By Stratis Georgiou – a concerned Orthodox Christian
Prologue: This article is a polemic about Trump’s presidencies and what seems to be his true nature. Although it includes strong, unkind language about him – based on his words and deeds over the course of his private business and public political life – let me be clear that only Christ knows Trump’s heart and will judge him accordingly when the time comes. I am not judging him but, rather, sharing what I see in him and hear from him. And, even though this article paints a bleak picture of the anti-Christian wake he has already left as President to date (with about 2 years to go), everyone is redeemable if he or she believes, is baptized and repents. Truly, this is my hope – and prayer – for Trump. Finally, as Orthodox Christians, no matter what the world throws at us to knock us down, we must get back up and remain faithful, sober and watchful and look forward to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ’s return.
1. Introduction: Trump Fooled Me Too
It has been about two years since I wrote an article for Orthodox Reflections and since then, the world knocked me off my Orthodox path … temporarily.
In the last several months, I have not consistently prayed my daily prayer rule, I have felt despair about the state of the world and things in my life and, most disappointingly, I have failed to fulfill the Christian definition of Love, which includes being patient, kind, not easily angered or provoked, not prideful, not brash, and not keeping score about the various wrongs (real or perceived) done to me.[i] During this period, I have felt the absence of God’s daily grace although He continues to be merciful to me every time I need Him.
I have no excuse for letting the world get to me because our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, told us to be of good cheer, for He has overcome the world.[ii] Therefore, if we are with truly with Him, our day-to-day tribulations are expected, welcomed and given over to Him to overcome … with, of course, our synergy, using our God-given free will. I know this to be true from the various miracles I have witnessed in my life and in the lives of my family members, especially my mom, whenever we really needed them. Furthermore, St. Paul has been very clear about our continuing duty to apply his hallmarks of Christian agape daily and especially when confronted by temptations, trials and hate, right up until we draw our last breath, just as he did.[iii]
Since the latest fall off of my narrow Orthodox path, I am glad to report that I have gotten back up and I am making my way back to it, one step and one day at a time.[iv]
I noticed a lot of “un-peace” in my life right around the time when Trump[v] succumbed to Netanyahu’s deception and attacked Iran, as U.S. and Iranian diplomats were actively engaged in Oman-mediated indirect negotiations in Geneva over Iran’s nuclear program. As it turned out, the talks were a ruse, a con, a subterfuge to draw Iran’s senior leadership out into the open to kill them.
In the diplomatic history of the Trump presidency, this act of war will be remembered as a low-down, dishonorable, dastardly, dirty trick conceived by the Mossad and spoon-fed to our flattery-will-get-you-everywhere President by a psychopathic war criminal (whose only escape from going to prison is to keep a war, any war, going).
And, what fruits has the US has reaped from the Iran war? Well, let’s see: an increase of about $3 Trillion to our national debt (which now sits at $40 Trillion and counting), $6/gallon diesel (average) and a crumbling Petro-Dollar.
It is no wonder why the Epstein-class elites are buying up private islands and bunkers far away from the USA. They know what’s coming and are setting themselves up elsewhere, not because of an understanding of Orthodox Christian eschatology, but because of secret, secular, insider, “Gnostic” knowledge. However rich and smart they think they are, they can try to leave the world behind but, they will never escape judgment.[vi] Look, I know that we should be praying for these elites to repent, confess and come to Jesus, and I do pray for Trump (see the Conclusion) . However, when I wrote this article, I was not in a praying mood. I debated whether to publish it with a good Orthodox Christian brother of mine who is one of the most balanced, loving, forgiving and positive men I know. In the end, I decided to publish it because I feel – strongly – that many out there, including good men in my parish, are suffering from what I call Trump Idolatry Syndrome or “TIS”. I hope those who are under Trump’s spell may benefit from this article by ceasing to put their faith in his presidency.[vii]
Getting back to Trump’s betrayal of an implied detente during international, diplomatic negotiations. As I see it, it has removed all doubt in my mind about whether he was – and still is – beholden to the current, genocidal Israeli leader and regime. Unfortunately, this ill-advised, Pharisaical ambush has basically assured that the US will never again be taken at its word in any international context. More consequentially, it has sealed the impending fate of the US dollar, which will lose its status as the world’s reserve currency within the next decade (if not sooner) when the world realizes that the US does not have the military, financial or moral high ground it once had.[viii]
We also learned that this initial, surprise attack on Iran targeted a school – Shajarah Tayyebeh Elementary School – which killed approximately 156 civilians, mostly children (about 120).[ix] I think it was this event – and Trump’s lack of regret or an apology for it – that shook my conscience to its core. I was forced to stop lying to myself, and to others, about this phony, snake-oil salesman’s true disposition.
Look, for those of us who are conservative Orthodox Christians, I think that we have always known, deep down inside, that Trump was just the lesser of two evils: first, in comparison to Hillary “Cruella” Clinton in 2016 and second, to Kamala “Kαμήλα” Harris[x] in 2024. During Trump’s first presidential run, I was staunchly against him because of who he was (revealed to everyone as he came of age) but, Clinton appeared to be a worse choice than him. By the time the Biden presidency was done, I was so sick to my stomach from the evils that his Auto-Pen, ultra-liberal administration had unleashed on American Christianity that I finally succumbed to Trump’s greatest lie, that he actually cared and wanted to improve the life of the common American Christian man, and endorsed him
As Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson and other podcasters have poignantly and unabashedly revealed on their platforms in the last few years, the Left-Right political dichotomy has been one continuous Psy-Op since the Kennedy assassination. The divisive dialogue between American families and friends, that the three-letter agencies have fomented over the last 60 years has, in essence, worked as planned: to hide the now-obvious truth that a Uni-Party – with a demonic ethos – actually rules and runs America.
In the last couple of years, however – especially in light of the latest, transparent patsy narrative (which Candace rightly calls Fedslop) about the Charlie Kirk assassination (which no one believes, except Zionists and really stupid people like Andrew Wilson) – we have gone from a society that trusted or, more accurately, wanted to trust, their government to realizing that the Founding Fathers of America knew exactly what they were doing when they referenced the protection against tyranny in the Second Amendment. In fact, we are at a dangerous inflection point in the American empire.
