Some Christians express concerns over ‘bizarre’ pro-Trump Jericho March
The recent Jericho March rally, which drew thousands of Christians, mixes supporting Trump and serving God in concerning ways, some Christian leaders say.
Participants of the Dec. 12 Washington, D.C., event, which was organized by Jericho March and Stop the Steal, rallied for “election integrity,” arguing that malign forces stole the election from President Donald Trump using nationwide voter fraud. Speakers at the Let the Church ROAR! event contended that Trump won the election in a landslide victory, but that powerful forces in the “deep state” have kept him from winning the election.
“The blatant fraud and corruption in this election is overwhelming and it cries out to God for justice,” said Arina Grossu, Catholic co-founder of the Jericho March, in a statement.
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Author Rod Dreher of The American Conservative expressed his shock and dismay over what he witnessed during the livestreamed event.
"They are willing to tear down the country for a belief that they cannot prove, but that they will not believe is disprovable," he wrote in a column, describing his concern with those who said they heard from or received visions from God about the election.
"That line — ‘When God gives you a vision, you don’t need to know anything else’ — turns out to be the main key to understanding all of this," wrote Dreher, referring to a comment made by conservative author and radio host Eric Metaxas during the rally. "I remember it so clearly because that was the first time I had ever had a conversation with someone who asserted that something was true not because God said it — all Christians must believe that, or throw out Scripture — but because God had said it to them personally.”
He added, “It’s one thing to claim that God told you to change churches, or something like that. It’s another thing to claim, especially if you have a national microphone, that God told you that the election was stolen, and that people need to prepare themselves to fight to the last drop of blood — an actual quote — to keep the libs from taking the presidency away from Trump.”
According to its website, Jericho March is comprised of “Judeo-Christians collectively praying to God to intercede, expose a particular darkness, and bring about justice. As a community of believers, we take our petitions to heaven, and we know that our mighty and powerful God answers and can move mountains.”
Christians are urged to pray, fast and march around both state and D.C. Capitol buildings, like the Israelites marched around the city of Jericho as recorded in the Old Testament.
"Jericho March calls all patriots and people of faith to go every day at noon local time to their Capitol buildings and pray, fast, and march around them seven times until the walls of voter fraud and corruption fall down and the American people are allowed to see the truth about this election," reads the website.
Saturday’s event featured Catholic, Jewish and Protestant leaders, as well as more prominent figures such as former Congresswoman Michele Bachmann and retired Lt. General Michael Flynn, who was pardoned by Trump last month.
Alex Jones, a conservative radio host who is considered by many as a conspiracy theorist, was also given the stage.
“In the spirit of unity, I would like to bring out my new friend, Alex Jones,” Metaxas said in an introduction.
Jones has claimed that the U.S. government covered up thousands of astronaut deaths during the moon landings, that 9/11 was an inside job and that the grieving family members of 27 people murdered at the 2012 Sandy Hook mass shooting were actors in a hoax.
Shouting, “We will never surrender,” Jones said he will “never recognize” Joe Biden as the winner of the presidential election.
“Joe Biden is a globalist and Joe Biden will be removed one way or another,” he said to cheers from the crowd.
In a stentorian bellow, Jones also announced the rulership of Jesus and the upcoming end of the world. He said Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg were slaves of Satan.
“God gave us and rose up Donald Trump to stand against the enemy and draw out the enemy. This is the beginning of the great revival before the Antichrist comes. World government, implantable microchips, satanism, it’s out in the open,” he said. “1776 is God’s number of victory over the satanic 1984.”
Flynn told attendees that never before have political battles in America been as important as they are now. Even the Civil War doesn’t compare with politics in 2020, he said. Therefore, people cannot accept a Biden election victory.
“The courts aren’t going to decide who the next president of the United States will be. We the people decide,” he declared. “People don’t know it because we say, ‘the Constitution, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights.’ What does that mean? Well I would tell you, go look it up and understand it.’”
He also argued that government officials don’t allow people to look at voting machines because they hide unfairness. Trump, he said, will win the 2020 election because truth always wins over lies.
“It’s in our hearts where we truly know what is right. It’s in our hearts where we differentiate good and bad,” he said. “It’s your heart talking to you, not your mind, because your mind is going to say, ‘I’m afraid.’”
When Bishop Leon Benjamin, who leads New Life Harvest Church in Richmond, Virginia, went in front of the crowd, he blew a shofar. In the Bible, the Israelites used shofars to announce holy days, coronations, war and the holiness of God.
“Today is December 12. Twelve’s the number for government. That means a fresh anointing is about to come on this nation, an anointing that we have never felt before,” Benjamin said. “When God tells us to do something crazy, it means it’s going to work.”
Karladine Graves, a family medicine doctor in North Kansas City, Missouri, declared from the stage, “We are at war! … This is our battlecry. … We stand for freedom, we stand for God, we stand for country, we stand for Trump.
“If we don’t stand, we will kneel to the tyranny for the rest of our lives.”
Southern Baptist theologian Albert Mohler offered his take on the pro-Trump event, saying that the theology proclaimed by the march participants was "very bizarre.” He also took issue with the reliance on personal visions.
"There was the blessing of Roman Catholic images, and probably in a way that wouldn't even please Roman Catholic authorities, but nonetheless, there were evangelicals and others clapping at what took place. Most troubling were claims of private, compelling, divine revelation in which you had numerous speakers say, ‘God showed me this. God told me this by a vision or a dream.’ And thus, notice what happens, they put God's reputation as well as their own reputation on the line as to whether these things actually happen or not,” he observed.
Mohler also pointed to the need for personal humility.
“Christians understand that this is not reduceable to absolute right and absolute wrong, as if our side can do no wrong and the other side can do no right,” he stated. “Christians … understand we go into the entire political equation with a full measure of conviction, but that full measure of conviction includes our own personal humility. Again, without some measure of humility, then all is lost. We have to hope we haven't reached that point.”
Ali Alexander, a 14-year conservative fundraising veteran who is also behind the Stop the Steal movement, stated at the rally that “Stop the Steal is never going to stop."
“If, heaven forbid, these falsely certified elections force the college to select Joe Biden, we just need to find us one brave senator, don’t we?" said Alexander. "Congressman Mel Brooks said he will object to House certification of Biden. I want to tell the Republican Party that if one of these senators does not join Mel Brooks, we will burn the Republican Party down and we will make something new. We are going to work with anyone who will work with us.”
The event ended with Metaxas onstage holding up a shofar painted with an Israeli flag, an American flag and a presidential seal. Another two event members played a shofar edition of “Amazing Grace.”
“I want to remind all of you, this is about God,” Metaxas said. “We’re talking about the Lord of Hosts. Without Him, we would not have this nation.”
