The Key to God's Favor on Donald Trump:
An Analysis of the 2016, 2020 & 2024 Elections Through the Lens of Joshua Chapters 6, 7 & 8
When Donald Trump won the presidency in 2016, God had some very specific things for him to do. Not since President Harry Truman recognized Israel as a sovereign nation on May 14, 1948, has there been a similar decision regarding Israel’s land that carried so much weight as President Donald Trump’s official recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and then moving the United States embassy to Jerusalem to officially open on the 70th anniversary of Truman’s decision. Later, President Trump recognized the Golan Heights as official Israeli territory. He also put in three Supreme Court justices who would be crucial in the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
As we consider some of the things that have happened with Trump and the elections, let us start with a passage from Joshua 5 in the Bible to make a key point:
And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, “Are You for us or for our adversaries?” So He said, “No, but as Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, “What does my Lord say to His servant?” Then the Commander of the Lord’s army said to Joshua, “Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy.” And Joshua did so. (Joshua 5:13–15 NKJV)
If someone who is familiar with the Bible but perhaps not this passage was asked to guess what the reply would be to Joshua’s question here, that person might say something like “Well, of course, God is going to say He is on the side of Israel since they are the covenant people.” But it is interesting that this is not how God chose to answer. Even though God is faithful in His covenant to Israel, the answer indicates that God is first and foremost concerned with His own purposes and glory. And it also seems to indicate that there is a conditional factor involved here regarding the nation of Israel.
The victory of Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election was one of the most significant political surprises ever to happen in the United States. Many people were stunned that someone who had never held elected office before was able to defeat the Clinton political machine that had already put a previous president in office for two terms. Yet there were many people praying for Trump at that time, and God’s favor was there to give him the victory. Let us draw a parallel now to Joshua chapter 6 as the Israelites defeat the city of Jericho. After marching around the city seven times on the seventh day, the Bible makes clear that God was involved in the victory.
So the people shouted when the priests blew the trumpets. And it happened when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat. Then the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city. (Joshua 6:20 NKJV)
God’s favor was there as Israel defeated the city of Jericho. It was God’s will to give them the victory. And He supernaturally worked in the victory in a way in which He would get the glory. And while some people may say it is not so outwardly obvious in the 2016 election about God intervening for Trump, certain things that happened in President Trump’s first term in office (as mentioned above) made it clear that God had sovereignly worked in the circumstances to give him the victory.
The nation of Israel saw God move in a mighty way in Joshua chapter 6, but when we get to the first half of Joshua chapter 7, things did not go in Israel’s favor in their first battle against the city of Ai.
Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth Aven, on the east side of Bethel, and spoke to them, saying, “Go up and spy out the country.” So the men went up and spied out Ai. And they returned to Joshua and said to him, “Do not let all the people go up, but let about two or three thousand men go up and attack Ai. Do not weary all the people there, for the people of Ai are few.” So about three thousand men went up there from the people, but they fled before the men of Ai. And the men of Ai struck down about thirty-six men, for they chased them from before the gate as far as Shebarim, and struck them down on the descent; therefore the hearts of the people melted and became like water. (Joshua 7:2–5 NKJV)
After such a supernatural victory at Jericho, many people in Israel were shocked at the result of their next battle, which was against the city of Ai. It did not make sense to the nation and to their leader, Joshua, why after such an amazing victory they would go on so quickly to lose the next battle. Joshua was distressed and puzzled about what had happened.
Then Joshua tore his clothes, and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the Lord until evening, he and the elders of Israel; and they put dust on their heads. And Joshua said, “Alas, Lord God, why have You brought this people over the Jordan at all—to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? Oh, that we had been content, and dwelt on the other side of the Jordan! O Lord, what shall I say when Israel turns its back before its enemies? For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear it, and surround us, and cut off our name from the earth. Then what will You do for Your great name?” (Joshua 7:6–9 NKJV)
It did not make sense to Joshua that they had lost the battle. He did not understand why God’s favor seemed to have shifted so far away from Israel so suddenly. But God gave the answer.
