The Scholar's Corner

Back in early 2006, I had a dream that caused me to awake, bolt upright in bed, and I shared it with a few friends, but did not publish it because I did not want it to be prophetic or to come true. Nevertheless, it had one of those characteristic “of the Lord” qualities which caused me to have an attitude adjustment and was “corrective” in nature. That usually comes from the Lord and not from my own psyche. I’ve had a few prophetic dreams in my lifetime and I’ve hoped that this one isn’t one of them, but portions of the dream have recurred, and so I feel bound to share it, hoping it will have some good effect on the Body of Christ.

In this dream, I saw myself in the role of a Secret Service agent guarding Hillary Clinton. I was standing next to her after she had received news of her election to the Presidency of the United States. I stood at attention, and said, “Congratulations, Madam President.” To which she, knowing my political allegiances, gave a kind of smirking half smile, not unkindly, but totally disbelieving of my sincerity. To which I immediately responded, “You don’t understand, Madam President. The Lord has made you my President, and I owe you my allegiance and my honor.” I spoke in the dream with such conviction, determination, and zeal, that when I awoke I was shocked by the fact that my allegiance came from deep within my spirit without any hesitation or reservation whatsoever. It seemed like the Spirit of the Lord had inspired this integrity. And I immediately wondered: what could that be about?

However, as I meditated on the meaning of the dream, a few things came clear to me, which are applicable to the larger Body of Christ:

The scriptures clearly teach we are to honor those whom God places over us, even if they are not just or righteous or even know God, because it is the Lord who “removes kings and puts kings in place,” (Daniel 2:21). The Lord actually commands that we “shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people,” and he equates such disrespect with reviling God:
“You shall not revile God, nor curse a ruler of your people,” (Exodus 22:28 & Acts 23:5).
Why does God command this behavior from his servants? Because it is God who sets up kings and rulers, and when God chooses someone to lead us, whether we like them or not, whether they are righteous or not, we are disrespecting his Lordship over us when we curse and revile or mock them.

I am above all guilty of this bad behavior towards the unrighteousness of the prior Clinton. Who would think that speaking evilly about someone bent upon immoral policy would incur God’s wrath? Yet, we, as the Body of Christ, are guilty en masse of this ungodly behavior.

Remember that Peter and Paul told us to pray for and honor the Roman Emperor - the very Emperors who persecuted the Church and had them both put to death! These men were by no means entirely just. They ruled through power and put innocents to death as an example to the community where some had rebelled. The endorsed slavery and homosexuality and sports that involved torture and death. They were not moral by any means, yet, God had placed them in power!

“Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme…Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.”

“Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore he who resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of him who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain; he is the servant of God to execute his wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be subject, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For the same reason you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay all of them their dues, taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due. Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.” Romans 13:1-8, RSV.

Peter says that even if we are persecuted unjustly by evil men in authority, we should follow the example of Jesus, who “When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he trusted to him who judges justly,” 1 Peter 2:23, RSV.

“For one is approved if, mindful of God, he endures pain while suffering unjustly. For what credit is it, if when you do wrong and are beaten for it you take it patiently? But if when you do right and suffer for it you take it patiently, you have God’s approval. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. He committed no sin; no guile was found on his lips. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he trusted to him who judges justly.” 1 Peter 2:19-23, RSV.

And even if we were called by God to give a prophetic word of correction to a leader of the people, (and by what boastful arrogance have many of us appointed ourselves to this task, not called by God to do so?) what should be our attitude? We could learn from Jeremiah, who, when dealing with a faithless and unjust king in Judah, addressed him humbly and with respect: “Now hear, I pray you, O my lord the king: let my humble plea come before you,” Jeremiah 37:20.

I make a confession of my own disrespectful behavior and call out to you believers to hold even those of whom you disapprove in equal honor, not because they are righteous in themselves, but because God, who is Lord over all, has placed them there!

Now I have had two more dreams of Hillary as president since that time and both of them have been about the Lord’s great love for her. That may seem strange to your ears, but you have to understand that God loves sinners, even if he doesn’t approve of sin. Jesus died for us all, not just the ones who do right all the time.

The second dream is similar to the first:

I was speaking to Hillary in an unofficial capacity, and I said to her, “I don’t agree with any of your polices, and I could never vote for you, but nevertheless I love you anyway.”

A third dream showed me how much the Lord loved Hillary, but I don’t remember the context.

My point is this: I do not know if the Lord has appointed her to be President for the healing or for the judgment of the nation; for it could truly be to bring judgment upon us for our rebellion and sinful ways. But because the Lord has appointed her, I owe her my honor and my respect. And I must, as a believer, bind up my loose tongue and stop my reviling judgments and mockery of those whom God has placed in power, and above all, love them, even if they are enemies of God in their actions and policies. I should pray for them and their welfare.

And lastly, I hope that all of these dreams were but dreams meant to adjust my attitude and not prophecies. I do not care if God has appointed her to be a leader of the people, I cannot and will not vote for her, because her policies, especially on matters of morals, are violently opposed to God’s will. I cannot support them with my vote. Nevertheless, I vow not to make myself accursed by showing dishonor to those God has placed in power, even when I do not agree with their beliefs, laws, and behaviors. I feel this test is going to get a lot harder for us and for me as a Christian than it ever has before as the country chooses economic self interest over the plight of the unborn.

Originally posted: Jan. 10, 2008.