For those of us who were fooled by Trump, we really believed that he could right the ship and set us on a better path. However, as if Trump I was not bad enough, the Trump II administration has revealed itself as a gang of millionaires and billionaires,[xi] homosexuals[xii] and sycophants[xiii] who really seem to take pleasure in continuing to divide Americans while doing nothing to stop the progression of the underlying anti-Christian deep-state agenda.
The net-net is that, based on Trump’s extensive body of lies over the course of his private and public careers, I believe he is nothing more than a charlatan, a kleptocrat and a major American (lower-case) anti-Christ of the 21st century.[xiv]
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2. Trump the Charlatan
What is a charlatan?
It is a person who falsely claims to have special knowledge, skills, power, or authority and who uses the foregoing to deceive people, typically for financial gain, status, or influence.
The characteristics of a charlatan are:
- Offers Simplistic Solutions to Highly Complex Problems … i.e. This snake-oil can cure all of your ailments.
- High Confidence, Low Substance (often using Vague Language) … i.e. What is in this snake-oil, you ask? Well, it is a proprietary formula consisting of a little of this and some of that.
- Severe Hypersensitivity to Criticism … i.e. How dare you – Little Marco, Low-Energy Jeb, and Pocahontas – insult my snake-oil as a just another snake-oil scam?
- Reliance on Anecdotes Over Verifiable Data … i.e. People are saying that my snake-oil is the best snake-oil… the likes of which has never been seen before!
- Aggressive Self-Aggrandizement and Status Signaling … i.e. I have sold billions and billions of bottles of my snake-oil.
- Constantly Shifting Measures of Success … i.e. Look, I know that I said that all you needed was one bottle of my snake-oil but, what I actually meant was one bottle per month.
Does this describe DJT over the course of his career in the private sector? Hmmm, let me use one of my favourite sayings, slightly modified for the purposes of this article:
If it looks like an (orange) duck, quacks like an (orange) duck, and walks like an (orange) duck, it’s probably a Donald J. Duck!
Look, here’s the bottom line: over the span of Trump’s business career, he – in my opinion – has displayed all of the hallmarks of a charlatan. Let’s take a quick look at his business legacy:
- A claim that he started his business career with a $1MM loan from his father to start his real estate development business when it was more like $400 MM.
- Six bankruptcies in a span of 18 years that ruined the lives and businesses of many workers and even several suppliers. In the casino and hotel business that he operated – as opposed to the current “licensing” deals that use his name – he was known to have a Reverse Midas Touch.
- A racial discrimination lawsuit: see the Trump Management Fair Housing Lawsuit (1973). What did Maya Angelou say about believing people when they reveal themselves the first time? Well, I would encourage you to read the Consent Decree that Trump and his father signed to settle this lawsuit and decide whether Trump revealed who he was 50+ years ago.
- A long list of failed businesses but, in fairness, none of them actually involved selling snake-oil: the Trump Shuttle, Trump University, Trump Mortgage, Trump Steaks, and Trump Vodka.
- Questionable “charitable” foundations, such as the now infamous Trump Foundation.
- All County Building Supply & Maintenance, which, apparently, was a sham corporation
- Illicit cash injections into Trump casinos by his father that resulted in one or more gaming commission fines
Please, do not take my word for it; instead, investigate his business history for yourself.[xv]
Look, before the comments section of this article is flooded by bots programmed to defend Trump – i.e. He is a billionaire and you are a nobody… Your article is just sour grapes because he is winning and you’re not … or … This is just another left-wing hit piece about Trump by a loser – let me say that if these will be your proposed retorts, then don’t bother because you have missed my point entirely: that charlatans are often financially successful; however, they are still charlatans – and Trump is a case in point!
3. Trump the Kleptocrat
Just when Trump’s businesses were waning and his name had ceased to be at the top of the national and international press, he decided, in 2015, to launch a presidential bid that he never expected to win. Trump’s campaign was – based on the investigative journalist reports at the time (and not the MSM but various independent sources) – just a brand re-fresh exercise.
However, let me be fair to say that Trump’s ability to read the room – in this case, the collective conscious of middle America, particularly white, straight, displaced-by-DEI, middle-aged men – is nothing short of supernatural, almost as if he is guided by powers and principalities who constantly feed his ego about what to say and when. It is, apparently, similar to the charisma that infamous serial killers have displayed when targeting and lulling their victims into their confidence.
Trump’s surprise that he won the 2016 presidential election was never more evident then when he took the stage at his NYC campaign HQ – very early in the morning, about 3 AM EST – to celebrate his win. Trump, and his entourage, were clearly shocked and, for the first time in the history of his life, he did not have much to say about it … which is exactly how everyone realized that he was surprised to win.
And, the rest, as this clichéd saying goes, is history.
If Trump I was a hard lesson-learned for him about how the Washington DC swamp can impact one’s personal finances in a negative way[xvi], Trump II has been his master-class about how to use the Presidency for personal financial gain, the likes of which America has never seen before.[xvii]
In my view, both Trump presidencies have been nothing more than superlative exercises in personal kleptocracy … even though he actually took a financial hit during Trump I. This wasn’t because he didn’t try to scam but, rather, that there was a bit of a learning curve for him about this unfamiliar but grand opportunity to scam.[xviii]
To give the readers of this article a quick estimate of the how much DJT has profited from the second round of his US presidency, Forbes estimates that his current net worth is now USD $6.5 Billion[xix], up from his net worth of $2.3 Billion at the end of 2021. In other words, during the first year of Trump II, DJT’s personal fortune[xx], has increased by about USD $3.7 Billion and… yikes, we still have two years left in it.
How does this happen when the US Presidency is more than a full-time job that only pays USD $400K per year?
Well, you be the judge after you do your own investigative research on the various articles that have been published about Trump’s side hustles[xxi] that, apparently, have not run afoul of the anti-corruption safeguards in the Emoluments Clauses of the US Constitution.[xxii]
In my view, Trump’s presidency will go down in history as the most corrupt administration before the fall of the once great American empire.