So the Lord said to Joshua, “Stand up! Why is it that you have fallen on your face? Israel has sinned, and they have also violated My covenant which I commanded them. And they have even taken some of the things designated for destruction, and have both stolen and kept it a secret. Furthermore, they have also put them among their own things. Therefore the sons of Israel cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs before their enemies, because they have become designated for destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you eliminate from your midst the things designated for destruction. (Joshua 7:10–11 NASB)
When Israel was about to battle Jericho, God had given them very specific instructions, which included the following.
“But the city shall be designated for destruction, it and everything that is in it belongs to the Lord. . . . But as for you, only keep yourselves from the things designated for destruction, so that you do not covet them and take some of the designated things, and turn the camp of Israel into something designated for destruction and bring disaster on it.” (Joshua 6:17–18 NASB)
The next chapter starts by making it clear that God’s instructions were not fully followed, although Joshua did not learn that until later in the chapter.
But the sons of Israel acted unfaithfully regarding the things designated for destruction, for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, from the tribe of Judah, took some of the designated things; therefore the anger of the Lord burned against the sons of Israel. (Joshua 7:1 NASB)
The Bible makes it clear. Because the nation of Israel did not do as God had instructed them, He removed His favor off of them before they went into the next battle.
Now, taking a look at the 2020 election, we will compare that election to the first half of Joshua chapter 7. During President Trump’s first term, many people would state that he was the best friend that Israel had ever had in the White House and that no previous president had done more for Israel than he had. But there was a specific area where Trump’s Israel policy was not in line with God’s will. And that was the fact that President Trump was supporting a two-state plan that would divide Israel’s land, plus working on peace agreements that used discussions about a two-state plan as a factor. Near the beginning of Trump's term in 2017, he stated his openness to the possibility of either a one-state or a two-state plan regarding Israel. But by the summer of 2017 a more significant effort was being made to get the U.S. involved in the peace process, with a major role being played by President Trump's senior advisor and son-in-law, Jared Kushner. During President Trump’s term in office, numerous consequential events happened at significant moments while he was involved in the Israeli peace process. One major example is Hurricane Harvey.
After Hurricane Harvey struck, copies of William Koenig's book Eye to Eye: Facing the Consequences of Dividing Israel were sent to various people in the Trump administration in an attempt to try warning them that there would be negative consequences if an effort were made to try dividing the land of Israel. Koenig has shared the following details about this: “I lobbied extensively to warn President Trump through letters, meetings, and correspondence from early 2017 up until he finally delivered his “Peace to Prosperity” plan [on January 28, 2020]. My letter to President Trump, Vice President Pence, and President Trump’s top staff was delivered along with Eye to Eye books to the White House press room on September 6, 2017. Numerous copies of Eye to Eye were given to Vice President Mike Pence with comments by others.” (More information about these various efforts to get Eye to Eye to Trump administration officials is available here: https://www.watch.org/node/61713. The letter to Trump administration officials is located here: https://watch.org/node/61546). As a side note, Eye to Eye was also hand-delivered to Donald Trump at voter events in 2011 and 2015, but it is unclear whether or not he had a chance to look at the book at those times.
Over the next two years from that point in 2017 when Eye to Eye was delivered to the White House, the United States continued to be involved in the peace process, including working toward an economic plan that would be released in June 2019, although the economic plan in and of itself did not specifically call for Palestinian statehood. However, the issue of statehood had not been taken off the table. As that plan was being worked on before its release, a stronger effort had been made to reach out to the Trump administration and to warn them not to release any type of plan that would support the division of Israel to create a Palestinian state.
Former Congresswoman Michele Bachmann was significantly involved in this effort. She spoke on the “Understanding the Times” radio program with Jan Markell about it around that time. On the April 20, 2019, broadcast, Bachmann talked about the promises of blessing and cursing from Genesis 12:3 in regard to the 2020 election and stated, Donald Trump has the best bona fides ever of putting the United States in a path of blessing when it comes to our response toward Israel, but the one thing that could hurt the United Stated and could hurt the Trump presidency . . . because the Bible’s very clear . . . God is not partial. . . .What He does for one, He does for all. . . . So the Bible is clear: if anyone touches the boundaries of Israel, if anyone touches the land or seeks to divide the land, or if anyone touches Jerusalem or divides Jerusalem, that person or that nation also will be divided . . . there will be negative consequences. So half of Genesis 12 is that if you bless Israel, you’ll be blessed. We’ve seen that with Donald Trump. But also, if you curse Israel, you’ll be cursed. And the Scripture’s very clear: If you divide the land, or if you put pressure on Israel to divide the people from the land, or if you touch Jerusalem, there will be negative consequences. So if President Trump would reveal a Middle East peace plan that divides the people from the land, or pressures Israel, or touches Jerusalem, I believe that that action could be sufficient to deny him a second term. It is that serious and that profound.
