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Arab Spring Is Now Targeting Algeria

Algeria’s Islamists, in the political wilderness since their last attempt to win power dissolved into civil war, are now trying again, galvanized by the success of their brethren elsewhere in north Africa in the wake of the Arab Spring.

Published

14 years ago

December 8, 2011

Geoffrey Grider

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(Reuters) – Algeria’s Islamists, in the political wilderness since their last attempt to win power dissolved into civil war, are now trying again, galvanized by the success of their brethren elsewhere in north Africa in the wake of the “Arab Spring”.

Riot policemen clash with university students from marching during a demonstration in which they demand political change in Algiers May 2, 2011. Credit: Reuters/Zohra Bensemra

Most Islamists in Algeria have been excluded from political life since the conflict, but in the past few months they have shown renewed signs of activity, much of it conducted from exile to dodge the attentions of the Algerian state.

They have set up a satellite television station based in Europe, sent delegations to Arab countries that saw revolutions this year, and made tentative forays into anti-government protests.

Their chances of success are slim: they are divided into rival ideological camps, hemmed in by the powerful Algerian security apparatus, and, most importantly, discredited in the eyes of many people by a conflict in which they took part and which killed an estimated 200,000 people.

But they see an opportunity in the upheavals of the “Arab Spring,” which have this year unseated entrenched secularist leaders. In neighboring Tunisia, a previously outlawed Islamist movement has come to power, while in Egypt Islamists have taken a strong early lead in multi-stage parliamentary elections.

“Tunisia was an example and launcher of this (Arab Spring) revolution,” said Abdullah Anas, a London-based member of the leadership council of the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS), which is banned in Algeria.

“It could be a very good example for Algeria.”

LEGACY OF VIOLENCE

Any Islamist revival in Algeria, an OPEC member and supplier of about a fifth of Europe’s imported gas, would have first to shed the burden of the country’s bloody history.

Twenty years ago, FIS was poised to win a legislative election, called after street protests forced the authorities to loosen their grip on power. FIS said it would impose an Islamic state.

The military-backed government stepped in to annul the election. The Islamists took up arms and Algeria slipped into a conflict of horrific violence. Civilians had their throats slit in the street; in the mornings, people woke up to find their towns littered with bodies.

A rump of Islamists, now operating under the banner of al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, is still fighting. They periodically ambush security forces in the countryside, kidnap Westerners and stage suicide bombings.

But the violence has subsided considerably. A huge security crackdown has rounded up thousands of insurgents. Others have laid down their arms and been granted an amnesty, in exchange for an undertaking to stay out of politics.

This legacy is the biggest obstacle to any comeback by Algeria’s Islamists.

“Since then (the conflict), the Islamist was no longer seen as a hero who stands up against tyranny,” said Soheib Bencheikh, a theologian who used to be the chief cleric at the mosque in Marseilles, France, where there is a large Algerian community.

“On the contrary, he became, in the eyes of public opinion, accountable for the pain and suffering of the people,” Bencheikh told Reuters.

A fear of a return to violence helps explain why Algeria has this year remained relatively calm while neighboring countries have been convulsed by unrest.

TV STATION

But the Islamists still believe that Algeria is ripe for change, and are beginning to take practical steps.

Starting in November, a group of exiled Islamists with links to FIS set up a Europe-based television station, called Rachad TV. Carried by the Atlantic Bird 7 and Nilesat satellites , the station can be picked up in Algeria, where most homes have a dish.

It broadcasts political and social programs where opposition leaders and activists — most of them harshly critical of the government — are invited to comment on Algeria.

At the top of the station’s homepage on the Internet, there is a link to show viewers “how to free your country”, and a second link to help them “organize and participate in unrest.”

The exiles say they are also building contacts with other countries where “Arab Spring” revolts have propelled Islamists into a position of power.

Rachad says on its website that it sent a delegation to Libya in late September to meet officials in the new government, in which Islamists have a prominent role.

Abdullah Anas, the exiled Islamist in London, said there had also been contacts with Rachid Ghannouchi, the head of the moderate Islamist Ennahda party. Since an election in October his party leads Tunisia’s coalition government.

Tunisia’s experience had proved that it is possible to open up the political space in north Africa, said Anas.

