Apparently end-times eschatology is the new all-meat diet when it comes to generating content, as we have Peter Thiel (who sits in He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named's inner circle) giving lectures about the Antichrist and how the he is all the regulations we made a long the way:
"He added later that given its economic, military, and 'somehow ideological' hegemony, the United States could itself be a contender for the Antichrist. 'There still is a natural way where if things go wrong in the US, it would be the fulfillment of [Franklin D. Roosevelt’s] vision of the New Dealers running the world,' said Thiel. 'And so the US is ground zero of globalization and it’s ground zero of the resistance to bad globalization. We’re both. That’s why it matters so much. The president of the United States maybe is the katechon [or] maybe it’s a type of Antichrist, but presidential elections matter.' (Incidentally, Thiel has been a staunch political and financial supporter of both President XXXXXX XXXXX* and Vice President XX XXXXX, a former employee at Thiel’s venture capital firm.)"[1]
As a kid who spent MANY hours reading through John of Patmos' contribution to the Scripture (it was my default fallback for when a sermon lost me), I guess I shouldn't be surprised that Thiel's vision of the End Times is lamer than all of the (false-start) TV adaptations of the "Left Behind" books.**
I guess, in the Age of XXXXX, I should be less surprised that there's a grift for this stuff, as there's a neverending appetite for it. (Speaking of such, I should check in on Rod "an Apocalypse, in the sense of an unveiling, not the end of the world" Dreher to see what Orbán's American court jester is peddling these days - last I looked, it was AI, UFOs and demons.)
Also, one suggestion to folks raising new graven images to XXXXX:
If you're going to do it, slather it in gold paint. If you don't do that, then XXXXX will send his goons to remove it until you do so.[1] Even if the message is as positive as friendship, comradery, and brotherhood, it still has to look like you ordered it from SkyMall[2], by way of your local metal plater.
Sorry for my ignorance regarding the "rapture." That said, i stayed with David all the way through and was rewarded with the ending. The irony of "rapture day" concurring with the donald's inability to ascend on an elevator was priceless.
When I was a kid, my family would sit around the table until very late at night with Bible open, talking about the different end times prophecies. Those were great memories for me and planted seeds in my heart that have kept me hopeful and anchored in my faith.
Now what made me think that you could write a piece on eschatology and not find a way to slide some mention of Trump into it? I should have known better. I honestly don't think you can write about ANY subject and leave Trump out of it. It has become an obsession.
Well, excuse me for enjoying reading even points of view that I sometimes disagree with. Having said that, David could, at least once in a blue moon, try to refrain from his incessant need to take digs at Trump. It would just be refreshing to read something he has written that makes no mention of him.
If this were the middle of the Biden administration and Trump was doing his thing over at Mar-a-Lago, and David was writing about the End Times, I'd agree with you.
However, when the people pushing this nonsense are either accelerationists pushing Trump (see Thiel link above, [1]) or true believers showering in the #MAGA firehose, talking about the End Times in 2025 is significantly different than talking about the End Times in 1988[2] (my first Rapture).
If Christians get annoyed that Trump keeps getting pulled into discussions when Christianity comes up, perhaps you all should be a bit more vocal when the man wraps himself in it like a protective cloak whenever it suits him (and ignoring the parts he doesn't like). Maybe once the faithful have put enough daylight between themselves and him, we can have a decent End Times article that ignores him altogether.
I maintain that we can, even in 2025. One of the major reasons I never voted for Trump was his saying early on in his first campaign that he had no reason to ask God's forgiveness for anything. Therefore, in a discussion of eschatology, Trump can be easily left out of it.
I'll agree that Trump is ultimately inconsequential for eschatology (viewed in isolation as an object unto itself), but I will disagree that he's irrelevant for a discussion of how that eschatology has been practiced this last week.
If I'm splitting hairs on that, let me wish you a Good Day instead.
He's talking about purported Christians literally idolizing Trump as their savior: and you find that to be an issue to discuss them? Or how Trump and many other purported Christians act counter to Christ's teachings (one might even use the term anti-Christ to describe it)?
Having read the books of Daniel and Revelation numerous times, were i to write on eschatology, I would be very hard-pressed to see my way to include any mention of Trump in my piece, yet David Thornton has. Of course, if there is anyone who can...
Mentioning Christians that literally idolize him, and his actions as POTUS that may play into said eschatology - you can understand how that is indeed relevant.
