A Four-Part Series
during the 80s, I was so young, I couldn’t tell you anything about Reaganomics except for what I studied in school. In fact, the very first president I truly remember was Bill Clinton. He was the 42nd president of the United States elected in 1992. Obviously, I was too young to vote for him but I remember I along with many of my peers considered him to be the “cool president.” I distinctly remember watching him play the saxophone on late night tv and watching him on MTV news answering questions posed by the youth of this country. The Bill Clinton era boasted a time of great economic affluence in the US. It was also during this time that technology began to transform our nation though widespread adoption of the Internet. However, his legacy was marred by the Monica Lewinsky and Paula Jones scandals with him being impeached in 1998 by the House but acquitted by the Senate.
43rd president. Times were changing and not for the good. What stands out the most during his presidency was of course the September 11 attacks in 2001. I remember working in the Enrollment Center at IUPUI and it is a day I will never forget. Our office was flooded with phone calls from terrified students and parents asking if the university would be on lockdown and what would happen to the city of Indianapolis. The 9/11 attacks led to the War on Terror, initiated by the Bush Administration. This war cost over $8 trillion and resulted in the deaths of over 929,000 people All of this, for weapons of mass destruction that were never found!
difficult to trust the government. Many people my age felt this way and not only because of the Iraq War but because of the 2008 financial crisis and the government’s handling of Hurricane Katrina. America was shifting towards darker times. It seemed that common good and intelligence, for that matter, was at an all time low with the leaders in this country. One mistake after another, and American was in a downward spiral. Although, still considered the most powerful nation in the world, America had weakened both politically and financially and this would continue to happen as years went on.
devastating effects on this entire world. This world is the modern day Babylon and America sits at the helm. And in order for people of God to rise from the ashes, Babylon must and will fall. These are the days of darkness. These are the days of Noah and Lot. Most of the saints are blind, deaf and asleep. But our church is awake and we must dig up the truth that has been buried. We must be watchmen, looking for the signs of the times and the falling away of this nation and the entire world. So I want to take you though the last 18 years of this country’s ever changing political landscape, placing emphasis on 3 presidents, Obama, Trump and Biden.
the time. If something were to happen to him it represents there is no longer any good in the system anywhere. With Trump, her dream revealed that evil was rising to power to destroy democracy and there was no good at all. In fact, it was the birth of a new system of wickedness making this president different from all before him. In her dream about Biden he represented the failure of good in the system. As we discuss each of these presidents we will see these dreams are now a reality.
On November 4, 2008, Barack Obama was elected to be the first African American President of the free world. He would be the 44th president to serve. I remember being glued to my couch in astonishment that a black man was going to be the most powerful man in the world. The day he was sworn into office, I recall being in grad school and the teacher let us watch his inauguration on TV. I was one of 2 black students in a predominately white classroom and I was in tears but they were tears of joy. You see, I got swept up into the wave of emotions that many others like me felt, not realizing the plan that God had.
climate in society had ushered in where relations between blacks and whites seemed to improve. Was there a glimmer of hope? Not even close. The reality is, the Lord put a spirit on the people in this country in order to put a Obama, a black man, into office. And this facade of acceptance in the US for African Americans would soon disappear shortly into his presidency.
evil in this country. The good provided God’s children with reprieve and the means to sustain and occupy on this earth. This is because of God’s mercy. However, the evil showed us that the world is falling away and the end is near. All of this is God’s will as He renders judgment measure by measure on America (2 Esdras 4: 37).
relationship with congress led to major legislative victories, including the Affordable Care Act and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for example. However, these key accomplishments were largely due to the fact that Democrats dominated both the House and the Senate at the time. And it should be mentioned that these bills received little to no support from the Republicans. Regardless, the Affordable Care Act or Obamacare as it is famously called, made health insurance more affordable and accessible with the national uninsured rate dropping to a record low of 7.7% At the core of this healthcare reform is the following:
Obamacare
funding to expand medicaid, thus extending coverage to nearly 20 million low income adults.
Banning insurance companies from denying coverage or charging higher premiums to people with pre-existing medical conditions.
Allowing young adults to remain on their parents' health insurance plans until they turn 26.
Preventing insurance companies from putting caps on the amount of care they will pay for over a patient's lifetime.