“Everyone in Algeria must understand that Algeria has room for all … no matter what opinions you have,” he said, calling for a lifting of political curbs and the possibility of power-sharing between previously antagonistic groups.

SALAFISTS STIRRING

Inside Algeria, the most influential Islamist force are the Salafists, followers of an ultra-purist interpretation of Islam. Unlike the FIS, they are tolerated by the Algerian state because their creed forbids participation in politics.

When Algeria was shaken at the beginning of this year by protests sparked by a spike in food prices, the spiritual leader of the Algerian Salafists, Abdelmalek Ramdani, who lives in Saudi Arabia, issued a religious decree.

It said: “As long as the commander of the nation is a Muslim, you must obey and listen to him. Those who are against him are just seeking to replace him, and this is not licit.”

Nevertheless, there are stirrings of political activity by some Salafist preachers.

Sheikh Abdelfateh Zeraoui, a former FIS member and now a well-known Salafist preacher in the Algerian capital, issued a declaration in October saying the government had to enact urgent reforms.

“Political reforms allowing us to have free political activity are key to the stability of the country. Without reforms the country may explode,” the declaration stated.

The preacher has also tried to organize protest marches in the capital, but these have been blocked by the security forces. “We have been barred from politics,” he told Reuters.

The fact that Algerian Islamists are divided dilutes their ability to stage a comeback, said Mohamed Mouloudi, an editor and specialist on Islam.

“They are no longer speaking with one voice,” Mouloudi told Reuters.

“You have the Salafists, the Muslim brotherhood, and the Djaz’airists,(who give priority to Algerian religious traditions) among others,” he said. “You have those who are for a political action, and those who consider political action as illicit.”

SUCCESSION DEBATE

Even so, a debate is now under way in earnest within the Algerian ruling elite, for the first time since the conflict began 20 years ago, about giving Islamists a role in politics.

The focus for that debate — which, like much of Algerian politics, is conducted behind closed doors — is the question of who will succeed President Abdelaziz Bouteflika when his final term ends in 2014.

One camp within the elite is backing Abdelaziz Belkhadem, a former prime minister and secretary general of the ruling FLN party. He is a secularist but is trusted by the Islamists. Opposing him is a camp of hardline secularists who have backing from the powerful security forces.

Friction spilled out into the open when a group of Belkhadem opponents inside the FLN launched a campaign to have him removed from the party leadership.

“It will be wise to promote a man like Abdelaziz Belkhadem who has good ties with Islamists as well as with decision makers inside the regime,” said Mohamed Lagab, a secularist academic at Algiers university.

“Decision makers should take into account that North Africa will be ruled by Islamists ,” said Lagab. source – Reuters

Related Topics:Algeria arab Islamists spring

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THE BIBLE BELIEVERS SUNDAY SERVICE: The 5 Mothers Mentioned In The Messianic Line Of Jesus

Published

14 hours ago

May 10, 2026

Geoffrey Grider

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The 5 Mothers In The Messianic Line Of Jesus Show That God’s Promise Was Preserved By Grace And Fulfilled In Jesus Christ

Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus Christ does something startling and deliberate when it identifies Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, and Mary. In a record dominated by fathers and sons, the Holy Spirit stops the reader and shines a light on five mothers whose stories preach the mercy, sovereignty, and prophetic precision of God. Thamar reminds us that the promise of God survives the failure of men. Rachab shows that saving faith can reach into a doomed Gentile city and pull out a sinner marked for mercy. Ruth stands as the redeemed Gentile bride brought under the wings of the God of Israel through the kinsman redeemer. Bathsheba, identified not by name but as “her that had been the wife of Urias,” keeps David’s sin in the record and proves that Bible truth does not whitewash its heroes. Then Mary appears, not as an object of worship, but as the chosen virgin vessel through whom “Jesus, who is called Christ” entered the world according to the scriptures.

“And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.” Matthew 16:1 (KJB)

Together, these five mothers declare that the line of Christ was never preserved by human purity, religious respectability, or spotless family history. It was preserved by the faithfulness of God. There is scandal in the line, Gentile blood in the line, widowhood in the line, failure in the line, sorrow in the line, and finally a virgin birth at the end of the line. That is not an accident; that is doctrine in genealogic form. God is showing us that the Saviour did not come from a sanitized human record, but into the very ruin He came to redeem. Every mother in that line points beyond herself to the promised Seed, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham, and the Son of God. The glory is not in the bloodline itself, but in the Christ who fulfilled it, entered it, and rose above it.

