EDITORIAL: Who or What is Donald J. Trump??

Michael Corthell

Editor & Publisher

EDITORIAL — Fryeburg Free PressMEDIA — Who is this man that behaves as if he is God's own gift to America and the world? Is he a 'good' man? A bad man? Or is he somewhere in between like most of mankind?

What set me to writing about Donald Trump [again!] on this fine winter's day was, of course, another email (or two or three dozen!) regarding Mr. Trump's personality and demeanor matching the style and actions of a dictator AND three people stating that he is, indeed, the anti-Christ mentioned in the Bible, as well! 

Let's look at the latter allegation first.

Although the Bible does not specifically name who the antichrist will be, it does give us some clues as to what he will be like. The name "antichrist" is only found in 1 John 2:18, 2:22, 4:3, and 2 John 7. The Apostle John was the only Biblical author to use the name antichrist. Studying these verses, we learn that many antichrists (false teachers) will appear between the time of God's first incarnation and His second, but there will be one great antichrist who will rise to power during the end times, or "last hour," as 1 John phrases it. He will deny that Jesus is God the Savior. He will deny both God the Father and God the Son. He will be a practiced and prolific liar and a deceiver. His rise will seem 'supernatural'.

The Bible makes it clear that a time of rebellion will come prior to Christ's return and then the "man of lawlessness, the man doomed to destruction" will be revealed.

In the Book of Revelation, the anti-Christ is named the 'Beast'.  The antichrist will gain political power and spiritual authority over every nation on the earth. He will most likely begin his rise to power as a very influential, very charismatic, politician. He will conquer and 'rule' (or influence) the world for forty-two months. During this period, the world will endure a time of unprecedented trouble according to the Bible.

In the Book of Daniel it says, "The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this kingdom. After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings. He will speak against God and oppress his saints and try to change the set times and the laws. The saints will be handed over to him for a time, times and half a time.[three and a half years or 42 months]" Further, the book says, ''Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all[pride].''

In summary then, the Anti-Christ will be a lying, misogynist and very prideful. And he will be somebody who understands the economy and the global sphere and wins over people, a very charismatic character. Does this answers your reader emails? If it does there you go, if not let's look then at the dictator charge that is being leveled agaiinst Mr. Trump—by many people—even by some in his own party.

On Trump Being a Dictator

Senator John McCain warns nation about allowing
the freedom of the press to be infringed upon

McCain didn’t hesitate when he was asked about the president’s controversial tweet that specifically named several media outlets and called them the ''enemy of the American people.'' McCain, who has just been reelected to another six-year term added that in order to ''preserve democracy'' a ''free and many times adversarial press'' is essential. ''That’s how dictators get started,'' he continued. ''They get started by suppressing a free press. In other words, a consolidation of power. When you look at history, the first thing that dictators do is shut down the press.'' [all emphasis mine].

Yes, the true danger America faces right now is not terrorism but rather it is the president’s criticism of the media. A free press is vitally important to maintaining democracy, and these anti-press tirades on the part of a president, for the expressed purpose of undermining and manipulating the press are very, very dangerous.

Besides, 'turning out the light of the truth,' dictators have historically done these things. Identify a common enemy to fight. If you’re planning to forcibly take over an existing dictatorship or take down another form of government, you already have that enemy. If not, you may have to find one to play on that “us vs. them” mentality. Here are some candidates the ways:

• Rival political parties. Hitler used the burning of the Reichstag to accuse and arrest his Communist enemies just after becoming chancellor of Germany, then followed by getting the Reichstag to pass the Enabling Act to let him make his own laws. From there, it was just a few more steps to becoming ''Der Fuhrer'' [the leader]
• Racial or ethnic groups. Hitler and the Jews is the most obvious example.
• Religious groups. Again, Hitler and the Jews, as well as Cromwell and the Catholics. For Stalin, it was the follower of any religion in general.
• Foreign governments. Any government that practices an economic system different from yours and that has a reputation for helping out your enemies and wanting to stick its nose in your affairs makes a good straw man to knock down.

Does this answer your question about an American dictator my dear readers? Good.

Now, how do we stop a dictatorship from arising right here in Amercia? Simple [but not easy], Preserve and protect the Constitution. The first step is to know what is says. Go HERE for that. Then for your sake, our sakes and God's SPEAK UP!