Trump and Jerusalem
Anybody who naively imagines that disputes over the interpretation of prophecy are of no more than academic interest need look no further than the news coming out of Washington and Israel tonight to see the folly of such a 'misunderestimation'.
No doubt Trump was advised by his 'evangelical' supporters that declaring Jerusalem the capital of Israel and relocating the US embassy there is an essential prerequisite for the fulfilment of OT prophecy a la dispensational eschatological 'sequencing'.
Leaving aside the potential for a Middle East conflagration arising from such ill-advised hubris - as if the divine will requires the assistance of a POTUS before it can make any further progress - the premise itself is based on a fundamentally flawed hermeneutic. Namely, the deeply entrenched but misguided belief that Israel is the focal point of OT prophecy rather than Jesus Messiah and the New Covenant He inaugurated in fulfilment of those same prophecies.
Division among Christians over these issues is one thing, but this time the proof thereof will be written in the blood of the protagonists if wiser counsels do not prevail. No, I'm afraid Trump is not about to lend God a helping hand, but he could well be instrumental in initiating another Middle-East conflict, if not WWIII.
I hafta wonder if Rainy would still back him in these circumstances.