(More Bible Studies Available @ www.marktabata.com)
It is written:
Ezekiel 2:1-8-And He said to me, “Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak to you.” 2 Then the Spirit entered me when He spoke to me, and set me on my feet; and I heard Him who spoke to me. 3 And He said to me: “Son of man, I am sending you to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have transgressed against Me to this very day. 4 For they are impudent and stubborn children. I am sending you to them, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD.’ 5 As for them, whether they hear or whether they refuse—for they are a rebellious house—yet they will know that a prophet has been among them. 6 “And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them nor be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you and you dwell among scorpions; do not be afraid of their words or dismayed by their looks, though they are a rebellious house. 7 You shall speak My words to them, whether they hear or whether they refuse, for they are rebellious. 8 But you, son of man, hear what I say to you. Do not be rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you.”
God has always called on preachers of the Word to speak His Word in love, even when people hate it. This includes preaching against wickedness in high places, and calling even wicked rulers to repentance. The following is an email that I have written to Senator Rand Paul, encouraging him to stand against some of the immoral activities of our President. Let me encourage every Christian in America: please take a moment and write a letter to your state representatives regarding the immoral actions of this administration.
From the desk of
Mark Tabata (Gospel Preacher)
Resident Of Corbin, KY
606-216-1757
May 28 2025
Kentucky Senator Rand Paul
Senator Paul,
I want to start this email with a word of thanks for your courage in standing up against some of President Trump’s policies. The news recently had a segment which showed you raising concerns over the tariffs trade war that our President has embarked upon (https://youtu.be/s9ADq10VZ10?si=fVA1tLzqyyH-KUp6), as well as the “big beautiful bill” so many are eager to push forward (https://youtu.be/sALJRyG4axc?si=pSaxV4OM07jJ2i-K). While these tariffs and this bill would be a great boon for the millionaires and billionaires in our country, for at least some fifteen million people it would make life extremely difficult (https://www.cnbc.com/2025/05/23/house-republican-big-beautiful-tax-bill-favors-the-rich.html). The bill cuts financial support to households that depend on Medicaid and SNAP benefits (https://www.americanprogress.org/article/the-devastating-harms-of-house-republicans-big-beautiful-bill-by-state-and-congressional-district/ ). By the way, weren’t we repeatedly promised by President Trump and his administration that Medicaid would not be targeted (https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-medicaid-republican-bill-cut-benefits/story?id=121756481)?
It reminds me of what the Word of God promises regarding what the Lord says about the rich taking advantage of the poor, and what many in our country who are benefitting from the poor need to carefully consider:
Proverbs 14:31-He who oppresses the poor reproaches his Maker, But he who honors Him has mercy on the needy.
Proverbs 22:16-He who oppresses the poor to increase his riches, And he who gives to the rich, will surely come to poverty.
Proverbs 22:22-23-Do not rob the poor because he is poor, Nor oppress the afflicted at the gate; 23 For the LORD will plead their cause, And plunder the soul of those who plunder them.
However, as I said, I want to thank you for speaking up. It is encouraging to see some (especially in the Republican Party) challenging the President on some of the immoral goals and actions that he is pursuing.
To that end, I want to share with you three major concerns that I have as a Christian and Gospel Preacher regarding this administration.
First I again renew my requests for support for the thousands of immigrants who fled legally to American from Afghanistan due to religious persecution, and who are now being threatened with deportation back to the country from which they had fled. Indeed, they have explained some of the horrifying circumstances that they will be facing if and when they are deported (https://www.smartnews.com/en-us/article/4815071395924939384?placement=article-preview-social&utm_campaign=sn_lid:4815071395924939384|sn_channel:cr_en_us_top&utm_source=share_ios_email&logo=logo_6&share_id=DW16aK).
Sir, these Christians fled to our country seeking safety from Islam, which has historically and consistently been shown to be inherently violent and dangerous. Americans learned this near the time of the beginning of our nation.