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SUNDAY SERVICE STUDY NOTES: The 5 Mothers In The Messianic Line

The 5 Mothers In The Messianic Line

The Old Testament Mothers In The Line Of Christ

1). Tamar: The Mother Of Phares

Matthew’s Chronology

“And Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar; and Phares begat Esrom; and Esrom begat Aram;” Matthew 1:3 (KJB)

Old Testament Corresponding Verse

“And it came to pass in the time of her travail, that, behold, twins were in her womb. And it came to pass, when she travailed, that the one put out his hand: and the midwife took and bound upon his hand a scarlet thread, saying, This came out first. And it came to pass, as he drew back his hand, that, behold, his brother came out: and she said, How hast thou broken forth? this breach be upon thee: therefore his name was called Pharez. And afterward came out his brother, that had the scarlet thread upon his hand: and his name was called Zarah.” Genesis 38:27-30 (KJB)

Synopsis

Tamar’s story is one of failure, shame, and family disorder, yet God brings Pharez through that broken situation. Matthew reaches back into Genesis 38 and names her because the Holy Spirit is showing that the Messianic line of Christ is preserved by God’s promise, not by man’s perfection. Pharez is the child of Judah, from whose line Jesus will come, and Tamar Judah’s daughter-in-law who is the first prostitute mentioned in the Bible. Israel is typified in throughout the Old Testament as a harlot that wanders away from God. “…but thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith the LORD.” Jeremiah 3:1 How fitting it is that the first mother mentioned in the Messianic line “plays the harlot” as well. In spite of these rough beginnings, God will show grace and mercy, and ultimately, blessing.

2). Rahab: The Mother Of Boaz

Matthew’s Chronology

“And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse;” Matthew 1:5 (KJB)

Old Testament Corresponding Verse

“And Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her father’s household, and all that she had; and she dwelleth in Israel even unto this day; because she hid the messengers, which Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.” Joshua 6:25 (KJB)

Synopsis

Rahab was brought out of a city marked for judgment and brought into Israel. Matthew names her in the line of Christ to show the reach of God’s mercy. She was a Gentile, a sinner, and a woman from Jericho, yet faith brought her into the covenant people and into the Messianic line.

“And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.” Isaiah 49:6 (KJB)

“But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not. Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.” Matthew 21:28-31 (KJB)

3). Ruth: The Mother Of Obed

Matthew’s Chronology

“And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse;” Matthew 1:5 (KJB)

Old Testament Corresponding Verse

“And let thy house be like the house of Pharez, whom Tamar bare unto Judah, of the seed which the LORD shall give thee of this young woman. So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife: and when he went in unto her, the LORD gave her conception, and she bare a son.” Ruth 4:12, 13 (KJB)

Synopsis

Ruth is the redeemed Gentile bride brought into Bethlehem by providence and joined to Boaz, the kinsman redeemer. Her son Obed becomes the grandfather of David. This is one of the clearest Old Testament pictures of redemption, inheritance, and grace reaching outside Israel while still flowing through Israel’s covenant line.

4). Bathsheba: The Mother Of Solomon

Matthew’s Chronology

“And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias;” Matthew 1:6 (KJB)

Old Testament Corresponding Verse

“And David comforted Bathsheba his wife, and went in unto her, and lay with her: and she bare a son, and he called his name Solomon: and the LORD loved him.” 2 Samuel 12:24 (KJB)

A second Old Testament confirmation is found in Chronicles:

“And these were born unto him in Jerusalem; Shimea, and Shobab, and Nathan, and Solomon, four, of Bathshua the daughter of Ammiel:” 1 Chronicles 3:5 (KJB)

Synopsis

Matthew does not call her Bathsheba by name, but says “her that had been the wife of Urias.” That is deliberate. The Holy Spirit keeps David’s sin in view while still showing that God’s royal promise moved through Solomon. Bathsheba’s place in the line does not erase David’s sin; it magnifies God’s mercy and faithfulness.