This healthcare bill benefited Americans, including the saints, many of which are amongst marginalized groups and the poor (Proverbs 19: 17).
There is also the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, passed in February 7, 2009. This bill included a whopping $787 billion economic stimulus package with the goal of creating jobs, providing temporary relief programs and investing in infrastructure, education and renewable energy. All of this done to combat the Great Recession. Some of the temporary relief programs of this act should be noted such as, expanded unemployment benefits, increased SNAP (food stamps) and the Medicaid fiscal relief. These policies, again, provided a safeguard for the poor and underprivileged. We can further see that though Obama was not a righteous man, it was the Lord that spearheaded these decisions through him so that the doors of mercy would remain open for His children and sons of men alike (Matthew 5: 45, Psalms 103: 13-14, Lamentations 3: 22-23,
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But what of the evil? President Barack Obama significantly advanced LGBTQ+ rights in the United States. In 2010, for example, he signed the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell Repeal Act,” allowing the LGBTQ+ community to serve openly in the US Military. The repeal of DOMA was in 2011. DOMA, also known as the Defense of Marriage Act was a 1996 U.S. federal law that defined marriage exclusively as a union between a man and a woman, as it should be according to the law of God (Genesis 2: 24). Obama’s administration deemed this law to be unconstitutional. This helped pave the way for equal marriage recognition for sodomites. And by 2012, Obama publicly supported and endorsed equal marriage rights for same-gender couples, becoming the first sitting US president to do so. During 2015, Obama touted that the Supreme Court decision that legalized same-gender marriages nationwide, was in fact, a victory for this country. In other words, he helped opened the floodgates for sodomy! This was abominable and showed that we were and continue to live in the Days of Lot and it is getting worst (Luke 17: 28-30). It also shows that there is a famine of truth in this world.
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“And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.” Luke 17:26 - 28
“Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it.”
Notably towards the end of Obama’s first term, race relations continued to strain as police brutality against blacks increased. Though this is not something that President Obama brought on himself, it is important to mention as it showcases the amount of hate and violence that increased in this country. Remember, we are living in the Days of Noah. For example, in 2012, Trayvon Martin, an African American teen, was walking home from a trip to a convenience store and was fatally shot by a Hispanic male by the name of George Zimmerman in Sanford, FL. Zimmerman, a member of the community watch, saw Martin and reported him to the Sanford Police as suspicious. An altercation happened and Zimmerman fatally shot Martin in the chest. This was obviously a hate crime yet Zimmerman was acquitted of the charges, prompting the establishment of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement in 2013. The BLM movement continued to gain enormous traction in 2014, going from primarily online to the streets, following the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and the chokehold death of Eric Garner in New York.
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During this time, the nation was very divided, especially between blacks and whites. Although there were whites who joined the BLM movement, many whites, particularly Republicans and the older demographic felt this group was dangerous. Instead, they showed little empathy for the black lives taken and showed high support for the police force, no matter the wrong they were doing.
Obama desperately tried to heal America, which is the capital of this world Babylon. But you see, Babylon could not be healed no matter how hard he tried. In Jeremiah 51: 8-9 “Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed: howl for her; take balm for her pain, if so be she may be healed. We would have healed Babylon, but she is not healed: forsake her, and let us go every one into his own country: for her judgment reacheth unto heaven, and is lifted up even to the skies.” Obama would soon find that his efforts to save this country would be futile as the political climate shifted and Republicans took control of Congress. This shift led to a divided government and clashes over the federal budget and debt ceiling, prompting Obama to bypass Capitol Hill in order to implement his policy goals.
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Despite these challenges, President Obama is considered to be a popular president, leaving office in January 2017 with nearly a 60% approval rating after serving 2 concurrent terms. To this day, he is considered to be the highest ranking political figure among US Adults, with Historians often ranking him as the 12th greatest president in US history. But in the eyes of God, he is merely a man and a tool used to help bring both good and evil to this country that still has an effect on us to this very day. Amen.