“Nor was the United States of America spared; its very first wars as a nation—the Barbary Wars (1801–1805; 1815)—were against Muslim slavers. Years earlier, when Thomas Jefferson and John Adams met with and asked one of Barbary’s ambassadors why his coreligionists were raiding U.S. vessels and enslaving American sailors, the Muslim relied on the same exact logic that the Muslims who had savaged Europe for over a millennium had always relied on: “The ambassador answered us,” the Framers of the Constitution wrote to Congress in a letter dated March 28, 1786, “that it was founded on the laws of their Prophet, that it was written in their Koran, that… it was their right and duty to make war upon them [all non-Muslims] wherever they could be found, and to make slaves of all they could take as prisoners….” 7 This, of course, is a near perfect paraphrase of that one Koran verse most associated with jihad, 9: 5: “Kill the idolaters [non-Muslims] wherever you find them—capture them, besiege them, and sit in wait for them at every place of ambush.”” (Raymond Ibrahim, Defenders of the West: The Christian Heroes Who Stood Against Islam, 16-17 (Kindle Edition): New York, NY: Post Hill Press)
Senator, the actions of this administration in deporting thousands of law abiding refugee Christians living in America back to a country where they await persecution and death is not only indefensible: it is immoral to the highest degree. Surely our President can see this? After all, he recently accepted refugees from another nation to America (https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crljn5046epo). If our President can extend that courtesy to refugees from South Africa, can he not extend that same courtesy to Christians who have lived in our country for several years after having arrived here legally?
Having said this, I also want to bring up another related issue which I am very concerned about: the way that our President is implementing policies targeting other legally recognized immigrants in the United States, including children. Just recently, I was made aware of a situation where agents of Homeland Security lied to gain entry into a school in an attempt to remove children (https://fb.watch/zT74WzVDtG/?). What threat do these children pose? What gives these agents the right to deceive school officials in an attempt to seize these children? Senator, these are not the actions of an administration that is law abiding and seeking to “make America great again!” A nation that targets children and protects those who harm them will not be blessed by God!
Psalm 9:17-The wicked shall be turned into hell, And all the nations that forget God.
Proverbs 14:34-Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a reproach to any people.
Ezekiel 16:20-21-Moreover you took your sons and your daughters, whom you bore to Me, and these you sacrificed to them to be devoured. Were your acts of harlotry a small matter, 21 that you have slain My children and offered them up to them by causing them to pass through the fire?
For years, I have supported the Bible ideal of standing against abortion and promoting pro-life causes, which is why I am a registered Republican and have often supported the Republican Party. Now, I am appalled at the way that the same Republican Party is not only turning a blind eye to the suffering of children, but is actively fueling such initiatives!
Please consider another example.
What possible defense is there for a group of politicians who defends a President who locks up children in cages?
“Nearly 100 migrants, recently deported by the United States to Panama where they had been locked in a hotel, were loaded onto buses Tuesday night and moved to a detention camp on the outskirts of the jungle, several of the migrants said. It is unclear how long the group, which was deported under the Trump administration’s sweeping effort to expel unauthorized migrants, will be detained at the jungle camp. Conditions at the site are primitive, the detainees said. Diseases, including dengue are endemic to the region, and the government has denied access to journalists and aid organizations. “It looks like a zoo, there are fenced cages,” said one deportee, Artemis Ghasemzadeh, a 27-year-old migrant from Iran, after arriving at the camp following a four-hour drive from Panama City. “They gave us a stale piece of bread. We are sitting on the floor….Some, including a group of Iranian Christians and a man from China, told The New York Times that they risk reprisals if returned to their native countries, and have refused to sign documents that would pave the way for their repatriation. Under Iranian law, converting from Islam is considered apostasy and is a crime punishable by death…The Panamanian government has previously said the migrants had no criminal records.” (By Julie TurkewitzFarnaz FassihiHamed Aleaziz and Annie Correal, “Migrants, Deported to Panama Under Trump Plan, Detained in Remote Jungle Camp,” https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/19/world/americas/us-migrants-panama-jungle-camp.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare)
Senator, I am sure that you and I are in agreement: children must be defended and protected. Not only in the womb from the moment of conception, but after they are born. There is no excuse for an administration that targets children.
Finally, I want to share with you my concerns about our President’s view of himself as some kind of Messianic figure. This month, on the White House account, a picture of Donald Trump as a Star Wars Jedi was posted (https://variety.com/2025/film/news/ai-generated-image-trump-buff-jedi-star-wars-day-1236386522/). Of course, this is not surprising behavior when we recall Trump’s “Superhero Trading Cards” fundraiser a few years back in which he sold trading cards of himself portrayed as Superman, Captain America, and other hero and savior figures (https://collecttrumpcards.com/). Of course, some have defended these actions as a joke, and in some ways, I would have to agree.
To countries around the world, America has become a laughing stock with a President who sells images of himself as a superhero, while helping to sell cars in the White House lawn (https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/elon-musk/trump-musk-tesla-white-house-showroom-buys-car-rcna195905), and peddling his own special edition of the Bible to the masses (https://apnews.com/article/trump-god-bless-usa-bible-greenwood-2713fda3efdfa297d0f024efb1ca3003). To many, these actions ARE a joke. But to the millions of innocent people who are suffering at the hands of this President, there is nothing comical about it.