Summary Table

Mother	Matthew Reference	Old Testament Reference	Son In The Line
Tamar	Matthew 1:3	Genesis 38:27-30	Phares / Pharez
Rahab	Matthew 1:5	Joshua 6:25	Booz / Boaz
Ruth	Matthew 1:5	Ruth 4:13-22	Obed
Bathsheba	Matthew 1:6	2 Samuel 12:24; 1 Chronicles 3:5	Solomon

Closing Thoughts

These Old Testament verses show that Matthew’s genealogy is not floating by itself. It is rooted in the Hebrew Scriptures, line upon line, mother by mother, promise by promise.

Tamar shows grace overruling personal failure.
Rahab shows faith spared from judgment.
Ruth shows the Gentile bride redeemed by the kinsman.
Bathsheba shows mercy operating after sin has been exposed.

And all of it points forward to Jesus, who is called Christ.

The New Testament Mother In The Line Of Christ

5). Mary: The Virgin Mother Of Jesus Christ

Main Text

“And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.” Matthew 1:16 (KJB)

Synopsis

Mary is different from the other women in the genealogy. The verse does not say Joseph begat Jesus. It says Joseph was “the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.” That wording protects the virgin birth and shows that Jesus Christ is not the natural son of Joseph.

“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14 (KJB)

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 (KJB)

“And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.” Luke 1:46,47 (KJB)

MUST READ: The Real Mary In The Bible Was A Sinner Who Trusted In The Salvation Of The Lord

Mary is blessed among women, not above women. Mary is chosen by God to bear the Messiah according to the flesh. But she is not divine, not sinless, not a mediatrix, and not an object of worship. She is the chosen vessel, a servant. Christ is the Saviour. Mary’s place in the line brings the genealogy to its glorious end. The promise to Abraham, the throne of David, the prophetic expectation, and the Messianic line all arrive at Jesus Christ.

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Conspiracy Theory

The Real Reason That They Now Hate The Time-Honored CI Scofield Study Bible Is Because It Defends Israel’s Future And The Right Division Of Scripture

Published

2 days ago

May 9, 2026

Geoffrey Grider

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The Rothschild-Funded Scofield Study Bible Myth Is A Smear Designed To Attack Dispensational Truth, Rightly Dividing And God’s Future For Israel

There is a fresh round of online Bible “discernment” making the rounds, and like most of what passes for discernment on social media, it comes wrapped in just enough historical trivia to sound impressive, and just enough conspiratorial fog to keep people from asking for actual evidence. The claim is that the time-honored Scofield Reference Bible was secretly funded by the Rothschild banking family in order to create a pro-Israel, pro-Zionist, dispensational Bible that would deceive generations of Christians. That is a very serious charge. It is also a very serious charge that collapses and evaporates the moment you ask one simple question – where is the proof?

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” 2 Timothy 3:16,17 (KJB)

The documented publishing history of the Scofield Reference Bible is not hidden. The first edition appeared in 1909 through Oxford University Press, and the 1917 edition is listed by the Library of Congress as published by “Oxford university press, American branch.” Oxford University Press itself is not some Rothschild front operation; Oxford describes OUP as “a department of the University of Oxford.” So where did the Rothschild story come from? From inference. From insinuation. From anti-dispensational writers connecting Scofield to elite circles, then connecting elite circles to Jewish financiers, then connecting Jewish financiers to Zionism, then dragging in the Rothschild name because it gets clicks. That is not history. That is guilt by association wearing a trench coat.

MUST-READ: Tucker Carlson and John Rich attempt to smear CI Scofield and his KJV Study Bible

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The actual historical support behind Scofield’s work points not to the Rothschilds, but to Christian businessmen and Bible-believing associates such as Alwyn Ball and John T. Pirie, men connected with the Bible conference and Brethren-influenced world that helped spread dispensational Bible study in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. One historical account says Scofield was encouraged by Alwyn Ball and introduced to Oxford’s Henry Frowde, after which Oxford University Press took up the project. A 2025 fact-check likewise found the Rothschild-funding claim false and pointed instead to non-Jewish support behind the Scofield Bible’s preparation.