BY: ELISABETH TUNSTALL
Transition
of Power from Obama to Trump
Although Obama was considered a popular president, America’s perception of his administration was heavily divided strictly across party lines. Democrats argued that Obama created the longest run of job creation in US history, which helped stabilize the economy after the Great Recession of 2008. On the other hand, Republicans felt the economy was sluggish with slow GDP growth and heavy national debt. Blue collar workers in the Rust Belt, who are predominantly white, (stretching through western New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Michigan) suffered greatly from this recession and felt overlooked by Obama who focused more on recovery efforts for Wall Street Institutions. Collage graduates and young job seekers were also frustrated due to underemployment and felt abandoned by the Obama administration.
There was a sharp racial divide amongst youth perception of the former president. People of color overwhelmingly held favorable views of his administration. However, white millennials felt the Obama administration caused further racial tension and political divisiveness. Finally, the legalization of samegender marriage, the passage of the Affordable Care Act, and demographic shifts created fear among traditional, religious, and conservative voters that were also predominantly white. All of these factors contributed to Americans demanding change. People grew tired of the political elites and opted for a political outsider, hence the rise of Donald Trump.
Donald Trump’s First Term
Donald Trump is perhaps the most controversial politician known in US history. In fact, he did not even start out as a politician. He was a businessman born to wealth and a TV personality, particularly made famous on shows like the “Apprentice.” When he speaks, he is not polished like many politicians. Instead he is blunt, direct and off the script with no attempt to be politically correct. He often uses “America First” rhetoric to help further his appeal, particularly with white working class Americans, who make up 41% of the U.S. eligible electorate.
Trump defeated Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election. His win shook the nation and was totally unexpected by the media, political analysts and the public for that matter. But it was God that wanted Trump in office. On January 20, 2017, Donald J. Trump was sworn in as the 45th president.
President Trump’s first term (2017-2021) centered on shifting to more conservative policies. In 2017, he passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which lowered the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21% and doubled the standard deduction for individuals. The corporate tax cuts primarily benefited the rich and corporations, driving up the national deficit.
He also ensured a conservative majority in federal courts by appointing 200 federal judges and more notably appointing three Supreme Court Justices—Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett (From L to R the first 3 individuals in the photo standing up), which left a six-justice majority of Republican appointees in the current Supreme court. This shift in leadership has already significantly impacted issues that include the death penalty, abortion, racial equality, LGBTQ rights, church and state, gun rights, environmental protection and immigration.
For example, the 6 ruled that affirmative action in college and university admissions violates constitutional equal protection. This ruling disregards that racial inequality in society and college admissions exists. The ramification of this ruling means hindering minorities access to higher education. In New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen, the Six did away with the state’s more than century-old law which required a “proper cause” to carry a handgun outside the home. They deemed the state’s requirement as a violation of an individual’s Second Amendment right of firearm self-defense. But we have seen too many times what happens when guns get in the wrong hands. Studies consistently link increased firearm availability to higher rates of firearm homicide and suicide.
Trump weakened America’s foreign relations through imposed tariffs on allies and adversaries with the goal of reducing trade deficits. He also withdrew from the Trans-Pacific Partnership and successfully negotiated the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) to replace NAFTA, an agreement that was in existence for 26 years.
Trump’s stance on immigration has been highly controversial, revealing an aggressive and racist approach. He called for a complete ban on Muslims entering the country and he used disparaging remarks when referring to Mexican and Haiti immigrants as well as African Nations. He pushed for funding to construct a wall along the U.S.–Mexico border to curb illegal crossings and enhance border security. And nearly all unauthorized individuals became targets for deportation, threatening separation of families.
A major blunder in his presidency was during 2020 when the COVID pandemic began. Trump repeatedly downplayed the disease, often contradicting public health officials and what his own staff were saying. He admitted in an interview that he intentionally downplayed the effects of COVID to prevent panic but this of course did not work. Trump also faced medical and political pushback after suggesting that disinfectants and UV light were potential treatments for the COVID. With 377,883 deaths from COVID in US in 2020 alone, this country is still reeling from the long term effects of this disease.
One cannot discuss Trump’s presidency without mentioning his impeachment. He is in fact the only president in history that has been impeached on two separate occasions. The first impeachment stems from a phone call Trump made in 2019 to Ukraine's President, Volodymyr Zelensky. Allegedly, Trump wanted to leverage military assistance to Ukraine in exchange for an investigation into his political rival at the time, Joe Biden. This was deemed an abuse of power and obstruction to Congress. However, he was acquitted by the Sensate in 2020.