4. Trump the 21st Century Major “anti-Christ”[xxiii]
In Orthodox Christian theology, lower-case “anti-Christs” are forerunners, systems, or spirits that embody a “spirit of lawlessness” and actively work to distort the truth, substitute themselves for Christ, or pull people away from the Church.
According to St. John Chrysostom, one of the Patristic Fathers of the Orthodox Church (the one, true, holy, apostolic and catholic Church founded by Christ), “anti-Christs” display traits, such as the following:
- they offer a counterfeit version of peace, unity, prosperity, or salvation that mimics the Kingdom of God but excludes Christ
- they reject the spiritual reality of Christ and attempt to turn the Church into just another social or political institution for political or financial gain
- they demand total allegiance, setting themselves, their political party, or their ideology up as the absolute arbiter of good and evil
- they promote apostasy or heresy from Christian values and they use leaders and clergy within the Church community itself to warp the gospel or promote a false gospel for worldly power
The above list is, by no means, exhaustive and reasonable Orthodox Christians may debate them in a way that corrects, amplifies, refines, or supplements them … but, not as divisive debate points.
So, how do I see Trump relative to the above traits?
Well, my short and direct answer is that he checks all of the traits above, directly and indirectly.
4A. Trump: The American Father of Lies
First and foremost, he is an unabashed and seemingly unrepentant liar, which brings to mind the obvious comparison to whom Christ called the “father of lies”.
Look, if you think I am hyperbolizing, the public record of his life is replete with direct, bold lies and half-truths which were amplified in his presidential campaigns, especially in the run-up to Trump II.
There are thousands but here are just 5 of them (paraphrased) during the campaigning for Trump II:
- I won’t start foreign wars
- America had the worst inflation under Biden
- I will bring gasoline down to $2 gallon
- I will bring down the cost of prescription drugs to an affordable level
- I will execute the largest mass deportation in American history
Can you imagine the secret lies that he has told to God knows who?
All politicians lie but Trump has taken this to another level in his private and public life and in that regard, he has desensitized the American people to receiving and accepting lies without disavowing the liar himself.
In this way, I believe that Trump has laid a foundation for the Anti-Christ’s message to be received and accepted with a “Meh”.
I implore Orthodox Christians to remain sober and vigilant and not to let apathy creep into your daily struggle to stay on your Orthodox paths and see liars for who they really are.
4B. Trump: The Agent of Chaos
Second, he is, clearly, the undisputed heavy-weight champ of sowing chaos, domestically and internationally.
He is a divider, not a unifier … even though he claimed that he would bring the country together. Instead, his rhetoric and that of the Yes-Men in his administration are reminiscent of modern-day schoolyard bullies, except that Trump and his minions use electronic means to try to ridicule, demean and threaten anyone who opposes them.
The devil loves chaos and the 33rd Degree of the satanic religion of Freemasonry believes and promotes the following motto: Ordo Ab Chao which means “order out of chaos”.
It is no secret that the Epstein-class (or, in other words, the friends of DJT) are high-ranking Freemasons and I have no doubt that they are reveling in the chaos that his presidency has brought to the US – and to the world – because it has created a national and international craving for a “man of peace” to arrive on the scene in the years to come.
For those who have read the book of Revelation, they know that one of the major deceptions that the Anti-Christ will pull-off, as he rises in international, political status, is his claim that he can bring peace to the world, starting in the middle east. And, he may be successful in the short term, just enough to consolidate his worldly power. After leaders like Trump and Netanyahu, the world will be craving him and many – arguably most – will be deceive and believe in him. (Lord Have Mercy x 40!)
In this way, therefore, Trump has done more damage to the American psyche than any president before him and, in my view, makes him a major anti-Christ of the 21st century.
4C. Trump: The Cult of Personality
I cannot think of a stronger personality figure so far, in this century, than Trump.
And thinking back to the last century, I ask the readers of this article this question: How different is Trump’s personality from Hitler’s, Stalin’s, Mao’s, Ceaucescu’s, or Pol Pot’s?[xxiv]
I know the comparison seems harsh, and people may have a visceral reaction to it, but step-off your soap box for a minute, take off your blinders and investigate for yourself how charismatic these leaders were in the times in which they lived. They turned out to be despicable human beings but, they did not appear to be so as they gained political power.
In fact, they were loved and hated – similar to how Trump is regarded (or was regarded at the inception of Trump II) – and they too tapped into the political climate of their times – using their cults of personality and rhetoric – to gain power. We now have a historical record of how the evil these 20th century anti-Christian leaders turned out to be and it is truly shocking, in retrospect. To be clear – and to pre-empt comments about this – Trump has not been responsible for as many deaths of Christians (and non-Christians) as any of the foregoing tyrants named above were … at least not yet. And, furthermore, to be fair to Trump – we are early in the 21st century – so it could be that there will be future American leaders that will be worse anti-Christs than he appears to be.
Time will tell but, Trump’s presidency, which still has 2 years to go, is not trending well in this regard and he can still do a lot of damage to America (and to the world) – especially to Orthodox Christians – in this timeframe. Look, as the so-called the ‘leader of the free world’ who said that he was going to bring peace to the foreign wars out there[xxv], and would never enter into new foreign wars directly, it is undeniable that he has turned out to be a false prophet.
Furthermore, who knows whether the Iran war will end up turning into WWIII? God forbid … but, remember, God respects free will, good or bad … and Trump has the free will – and the power – to launch nukes and wipe out Iranian civilization. Such actions could, conceivably, kill 90 million people and propel him to the top of the above-noted misanthropes and anti-Christs. Can we just ignore the crazy talk from Trump about wiping out the Iranian civilization? Maybe … but, talk like this is clearly anti-Christian and, whether you are a Republican or Democrat, you have face the fact that no other American president has been this brazen about the (implied) use of nukes. Or, maybe Trump will cause enough chaos to provoke Russia or another nuclear power to use a nuke, which will kill millions?
