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Earlier this year, President Donald Trump announced that on May 17, 2026, he plans to hold an event at the National Mall to rededicate America as one nation under God.
I understand why people feel hopeful. There is something in all of us that longs to see a nation turn back to God—to see righteousness restored, truth honored, and God recognized again in a public way.
I share that longing. I want to see revival, to see hearts truly changed and a genuine return to the Lord. Yet beside this hope stands an unavoidable, urgent concern:
The Holy Bible consistently shows that a nation cannot be dedicated—or rededicated—to the Lord without repentance.
This is not a light statement. It is a consistent pattern throughout the Holy Bible. No one comes to God while holding onto sin, ignoring it, or redefining it. There must be an honest acknowledgment of sin and a humbling before the holy God.
Without that, what appears to be a return is only outward; it is not real in the Lord’s sight.
When I think about what true national dedication looks like, my mind goes to 1 Kings 8, when King Solomon stood before Israel to dedicate the temple. That moment could have easily been framed as a celebration of achievement, something impressive and inspiring.
But Solomon spoke with humility. He publicly acknowledged sin, even saying, “for there is no man that sinneth not.” And he looked ahead, recognizing that when the people sinned—and they would—there was only one path back: repentance and confession. He pleaded with God that when the people turned back to Him with humility, God would hear from Heaven and forgive.
That entire moment was grounded in a sobering truth: Sin separates, and only turning to God restores.
When we compare that to what we are seeing today, the contrast is difficult to ignore. I find myself asking questions that I cannot easily set aside. Where is the acknowledgment of sin? Where is the call to repentance? Where is the humility before God?
If sin is not addressed and people are not unmistakably directed to the Lord Jesus Christ as the only way to the Father, then a true return to God is not taking place. At that point, the very heart of the gospel is missing: there is no clear emphasis on the blood of Jesus Christ, His death and resurrection, or the atonement that makes reconciliation with God.
A ceremony without the gospel of Jesus Christ is not dedication—it is appearance.
That is what makes this so serious: rededicating a nation to God demands more than words. It demands truth, humility, and people who realize their need for mercy and turn to Christ alone.
This is where the concern deepens.
By his own words over the past decade, Donald Trump has not spoken of repentance or a need for forgiveness. Instead, he has often expressed a mindset centered on personal goodness. In a 2016 interview, he said, “I like to be good. I don’t like to have to ask for forgiveness… I am good.”
That statement alone reveals a misunderstanding of the gospel, which begins not with our goodness but with our need for mercy.
In later years, a similar pattern of thought has continued: at times, he expresses uncertainty about Heaven, and at other times suggests that personal actions might somehow contribute to getting there. Even when speaking to Christians, he has on a number of occasions referred to faith in Christ in a way that distances himself from it, using phrases like “your religion” or “your God.”
Taken together, these statements do not reflect someone resting in Christ for forgiveness and submitting to Him as Lord, but someone trusting in personal effort.
I do not say that to attack him as a person. I say it because it matters.
Scripture shows us that those who call others to return to God must themselves walk in repentance. And when any man becomes the central figure in something described as a return to God, the concern is no longer small—it becomes serious.
What is even more troubling is how many speak of him in terms reserved for Christ alone, even using language that elevates him beyond the role of a political leader. Just this past week, on April 1st, at a White House Easter event, Paula White-Cain, one of Trump’s spiritual advisors, compared Trump to Christ Jesus, and not one preacher in the room spoke up to object.
Scripture repeatedly warns about placing our hope in man rather than in God. When people begin to transfer their trust, their expectation, and their hope from Christ to a man, something has gone deeply wrong.
This is why discernment is necessary.
The Holy Bible warns that in the last days there will not only be open rebellion against God, but also deception—something that appears close enough to truth that many will accept it without question. It speaks of a spirit of antichrist already at work in the world, a spirit that opposes Christ not always by open denial, but often by replacing truth with something more appealing, and leads people away from the heart of the gospel.
The Holy Bible warns of a falling away—an apostasy—before the revealing of the man of sin. That falling away is not a passive drifting; it is a movement away from truth and toward something else. And when I look around today, we see clear evidence of that movement. There are many churches where the new birth is no longer preached, where the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ are not central, and where sin is no longer addressed with clarity. In its place, the message often becomes one of comfort, prosperity, and a kind of unity that avoids doctrinal truths.