Bachmann then went on to state more about God’s purpose for Israel and also to describe how she had met with Trump administration officials and shared with them the biblical reasons not to divide the land. She gave the book Eye to Eye in person to two of these officials (Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Middle East Envoy Jason Greenblatt). Additionally, she described on the broadcast how she spoke to someone she knows (whom she left unnamed) who then spoke directly with President Trump about the matter. (You can hear more details by listening to the first 13 minutes of this radio program: https://olivetreeviews.org/radio-archives/living-in-prophesied-times-part-2/).
Despite the warnings that were given, the Trump administration continued to take part in the peace process and to work toward the possibility of a two-state outcome, releasing the “Peace to Prosperity” plan and a tentative border map on January 28, 2020. The Jerusalem Post stated, “The map that U.S. President Donald Trump put out on Tuesday to accompany the ‘Deal of the Century’ indicates that Israel will cede some 70% of Judea and Samaria.” (Article link here: https://www.jpost.com/arab-israeli-conflict/this-peace-plan-comes-with-a-map-why-is-this-significant-analysis-615692). Additionally, as collateral to sign the Abraham Accords, which were signed on September 15, 2020, Israel had suspended some of the land annexation they were planning to do in the West Bank. As the United States continued participating in the peace process from 2017 until the end of Trump's term, God allowed major events and disruptions to occur. (To see more information about these and other events, go to the following page: https://watch.org/eyetoeye).
So to bring all this back around to what happened in the 2020 election, there seems to be a parallel here related the first half of Joshua chapter 7. Even though most of Israel was still in alignment with God’s will after the battle of Jericho, one person who was not in line with God’s would cost them God’s favor to win the next battle. Likewise, Trump’s public support for the division of the land of Israel and a two-state plan, as well as using discussions about land annexation as collateral for other peace agreements, cost President Trump some of God’s favor in the 2020 election. (He did not lose all of God’s favor, but it cost him enough that it changed the outcome.) Just as Israel could not stand against their enemies because they were not in alignment with God’s will, Trump did not succeed in his battle against his political opponents in the 2020 election because he was not in alignment with God’s will regarding the land of Israel. And while there is a lot of debate about how much voter fraud was or was not a factor in that election, either way, God did not intervene to change the outcome in 2020.
So where does that leave us now going into the 2024 election?
God made clear in his answer to Joshua what Israel would need to do to restore God’s favor back onto them going forward.
“I will not be with you anymore unless you eliminate from your midst the things designated for destruction. Stand up! Consecrate the people and say, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, because the Lord, the God of Israel, has said this: “There are things designated for destruction in your midst, Israel. You cannot stand against your enemies until you have removed the designated things from your midst”’” (Joshua 7:12–15 NASB).
The key point of this passage in regard to ancient Israel is this: To restore God’s favor on the nation of Israel, they had to get back into alignment with God’s will.
The key point for Donald Trump, the 2024 election, and a possible second term is this: For the fullness of God’s favor to be on Donald Trump, he needs to be in alignment with God’s will about Israel’s land by not supporting a two-state plan or using discussions about Israel’s land as a means to achieve other peace accords. God’s ideal will for President Trump is to be a defender of the land of Israel and not a divider of the land of Israel. He needs to stand for and defend their biblical rights to the land. The more President Trump will do this, the more success God will give him. If you look at Joshua chapter 8, you can see that Israel won the next battle against Ai once they were back in alignment with God’s will. As a side note, it is also interesting that this ancient battle was with a place called “Ai,” as some people have suspected that “AI” (artificial intelligence) could be used to try and influence the election in some way.