I could go on and point out other traits in Trump that fit the definition of an anti-Christ[xxvi] but, I am going to limit myself to the above-noted three and state my opinion, clearly and unequivocally, that Trump is currently – and will go down in history as – a major American anti-Christ of the 21st century.[xxvii]
Conclusion: May God Have Mercy on His Soul
I know this is wrong as an Orthodox Christian but, I wish I could see Trump’s soul as it leaves his body at the moment of his death.
I want to see Trump’s arrogant, unrepentant, lying, cheating, blackened, scoundrel of a soul as the demons pull at it, salivating at the prospect of devouring it for eternity. Meanwhile his guardian angel weeps and turns his face away from him because of all the despicable things this man has done to his fellow man, without any regret during the long life that God gave him to truly believe and repent.
I want to be a witness at Trump’s particular judgment as the evidence of his worldly, black-as-coal life flashes before him and he remembers all the missed opportunities to say a simple “sorry” or the times when, given his wealth and power, he could have been merciful. Especially to the laborers whom he swindled and the children that he allowed to be killed on his watch.
I want to see Trump standing before Christ the King on His Judgment Seat, where high-priced lawyers can no longer help him and where his evil works and words done and uttered in his lifetime – the secret evil things that he thought he would get away with – are laid bare before him. I want to hear Christ’s sentence for myself and see the anguish on Trump’s face at that moment.
I want to see scales of justice of Trump’s life tipped and pointing toward the place where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. Watch him as he looks around for help, finally coming to the knowledge that Christ is real and has come back in power and glory to judge the living and the dead. I want him to understand that the art of the deal was in seeking, knowing and following Christ during his lifetime.
Admittedly (and ashamedly), the above are not proper Orthodox Christian thoughts and this part of the article is my public confession about them. I apologize to everyone that I have offended by any parts of this article, especially the above.
And yet, despite my un-Orthodox Christian thoughts about Trump and my lack of agape for Trump – in this latest spiritual valley of my life – this is my daily prayer for Trump on most mornings:
“Lord, please humble this man, like you did St. Paul, to turn his life around and repent before his death.”
At 80 years old, Trump’s time for repentance is running out. I see no signs of humility in him, nor any attempt to cover his daily sins by using his position and money to bring the people of America to Christ. Truly, this type of leadership would Make America Great Again. But, Christ is merciful and patient and there is still time for Trump to change his ways. Look, if the thief on the cross made it into Heaven, on his literal deathbed, there is hope for Trump and we – as Orthodox Christians, especially me – should be stepping up our prayers for him.
However, in the meantime, we do not have to pander to Trump and try to justify the Iran war – or his other evils words and acts. That is the job of the highly-paid sycophants on Fox News that, admittedly, I used to watch from 7-11 PM EST. We must remain sober and vigilant, recognizing that if Trump does not course correct for the remainder of his Presidency, there is a different fate coming to America and, from the looks of things, sooner rather than later.[xxviii]
May God have mercy on Trump’s soul and may God forgive me for writing this article.
And, one final note. Please, do not despair about all of the bad things that Trump has done and said. Nor about the state of America and the world, for that matter. Christ has already warned us about the coming Tribulation before His return so we know hard times are coming. Think of this present time in the history of America as a test to prepare yourself for what is coming. God made man in a way to be able to look up to Heaven, not down … so look up to the dome in your parish church every Sunday and say the following to the Pantokrator – even knowing that all Christians who remain faithful to the end will suffer:
“… Even so, come, Lord Jesus”.[xxix]
Rejoice in knowing that Christ prevails over evil … be of good cheer … and stay on your Orthodox paths!
References
[i] See 1 Corinthians 4-8
[ii] See John 16:33.
[iii] See 1 Corinthians 11:1 where St. Paul stated: “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ”
[iv] See St. John Climacus (The Ladder of Divine Ascent): “Do not be surprised if you fall every day; do not give up but stand your ground courageously.”; St. Peter of Damascus: “If you fall, rise up. If you fall again, rise up again… let us be always ready to make a new start.”; St. John of Karpathos: “Even if you fall a thousand times… rise up again at each time, and keep on doing so until the day of your death.”; St. Moses the Black: A famous story from the Desert Fathers notes that when a brother asked what to do when he falls into sin, St. Moses simply told him to get up again. When the brother asked, “And what if I fall again?” St. Moses responded, “Get up again, and again, and again, until you find rest.”; Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica: “Even if we fall a hundred times a day, it does not matter; we must get up and go on walking toward God without looking back.”
[v] For those of you who are paying attention to my carefully chosen words in this article, Donald J. Trump is just Trump to me and not President Trump because – and please, face facts, all you Trump idolaters – he has never been presidential in any aspect of his life – public or private.
[vi] This is going to be a very detailed endnote about American elites and about their particular and last judgments unless they believe and repent.
The Obamas obviously have knowledge about the imminent end of America as we know it and the audacity of hubris (not the “audacity of hope” Barrack, which was a fake slogan by a fake Christian) to include their names in the credits of the film Leave the World Behind as “executive producers”. In fact, the Obamas, the proud anti-Christians that they are, even provided their own personal touches to this film by redlining the script to their liking. They are just one example of arrogant, demonically-inspired power couples, who are part of the new world order thumbing their noses at ordinary Americans. Well, Mr. and Mrs. Obama, some of us – Orthodox Christians in particular – recognize who you are, who your “Supreme Being” is, and we are watching you and your friends. In fact, the arrogance of American elites has gotten to the point where they do not care that we know their plans. Why? Because the Trump administration, above all others to date, has provided them with the cover they need – by executive orders – to do their dirty work out in the open. Basically, the elites are hiding in plain sight and sending not-so-subtle messages to their friends as inside jokes about how they plan to escape. They are basically mocking the common working man and middle America, who are struggling to make ends meet and survive. It’s not right but, it’s OK. Let them enjoy their worldly treasures a little while longer. Let them believe in their inside jokes while they still draw air. Let them think that they outsmarted the poor, meek, fools for Christ. For those who are grieved by the obvious demonic ethos that has permeated America since the sexual revolution, let me give you a primer on what awaits these elites.
In Orthodox Christian eschatology, there are two levels of judgment: the particular judgment and the last judgment. For those of us who will die before the Second Coming, we will be subject to both.
