Jamie Nunnally

Maybe you saw all of the predictions like I did. Many well-known prophets confidently and publicly prophesied that President Trump would win a second term. God had decreed it, according to them, and it was a done deal. It’s been one of the few times I’ve seen the prophetic movement in such unity regarding an issue.

But here we are—Joe Biden has been sworn in as the 46^th President of the United States and Trump did not win a second time.

Some might say that the election was stolen. Maybe that’s true. Or perhaps Christians didn’t pray enough. Possibly–it wouldn’t be the first time. But that’s not what the prophetic words said. These declarations weren’t contingent on prayer or what the Democrats did. They said that God would ensure that Trump would get a second term, no matter what. And He didn’t.

Why?

Many of these prophetic voices have issued public apologies—Jeremiah Johnson, Kris Vallotton and Shawn Bolz included. I applaud them for that and am grateful for leaders who are willing to show humility. Many have not, and that deeply concerns me.

Just so you know, I am a Charismatic pastor who believes in prophecy and all of the spiritual gifts found in scripture. I love prophecy, and I value its utility to the church. It’s my goal to lead my congregation to Biblically practice all of the spiritual gifts during our services, including prophecy.

The reason I am sharing this is not to bash prophecy or the prophets who were wrong regarding Trump, but to honor this incredible spiritual gift that God has given to us. Prophecy is good—and therefore must be protected from misuse.

You should also know that I am not writing about politics, but prophecy. I am not “choosing a side” here or endorsing a candidate other than King Jesus.

Before we continue, let’s also agree on some definitions. What is prophecy? I like to define prophecy as “saying what God is saying.” Sometimes God is saying something about the future. Other times He is saying something about the past. But I have found that usually God is saying something about the present. A believer is prophesying any time they say what God is saying, no matter the subject matter or the timeline of the statement.

So, why were so many prophets wrong about Trump’s second term?

Reason #1: We Have Confused the Old Testament Prophet and New Testament Prophecy

When Jesus came, it changed everything about how we relate to God. The law went from stone tablets to human hearts (Hebrews 10:16). The sacrifice for sin was no longer placed on animals, but on Jesus (Hebrews 9:13-14). And yes, prophecy changed, too.

In the old covenant, the Holy Spirit would come upon a prophet—a person ordained to be God’s mouthpiece to a certain people at a certain time. Jeremiah was a great example of this: the Lord called him to be a prophet to the nations before he was even born (Jeremiah 1:5). The Old Testament is full of the writings of these men. Why? Because the Holy Spirit didn’t just speak to anyone back then. When He wanted to communicate to the people, He used a prophet.

In the new covenant, we see that this method of communication has changed. God still speaks and people still prophesy, but the Holy Spirit has now been “poured out on all flesh” (Acts 2:17). In the new covenant, prophecy is available for all believers, not just a select few.

Paul said, “Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy” (1 Corinthians 14:1 ESV). Why would Paul tell us all to desire to do something—prophesy—that we can’t all do? Toward the end of the same chapter Paul says, “For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged” (1 Corinthians 14:31 ESV). Prophecy is for all, not for some.

This isn’t to say there is no such thing as a prophet in the New Testament. Prophets are listed alongside apostles, evangelists, pastors, teachers as a part of the “five-fold” ministry in Ephesians 4:11. But these are not executive positions or “offices” exclusive to some, like in the old covenant. In the new covenant, if you prophesy, you’re a prophet— just like people who teach are teachers and people who evangelize are evangelists.

I believe that the overemphasis on the “office of the prophet” we see within the prophetic movement today is not in alignment with the prophecy we see in the New Testament scriptures. It creates a sort of “super-prophet” position that goes beyond the anchor of scripture. Perhaps this conflating of the Old Testament prophet and New Testament prophecy is tempting prophetic voices to speak with an authority beyond what they have been given.

And maybe it is part of why so many prophetic voices were wrong about Trump’s second term.

Reason #2: We Have Replaced Proclaiming with Predicting

Scripture tells us why prophecy exists: “edification, exhortation, and consolation” (1 Corinthians 14:3 NASB). Notice, prediction is not one of its purposes. There will certainly be times when God is saying something that is future-oriented about what He will do. But the purpose of a future-oriented prophetic word is not to accurately predict the future—it is for God’s children to be edified (built up), exhorted (encouraged & instructed) and consoled (comforted) about what is to come.