What I find most concerning in this regard-indeed, what I have found troubling for many years-has been our President’s comparison of himself with the one true Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
For example, in 2019, President Trump posted this to his Twitter:
“Thank you to Wayne Allyn Root for the very nice words. ‘President Trump is the greatest President for Jews and for Israel in the history of the world, not just America, he is the best President for Israel in the history of the world…and the Jewish people in Israel love him like he’s the King of Israel. They love him like he is the second coming of God…But American Jews don’t know him or like him. They don’t even know what they’re doing or saying anymore. It makes no sense! But that’s OK, if he keeps doing what he’s doing, he’s good for all Jews, Blacks, Gays, everyone. And most importantly, he’s good for everyone in America who wants a job.’ Wow!”
Despite what Mr. Root said (and which Donald Trump shared to his Twitter with thanksgiving and gushing adoration), the President is not as loved as the Second Coming, nor should he be regarded as the King (notice the capital “K”) of Israel. Indeed, when I read words comparing Trump to Jesus like this, I am reminded of another person in the Bible whom I am sure that you have heard of:
Isaiah 14:12-15-How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! 13 For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’ 15 Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, To the lowest depths of the Pit.
As if this were not enough evidence of President Trump’s aspirations to Deity, the video that he was playing at his rallies and shared all over Truth Social leaves no doubt (https://youtu.be/mZ0EZD4geJk). Called “God Made Trump,” the lyrics begin with a picture of the Earth spinning. Then, these words are heard, and they paint a frightening picture of how Donald Trump sees himself.
“And on June 14th, 1946, God looked down on his planned Paradise, and said, I need a caretaker. So God gave us Trump. God said, I need somebody willing to get up before dawn. Fix this country. Work all day. Fight the Marxists. Eat supper. Then go to the Oval Office and stay past midnight. And a meeting of the heads of state. So God made Trump.I need somebody with arms strong enough to wrestle the deep state, and yet gentle enough to deliver his own grandchild. Somebody to ruffle the feathers. Tame the cantankerous World Economic Forum. Come home hungry. Have to wait until the First Lady is done with lunch with friends. Then tell the ladies to be sure and come back real soon and mean it. So God gave us Trump. I need somebody who can shape an ax but wield a sword. Who had the courage to step foot in North Korea? Who can make money from the tar of the sand turned liquid to gold? Who understands the difference between tariffs and inflation? We’ll finish this 40 hour week by Tuesday noon, but then put in another 72 hours. So God made Trump. God had to have somebody willing to go into the den of vipers. Call out the fake news for their tongues as sharp as serpents. The poison of vipers is on their lips. And yet. Stop. So God made Trump. God said, I need somebody who will be strong and courageous, who will not be afraid or terrified of the wolves when they attack a man who cares for the flock. A shepherd to mankind who will never leave nor forsake them. I need the most diligent worker to follow the path and remain strong in faith and know the belief of God and country. Somebody who is willing to drill, bring back manufacturing and American jobs. Farm the lands. Secure our borders. Build our military. Fight the system all day and finish a hard weeks. Work by attending church on Sunday. And then his oldest son turns and says, God, let’s make America great again, dad. Let’s build back a country to be the envy of the world again. So God made Trump.”
The Lord did not appoint Donald Trump to be the Divine Caretaker of God’s Paradise, nor did He decree him to be the shepherd of all mankind who will never leave nor forsake them. These responsibilities and privileges belong to Jesus Christ, and to Him alone (Matthew 28:18; John 10:1-30; Ephesians 3:14-21; Hebrews 13:5). What is especially troubling is learning that these claims of President Trump place him squarely in the definition of the word “antichrist” as used in the Bible: one who attempts to be “in the place” of Christ (cf. 1 John 2:18, 22; 4:3; 2 John 7).
Sir, as a member of the church of Christ and as a proud American citizen, I am deeply concerned about the actions and pretensions of this administration. I continue to pray for our President to see his need for repentance and redemption, along with all leaders of all countries (1 Timothy 2:1-6). Further, as a Christian and a Gospel preacher, the continually callous, immoral, unethical, and wicked actions of this administration must be spoken against and challenged.
Senator Paul, I ask you to please be a voice for the voiceless, to stand against immorality, and to speak up for the innocent who are being targeted. Please avail yourself of whatever means you possess to stand against the evil taking place and being implemented from the highest office of our great country.
With Deepest Respect,
Mark Tabata (Minister)