Regarding the particular judgment, the Holy Fathers of the Orthodox Church explain that after death … and before the Second Coming … our souls enter an intermediate state where they get a foretaste of their ultimate fate: rest or distress.
If you know the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, you will probably recognize this as a lesson or a warning – for the unbelieving and unrepentant rich man – about the foretaste of distress. But, just in case you do not know the story, let me summarize it: A Rich Man had died and “woke up” in Hades (which is not the equivalent of the Roman Catholic concept of Purgatory). The eyes of Rich Man’s soul could see Lazarus (a poor beggar who suffered all of his life outside the Rich Man’s home) resting comfortably and peacefully in the bosom of Father Abraham while he, on the other hand, was being tormented by the master he had chosen to worship in his lifetime: Satan. We also know that the Rich Man was thirsty to the point where he begged Father Abraham to let Lazarus dip his little finger in water and bring him just a drop to drip into his mouth. However, Father Abraham explained to the Rich Man that he already enjoyed his worldly treasures during his lifetime while Lazarus suffered, and that now and for eternity (… “ages of ages”, as our Divine Liturgy repeatedly proclaims), those roles will be reversed. Finally, the Rich Man also pleaded with Father Abraham to get a message to his living relatives to receive and believe the good news and repent to avoid the same fate as his. But, once again, Father Abraham explained that the Rich Man’s relatives already know what they must do to enter the Kingdom of Heaven and sending them one more message from the dead will – sadly – not change their unbelief or unrepentance.
Now, if the description in this parable is not enough to scare you into belief and repentance, then perhaps the following icon, from our rich Orthodox Christian tradition of iconography (which are stories, not art) may help you understand what awaits you at your particular judgment if you are like the Rich Man:
Now, regarding the last judgment, this is what it means: basically, at the Second Coming (which will be unmistakable to all Christians who know where to look and what to look for when the trumpets sound), Christ will return in power and glory (… not in humility or meekness or on the ass of a foal…) to the judge the living and the dead where, in the form of a resurrected body and soul, all of us – Christians and non-Christians alike – will be subject to a final judgment where our fate will be sealed for eternity.
And, well, as you might expect if you have read this endnote to this point, the Orthodox Christian faith has an icon about this event too, called The Ladder of Divine Ascent. It is based on a book written by St. John Climacus, which describes 30 levels of the ascetical struggle needed to reach the Kingdom of Heaven. Basically, it shows what will happen to unbelieving, unrepentant souls as they try to ascend. Again, to be blunt, as we climb The Ladder – escorted by our Guardian Angel who tries to protect us – we may be ripped away and dragged to Hell (anywhere between the bottom and the top rung), based on whether we have been judged worthy enough to receive Christ’s grace. One of our modern-day saints, Saint Pasios the Athonite, who fell asleep in the Lord on July 12, 1994, explains it in this simple way: it depends how many “rights” or “claims” to our lives we have given to Satan during our lifetime.
In essence, you want the scale that Christ will use to evaluate the whole body of your life to be heavier on the “good” side rather than the “evil” side. Think of “rights” and “claims” as unholy thoughts, choices, or deals you made – i.e. not believing in Christ, using his name as a swear word, not visiting Him in His house, even once per week – and generally, violating his commandments, repeatedly, until your soul has become darkened and numb to evil and sin. The sum total of the foregoing is, basically, a rejection of Christ even though He gave you multiple chances to accept Him, turn your life around and follow Him. There is a reason we are given long lives and the irony of modern health science – which is a gift from God – is that we are living longer but not using that time wisely to work out our salvation.
Again, if the explanation above about what awaits the unrepentant sinner at the last judgment is not impactful enough, then take a look at (and copy to your phone) the following icon and look at it, every day, as you navigate the rest of your life in this world:
If this icon does not stir up something inside of you to take action to change your life, starting now, then, I feel indescribable sadness for you.
So, what does all of the above mean for our American elites – the types who use their riches for arrogant and selfish purposes and who are unbelieving and unrepentant (and actually mocking of Christ)?
Well, let me put in bluntly: for those that will be dead before the Second Coming, it means that they will suffer the same fate as the Rich Man at their particular judgments and that after their last judgment, they will be dragged to Hell by the demons, probably from the first rung of The Ladder. For the future elites of the world, who will be alive at the time when Christ comes for the second time, it means the latter.
As a sidebar to this very long endnote, I should be clear that there is nothing inherently wrong with being rich. Abraham was rich, for example. But, it is what the rich do with their riches and how tied they are to them that will make all the difference. Let me give you, the super-wealthy, some unsolicited advice, which I know you hate receiving from simple-minded Christians: I don’t know Warren Buffet’s faith nor his beliefs but, in my lifetime, I have not witnessed him engaging in a typical, super-rich person’s lifestyle. Further, as far as I know, he has given away billions to charity to date and pledged to give away the balance of his fortune during the rest of his life and after. Now, contrast this type of lifestyle to, say, the Trump, Ackman and Adelson lifestyles. Do you get the point? I know this statement will attract a lot of negative comments from the bots programmed to come to the defense of these names (and other elites). What gives me the right to judge them? Am I antisemitic? I am just jealous because I am not part of the super-rich class? I am resentful of their success? And so on. You and your bots can say what you want. I was attacked and attempted to be cancelled – 16 years ago – before this was ever a thing and I survived then and will survive now. However, to be clear: I am not judging the American (or foreign) elites. This is the exclusive domain of Christ. But: nobody, no matter what you threaten to do – or actually do to me – is going to silence me from observing what I see and what I hear with my God-given eyes and ears. In fact, I am going to use the talents given to me by the Good Lord, one of which is the written word, to continue to share my thoughts about what seems good and what seems evil … and share the Gospel’s messages in my way. Thereafter, at some point in the future, when I take my last breath, Christ will judge if I deserve His grace or His condemnation.
