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The Book of Revelations and MAGA: Strategy for The Resistance [1]

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Date: 2025-04-21

A slew of recent media articles expressing a mixture of dismay and disbelief as to why Trump’s flaws and misdeeds fail to significantly dent his appeal with MAGA supporters prompted me to write a short diary flagging again what others have said before.

There is a core MAGA support that comes from the Religious Right (RR), largely but not all white folks, that remains largely impervious to things like inflation rates, costs of tariffs and even attacks on Medicare and Social Security. And they may even celebrate the unraveling of society since this brings closer the End Times and The Rapture (further explanations below).

More broadly, RR MAGA support may express itself in various ways, including on some long-held divisive issues like abortion rights, gay rights and civil rights. However, an essential element among many RR MAGA is the belief that Trump is a figure prophesied in the Bible. Not the Anti-Christ, mind you, but the Son of Man — a figure referenced in the final book of the New Testament, the Book of Revelations (BOR). This belief grew further when Trump survived his assassination attempt last year. I note one such book promoting this idea in the diary photo caption.

The situation is more complex when one considers those who call themselves Trump-supporting Christians as a whole. A June 2024 Pew survey notes that:

About six-in-ten White evangelical Protestants who support Trump (61%) say government policies should support religious values and beliefs, compared with fewer than half of White nonevangelical Protestants (39%) and Catholics (39%) who back the former president. Few religiously unaffiliated Trump supporters (16%) want the government to support religion.

Hence there are cracks among Trump-supporting Christians, especially when it comes to the specifics of his policies related to separation of Church and State. The rest of the survey can be found here: www.pewresearch.org/…

And the RR MAGA are by no means all of Christianity. As noted in the linked article, many Christians, even some who consider themselves members of the RR, have balked at Trump attempts to promote himself as a tool of God. Many were sickened by his immoral and illegal behavior years ago, but more recent things like the Trump Bible and his policies towards LGBTQ and immigrants have mobilized others. There are coalitions forming not only among anti-Trump Christians (Catholics and Protestants and others) but with and among other faiths. See: religionnews.com/…

Political divisions among Christians are nothing new. When the RR MAGA calls for a ”Christian Nation” there are immediate cries of “Whose Christianity?” Indeed, the American system itself was built on acknowledgement of this fact. Separation of Church and State doctrine was influenced by the experience of the religious wars in Europe. Similarly, the idea of an all-powerful executive, especially one cloaked in a state religion, was influenced by experience with such monarchs in Europe. This led to the construction of the three-headed co-equal system of US governance — what we call Checks and Balances.

This is where the BOR comes in. Both as a means of explaining the stubbornness of core RR MAGA to abandon Trump — and a means to chip away at that stubbornness.

Disputes, debates and scandals regarding the BOR are almost as old as Christianity itself. Prophesies of coming End Times figured dramatically in the launching of the Crusades, for example. A book explains how, in 1000 AD, a frenzy erupted at the expectation of the coming end of the world: www.amazon.com/… Prophets have risen and fallen from Girolamo Savonarola in Renaissance Florence (1492), Jim Jones in Jonestown, Guyana (1978), to David Koresh in Waco, Texas (1993). Similarly, many have worn the crown of The Anti-Christ through the centuries - including many Popes!

Generally, there have always been many Christians who reject the notion that the BOR is to be taken literally as a template for the End Times (a catch phrase for the end of the world). In particular, they dispute claims that X, Y or Z will happen on such and such a date, or that a particular person or persons are the tools of this process. BOR is symbolic and also was written to refer to events occurring in the Near East at that time.

Hence Trump, opportunistically or not, is only the latest of those channeling apocalyptic theology. Herein lies both his strength and weakness as we look to 2025 and beyond.

Aside from the usual policy disputes, RR MAGA belief in Trump as a positive figure rests on belief in three things. First, that Trump is a holy figure who is carrying out Biblical prophecy. Second, that these prophecies augur the end of the world. Finally — and most importantly — those who believe this will not be around to experience all the suffering incident to the End Times (wars, plagues, etc.) since they will be Raptured — removed from Earth — and transported to heaven to sit beside God Almighty.

Laugh if you will. Over a thousand people drank poison-laced Kool-Aid at Jonestown believing in this. Or fought to the death for David Koresh in Waco.

Herein lies the hope, and the strategy.

People have seen Trump’s schtick before. If you look at the various End Times figures on the American RR that has now nested itself in MAGA, they present a uniform record not just of failure but rejection. The list is too long so I will just link the Wiki: en.wikipedia.org/…

Personal note. Though raised a Catholic, I was for a short time in my youth a member of the evangelical group that followed the teachings of Chuck Smith. The whole thing was laced with End Times predictions. Basically, following the teaching of God meant not caring about what happened on Earth. We were only guests here — our true home was in heaven! Thankfully, I escaped that mess and became what I am now, a progressive “Cafeteria Catholic.” So, I have seen this first-hand.

So here are some suggestions for a strategy for progressives in 2025 and beyond, including an electoral strategy to peel away that core RR MAGA in 2026 and 2028. Obviously, feel free to disagree, these are just my thoughts, and I am sure not original ones.

STRATEGY TO UNHITCH TRUMP FROM RR MAGA END-TIMERS

1. Progressives must continue to resist the idea that the RR MAGA are somehow representative of Christians as a whole, as much as the RR MAGA would like us to believe this. This means calling out Progressive allies who launch broad based attacks on Christians and religion itself. Yes, people have free speech to do this. And I am not judging or dismissive of the beliefs of Atheists and others. This is about electoral strategy. By labeling all believers, you help RR MAGA stay intact and even grow.

2. Ally more firmly with the anti-Trump religious resistance to chip away at Trump’s attempt to both blur the lines between Church and State and become an authoritarian despot.

3. Put the anti-Trump Christian ally leaders at the forefront to attack RR MAGA claims of Trump’s divinity/religious value and also launch a frontal attack on the misuse and distortion of the BOR to promote hate and destruction. This particular line of attack is tricky — I do not think it can be handled properly by non-believers. Just calling RR MAGA people “crazy” gets you nowhere — again we are talking about peeling them away, not encouraging them to huddle together in defiance. Anti-Trump Christian believers know how to make the theological arguments. Again, we are talking electoral strategy.

4. Don’t spread the chips. The DNC should laser focus on RR MAGA voters in key states, like Georgia, where even getting a few thousand can make a difference.

IN SUM

There is a general consensus that the best motive to move Trump voters away from Trump are economics. So, I am not arguing against hitting hard on all cylinders about inflation, cost of living, Social Security, Medicare, joblessness, the unhoused, and so forth. Or that we lay off support for LGBT or abortion rights in some sort of “devil’s bargain” to attract religious bigots. I am talking about doing what successful practical politics does all the time — walking and chewing gum to build the biggest coalition on election day.

Democrats should not only not concede the RR MAGA, but we should also take the fight to them on their own battleground — the pages of The Good Book. RR MAGA are gettable, especially given the rise and fall nature of charlatans like Trump and the fact that many are people of limited means who will already be suffering from Trump economically.

We need to include a Bible-based strategy, targeted and realistic, to move the votes to ensure as great a Democratic outcome in 2026 and 2028 as possible. We need to stop assuming a landslide will fall into our laps due to just economics. Stay on the offense and assume close elections. It can be a game of inches in places like Georgia, North Carolina and Florida. Even a few RR MAGA defectors can make a difference.

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