., “Vaginoplasty for Gender Affirmation,” John Hopkins Medicine, https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-therapies/vaginoplasty-for-gender-affirmation.
Stan J. Monstrey, Peter Ceulemans, and Piet Hoebeke, “Sex Reassignment Surgery in the Female-to-Male Transsexual,” Seminars in Plastic Surgery, August 25, 2011, from the National Library of Medicine, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3312187/#:~:text=The%20two%20major%20sex%20reassignment,erection%20prosthesis%20can%20be%20inserted, doi: 10.1055/s-0031-1281493.
TAU, “Fertility Concerns,” 2019.
Andy Stanley, “Aftermath-Part 1: Stand Alone,” accessed July 8, 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmoTAtH3zus.
Polemics Report, “Andy Stanley on the Bible’s Inerrancy (or lack thereof),” accessed July 8, 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyAW8E6iERw&t=4s.
Sam Allberry, “Andy Stanley’s ‘Unconditional’ Contradiction,” 08/04/23, accessed 12/13/23, https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2023/october-web-only/andy-stanley-unconditional-conference-theology-lgbt.html.
Robert P. Sellers, “Let’s show Christian kindness to LGBTQ people and their advocates,” Baptist News Global, April 10, 2023, https://baptistnews.com/article/lets-show-christian-kindness-to-lgbtq-people-and-their-advocates/.
Susan M. Shaw, “Why Christians Should Support Reproductive Justice, Including Abortion Access.” Baptist News Global, August 25, 2024, https://baptistnews.com/article/why-christians-should-support-reproductive-justice-including-abortion-access/?utm_source=Baptist+News+Global+Contacts&utm_campaign=118604dcfe-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_07_02_05_19_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_dd0edff639-118604dcfe-54662584.
Shaw, “Why Christians Should Support Reproductive Justice, Including Abortion Access,” 2024.
Shaw, “Why Christians Should Support Reproductive Justice, Including Abortion Access,” 2024.
Shaw, “Why Christians Should Support Reproductive Justice, Including Abortion Access,” 2024.
Vito, thank you for your post. Though I take a very different view of Revelation in terms of the date and the hope (puritan reformed postmill view, global awakeing by preaching), I think we can agree on this: One day America will be no more, and the Kingdom of God will subsume everything.