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Eschatology Is Affecting the Foreign Policy of the United States
Premillennialism and Foreign Policy
A large percentage, I would say 35% of the population, of Americans is premillennial. Almost 100 percent of those were Trump voters in the 2024 election. Premillennialism takes literally the Old and New Testament promises to Israel. Amillennialism and postmillennialism are growing in the United States, but it is still a small, albeit loud, percentage of professing Christians.
Premillennialism takes what is called an Old Testament priority. The characters of the Old Testament, as God revealed His Word to them, understood what they heard. For instance, the promises concerning the Messiah were literal and fulfilled that way in the first coming of Jesus Christ. A very low percentage of Jews believed that, but Christians did and do.
Abrahamic Covenant
I point to the Abrahamic Covenant of Genesis, which repeats itself multiple times in the book, starting with Genesis 12:1-3, but with an allusion in Genesis 3:15 and the seed of the woman. God promised a seed, a land, and a blessing. It was a unilateral, unconditional, and irrevocable covenant with an ethnic people. You can add to that the Mosaic, Davidic, and New Covenants by God that apply to Israel.
In the present war in the Middle East, a large part of the support of the Israel comes from premillennialists. You can add to that especially the orthodox Jews and then the Messianic Jews. If you went to an orthodox synagogue in Florida, almost 100 percent would have supported Donald Trump. The two ideas coincide. The Messiah is Jesus Christ, even if the orthodox Jews deny that. However, they both look for a Messiah, who will set up a kingdom.
A Division
How are the eschatological positions applying to foreign policy right now? A division exists in the Republican foreign policy. The neo-conservatives are a very small minority now in the Republican Party. Many went Independent or Democrat.
When I talk about the small minority, I’m saying The Lincoln Project, The Bulwark, the Bush/Rove/Cheney/Condoleezza Rice Faction, and the Romney/Murkowski/Collins/Nikki Haley/Mitch McConnell/(now) Mike Pence contingent. Some still hang with the Republicans because they support more Trump ideas than the new Democrat Party. Much of this side on foreign policy wants to keep sending billions or a trillion more to Ukraine and try to defeat Russia and Putin in a proxy war.
The same conflagration of new-conservative types support Israel in the Middle East, but they want a new world order with a muscular U. S. intervention overseas. They still support the idea of nation building, perhaps going to back to an old NATO philosophy after World War II. These are typically the classic free-traders and dollar diplomacy to force the spread of capitalism and democracy across the world.
MAGA and Historical Republicanism
The MAGA, American First foreign policy, as I see it, is split, but an avenue of cohesion exists. The biggest group would take the following position and this fits Premillennial eschatology. I would be in that thinking. First, they reject the war in the Ukraine. They want a diplomatic end to that war with the hope of better relations with Russia. This includes ending NATO expansion into Eastern Europe, threatening Russian sovereignty. This is not support of Putin.
The historical Republican foreign policy prioritizes America. It secures the borders of the nation and strengthens the national economy. Included in this is greater fairness in trade in combination with freeness and a return of strong American industrialization and business. China makes less of the stuff America needs for a secure future. This means less foreign intervention more in the spirit of George Washington in his Farewell Address.
Israel
A second aspect of the MAGA foreign policy relates to Israel. The split exists here, because there is an anti-Israel faction in MAGA. It’s also antisemitic. You can find this also in the Christian nationalism movement. It is not so totally innocent. The amillennialists and postmillennialists abide here, a few premillennialists too, but with what I’ve read as a very odd sort of premillennialism. The latter says that future support of Israel and trust in the promises of God do not necessitate, and could even preclude, present support of apostate Israel.
The premillennialist branch, the bigger one, of MAGA foreign policy can work with the smaller faction, which I believe includes now a name such as Tucker Carlson. They might agree that the United States should allow Israel freedom to win in the Middle East. The United States will continue as a supportive ally without its own military involvement, no more boots on the ground.
Premillennialists like myself would support a one state solution in Israel and an expansion of Israel territory. This mirrors a belief that the Palestinians are in practice something like the Canaanites of the Old Testament. They have no interest in cohabitation or peace with Israel in the land. Israel can’t continue to live like this. A one state solution is the most popular one in Israel today. I think Israel should be allowed to form one state with the integration of like-minded Palestinians.
Conclusion
Peace in the foreign policy of the American First Movement revolves around an anti-interventionist approach. The United States does not force its own foreign policy on Israel. It supports an Israel First Movement in Israel. At the same time, it neither sends financial aid to either Israel, Palestine, or any other Middle Eastern country. These countries can trade freely and fairly with no advantage to either side.
What I’m writing fits a premillennialist approach and, I believe, it represents the present foreign policy in the United States. It occurs in the most major way because of a belief in the promises of God to Israel. It is also optimistic. With the United States advocating for a literal approach to scripture even in its foreign policy toward Israel, it gives a greater opportunity for blessing on the country.
