Dominionist religious-right leaders are predicting that this coming weekend will mark the start of a new era in U.S. and human history with an outpouring of spiritual power and governmental authority being granted to the “true church.” Some are connecting it to President Donald Trump’s reelection, which they see as part of God’s divine plan and a key to national and global revival.
May 31 is Pentecost Sunday on this year’s Western Christian calendar. Pentecost, the Jewish festival of Shavuot, is celebrated by Christians as the day described in the biblical book of Acts on which the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles of Jesus and gave them miraculous power. It is often described as the moment that the Christian church was born.
Many religious-right figures are giving this year’s Pentecost special spiritual significance. As some see it, the COVID-19 pandemic meant that for the first time in two millennia, both Jews and Christians spent Passover—which fell early in April this year—huddled in their homes praying that their families would be spared from a deadly plague. This “literal Passover,” some say, foretells a “literal Pentecost” that will bring a wave of miraculous displays of God’s power and usher in a great spiritual revival in the U.S. and globally.
Lewis Hogan of the Texas-based United Cry ministry said in a May 26 email to his followers that God had told him that “Pentecost Sunday this year will be incredibly significant, like a line of demarcation: on May 31st the church will be entering a new season, a true Acts 2 season.” Wanda Alger, who has been affiliated with the pro-Trump prayer warriors at Intercessors for America, says this Pentecost will be about increasing Christians’ boldness in confronting their opponents. Dominionist and anti-abortion activist Lou Engle, known for organizing stadium-sized political prayer rallies, led a 40-day fast heading into Passover and is expecting a “global Pentecostal explosion” that he ties to a great communion revival.
Jack Hibbs, a California megachurch pastor and associate of Christian nationalist political operative David Lane, says God told him last month that May 31 is the day that all churches in California should open, regardless of what public health restrictions are in place at the time.
Cheryl Amabile, an associate of Engle’s, explicitly connected prophetic dreams and exhortations around COVID-19 and Pentecost to Trump and the 2020 elections. In an edition of “The Briefing” email newsletter, she recounted White House aide Paula White speaking at the White House National Day of Prayer observance and delivering what White said was a message from God for Trump: “You will recover all.” Amabile added:
In the days ahead, let us feast on these scriptures and prophetic revelation until our very thoughts and expectations have conformed to the word of God. WE SHALL RECOVER ALL! Let’s not only believe these words, but release them as faith-filled decrees over our lives, over President Trump, and over our nation. May believers in other nations also take up the word of prophecy and wage war accordingly. Lastly, may the prophetic promise of Psalm 32 come to life on the lips of God’s people as we bless our president and proclaim this passage like a plumbline over the coming elections: “Behold, a king will reign in righteousness, and princes will rule in justice. Each will be like a hiding place from the wind, a shelter from the storm…” (Is 32:1-2)
A video compilation of “prophetic voices” declaring that a “literal 2020 Pentecost” is coming was posted on YouTube in late April. One of the speakers was Ohio-based pastor Tim Sheets, brother of prominent dominionist Dutch Sheets. In the video, Tim Sheets declares that “the ekklesia”—a term used by dominionists to describe the church as God’s governing body on Earth—has been seated and that God will give “the true church” and “the uncompromised remnant” an “anointing to prevail”:
We are literally being anointed with a higher level of governing authority. We are literally going to be anointed with a higher power to rule and reign on this Earth in demonstratively real ways. We are literally being anointed to advance the kingdom of God. We’re literally being soaked, empowered to activate signs, wonders, and miracles. All the gifts of Holy Spirit, all of them, will now be supercharged in a mega-outpouring to function at levels that has never been seen on this planet before. It’s going to be greater than even what was seen in Acts chapter two. We are literally going to now be soaked in the King’s anointing, to decree a word, and watch it be established on the Earth. We are literally being anointed to partner with Holy Spirit, and with our King Jesus in operational ways to change the course of history. A new breed of Christianity. A new breed of Christianity will now be anointed under Heaven’s power to represent King Jesus with boldness to make a stand on this Earth, just as the early church was anointed with boldness and they made their stand. Unintimidated warriors are now rising, and they will be soaked in the anointing of King Jesus, staring Hell in the face and tearing down their strongholds.
Many conservative Christian leaders are referring to the period of social and economic disruption around the pandemic—and the period between Passover or Easter and Pentecost—as a “divine reset.” Some dominionist ministries, like those led by Chuck Pierce and David Herzog, are holding multiday online events. Trump-promoting “prophetic” author Lance Wallnau, a proponent of Seven Mountains dominionism, is hosting a Sunday evening event.
It appears that one of the biggest gatherings of big names will be a Friday evening event called “A Night of Promise.” The webcast is the brainchild of Jonathan Bernis, who heads Jewish Voice, a group whose primary mission is to convert Jews to Christianity. The event’s website invites, “Join us for a time of blessing and encouragement as we unite in faith believing for an outpouring of God’s Spirit in our nation, in Israel, and around the world.” Bernis told Charisma’s Stephen Strang that he hopes the broadcast, which will be covered by multiple Christian television networks and streamed on Facebook and YouTube, might be one of the sparks that brings the greatest revival the world has ever known, which he hopes will result in “the blindness coming off of the eyes of my Jewish people.”
White House aide and Trump spiritual adviser White is among those listed as participating. Others include Franklin Graham and Mike Huckabee; broadcasters Pat and Gordon Robertson and Janet Parshall; Jonathan Cahn, End Times author and organizer of a September rally meant to boost Trump’s reelection prospects and spark revival; Trump-supporting “prophets” Lance Wallnau, Cindy Jacobs, and Chuck Pierce; singer Pat Boone; televangelist Sid Roth; and anti-LGBTQ author Michael Brown.
White has her own approach to Pentecost, using it as she does other Jewish holidays: as an opportunity to promise special spiritual blessings to those who send money to her ministry, and warning those who don’t that they may miss out. From her ministry’s Pentecost message:
Everyone is to give their best offering unto God for Pentecost, honoring and establishing His presence and provision. The results of honoring Him on His divine appointments are miraculous! I believe God is ready to pour out blessings for you right NOW! God has given us the gift of His Son Jesus Christ, He has given us the gift of His Word, and He has given us the person of the Holy Spirit to empower us and guide us to maturity as Christians.
Pentecost is God’s giving season! And Jesus declares in Matthew 6:8 that our “Father knows what you need before you ask him.” During this season EXPECT HARVEST & POWER!
Numbers 23:19 declares that “God is not a man, that he should lie”. This means that every prophetic word given by God over your life will come to pass IF YOU DO WHAT IS NECESSARY TO ACTIVATE IT! DON’T MISS YOUR SUDDENLY!
Let me hear from you right away! When you give your best offering for Pentecost, you align your life with God’s appointments and the rhythm of seedtime and harvest! And your seed and obedience will unlock POWER like never seen before! **Remember to send me your Pentecost prayer request immediately with your seed so my intercessors and I can agree with you and ACTIVATE what God has for you today!
