Last updated on March 23, 2025
In a YouTube video I watched this week, the presenter mentioned this Biblical story. It was the next day before some thoughts came to me which I believe I should share here. Today, I thought more about this story and the implications it has for our times. In Isaiah 7, the story is told of Ahaz, the king of Judah, receiving a frightening message from some neighboring kings. Rezin (the king of Syria) and Pekah (the king of Israel) headed to Jerusalem and were going to take it over. Isaiah had a message from the Lord, as follows: “Tell him [King Ahaz] to stop worrying. Tell him he doesn’t need to fear the fierce anger of those two burned-out embers, King Rezin of Syria and Peka son of Remaliah.” The Lord went on to tell Ahaz to put his trust in the Lord and that the Lord would not allow their threats to be carried out.
The term “burned-out embers” indicates that these kings were not being realistic about their ability to take over Jerusalem. They were ambitious, greedy, and (apparently) old. The two people who came to mind who would fit into this description in modern times would be Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. I conducted a little Google search today and asked, “How old is Donald Trump?” According to Google, Donald Trump is 78 years old. I did another Google search, asking, “How old is Vladimir Putin?” According to Google, Vladimir Putin is 72 years old. What I would really like to know is this: How long do these people think they are going to live? They need to be making plans for what will be happening on the other side of this life. Instead of trying to re-create a Russian empire or annex Canada, buy Greenland, confiscate the Panama Canal, and all the other ridiculous ideas these old men have, they need to be asking the Almighty God to help them to somehow, miraculously get things right with God so that they might have a slight chance of making it into heaven. Even though Donald Trump mockingly said in one of his speeches to his cult following, “I’m a Christian,” I would as near believe that as I believe there are icicles hanging in hell.
Am I being judgmental? I am just citing what the Bible says. “. . . all liars shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death” (Revelation 21:8, KJV). And yes, both these men are liars. In the debate for President for his first term, Donald Trump emphatically said, “I don’t know Putin!” Later, after he was President, naturally, he stated publicly that he and Putin had had a good relationship for quite some time. During his campaign for his second term, he stated, “I don’t know anything about Project 2025!” After he was President, he immediately began implementing it. Putin broke numerous agreements with Ukraine regarding cease fires, prisoner exchanges, etc.
Although some people who don’t attend church possibly voted for Trump, it was apparently his MAGA cult following that elected him. This cult, like almost all cults this country has seen, consists of people who profess Christianity. Besides the hatred they manifest and the hypocrisy pertaining to abortion, gun control, balancing the budget and probably every platform they profess to support, the spirit of “getting even” with anyone who disagrees with them is enough to show any thinking person that these people are not Christians. When Jesus and his disciples went into a Samaritan village and were not well received, the disciples were angry at this rejection and asked Jesus, “Shall we just call down fire from heaven and destroy these people?” Jesus rebuked them for having that thought, saying to them, “Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.”
Before the election, someone that I know was repeating Trump’s false words that Vice-President Harris was against Israel. Trump had been saying in his campaign speeches, “She hates Jews!” I replied to this obviously false statement, “I don’t believe she hates Jews. You do know that she is married to a Jewish man, don’t you?” The person perpetuating Trump’s lies did not know this until I told her. She just said, “Well, I just know that we need to support Israel because they are God’s chosen people.” Well, let’s just talk about that. President Zelensky is Jewish, and there are many Ukrainians who are Jewish. The disrespect that Trump and Vance showed to President Zelensky, one of God’s chosen people, in the Oval Office was an abomination to God and an embarrassment for the United States of America.
So instead of trying to buy Greenland, take the Panama Canal by force, make a state out of Canada, and take over Ukraine these old men need to be thinking about eternity. We only get one chance at life on this earth. Everyone from the time we are old enough to be held accountable for our actions should be thinking about whether what we are doing here is building up treasure on the other side or whether it is just trash that will be burned up. There is a gospel folk song that says this: “The gospel train is coming, it’s coming round the bend. . . so get on board little children [and middle aged people and burned-out embers]. If you don’t prepare yourself according to God’s plan, which is laid out clearly in the Bible (and mine doesn’t have Donald Trump’s name anywhere near it), you will be left behind.
If I were to send a message to Ukraine with this Bible lesson it would be, “Don’t be disheartened. God is still the same as He was back then—in Isaiah 7. Keep fighting and keep your faith in God. The burned-out embers are not going to hurt you. God is on your side, and I am praying for you.”
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