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Just a couple of days before the midterm elections, which will decide who is going to win a majority in Congress, digital billboards portraying Donald Trump as second coming of Jesus have appeared in at least two states. The billboards carrying this message have been spotted in St. Louis, Missouri and outside Waco, Texas, but there are probably more of those out there. If there is something that should be called "heresy", than this ad is the best example. Maybe it looks funny but it is worrying to know that there are some people who give Donald Trump a godly appearance and "worship" him as a divine being.
The second coming of Jesus is a Christian belief regarding the future return of Jesus Christ. Views about the nature of Jesus's second coming vary among Christian denominations and among individual Christians. The opinion about the election of Donald Trump as president also vary among United States political options and citizens, but there is a group which sees Donald Trump as the Messiah. A Facebook group called "Make the Gospel Great Again"(MGGA) is taking credit for the billboard ads. The Group was created on the 9th of October and its description is “We believe God has given American Christians His earthly messenger — Donald J Trump. We follow his words in faith each day!” And serving as the logo is a crucifix superimposed over the American flag.
The Group's mission statement is also concerning: "MGGA exists to help spread the truth of God’s great champion on earth — President Donald Trump. The Lord anointed Mr. Trump to bless America, and we live out our faith by following him. Donald Trump has already won many victories for Jesus by stopping abortions, telling the truth, proving that the real racists are not white, and fighting against the liberal media and their War on Christians!"
All of this looks like a hoax to a reasonable person, but on the other hand it is hard to believe that someone will spend thousands of dollars for billboards just to troll. It is more likely that someone is promoting a belief that Trump is divinely ordained to further Christianity in America. This is not some new idea and many white evangelic and conservative leaders promote this belief. For example, Liberty University’s film The Trump Prophecy tells the story of an ex-firefighter given a vision that Trump was chosen by God to restore America’s moral values. It is hard to accept that there is someone who believes that a person is chosen by God to restore moral values, but the latest events show us that there are not only people who believe in that, but also people who spend energy, time and money to promote that belief.