It seems a change has been taking place in Trump’s position on the matter, especially after the tragic events of October 7, 2023. In May 2024 Trump stated, Most people thought it was going to be a two-state solution. I’m not sure a two-state solution anymore is gonna work. . . . There was a time when I thought two states could work. Now I think two states is going to be very, very tough. I think it’s going to be much tougher to get. I also think you have fewer people that liked the idea. You had a lot of people that liked the idea four years ago. Today, you have far fewer people that like that idea. (Source: https://www.jns.org/trump-reaching-a-two-state-solution-now-very-very-tough/). During the first presidential debate Trump also dodged the question of whether he supported a two-state plan by answering, “I’d have to see,” before he changed to another subject.
Because of this shift in Trump’s position on a two-state plan and Israel’s land, God’s favor has been shifting back toward him. While a large part of the body of Christ has not fully understood or been aware of how much this all was a factor in the 2020 election, some believers do. And a number of people have been praying for him about this matter. At this moment it seems that there has been enough of a shift in his position on the peace process and Israel’s land that God will likely give him the victory in the 2024 election and restore him to the presidency for a second term.
What Trump Does Regarding Israel’s Land Will Significantly Affect a Second Term
Even though Trump has been reluctant lately to publicly support a two-state peace plan, he has recently stated that he would make it an “absolute priority” to expand the Abraham Accords in a second term. (https://jewishinsider.com/2024/10/trump-says-expanding-abraham-accords-will-be-absolute-priority-if-he-wins-election/). Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has similarly said he would like to make accords with additional Arab countries, recently stating, “I aspire to continue the process I went through a few years ago, with the signing of the historic Abraham Accords, in order to achieve peace with other Arab countries.” (https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/israels-netanyahu-says-aspires-to-achieve-peace-with-arab-countries-6895427). Additionally, the Biden administration has currently been attempting to facilitate a normalization agreement with Saudi Arabia that would be signed before the current presidential term ends. While it would seem slightly unlikely that it will happen at this moment, there is still a minor possibility since Netanyahu would like to see some kind of agreement. Even in the event that a deal is not made at the present time, some of the State Department groundwork could carry into the next presidential term.
It is these circumstances that could put President Trump into risky territory regarding Israel’s land in a second term. With so many players in Congress, the State Department, the Israeli government and the international community wanting to see Israel make peace accords with additional nations, it may put a lot of weight on Trump to facilitate these deals. And the drawback to all of this is that most of the nations that might be willing to make peace deals with Israel will likely expect Israel either to take steps toward a two-state plan or at a minimum to delay or restrain from annexing additional land in the West Bank or Gaza or to implement settlement freezes. If the United States takes part in any of these actions, it will run the risk of facing significant consequences for not standing for Israel’s unconditional right to their land. If Netanyahu meets with Trump and says he wants him help to make a deal with a certain country but tells him it requires Israel to put in a settlement freeze, Trump would likely be prone to attempt that unless he understands that there is a greater reason not to do it. This is where he needs our help to understand what God’s will is.
Likewise, the same principles apply to President Trump standing with Israel in their right to self-defense. This includes helping to provide Israel with the military means to defend their nation. If President Trump will stand with Israel in this area, more of God’s favor will be on him. If President Trump puts pressure on Israel to make military decisions that are not in their best interests or withholds military supplies from them that they need for their continued defense, this could also cause some of God’s favor to shift away from him. This is not to say that we should not continue to pray for as much mercy as possible that lives are spared even as we support Israel’s right to self-defense.
The Body of Christ Has Work to Do to Stand with Israel in a Second Trump Term
If we as the body of Christ want to see Trump succeed in his second term, we are going to need to intercede regularly for him about this matter of Israel’s land. We need to be praying that President Trump will not be pulled into steps toward a two-state plan in the midst of his desire to make other Abraham Accords. We need to pray that he will not use discussions about Israel’s land, land annexation, settlement freezes, sovereignty over the Temple Mount, or any other policy affecting Israel’s land as tools to get other Abraham Accords done. We need to pray that Christians who have access to Trump will help him to clearly understand the risks involved in doing any of these things, especially from a biblical perspective (such as Genesis 12:1–3; Joel 3:2; Zechariah 2:8). The church has to speak in a collective and unified voice that the land of Israel should not be divided, and we collectively need to work to influence President Trump not to tamper with Israel’s land to make peace agreements. If President Trump can make accords between Israel and Arab nations that do not involve using the land as collateral, then that is a different scenario. But most of the nations wanting to make peace deals are likely going to want Israel to take steps that involve its land, and doing so runs the risks of triggering significant consequences. In the event the United States facilitates a two-state deal to create a Palestinian state that is actually signed and takes effect, it will trigger a catastrophic event in America that will be the most devastating natural disaster that the country has ever seen. (See the article here for the warning about this: https://watch.org/node/111000).