But let’s be very clear: we do not defend Scofield because Scofield was perfect. He was not. No Bible teacher is. We do not defend Scofield because his notes were inspired. They were not. We do not defend Scofield because a study Bible should replace personal Bible study. It should not. We defend Scofield for the right reason, because the central framework he helped popularize — rightly dividing the word of truth — is biblical.

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15 (KJB)

That is the verse the critics cannot get around. They can mock dispensationalism. They can sneer at prophecy charts. They can act like anyone who believes God has a future for Israel has been hypnotized by 20th-century politics. But the command to rightly divide did not come from C. I. Scofield, John Nelson Darby, Oxford University Press, or any banking family in Europe. It came from the Holy Ghost through the apostle Paul. The real issue is not Rothschild money. The real issue is Romans 11.

“I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.” Romans 11:1 (KJB)

That one verse detonates the whole replacement theology system. God has not cast away Israel. Israel is blinded in part, not erased. Israel is fallen, not finished. Israel is set aside nationally for a season, not dissolved into the Church.

“For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.” Romans 11:25 (KJB)

That is why Scofield is hated. Not because someone discovered a secret Rothschild receipt. Not because Oxford printed a Bible, and not because the man had connections. Scofield is hated because his reference Bible helped millions of ordinary Bible believers see the difference between Israel, the Church, and the nations. It helped them understand that the Church does not inherit Israel’s earthly kingdom promises, that the Body of Christ is a revealed mystery, and that the Lord will catch out His Church before the time of Jacob’s trouble.

“Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” 1 Thessalonians 4:17 (KJB)

There it is. The catching away of the Church is not a Rothschild doctrine. It is Bible doctrine. Israel’s future restoration is not a Rothschild doctrine. It is Bible doctrine. The distinction between prophecy and mystery, law and grace, Israel and the Body of Christ, the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God — these are not inventions of a study Bible. They are truths found in the Book when the Book is believed as written.

Should we test Scofield’s notes? Absolutely. Every note in every study Bible must be judged by the pure words of God. Scofield was a commentator, not an apostle. His notes are not Scripture. But the crowd yelling “Rothschild!” is usually not calling people back to the King James Bible. They are often trying to herd Bible believers away from dispensational truth and back into covenant confusion, replacement theology, amillennial fog, or post-trib panic.

That is the sleight of hand. They pretend the issue is “Who funded Scofield?” when the real issue is “Do you believe Romans 11?”

The Scofield Reference Bible was not perfect, but it was used mightily because it pointed Bible believers to a framework that made sense of the Book without stealing Israel’s promises, flattening the dispensations, or forcing the Church into the time of Jacob’s trouble. The devil does not care if you own a Scofield Bible. He cares if you learn to rightly divide. That is where the attack is really aimed. So let the internet rage. Let the replacement theologians sneer, and let the prophecy mockers recycle their Rothschild memes. The born again Bible believer does not need a conspiracy theory to explain why God still has a future for Israel. We have the Scriptures, and the Scriptures are enough.

Some Fun Facts Connecting CI Scofield And DL Moody

1. Scofield helped with Moody’s St. Louis campaign shortly after his conversion.
Scofield was converted in 1879, and by that same period he was involved with Moody’s evangelistic work in St. Louis. One biographical summary says Scofield was assisting in Moody’s St. Louis campaign and serving with the St. Louis YMCA.

2. Moody later invited Scofield to speak at Northfield.
Moody’s Northfield conferences were a major platform for Bible teachers, evangelists, missionaries, and premillennial Bible students. Frank Gaebelein’s historical article says Moody recognized Scofield’s gifts and invited him to speak at the Northfield Conference.

3. Moody persuaded Scofield to leave Dallas and pastor Moody’s own church in East Northfield, Massachusetts.
This is probably the most important direct connection. In 1895, Scofield left his Dallas pastorate and became pastor of the Trinitarian Congregational Church in East Northfield, Massachusetts — Moody’s own church, connected with the Northfield and Mount Hermon schools. Gaebelein says this happened “at Moody’s insistence.”

4. Scofield’s Northfield pastorate also put him over the Northfield Bible Training School.
That role placed Scofield right inside the Bible-training world Moody had built. The Gaebelein article says the pastorate carried with it the presidency of the Northfield Bible Training School, and that Scofield remained at Northfield for seven years.