[vii] You have probably heard of Trump Derangement Syndrome or “TDS”, which, by the way, originates from conservative columnist Charles Krauthhammer’s phrase, Bush Derangement Syndrome, first used in 2003, referring to those who hated George “Dubya” Bush. Trump himself, his campaign advisors and especially Fox News, have now popularized TDS to the masses. They use it to label anyone who criticizes Trump. Well, what I have observed, especially at Coffee Hour in my parish church, is that there are many Orthodox Christians who see Trump as America’s “savior”. I call this Trump Idolatry Syndrome of “TIS” and as far as I know, it is a unique phrase that I hope my fellow Orthodox Christians can use, in a nice way, to brother and sister Christians who are putting their faith in this man.
[viii] The fall of the American dollar will have massive consequences on the ability of the US to service its debt. It will be the end of whatever is left of the American dream, which is why I am working hard to move my life out of the US, to simplify it drastically, and put my savings in stores of value other than the US Dollar. If you are wondering how this war is linked to this issue, stop mindlessly scrolling through Tik Tok, Snap, Instagram or whatever concentration-destroying app you are addicted to, and look for and read articles of substance on this issue. Or, if you cannot read more than a few lines (because of the aforementioned addiction), then watch informative videos on the topic of the US dollar losing its status as the world’s reserve currency and discern what you read or hear for yourself. May those who have eyes and ears see and hear the truth about the significance of this latest war on the coming impact to the American way of life.
[ix] I mention this school by name because anonymity dehumanizes the death of these innocent people. It is why Zionists continue to deny that 70,000+ civilians (and counting) in Gaza have been killed by the Netanyahu regime since October 7, 2023: to make these souls “unreal”. However, lest anyone reading this article mistake me for an Islam-sympathizer, let me state, unequivocally, that even though we, as Orthodox Christians, are commanded to love everyone, including Muslims, Islam is a religion contrary and hostile to Christianity. I have no communion with or empathy for it as a religion, despite what our US Greek-Orthodox Arch-Heresiarch Elpidophoros proclaimed in 2021: that all religions are “… myriads of paths that lead to the same destination.” Who am I to call AB Elpi (as I have nicknamed him) a Heresiarch? A complete nobody but, as I have mentioned in my previous articles and in this one, God gave me eyes and ears to see and hear and a good brain to discern certain things for myself. My discernment about this man is telling me that he is more interested in the admiration of men of power than in being a good shepherd to the Greek Orthodox (and other Orthodox) Christians in America. He has consistently revealed himself as an ecumenist and an elitist who courts rich, fair-weather Orthodox Christian Greeks to augment his status in the circles of the rich and famous. Readers should recall that in 2022, AB Elpi travelled to Greece, at the behest of the Bousis family, a wealthy family of Greek origin who reside in the Chicagoland area, to baptize two children, born of a surrogate mother and adopted by two homosexual men (Evangelos Bousis and Peter Dundas) who were in a “same-sex union”. AB Elpi conned Metropolitan Antonios, who presides over the area of Metropolis of Glyfada where the baptism took place (in the Church of Panagia Faneromeni in Vouliagmeni) into giving him consent to do so. An in-depth discussion is beyond the scope of this note, but I’ll give you the short version: AB Elpi, in his letter to the Metropolitan requesting consent, withheld the following material facts: the surrogacy of the mother and that the “parents” were two homosexual men in a same-sex union, who had acquired … I mean adopted … the two children. In American common law, we call what AB Elpi did a fraud by omission. As a cradle Greek Orthodox Christian, let me state, unequivocally, that I respect the office of the Greek Orthodox Archbishop of America (as I am required to) but, I disavow AB Elpi based on what I perceive and discern as non-Orthodox Christian behaviour from our highest leader in America. See the Orthodox Study Bible footnote on John 11:49-52 which states: “…The failings and wickedness of the officeholder do not diminish the grace of the office itself. …”
[x] Why did I nickname her Kαμήλα, which is the Greek word for camel? Well, I believe that it is a fitting biblical parable reference to her … unless she believes and repents and turns her life to Christ.
[xi] See “More Ultrawealthy in Trump’s Administration than those in Previous 3 Presidents Combined…” available at https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/more-ultrawealthy-in-trumps-administration-than-previous-three-presidents-combined-report-shows. Ultrawealthy is defined as a net worth of USD $100 Million or more. Two of his secretaries, Treasury Secretary Howard Lutnick and Education Secretary Linda McMahon, are billionaires.
[xii] See the NY Times Article titled “Donald Trump’s Big Gay Government”. You can access it here … but, it is paywalled: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/26/style/gay-men-trump-administration-republicans.html. Let me be clear. I am not judging the homosexuals in Trump’s administration; this is Christ’s domain. My concern is that these powerful men will apply, endorse or turn a blind eye to official laws and policies that promote the LGBTQ agenda in American society. It has happened for the last 30 years or so and it is no coincidence, in my view, that Trump has consciously allowed this in his administration.
[xiii] See Tillis targets Trump advisers, MAGA figures in upcoming book available here: https://www.carolinajournal.com/tillis-targets-trump-advisers-maga-figures-in-upcoming-book/. It is about retiring Senator Thom Tillis’ book “How to Lose Friends and Antagonize Presidents”. See also “Yes-Men have taken over the Trump administration” which you can access here: https://www.brookings.edu/articles/the-yes-men-have-taken-over-the-trump-administration/.
[xiv] Look, I know that I should be praying more for Trump and maybe writing an apologetic about him or even to him, one day. Right now, based on how I feel, this is not possible but, I know that things that seem and are impossible to men or with men, become possible through the Holy Spirit: Matthew 19:26, Mark 10:27 and Luke 18:27.
[xv] Find and read (or get AI to summarize) the investigative reports on Trump by The New York Times: “Trump Engaged in Suspect Tax Schemes as He Reaped Riches From His Father” (https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/10/02/us/politics/donald-trump-tax-schemes-fred-trump.html); The Associated Press: “NY Times: Trump got $413M from his dad, much from tax dodges” (https://apnews.com/article/0452d29cd2564eaf97605ab90acc3a67 ); The Washington Post Fact-Check: “Fact Check: Trump’s claim that he built his company with $1 million loan” https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2016/live-updates/general-election/real-time-fact-checking-and-analysis-of-the-final-2016-presidential-debate/fact-check-trumps-claim-that-he-built-his-company-with-1-million-loan/; and NPR / Bloomberg Investigation: “How Trump Got His Fortune” https://www.npr.org/2018/10/06/655121335/how-trump-got-his-fortune.