The result is a generation that may still use the name of Jesus, but no longer knows Christ as revealed in the Bible—and would struggle to discern the difference between the Christ of Scripture and a false one that only sounds right. This weak foundation has paved the way for the acceptance of another Jesus (2 Cor. 11:4).
That is why Scripture connects the falling away with what follows. Because people do not simply leave truth and remain neutral, they move toward something else. And over time, that “something else” does not stay secondary—it becomes their new foundation.
In recent years, many who have drifted from sound doctrine have also gravitated strongly toward Donald Trump. Despite serious concerns about his pride, self-exaltation, vileness, and the absence of repentance, he has been embraced, defended, and elevated by many as a righteous man.
What we are seeing often goes beyond political support. It reflects a deeper level of trust and expectation that should give us pause.
So, when I step back and consider what May 17, 2026 represents, I cannot see it as a true return to Jehovah God. At best, it is a ceremony. At worst, it reflects patterns that the Holy Bible already warned us about: patterns of dark influence, unholy elevation, and spiritual confusion that prepare hearts to accept what is not true.
The Bible makes it clear that such influence does not always come through conquering force. It can come through persuasion, appeal, and flattery that draws people in. But even then, there are always signs—attitudes, sinful patterns, and words—that reveal what is underneath.
That is why this moment requires careful discernment, not blind acceptance.
Throughout history, when God has brought true revival, it has come through the clear proclamation of biblical truth: through men and women who called people to repentance, who spoke clearly about sin, and who pointed directly to Jesus Christ as the only hope.
God does not use what is corrupt to produce what is pure. A tree does not bear both good fruit and vile fruit, and a fountain does not produce both bitter and sweet water.
In the same way, someone who rejects repentance cannot lead others into it, no matter how compelling he may appear.
At the end of all of this, the issue before us is not political—it is spiritual. A nation cannot return to God through ceremonies, vain words, or outward displays. It can only return through humility, through a recognition and forsaking of sin, and through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ alone.
Without that, there is no true return; only the appearance of one.
And that is why I cannot celebrate this moment.
Because when repentance is removed, when Christ is not clearly lifted up, and when a man begins to be elevated in ways that belong only to God, the danger is no longer distant.
It is already here.
RETURN TO ALL BLOGS
I understand why people feel hopeful. There is something in all of us that longs to see a nation turn back to God—to see righteousness restored, truth honored, and God recognized again in a public way.
I share that longing. I want to see revival, to see hearts truly changed and a genuine return to the Lord. Yet beside this hope stands an unavoidable, urgent concern:
The Holy Bible consistently shows that a nation cannot be dedicated—or rededicated—to the Lord without repentance.
This is not a light statement. It is a consistent pattern throughout the Holy Bible. No one comes to God while holding onto sin, ignoring it, or redefining it. There must be an honest acknowledgment of sin and a humbling before the holy God.
Without that, what appears to be a return is only outward; it is not real in the Lord’s sight.
When I think about what true national dedication looks like, my mind goes to 1 Kings 8, when King Solomon stood before Israel to dedicate the temple. That moment could have easily been framed as a celebration of achievement, something impressive and inspiring.
But Solomon spoke with humility. He publicly acknowledged sin, even saying, “for there is no man that sinneth not.” And he looked ahead, recognizing that when the people sinned—and they would—there was only one path back: repentance and confession. He pleaded with God that when the people turned back to Him with humility, God would hear from Heaven and forgive.
That entire moment was grounded in a sobering truth: Sin separates, and only turning to God restores.
When we compare that to what we are seeing today, the contrast is difficult to ignore. I find myself asking questions that I cannot easily set aside. Where is the acknowledgment of sin? Where is the call to repentance? Where is the humility before God?
If sin is not addressed and people are not unmistakably directed to the Lord Jesus Christ as the only way to the Father, then a true return to God is not taking place. At that point, the very heart of the gospel is missing: there is no clear emphasis on the blood of Jesus Christ, His death and resurrection, or the atonement that makes reconciliation with God.
A ceremony without the gospel of Jesus Christ is not dedication—it is appearance.
That is what makes this so serious: rededicating a nation to God demands more than words. It demands truth, humility, and people who realize their need for mercy and turn to Christ alone.
This is where the concern deepens.