Apparently end-times eschatology is the new all-meat diet when it comes to generating content, as we have Peter Thiel (who sits in He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named's inner circle) giving lectures about the Antichrist and how the he is all the regulations we made a long the way:
"He added later that given its economic, military, and 'somehow ideological' hegemony, the United States could itself be a contender for the Antichrist. 'There still is a natural way where if things go wrong in the US, it would be the fulfillment of [Franklin D. Roosevelt’s] vision of the New Dealers running the world,' said Thiel. 'And so the US is ground zero of globalization and it’s ground zero of the resistance to bad globalization. We’re both. That’s why it matters so much. The president of the United States maybe is the katechon [or] maybe it’s a type of Antichrist, but presidential elections matter.' (Incidentally, Thiel has been a staunch political and financial supporter of both President XXXXXX XXXXX* and Vice President XX XXXXX, a former employee at Thiel’s venture capital firm.)"[1]
As a kid who spent MANY hours reading through John of Patmos' contribution to the Scripture (it was my default fallback for when a sermon lost me), I guess I shouldn't be surprised that Thiel's vision of the End Times is lamer than all of the (false-start) TV adaptations of the "Left Behind" books.**
I guess, in the Age of XXXXX, I should be less surprised that there's a grift for this stuff, as there's a neverending appetite for it. (Speaking of such, I should check in on Rod "an Apocalypse, in the sense of an unveiling, not the end of the world" Dreher to see what Orbán's American court jester is peddling these days - last I looked, it was AI, UFOs and demons.)
[1] https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/785407/peter-thiel-antichrist-tech-regulation
* Sanitized to coddle select readers' feelings.
** IMHO, BeauSeigneur's "Christ Clone Trilogy" is a MUCH better read: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christ_Clone_Trilogy
Also, one suggestion to folks raising new graven images to XXXXX:
If you're going to do it, slather it in gold paint. If you don't do that, then XXXXX will send his goons to remove it until you do so.[1] Even if the message is as positive as friendship, comradery, and brotherhood, it still has to look like you ordered it from SkyMall[2], by way of your local metal plater.
[1] https://www.npr.org/2025/09/24/nx-s1-5552505/trump-epstein-statue-removed-national-mall
[2] https://gizmodo.com/skymall-bankrupt-fate-of-worlds-weird-garden-statue-su-1681384860
Sorry for my ignorance regarding the "rapture." That said, i stayed with David all the way through and was rewarded with the ending. The irony of "rapture day" concurring with the donald's inability to ascend on an elevator was priceless.
Damned if it almost didn't cause me to rupture.
When I was a kid, my family would sit around the table until very late at night with Bible open, talking about the different end times prophecies. Those were great memories for me and planted seeds in my heart that have kept me hopeful and anchored in my faith.
Great job David! Keep up the good work!
Now what made me think that you could write a piece on eschatology and not find a way to slide some mention of Trump into it? I should have known better. I honestly don't think you can write about ANY subject and leave Trump out of it. It has become an obsession.
We are fortunate that Dear Leader has you so diligently policing Substack to point out the Wrongthink each time it rears its twisted head.
I think I might have actually read David's theory for why America doesn't show up in the Book of Revelation, were it not for your steadfast watch.
Well, excuse me for enjoying reading even points of view that I sometimes disagree with. Having said that, David could, at least once in a blue moon, try to refrain from his incessant need to take digs at Trump. It would just be refreshing to read something he has written that makes no mention of him.
If this were the middle of the Biden administration and Trump was doing his thing over at Mar-a-Lago, and David was writing about the End Times, I'd agree with you.
However, when the people pushing this nonsense are either accelerationists pushing Trump (see Thiel link above, [1]) or true believers showering in the #MAGA firehose, talking about the End Times in 2025 is significantly different than talking about the End Times in 1988[2] (my first Rapture).
If Christians get annoyed that Trump keeps getting pulled into discussions when Christianity comes up, perhaps you all should be a bit more vocal when the man wraps himself in it like a protective cloak whenever it suits him (and ignoring the parts he doesn't like). Maybe once the faithful have put enough daylight between themselves and him, we can have a decent End Times article that ignores him altogether.
[1] https://www.thenation.com/article/world/trump-evangelicals-christian-nationalists-iran-israel-end-times/
[2] https://www.equip.org/articles/88-reasons-what-went-wrong/
I maintain that we can, even in 2025. One of the major reasons I never voted for Trump was his saying early on in his first campaign that he had no reason to ask God's forgiveness for anything. Therefore, in a discussion of eschatology, Trump can be easily left out of it.
I'll agree that Trump is ultimately inconsequential for eschatology (viewed in isolation as an object unto itself), but I will disagree that he's irrelevant for a discussion of how that eschatology has been practiced this last week.
If I'm splitting hairs on that, let me wish you a Good Day instead.
He's talking about purported Christians literally idolizing Trump as their savior: and you find that to be an issue to discuss them? Or how Trump and many other purported Christians act counter to Christ's teachings (one might even use the term anti-Christ to describe it)?
Having read the books of Daniel and Revelation numerous times, were i to write on eschatology, I would be very hard-pressed to see my way to include any mention of Trump in my piece, yet David Thornton has. Of course, if there is anyone who can...
Mentioning Christians that literally idolize him, and his actions as POTUS that may play into said eschatology - you can understand how that is indeed relevant.