5. Scofield’s Bible correspondence course was later administered by Moody Bible Institute.
Dallas Theological Seminary’s Scofield Papers page notes that Scofield developed a Bible correspondence course later administered by Moody Bible Institute, and that he regularly spoke at Bible conferences including Niagara and Northfield. Gaebelein likewise says the course was later carried on by Moody Bible Institute and had been taken by large numbers of students.

6. Scofield presided at Moody’s funeral.
That detail shows the relationship was not merely institutional. It reflects Scofield’s standing in Moody’s circle near the end of Moody’s life.

Now The End Begins is your front line defense against the rising tide of darkness in the last Days before the Rapture of the Church

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“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJB)

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Donald Trump

MAGA Pastor Mark Burns Insists That Thursday’s Prayer Ceremony Over The Towering Golden Trump Statue Called ‘Don Colossus’ Was ‘Not Idolatry’

Published

2 days ago

May 9, 2026

Geoffrey Grider

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Christian MAGA Pastor Mark Burns Dedicates Towering Golden Trump Statue At Doral While Insisting The Political Graven Image Is ‘Not A Golden Calf’

There it is, standing under the Florida sun at Trump National Doral, a towering golden image of Donald Trump, raised up on a pedestal, unveiled with a public dedication ceremony, and then explained away by a Christian MAGA pastor who had to immediately assure everyone that this was “not a golden calf.” When you have to begin your ceremony by saying “this is not a golden calf,” you have already told us what it looks like. This is total preparation for lost people to be decieved when the man of sin is revealed, and the worship of his image will begin.

“And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.” Revelation 13:15 (KJB)

The statue called “Don Colossus,” reportedly stands 22 feet high including its pedestal, depicts Trump with his fist raised after the Butler assassination attempt, and was dedicated by Pastor Mark Burns at Trump National Doral in Miami. Burns insisted that the statue was not worship, saying it was about honor, resilience, freedom, patriotism, courage, and the hand of God over Trump’s life. My dad used to tell me when I was a kid, “don’t pee on my boots and tell me it’s raining”, and we can certainly apply that here. What do the Roman Catholics say about Mary? “We don’t worship her, we venerate her”. As Doc Ruckman used to say, “Oh yeah, man, that’s the business”.

BREAKING NEWS: Evangelical and Jewish religious leaders gather today in South Florida to pray over a golden statue of President Donald Trump called ‘Don Colossus’. This is IDOLATRY that needs to be both called out and condemned. Total preparation for the coming Antichrist. Flee… pic.twitter.com/wNc6LwL7fX

— Now The End Begins (@NowTheEndBegins) May 8, 2026

But this is not merely about a statue. It is about the Christianization of political personality worship, where patriotism is treated like piety, a political leader is framed in near-messianic language, and pastors who should be preaching Paul’s gospel are standing beside golden images explaining why it is not really what your Bible-trained eyes tell you it resembles. The issue is not whether God spared Donald Trump’s life. God is sovereign, and every man’s breath is in His hand. The issue is what men do with that mercy afterward. Do they point sinners to Jesus Christ, the crucified and risen Saviour? Or do they build a golden monument to the man, gather a crowd, dedicate it with religious language, and call it a movement? That is where the line is crossed.

NOW WOULD BE A GREAT TIME TO REFRESH YOURSELF WITH THE WARNINGS IN THIS BOOK, CLICK TO ORDER!!

This is the Laodicean church in full bloom: rich, political, image-driven, self-celebrating, and completely unable to discern how far it has drifted from New Testament Christianity. The Bible-believing Christian can thank God for preserving a life without turning that life into an icon. We can pray for rulers, as the Scripture commands, without polishing them into golden symbols. We can love our country without confusing America with the kingdom of God.

What happened at Doral is a warning sign. It shows just how deep the merger of evangelicalism, nationalism, celebrity politics, and end-times delusion has become. The pastor says it is not worship. Fine. But the optics are not neutral, the symbolism is not innocent, and the Bible is not silent. A golden image, a political strongman, a religious dedication, a crowd of admirers, and a pastor insisting it is not idolatry. We who believe The book have seen this movie before.