[xvi] Apparently, according to the BBC, Trump’s fortune took a USD $700 MM hit during his first presidency, falling to USD $2.3 Billion. See the 2021 article titled “Donald Trump’s wealth takes tumble during presidency” available at https://www.bbc.com/news/business-56438914 (paywalled).
[xvii] You will notice that I have used this phrase at least twice up to this point in the article. Again, this is by design: Trump loves to use this phrase … so I thought it would be perfect to use in this article to bring home a few points about his presidency.
[xviii] Look, it takes time for a con man to figure out what con to run. See the television series (from 2015) Sneaky Pete. It was only 3 seasons and, like most series, the first year was the best.
[xix] In this 2026 Forbes article titled Here’s How Much Donald Trump Is Worth, his net worth is estimated at USD $6.5 Billion: https://www.forbes.com/sites/luisakroll/2026/03/10/heres-how-much-donald-trump-is-worth/.
[xx] By DJT’s personal fortune, I mean his direct holdings, the shell companies in his name (or in the names of controlled nominees), his foundations and companies owned or controlled by members of his family.
[xxi] See Trump’s 927-page mandatory financial disclosure released by the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, which reveals that he pulled in an unprecedented $2.2 billion in 2025 alone. See also: Trump’s Take (https://www.americanprogress.org/feature/trumps-take/); First Thing: Alarm bells over conflict of interest as filing shows Trump raked in $2bn in 2025 (https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/01/first-thing-trump-crypto-billion); Trump made more than $1bn from crypto in first year back in office (https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgmv98ez3zo); Under the Trump crypto playbook, the family always wins. Investors don’t (https://www.reuters.com/investigations/under-trump-crypto-playbook-family-always-wins-investors-dont-2026-06-09/); Trump has amassed staggering wealth in ‘most openly corrupt’ presidency (https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/13/trump-presidency-revenue-wealth); How a Trump Media deal with a crypto firm exposes potential conflicts of interest (https://www.ap.org/news-highlights/spotlights/2025/how-a-trump-media-deal-with-a-crypto-firm-exposes-potential-conflicts-of-interest/); Does Trump Worry About Conflicts of Interest? ‘I Found Out That Nobody Cared.’ (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/01/us/politics/trump-money-conflicts-presidency.html); Trump Family Digital Grift Wealth Tracker (https://oversightdemocrats.house.gov/trump-family-corruption-tracker). And, the list goes on … and remember, there are 2.5 years left in Trump’s Kleptocracy … er, I mean … second Presidency.
[xxii] I would not be surprised if it ever came out that Trump was using Gold Tissue Lamé toilet paper inscribed with the Emoluments Clauses to wipe his A$$ … as a metaphorical giving of the finger to the Democrats and Republicans alike who opposed him and to secretly confirm his contempt for and mockery of the US Constitution. Look, I know this is hyperbole but, nothing, no matter how base it is, would surprise me about this man and his contempt for the Office of the US Presidency.
[xxiii] For an excellent discussion about the major antichrists of the 20th century, I refer you to Father Josiah Trenham’s 6-part lecture series on Antichrists of the 20th Century available for free through the Patristic Nectar App (available in the App Store and on Google Play).
[xxiv] These are the anti-Christs identified and discussed in Father Josiah’s excellent lecture series; see the above Endnote.
[xxv] Although, let us not forget that America has caused and been indirectly involved in the following world conflicts for the last 75 years: Iran (1953 – Operation Ajax): The CIA, alongside British intelligence, orchestrated the overthrow of democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh. The operation restored the authoritarian Shah to power, securing Western control over Iranian oil but fueling decades of anti-American sentiment; Guatemala (1954 – Operation PBSuccess): The CIA organized a paramilitary invasion to depose democratically elected President Jacobo Árbenz. The coup protected the commercial interests of the United Fruit Company and plunged Guatemala into decades of civil war; Republic of the Congo (1960–1961): The CIA covertly backed local rivals of the country’s first democratically elected Prime Minister, Patrice Lumumba. Lumumba was captured and executed, leading to the brutal, decades-long dictatorship of Mobutu Sese Seko; South Vietnam (1963): The U.S. covertly supported a military coup against South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem. The coup resulted in Diem’s assassination and deeply mired the U.S. in the escalating Vietnam War; Brazil (1964): The CIA and the U.S. government supported a military coup against left-leaning President João Goulart. The coup ushered in a 21-year oppressive military dictatorship; Chile (1973): Following years of CIA-funded political destabilization, a bloody military coup overthrew Marxist President Salvador Allende, replacing him with General Augusto Pinochet’s brutal military junta; Operation Condor (1970s): The CIA provided intelligence, technology, and training support to right-wing military dictatorships across South America (including Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay) to track, torture, and assassinate political dissidents; The Korean War (1950–1953): A massive military deployment to repel communist expansion in East Asia; The Vietnam War (1965–1975): A devastating decade-long direct intervention aimed at stopping the spread of communism; Invasion of Grenada (1983) & Invasion of Panama (1989): Direct military actions to force rapid regime changes close to U.S. borders; The Wars Against Iraq (1990–2021): Spanning the Gulf War, the 2003 invasion (predicated on false claims of WMDs), and subsequent counter-insurgency operations; Afghanistan (2001–2021): Launched under the War on Terror following the September 11 attacks, becoming the longest war in U.S. history; Libya (2011): A NATO-led, U.S.-backed air campaign that facilitated the overthrow and killing of Muammar Gaddafi, destabilizing the region. Most recently: Venezuela (2026): Following a failed coup attempt in 2002, recent escalations culminated in a direct U.S. military intervention to remove government officials from power; and (of course) Iran (2025–2026): Decades after the 1953 coup, tensions escalated into two direct U.S. military interventions and targeted airstrikes. The last one may prove to be fatal to America as we know it today.