The second impeachment stemmed from the January 6 Capital Riot in 2021 where armed Trump supporters stormed the US Capital in protest of Joe Biden winning the election. They wanted to keep Trump in power by all means necessary and attempted to prevent a joint session of Congress from counting the Electoral College votes, thereby making official the victory of then president-elect Joe Biden. Trump used social media as a means to fan the flames and encourage his supporters to use violent tactics to keep him in office. In a matter of 36 hours, five people died and many people were injured, including 174 police officers. Within 7 months, 4 officers who responded to the attack died by suicide. The damage that resulted from the attack surpassed $2.7 million. This attack on Capital Hill is the only attempted overthrow of the federal government in the history of the United States. As a result, the House charged Trump with inciting insurrection against the government. Again, he was later acquitted by the Senate. Ultimately, Joe Biden took office on January 20, 2021. But this would not be the last time we would hear from Donald J. Trump.
Spiritually speaking, Trump, like Satan, opposes everything that God stands for. The Lord spreads love. Trump spreads hate and has given a voice to white supremacist groups and racists throughout the country. The Lord promotes unity amongst brethren and is a God of order and peace. Trump promotes chaos and disrupts the peace as we could see with him encouraging the January 6 Capital Riot. He also has spread division within the US, promoting tension between racial groups and has further isolated this country by creating less than harmonious relations with foreign nations. God spreads truth. Trump, like his father the devil, blatantly lies every time he opens his mouth. His supporters are quite fanatic and believe whatever he says, whether true or not. A spirit has been placed on the people and as it says in 2 Thessalonians 2: 11-12, “And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” He is the modern day Pharaoh but we will shed more on this comparison when we discuss his second term on a different day. Amen.
BY: ELISABETH TUNSTALL
Joe Biden the 46th President tried to heal this country. Biden entered office amid the Covid-19 pandemic, an economic crisis and increased political polarization. He tried to revert some of the things the Trump administration did but ultimately his presidency failed.
Given Trump’s previous performance as president and the fact that he is a convicted felon, one would wonder how on earth did he get voted into office again. This of course was due to a spirit placed upon the people. However, lets dig further. Gallup polling shows that 54% of Americans viewed Biden’s presidency as “poor” and “below average.” In fact, 4 out of 10 Americans felt they were in a worse state financially than before the Biden administration. Also, historical polling showed a decline in positive views, especially among younger and minority demographics who supported him in the 2020 election. When he sought re-election, his performance during the June 2024 election sparked concerns over his age and cognitive ability to win the race. This served as the catalyst behind Biden dropping out of the race, as he received pressure from Democrats. Kamala Harris replaced Biden as the Democratic nominee. And though there was some excitement over the idea that a woman of color could be president, America was not ready for this, but most importantly, God did not want her in office. For the election of 2024, Trump’s win was massive. He won 312 Electoral College votes to Harris' 226.
In his first week of office, he dismantled Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs within the public and private sectors that advance equal opportunity. This prevents lawful efforts to use criteria based on race, color, religion, gender or national origin to hire individuals. This is simply an agenda based on division and hate.
To decrease federal spending and shrink the government he initiated a program called DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency). This resulted in massive layoffs of civil servants. Under the Trump administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations have increased greatly via the 2025 OBBBA (Omnibus Border and Border-Security Act). Trump has in fact increased the agency’s budget, pushing for mass deportations. There has been a lot of controversy surrounding ICE. Recently, an immigration enforcement program known as “Operation Metro Surge,” deployed thousands of ICE agents to the state of Minnesota. This lead to widespread arrests and fatal shootings by federal agents of civilian protestors including Renee Good and Alex Pretti. These fatal shootings igniting community protests with thousands of people taking to street to speak out against ICE and the Trump administration. Even state and local leaders began to heavily criticized Trump and the presence of ICE agents within Minnesota. Eventually, Trump agreed to draw down the operation by significantly decreasing the amount of ICE agents in this state.
Relations with foreign nations are further strained under the Trump administration. For example, he has imposed new tariffs, including a 10% tariff on imports from China. And most recently, he authorized strikes on Iranian nuclear sites as well as a major attack on Iran in February 2026. Recent attacks in Iran resulted in the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's Supreme Leader, plus dozens of top Iranian officials. This attack on Iran has also led to a regional fuel crisis with gas prices sky high.