Given the fact that the next presidential term does not start for a couple more months, we should also be praying that the Biden administration will continue supporting Israel militarily and will not engage in peace efforts that would take steps toward dividing the land.
We should also be praying about whether the sovereignty plan that former U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman put out after Trump’s first term ended is something that should be considered. Friedman could possibly return to his ambassadorship position, and he has proposed a one-state plan that would involve Israel having territorial sovereignty over all of the West Bank and Gaza Strip but allow the Palestinians to have some degree of autonomy (similar to how Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory but not an independent country). If a plan like this were implemented, as long as the Palestinians in those territories had a good quality of life, it could possibly take the discussions about territorial concessions off the table regarding other possible Abraham Accords. At the same time to be biblically based, even a deal like this should not prevent Israel from building settlements in parts of the West Bank or Gaza. This is not to say this plan is definitely the answer or not, but clearly it is better than Israel giving up territorial sovereignty over these lands.
God’s Greater Purpose
In considering all of this, we also have to understand that God often has a greater purpose for why certain things are allowed to happen. That does not mean we support things that go against the Bible, like dividing Israel’s land. But in the event we see certain peace accords happen in the near future, we still have to trust in God. With that being said, we still do everything we can to stand for Israel’s land, and if God permits certain things to happen anyway, we must still trust in Him. There are certain events of prophetic significance that may happen in the relatively near future, and some events may not be able to be prevented.
Look at the example of David in 2 Samuel 24 and 1 Chronicles 21. He took a census that was displeasing to the Lord. But why did God allow that to occur? Even though God was disciplining Israel, He was also allowing it as part of His greater plan to establish the location of the temple (even though what David himself did was sinful in God’s sight). We know that at some point in the future there will be another temple built in Jerusalem. There will be a certain season in the future when God permits the circumstances to occur that cause that to come to pass. And while the Bible is not fully clear on all the steps that lead up to a third temple being built, many people connect it to a peace deal that involves Israel and other nations. However, it is worth considering the possibility that the third temple might be built prior to the final seven-year period mentioned in Daniel chapter 9. At least some people have speculated that President Trump could in some way be involved in the circumstances that lead to this. Time will tell if that is true or not. Regardless of what may happen, we do our part as the body of Christ to pray that President Trump does not do anything that would take steps toward dividing the land of Israel.
Other Things to Pray About
In addition to praying for President Trump concerning Israel, there are a number of other things we need to pray about during a second Trump term. We need to pray that Jesus will draw Trump closer to Himself and guide him by the Holy Spirit. We need to pray that Trump and his administration will promote as many biblical policies as possible, including when it comes to issues such as the sanctify of life, marriage, sexuality, and continuing to defend our religious freedom. He has not been as pro-life in this election as he came across in previous elections, and we need to pray that he will move back to a more pro-life position in his second term. We also need to pray for wisdom for Trump as he navigates numerous social and international issues. There is the real possibility of a major economic shaking coming to America in the very near future, and we need to pray that God helps him (as well as us ourselves) to make the right financial decisions. The threat of continued international war is very real, and we need to be interceding if this threat can be prevented or at least minimized. We also need to be praying that Trump will choose the right Cabinet members and advisors.
But the most important thing we need to pray for during a second Trump term is that people would come to know Jesus who do not yet know Him and that those who do know Him would come to know Him more deeply, in combination with repentant hearts. Trump cannot save America, but Jesus can! The more our nation responds to Jesus in repentance and true commitment to Him and His Word, the more God’s mercy will be on the nation. God is calling our nation to repentance from both individual and national sins, and without repentance we will continue seeing much disruption in our country. But with repentance, many of the challenges we would otherwise see during the next four years can be prevented or at least reduced. God is responding to our prayers and intercessions with a window of mercy right now. However, to truly change the nation for the good and see the best outcome, we must have repentance.