Thread by @TaylorMatthewD

I know Trump's rally at MSG got lots of press attn for its fascistic undertones, but the most fascistic thing to happen this week in Trump world -- in my view -- is this prophecy spoken over Trump by Messianic rabbi Jonathan Cahn at a relig ldrs event. 1/

You'll need some context to understand what he's saying in this prophecy, but I promise: When you understand the message he's conveying to Trump & to this audience, it's chilling.

1st, who is Jonathan Cahn?

He's mostly likely the most famous Messianic Jew in America today. 2/

Cahn has so many NY Times bestselling books, he's probably 1 of the most-read & most-followed religious figures in the entire U.S., but he's gotten little mainstream media attention.

Notable exception: this 2019 profile by @skestenbaum in @NYTimes. 3/
nytimes.com/2019/03/15/nyr…

Messianic Judaism is a relig movt that claims to straddle the space b/w Christianity & Judaism, but most Christians accept them as Christians & most Jews do not accept them as Jews.

I did a whole 5-hour course on this (on YouTube) if you've got time. 4/

icjs.org/events/messian…

Also import. context here is that Messianic Judaism, in its Christian situatedness, is a mostly nondenominational charismatic movement.

So M. Judaism is playing in the same sandbox as televangelists, prophets, prosperity gospel, megachurches, & the New Apostolic Reformation. 5/

Cahn played an import. role in the leadup to Jan 6th by serving as keynote speaker at the Jericho March, a major mobilizing event for Christians.

If you want to go deep on Mess. Judaism & January 6th, I published an academic article on that this week. 6/

https://x.com/TaylorMatthewD/status/1851807335619989856

OK, now to this week's Trump prophecy:

Cahn is using a sort of prophetic typology here, drawing parallels between Donald Trump & the biblical king Jehu.

Jehu is hardly a name-brand Bible hero, so you might be forgiven if this story doesn't ring any bells for you. 7/

Jehu was the 9th cent BCE king of Israel. He was anointed king after the reign of Ahab & Jezebel, 2 of the most wicked & loathsome characters in the Christian Bible.

Ahab & Jezebel led Israel into idolatry, battled w/ prophets Elijah + Elisha, & persecuted godly Israelites. 8/

In charismatic circles, where these stories loom larger than life, the name "Jezebel" has become a byword -- code for dangerous feminism, promiscuity, LGBTQ rights, abortion, etc.

Charismatic prophets have lamented for decades how the "spirit of Jezebel" dominates the U.S. 9/

Trigger warning: what follows is Bible, but it's ghastly.

In the Jehu story (2 Kings 9-10), Ahab dies, Jehu is anointed king, but Jezebel's still alive.

So Jehu presides over Jezebel's annihilation. He has her servants throw her out of a tower & tramples her w/ his horse. 10/

Then wild dogs come & eat Jezebel's corpse. The message: Jezebel is so profane, so vile, that she must be reduced to dog s**t & all memory of her wiped out.

Many charismatics love this story. They spiritualize it.

Caution! Gross Jezebel art link:


11/jnesbit.com/store/p/the-en…

In other contexts, Cahn has made clear that, in his typology, if Trump is Jehu, then Harris is Jezebel.

Feeling those chills yet?

Cahn's Jehu prophecy was behind globally famous New Apostolic Reformation leader Ché Ahn's decree two weeks ago in DC. 12/

https://x.com/TaylorMatthewD/status/1845332688732877116

Ché Ahn cited Jonathan Cahn as he issued a decree (in NAR theology: a declarative prayer that commands heaven to act), that Trump/Jehu would win this election & Harris would be "cast out" like Jezebel.

This is as close as you get to a death threat on the VP w/o legal risk. 13/

All of this Jehu/Jezebel business is the backdrop to what Cahn prophesied to Trump this week, but he went further.

He says Trump is destined by God to follow "the template of Jehu." In other words, there's a biblical script for Trump's future. 14/

Cahn says: "God called you [Trump] to walk according to the template of Jehu, a warrior king. He called Jehu to make his nation great again. Jehu came to the capital city w/ an agenda to drain the swamp."

Now you ask, alert listener, how did Jehu "drain the swamp" in Israel? 15/

Well, here we must turn to 2 Kings 10. If you thought Jezebel's execution was merciless, get ready.

Jehu goes on a killing spree to cleanse the nation of the old regime. He slaughters all of Jehu & Jezebel's family & piles the heads of their children at the city gates. 16/

Hundreds of Israelites are killed, including all the religious leaders ("prophets of Baal") who supported Ahab & Jezebel.

This is the biblical "template" Jonathan Cahn is declaring it is Trump's destiny to enact "if [God] should now bring you to the height of power." 17/

Not for nothing: in these charismatic prophecy circles, the "prophets of Baal" are frequently equated w/ "the godless Left, media, & other haters of God" (a lá Dutch Sheets).

That's what comes to mind for Cahn's audience when he invokes this phrase. 18/

There's a 9-year heritage to these Trump prophecies that I describe in my book.

In 2016, the dominant biblical prophecy comparison w/ Trump was that he was "Cyrus," the Persian king who returned the Jews from exile.

It was a positive image of an unexpected secular savior. 19/

But as we close 2024's campaign (& esp. since Kamala entered the race), the dominant prophecy parallel in these circles has moved from Cyrus to Jehu.

It's no coincidence that these messages are landing now. This is the message Trump's theologizers want to lock in b4 Nov 5. 20/

These biblical invocations about Trump are so important, not only b/c they reveal the dark fantasies of some prophets.

The Bible shapes evangelicals' imaginations. Casting Trump as Jehu creates a permission structure for Xns accepting & embracing Trump’s promised violence. 21/

If Trump wins in this election, the Jehu "template" tells Trump’s Christian supporters: some real-world violence may be needed to purge America of her demons.

If Trump loses this election, particularly to Kamala Harris their "Jezebel," the Jehu template prescribes vengeance. 22/

Mind you, Kamala Harris is a Baptist Christian, not to mention a person who merits no comparison to Jezebel!

This is the sort of twisting of biblical imagery & theology you see when Christians accommodate fascism.

Lord help us for what comes next. 23/

I know that these stories sound obscure, but this is why we need more religious/biblical literacy in the ranks of American news reporters.

I have not seen any coverage that adequately sounds the alarm for how much violent discourse is growing among far-right Christians. 24/