AI is of particular interest and warrants discussion due to the current use of it in this country, particularly by President Trump. First lets provide a simple definition for AI. AI is computer technology designed to think and learn like humans. AI systems can process information, recognize patterns, solve problems, and make decisions on their own. Even if you are leery of technology and may not be the most savvy with it, you are likely using AI without even realizing it. For example, if you have a smartphone, AI is used for facial recognition features and smart digital assistants. Platforms, such as Netflix, use AI to recommend shows based on programs you have gravitated to in the past. Google Maps uses AI to calculate the fastest and most convenient routs by assessing traffic patterns in real-time. Companies frequently use Chatbots, which are virtual assistants, that can understand human language to enable automated customer service. These capabilities of AI serve as a convenience in society.
However, there is a dark side to AI, made evident through Trump, who uses AI as a primary form of communication and a political weapon. He has been known to post AI generated photos and fake videos to troll critics and political opponents on social platforms like Truth Social and X. For example, he posted a video of him being portrayed as a king flying in a jet labeled “King Trump” while dropping excrement on demonstrators. He posted a racist AI video, poking fun at the Obamas. There was recently a blasphemous photo of him circulating on the Internet with him being portrayed as Christ healing America. He also posted a video of throwing comedian, Stephen Colbert, who has been critical of the president, into a dumpster.
On the regulatory side, Trump values AI innovation over AI safety. Earlier in May of this year, Trump backed out of signing an executive order that would address safety concerns with AI. And he also scaled back safety regulations and constraints with AI that Biden put into place. He admitted that that he wanted to secure leadership over China in global AI Development. To date, Congress has not passed any legislation around AI so it is developing rapidly without any safety measures. This poses risk for the country and its citizens.
For instance, AI if left unchecked, can be used as a guide to hurt people. Only last year, a Phoenix Ikner went to Florida State University to commit a mass shooting. He wounded six people and killed two. It was later revealed that ChatGPT, an AI tool from OpenAI, had apparently fed his anger and encouraged him! There was also a recent incident at the University of South Florida that involved the murder of 2 graduate students, Nahida Bristy and Zamil Limon. A 26 year old Hisham Abugharbieh, was charged for allegedly asking chatbot about the disposal and discovery of a body. There is even growing concerns that AI will eventually be used to set-up military attacks or target banking systems of countries.
It should be mentioned that 46% of people view AI as negative while only 38% hold a positive view. And 65% of Americans, nearly twothirds, feel the government is not doing enough to regulate AI. However, this is being disregarded by the Trump administration.
I haven’t covered everything that Trump has done, otherwise, this class would be never-ending. But you can see the significant damage he has caused to this nation and how it impacts us thus far. In the previous lesson on Trump I talked about how he opposes everything that God stands for, drawing a comparison between him and Satan. I now want to discuss how he is liken to a modern day Pharaoh, with Egypt being this world. Recall how Egypt was systematically destroyed plague by plague, as the foolish king repeatedly hardened his heart and refused to submit to God. Instead, Pharaoh thought of himself as God, yet he was unable to preserve Egypt from God’s judgment. Pharaoh did not realize he was merely a puppet and a tool God used to punish Egypt for what they did to his people and to show his power. In Romans 9: 17, “For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.”
God is rendering judgement on this world, starting with America. We use the time with Pharaoh in Egypt to draw a parallel to what we are experiencing now. Trump is like a dictator and in his arrogance and pride, he feels he is exempt from the laws of the land. Like Pharaoh, his heart is hardened and he will not listen to sound advice. He thinks he is like God and it is through his power alone that America can be healed. He wants to make America great again or shall we say white again by using a racist, misogynistic and hyper-nationalist approach. But little does he know, the very country he loves is being destroyed because of policies he has put in to place. Who knows what he will do next. But we must continue to be watchmen, waiting for this country to the fall, so that we can rise and gain eternal salvation. Amen.
BY: ELISABETH TUNSTALL
AI Generated photo of President Trump with 2 dictators. On the right, Mobutu Sese Seko, now deceased, was ruler of the nation formerly known as Zaire. On the left is, ILham Aliyev, ruler of Azerbaijan.
