In 2016, Lance Wallnau told Charisma News that he had an “impression” when he met Trump in early 2016 that there was “an anointing on him.” As the story goes, Wallnau didn’t understand the impression at first, as he preferred other candidates at the time. But then he saw a Facebook meme that showed Trump as the 45th president. Around the same time, he felt prompted to read Isaiah 45, where verse 4 said: “I call you by your name, I name you, though you do not know me.” And by October of 2016, Wallnau was saying God was raising Donald Trump up like he did Cyrus in Isaiah 45.
Wallnau’s analogy of Trump as a Cyrus provoked both support and criticism. In October of 2016, Charisma Magazine said when he first stated God was raising up Trump as King Cyrus in Isaiah 45, “nearly everyone thought he was nuts.” Wallnau added he felt the Lord brought the term “common grace” to his attention when reading a Charles Colson book. He explained it was a term used by the Reformers to contrast with “saving grace,” meaning there was a basic understanding of God that influenced governments and societies even though the people with this common grace might not have experienced “saving grace.” Wikipedia is helpful here with its discussion of common grace.
Common grace is a theological concept in Protestant Christianity, developed primarily in Reformed (Calvinistic) thought, referring to the grace of God that is either common to all humankind, or common to everyone within a particular sphere of influence (limited only by unnecessary cultural factors). It is common because its benefits are experienced by, or intended for, the whole human race without distinction between one person and another. It is grace because it is undeserved and sovereignly bestowed by God. In this sense, it is distinguished from the Calvinistic understanding of special or saving grace, which extends only to the elect, those whom God has chosen to redeem. . . Common Grace is God working in the heart of the sinner to emulate the Christian life but not effectually saving that sinner.
It’s surprising that Wallnau didn’t know what common grace was, even if he only fellowshipped within charismatic circles from the time of his conversion. Charisma’s (or Wallnau’s) description of the Lord “telling” him the phrase common grace doesn’t give enough context to understand the point he was trying to make. It seems he was trying to say through common grace God can influence governments and societies even if the people in the government and society weren’t “saved,” which is a legitimate understanding of common grace.
In “What is common grace?” Got Questions described what is known as the three points of common grace. The first point pertains to the favorable attitude God has to all His creatures, not just to the elect. “Every breath that the wicked man takes is an example of the mercy of our holy God.”
The second point is the restraint of sin in the life of individual humans, saved or not, and in society. Not only does God restrain evil, He sovereignly releases it for His purposes. Citing Romans 1:28, Got Questions said: “He does so by releasing His restraint on their hearts, thereby giving them over to the sin that resides there.”
The third point means that without renewing a person’s heart, God can exercise such influence that even an unsaved person will perform good deeds towards others in the sense of civic righteousness by the unregenerate. “The necessity of God restraining the hearts of the unredeemed becomes clear when we understand the biblical doctrine of total depravity.” If God didn’t restrain the evil in human hearts, the human race would have destroyed itself centuries ago. “But because He works through common grace given to all men, God’s sovereign plan for history is not thwarted by their evil hearts. In the doctrine of common grace, we see God’s purposes stand, His people blessed, and His glory magnified.”
Wallnau seems to be saying the theological concept of common grace applies to Trump in this third sense: God exercises influence on political leaders like Donald Trump for His purposes. But that does not mean he was specially anointed like Cyrus was in Isaiah 45.
Cyrus as Shepherd and Māšîaḥ
In “Cyrus the Messiah,” retired pastor David Landegent noted where some conservative Christians try to justify their support for Donald Trump by comparing him to Cyrus, the Medio-Persian ruler who defeated the Babylonian Empire. “His most significant act in biblical history was reversing Babylon’s method of dealing with captives and conquered peoples.” Babylonian practice, illustrated in Scripture, was to deport the people of a conquered nation, particularly those in the military, and in political or religious leadership positions. Far from home, they would be too demoralized to organize a revolt. The people left in their conquered land would drift aimlessly, subject to the whims of their conquerors.
In contrast to the Babylonians, Cyrus was known for his tolerance of local cultures. He realized that the Babylonian approach resulted in an empire full of discontented people. When he conquered Babylon, Cyrus allowed the people to return to their homeland to worship the gods of their choice, fostering a more stable empire.
In Isaiah 44:28, the Lord said Cyrus was “my shepherd, and he will fulfill all my purpose.” Then in the next verse (45:1), He calls Cyrus “his anointed;” the only time a foreign ruler is so described in the Old Testament. Although Cyrus does not know the Lord, he was chosen to accomplish God’s redemptive purposes. Here is where Wallnau and others find a parallel between Trump and Cyrus. Although the president is not a Christian, they assert God is using Trump like God used Cyrus—”to accomplish good things.”
The Theological Word Book of the Old Testament said the Hebrew word translated as the anointed one in Isaiah 45:1 (māšîaḥ) poses some difficulties. If māšîaḥ is seen as an ideal, godly and upright king, Cyrus worshipped Marduk and other pagan deities. Nevertheless, Cyrus was appointed by the Lord for a definite task. “The Isaiah passage suggests that māšîaḥ be understood as one singled out or ‘chosen’ (bāḥar q.v.) for a task, characteristically one of deliverance—a deliverance of Israel from their Babylonian captors returning them to their homeland.”
Landegent noted sometimes rulers were instruments of God’s judgment. God could be using Trump as an instrument of judgment on the US, or the American Church “for the way we bow before the golden calf of political power.” Being an anointed messiah does not automatically mean that everything they do is God’s work. For example, David was anointed, but had a mixed record as a leader. He concluded:
Comparisons between Cyrus and President Trump are strained and inexact. But more importantly they are a distraction from our primary calling — to follow Jesus, the true and only Anointed One who calls us to share in his liberating ministry of good news.
Linking Donald Trump with Cyrus because of Isaiah 45 as Wallnau does wrongly associates a modern political leader with God’s anointed deliverer, Cyrus. If common grace is active in President Trump’s actions, it is merely as an unsaved person Empowered by God to perform good deeds towards others in the sense of civic righteousness. Wallnau’s allusion of being prompted by God to see Trump anointed as a messianic Cyrus through common grace may tickle the ears of his charismatic hearers, but it is not a legitimate use of Isaiah 45.
Perhaps even more out in left field than Wallnau linking Trump and Cyrus, is how a Jewish rabbi linked Trump and building the Third Temple.
Trump and the Third Temple
After Donald Trump won the U.S. presidential election, Rabbi Yosef Berge said he may have a potential role in building the Third Temple. As the spiritual descendent of Rome, which was the nation that destroyed the Second Temple in 70 AD, Trump could correct this sin of Rome, and return glory to Western society. Rabbi Berger said this did not mean Trump would be the Jewish Messiah, but it indicated he could play a role in preparing the way for the arrival of the Messiah. Berger further said like the Second Temple, the Third Temple will be built by non-Jews, by the descendants of Rome; that is by Christians.
Rabbeinu Behay explained this is a tikkun (reparation). Rome destroyed the Second Temple so Rome’s descendants, the Christians, are going to amend this by taking part in bringing the Third Temple.
This connection was so evident in Trump’s connection with Jerusalem that in 2018, the Sanhedrin minted a coin with the profile of Trump superimposed on the image of Persian King Cyrus, who facilitated the building of the Second Temple in Jerusalem that ended the Babylonian Exile in 538 BCE.
Donald Trump is no more a pre-messianic initiator for building the Third Temple than he is an anointed ruler like Cyrus was in Isaiah 45.