By his own words over the past decade, Donald Trump has not spoken of repentance or a need for forgiveness. Instead, he has often expressed a mindset centered on personal goodness. In a 2016 interview, he said, “I like to be good. I don’t like to have to ask for forgiveness… I am good.”
That statement alone reveals a misunderstanding of the gospel, which begins not with our goodness but with our need for mercy.
In later years, a similar pattern of thought has continued: at times, he expresses uncertainty about Heaven, and at other times suggests that personal actions might somehow contribute to getting there. Even when speaking to Christians, he has on a number of occasions referred to faith in Christ in a way that distances himself from it, using phrases like “your religion” or “your God.”
Taken together, these statements do not reflect someone resting in Christ for forgiveness and submitting to Him as Lord, but someone trusting in personal effort.
I do not say that to attack him as a person. I say it because it matters.
Scripture shows us that those who call others to return to God must themselves walk in repentance. And when any man becomes the central figure in something described as a return to God, the concern is no longer small—it becomes serious.
What is even more troubling is how many speak of him in terms reserved for Christ alone, even using language that elevates him beyond the role of a political leader. Just this past week, on April 1st, at a White House Easter event, Paula White-Cain, one of Trump’s spiritual advisors, compared Trump to Christ Jesus, and not one preacher in the room spoke up to object.
Scripture repeatedly warns about placing our hope in man rather than in God. When people begin to transfer their trust, their expectation, and their hope from Christ to a man, something has gone deeply wrong.
This is why discernment is necessary.
The Holy Bible warns that in the last days there will not only be open rebellion against God, but also deception—something that appears close enough to truth that many will accept it without question. It speaks of a spirit of antichrist already at work in the world, a spirit that opposes Christ not always by open denial, but often by replacing truth with something more appealing, and leads people away from the heart of the gospel.
The Holy Bible warns of a falling away—an apostasy—before the revealing of the man of sin. That falling away is not a passive drifting; it is a movement away from truth and toward something else. And when I look around today, we see clear evidence of that movement. There are many churches where the new birth is no longer preached, where the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ are not central, and where sin is no longer addressed with clarity. In its place, the message often becomes one of comfort, prosperity, and a kind of unity that avoids doctrinal truths.
The result is a generation that may still use the name of Jesus, but no longer knows Christ as revealed in the Bible—and would struggle to discern the difference between the Christ of Scripture and a false one that only sounds right. This weak foundation has paved the way for the acceptance of another Jesus (2 Cor. 11:4).
That is why Scripture connects the falling away with what follows. Because people do not simply leave truth and remain neutral, they move toward something else. And over time, that “something else” does not stay secondary—it becomes their new foundation.
In recent years, many who have drifted from sound doctrine have also gravitated strongly toward Donald Trump. Despite serious concerns about his pride, self-exaltation, vileness, and the absence of repentance, he has been embraced, defended, and elevated by many as a righteous man.
What we are seeing often goes beyond political support. It reflects a deeper level of trust and expectation that should give us pause.
So, when I step back and consider what May 17, 2026 represents, I cannot see it as a true return to Jehovah God. At best, it is a ceremony. At worst, it reflects patterns that the Holy Bible already warned us about: patterns of dark influence, unholy elevation, and spiritual confusion that prepare hearts to accept what is not true.
The Bible makes it clear that such influence does not always come through conquering force. It can come through persuasion, appeal, and flattery that draws people in. But even then, there are always signs—attitudes, sinful patterns, and words—that reveal what is underneath.
That is why this moment requires careful discernment, not blind acceptance.
Throughout history, when God has brought true revival, it has come through the clear proclamation of biblical truth: through men and women who called people to repentance, who spoke clearly about sin, and who pointed directly to Jesus Christ as the only hope.
God does not use what is corrupt to produce what is pure. A tree does not bear both good fruit and vile fruit, and a fountain does not produce both bitter and sweet water.
In the same way, someone who rejects repentance cannot lead others into it, no matter how compelling he may appear.
At the end of all of this, the issue before us is not political—it is spiritual. A nation cannot return to God through ceremonies, vain words, or outward displays. It can only return through humility, through a recognition and forsaking of sin, and through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ alone.
Without that, there is no true return; only the appearance of one.
And that is why I cannot celebrate this moment.
Because when repentance is removed, when Christ is not clearly lifted up, and when a man begins to be elevated in ways that belong only to God, the danger is no longer distant.
It is already here.
RETURN TO ALL BLOGS