You’ve heard the mission credo, the church whose light shines the furthest shines the brightest at home. I agree with the same credo for the United States. Let’s stop intervening everywhere and get our own house in order. We are not ready to spread a corrupt Americanism. Only intervene against a direct threat to the security of the United States. If an African country wants to outlaw homosexuality, the United States should not punish that country, but respect its sovereignty. This will have a greater long term affect on the rest of the world, just being that original idea of a bright light shining on a hill.
The Dovetailing of Biblical Eschatology and United States Foreign Policy
Religious Influence on Government
Virginia Baptists under the leadership of John Leland influenced James Madison and his writing of the Bill of Rights. They wouldn’t vote for ratification of the Constitution in Virginia without freedom of religion in a first amendment. This was a quid pro quo situation for the Baptists and Madison. After the consequences of the Great Awakening, Virginia had so many Baptists that they needed their support to pass legislation.
Religious folk still influence both domestic and foreign policy in the United States. In particular, the eschatology of American evangelicals affects politicians and lawmakers. Overall, Jews are no friend of evangelicals. A large majority of Jews treat evangelicals like trash. They hate and disdain them. Jews most often vote just the opposite as evangelicals and even try to ruin most of what they like. They direct caustic verbiage toward evangelicals, insulting them in a hateful manner. Nevertheless, a large number of evangelicals eagerly continue supporting Israel. Why?
Premillennialism
Many genuine, born-again Christians take the Bible literally. They approach the prophetic portions of scripture grammatically and historically. Even though prophecies contain figurative language, they interpret them according to their plain meaning. They believed like this from the first century until today. In more recent historical times, Christians established a literal method of interpretation of scripture, called dispensationalism. Dispensationalism systematized a belief already held by Christians, titled premillennialism.
Premillennialism is a theological perspective within Christian eschatology that asserts that Jesus Christ will physically return to Earth (the Second Coming) before the establishment of a literal thousand-year reign known as the Millennium. This belief corresponds to a literal interpretation of Revelation 20:1–6, which describes a period during which Christ reigns on earth following His return. The premillennial view emphasizes a literal reading of biblical texts, particularly those concerning end-time events. This approach maintains that prophecies regarding Christ’s second coming and the ensuing kingdom should be understood in their plain meaning unless context suggests otherwise.
A critical aspect of premillennialism is the belief that Old Testament Israel and the New Testament church are distinct entities with separate roles in God’s plan. Promises made to Israel, especially regarding land and kingdom, are viewed as not fulfilled by and in the church. Like Paul confirmed in Romans 11:26, “Israel shall be saved.”
A Voting Bloc of Premillennialists
Sixty-five percent of evangelical leaders identify as premillennial. According to various surveys, a substantial number of evangelicals hold premillennial beliefs, particularly in conservative circles. This aligns with the findings from an evangelical leaders survey, suggesting that premillennialism is indeed the dominant perspective within evangelicalism. Even among non-believers in non-evangelical churches and even non-church goers believe premillennialism.
Many evangelicals don’t identify as Baptist and many truly saved Baptists don’t identify as evangelicals. Many Charismatics do not consider themselves as evangelicals and evangelicals don’t consider themselves Charismatic. Without overlap, all evangelicals, Baptists, and Charismatics come to about 35% of the population of the United States. A higher percentage of Charismatics are premillennial than even evangelicals and Baptists.
65% of 35% is 23%. That would make twenty-three percent of Americans as premillennial. Twenty-tree percent of the 340 million Americans is 78 million premillennialists. That’s a very large and influential voting bloc and their eschatology affects their foreign policy.
Support of Israel and Opposition to Globalism
Premillennialists will support Israel. They also oppose globalism because they think this world will end with a one world government. This affects their position on borders and foreign wars. Part of the support of an American first agenda relates to opposition to the globalist perspective that involves the United States in unending foreign entanglements and wars.
I can see why a 35% voting bloc at least wants the United States to give Israel a free reign to defeat their enemies in the Middle East. Also, I understand why these same voters do not support the war in the Ukraine. This isn’t hatred of the Ukraine, but it is a distrust in an administrative state within the United States that wants globalism. These same characters villainize Russia to undermine the candidate that most champions their causes.
Opposition of the Biblical Views
A particular United States foreign policy dovetails with biblical premillennialism. The premillennial voters have an agenda which they see as within the will of God. That makes the left crazy. It wants to censor and even imprison these people as political enemies. The left sees them as complete kooks. The leftists don’t think anyone should depend on the Bible for any political decisions. I think we would find a fairly large percentage that would prefer the death of premillennialists, whom they see as a scourge of the earth.
The Bible is true. God expects us to know what it means, called the perspicuity of scripture. He wants us to believe it and live according to it. This includes all the prophetic passages. What He says will occur in the future will in fact occur in the future.
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