[xxvi] Here are some other examples of anti-Christian policies and/or actions of the Trump administrations: Rescinding House of Worship Protections: The administration revoked long-standing federal guidelines that protected “sensitive locations”—including churches and houses of worship—from raids or enforcement actions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). A coalition of Baptist, Quaker, and Sikh congregations successfully sued the administration, arguing this action directly infringed on the church’s sacred role as a sanctuary for the vulnerable; Family Separation Policies: The “Zero Tolerance” immigration policy during Trump’s first term, which led to the separation of thousands of children from their parents at the border, drew swift and fierce condemnation from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the National Association of Evangelicals, who called it “immoral” and destructive to the divinely sanctioned institution of the family; Retaliation Against Church Relief Programs: Top administration officials have publicly attacked Catholic bishops and Christian charities, accusing them of acting out of financial self-interest rather than religious duty for providing humanitarian aid, food, and shelter to refugees and migrants; Cancellation of Charity Contracts: The administration has canceled federal government contracts with prominent faith-based organizations, such as Catholic Charities, which provide essential social services, foster care, and resources to impoverished families, immigrants, and sick children. Critics argue that defunding these ministries actively harms the communities Christians are commanded to protect; The “Anti-Christian Bias” Task Force: While framed by the administration as a tool to protect religious liberty, a coalition representing millions of American Christians released a joint statement denouncing the initiative. They argued that utilizing federal power to selectively favor one religious demographic, while downplaying discrimination against others, promotes an “authoritarian theocracy” that compromises the integrity of the Church and violates Christ’s teachings on humility and universal love; The Abuse of Sacred Symbols: Christian leaders—including the Episcopal Bishop of Washington—strongly condemned incidents where the military or federal forces were used to clear peaceful demonstrators so the President could use historic church properties and the Holy Bible as political backdrops, calling it a sacrilegious abuse of sacred symbols; Rejection of Just War Principles: High-ranking Catholic clerics, including the Archbishop for U.S. Armed Services, have publicly reminded service members of their moral right to refuse orders that violate international or divine law, specifically criticizing the administration’s aggressive posture towards foreign nations and its explicit departures from global humanitarian norms; and Hostility toward Global Church Leadership: The administration has engaged in unprecedented diplomatic and public hostility toward global faith leaders, including Pope Leo XIV, when their encyclicals or public statements on global peace, economic inequality, and environmental stewardship clashed with administration objectives.
[xxvii] May I be wrong about this!
[xxviii] Since Trump I, Orthodoxy has been growing in America. Ironically, or should I say not coincidentally, under his administrations, the CIA and FBI have begun to identify Orthodox Christians as a “problematic” group because we are not of the world even though we are in the world. As such, we are not easily controlled because we are watchful and vigilant about things that Christ, His apostles and our Saints have taught us to look for and, finally, because we do not fear men who can kill our bodies. On the contrary, the Catholic “church” can be and is swayed by public opinion and, in my view, is a religious power organization rather than a Church; the Protestant “churches” are doctrinally dead, do not have anywhere near the fulness of the faith and are replete with charlatans like Trump’s main spiritual advisor; and, Islam, as mentioned in a previous note, is contrary and hostile to Christianity. However, the foregoing does not mean Orthodox Christianity is free from its own home-grown anti-Christs and in this regard, let me call-out, briefly (…because I will have a lot more to say about them in a separate article…), two senior leaders of the Greek Orthodox Church whom I believe are heresiarchs: Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and Archbishop Elpidophoros of America (the likely successor of the former). I know that the preceding sentence is a bold statement from a nobody so, while I am at it, let me be bolder: I think they significant anti-Christs of our time, just as Trump is. God has given me eyes and ears and certain talents to discern certain things and, in my opinion, the public proclamations of these two hierarchs in favor of the worldwide ecumenist agenda, their deafening silence about the Freemason “religion” (while other Christian churches have condemned it), their participation in the persecution of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (the “UOC”) and their part in the “formal blessing” of the Zelensky puppet, uncanonical Orthodox Church of the Ukraine (the “OCU”), are, clearly, contrary to Orthodox Christianity and the canonical order of our Church. In Orthodoxy, we do not have a Pope and EP Bart (as I have nicknamed our power-loving Ecumenical Patriarch) has been acting like a Pope since 2019 (largely at the request and financial “encouragement” of the CIA). The secret deals that these two hierarchs have made with the American government and private industry power brokers and their loose and self-serving interpretations of the Canons of the Church for political purposes are, in my view, demonically inspired and I am calling it out right here and right now, as others have before me. In addition, the lavish lifestyles of these hierarchs strongly suggest to me that these are not humble men of God but worldly sycophants who desire power and status before men rather than the simple grace of God. I think they – and the pro-LGBTQ agenda advisors who surround them and who use St. Paul’s concept of agape to promote a liberal agenda (i.e. such as embracing the baptism of children of homosexuals in the name of “love”) – have infiltrated the highest ranks of Ecumenical Patriarchate and are playing a long game for the Anti-Christ. May God forgive me for telling you what I see and may I be wrong about these two leaders and the deacons and “theologians” who surround them. Maybe the devil is deceiving me about this and I hope that my fellow Orthodox Christian brothers and sisters can correct me if I am wrong about what I have pointed out as what I perceive as anti-Orthodox acts by these hierarchs. However, if I am right about them, may God have mercy on their souls because false prophets and clergy will be dealt with especially harshly by Christ, sometimes during their lifetime but, especially on judgment day. Recently, in my daily readings, I was reminded about the judgment of a very nasty heretic during his lifetime. In about the Year of our Lord 325, Saint Alexander prayed fervently that God might spare the Church from the attack and heresy of Arius. Orthodox tradition holds that while arch-heresiarch Arius was on the only throne he deserved, his bowels “… gushed forth with an effusion of blood … and he died the death of Judas.” To be clear, I do not wish this on Trump or EP Bart or AB Elpi. Like I said, I pray for Trump – and the other two – and I will not remove them from my prayer rule – ever. I must pray for them … but, at the same time, I will call out their words and acts that seem evil to me.
[xxix] See Revelation 22:20.