             Remember, prophecy is simply saying what God is saying. If God is saying something to us about the future, it will be information that is helpful for our discipleship and spiritual growth. I don’t see how giving prophetic people an accurate Nostradamus-like prediction edifies, exhorts or consoles the body of Christ.

              We really don’t see this type of predictive prophecy in the New Testament. One of the closest instances is where Agabus prophesies that Paul will be bound by the Jews and handed over to the Gentiles in Jerusalem. (Acts 21:10-11). Did Agabus give that prophecy so he would be right about a future fact? Of course not. It wasn’t a prediction—he was trying to give Paul prophetic exhortation about what would be happening in his upcoming travels. While it was a future-oriented prophetic word, the point wasn’t the future, the point was Paul!

              What if the prophets who predicted Trump’s second term mistakenly predicted his win instead of proclaiming what they felt to be God’s will? Maybe it was God’s will for Trump to have a second term. But instead of making a prediction about the outcome of the election, they could have simply made a proclamation about what they felt God wanted—and left it at that.

              With prophecy, there is no need to predict, just proclaim.

Reason #3: Idolatry Creates Bad Prophecy

Jesus explicitly warned His disciples about the “leaven of Herod” in Mark 8:15.

Leaven is the yeast that is used to make bread rise—and it doesn’t take very much. Leaven became known as a symbol for sin and a warning of how quickly sin can infect us and affect us.

Herod was Rome’s appointed King over Judea and was the face of the heated political storm brewing in Israel at that time. His goal was to retain power at all costs.

Put those two together and the leaven of Herod is the political spirit that seeks to dethrone Jesus as King. It wants us to view the political process, not the Kingdom of God as the solution to life’s problems. Our political persuasion can quickly lead us into idolatry if we aren’t careful. This is why Jesus warned His disciples about it specifically.

Although I tend to be more conservative when it comes to politics, I have been deeply concerned at the “Trumpism” that occurred within the white, evangelical church over the last four years. During the first election when he won, it seemed that many Christians had concerns about Trump as a person, but still held their noses and voted for him based on his platform. But something seemed to change by the end of his first term. Many had begun to believe that Trump was God’s “anointed one” for America. There’s just one problem—God already has an anointed one for America: Jesus, whose title of Christ literally means “anointed one.”

I believe political idolatry has crept into the church and infected us, far more than most of us realize. We have replaced biblical patriotism with unbiblical nationalism. We have been dismissive of politicians’ character because we would rather see our policies in action than Godliness in action. We have compromised our convictions to attain political power, and now we’re fighting to retain that power at any cost, just like Herod.

Paul listed the Greek word eritheia as a work of the flesh in Galatians 5:20. Often translated “rivalries” or “selfish ambitions,” Strong’s Concordance defines it as “electioneering for office” or “partisanship.” The political process is a work of the flesh, not a fruit of the Spirit.

Of course, this doesn’t mean God can’t use godly people in government (like Daniel or Joseph), but the political avenue is not the means by which he has chosen to bring His kingdom to earth. Government can only change laws—God wants to change hearts.

So, what happens to the gift of prophecy when it gets soiled by idolatry?

In Ezekiel 14:4, God warns the people of Israel who are harboring idols in their hearts that if they consult a prophet while in idolatry, “I the Lord will answer them myself in keeping with their great idolatry” (NIV). That’s a terrifying thought.

What if God allowed the prophets to get it wrong because He was actually answering us according to our idols, in order to reveal our idolatry?

We are being pruned.

If this difficult season has thought us anything, it’s that God is pruning His church right now. Pastors have been unable to gather their congregations as usual, teachers have had to teach in new ways, and evangelists have had to adjust how they reach people to share the good news. I believe the Lord is pruning the prophets, too. Pruning hurts, but it leads to new growth. This is why the Lord “disciplines those He loves” (Proverbs 3:12).

This is not a time to gang up on the people who got it wrong. As Paul said “we know in part and we prophesy in part” (1 Corinthians 13:9). Let’s treat them the way we would want to be treated if we were in their situation.

But let’s also not make excuses. These prophetic words were wrong. It’s time for humility and reflection. Remaining obstinate in light of inaccurate prophecies is not maturity. It will drive us further from the Lord and kill what’s left of our witness to the world.

Prophecy is an important gift from God to His church, and He will continue to speak to His imperfect children.

Let’s make sure we’re really listening.