Who is Behind Trump

07.11.2025, USA.

What can Russia oppose to the ideologically driven New Apostolic Reformation, with its own metaphysics and transcendent experience for every parishioner?

In his inaugural address delivered on January 20, 2025, US President Donald Trump declared, “But I felt then and believe even more so now that my life was saved for a reason.  I was saved by God to make America great again.” Trump was clearly referring to the failed assassination attempt at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, when a last-moment turn of his head saved him from the fate of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy.

His supporters, like Trump himself, sincerely believe that he is truly sent by God to revive a country in decline. But the current US president’s relationship with religion is not limited merely to that failed attempt on his life.

It is well known charismatic evangelicals constitute Trump’s most active support group. Former director of the US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), General Michael Flynn played an extremely significant role in establishing a pro-Trump coalition of voters between 2020 and 2024. Flynn, who was raised in a Catholic family, became one of the initiators of the ReAwaken America Tour. Together with Oklahoma entrepreneur Clay Clark, he launched a series of rallies across the states, often held in churches. Advocates of the “stolen” election narrative, opponents of mandatory COVID-19 vaccination and mask wearing, conspiracy theorists from QAnon, and even pastors prophesying the end of the world spoke at these rallies. Michael Flynn himself was typically present at these rallies, as was Donald Trump’s son, Eric Trump.

The ReAwaken America Tour helped motivate and unite Trump’s supporters, keeping alive the agenda of stolen elections and resistance to compulsory vaccination. The tour was sponsored by Charisma News, an organization within the structure of the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR), and the rallies were held in churches of various denominations that supported NAR ideas.

Michael Flynn himself is notable for being a Democrat who supported Trump in 2016 and, though formally Catholic, led prayers in charismatic churches. Incidentally, there is at least one other Catholic in Trump’s team who had no hesitation attending a Baptist church — US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Open supporters of the NAR include Trump’s spiritual advisor and Senior Advisor to the White House Faith Office Paula White, US Speaker of the House  of Representatives Mike Johnson, Colorado congresswoman Lauren Boebert, Georgia congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, Michele Bachmann, former congresswoman from Minnesota (2007–2015), pastor and father of Texas Senator Ted Cruz, Rafael Cruz, American animator Butch Hartman, former Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court Tom Parker, and evangelical leader Andrew Wommack. It is believed that Michael Flynn is also an NAR supporter, as is Roger Stone, one of Trump’s 2016 campaign strategists.

NAR pastors minister to both the US president and the Speaker of the House. In other words, this religious movement has certain influence upon two branches of government in the United States. Therefore, it is worth examining what this movement is and what its goals are.

The New Apostolic Reformation is a religious movement that brands itself as being Christian and combines elements of Pentecostalism, Evangelicalism, and the Seven Mountain Mandate. The movement calls for a “spiritual war” with the ultimative goal of achieving Christian dominion over all aspects of society and putting an end the separation of church and state. In other words, the movement advocates establishing a global theocratic state, under the aegis of the NAR. Its leaders often refer to themselves as apostles and prophets. The movement was founded by Peter Wagner.

The primary distinction of the NAR from other charismatic sects lies in its acceptance of the so-called Seven Mountain Mandate, also known as 7M, 7MM, or Seven Mountain Dominionism. The term dominion comes from the King James Bible, “And God blessed them, and God said unto them, ‘Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.” (Genesis 1:28). Though the term “dominionism” is also used. Hereafter we will use the terms “dominion” or “dominionism”.

The Seven Mountain Mandate holds that there are seven spheres of society over which believers must seek to dominate: family, religion, education, media, arts and entertainment, business, and government. Speaking before attendees to ReAwaken America in November 2021, Flynn declared, “So, if we are going to have one nation under God, which we must, we have to have one religion, one nation under God and one religion under God.” Since he was speaking before a charismatic audience, we can safely assume that the “one religion” he referred to was not Catholicism.

Apostles Lance Wallnau and Bill Johnson, authors of the 7M manifesto Invading Babylon, clearly describe how this process of transformation should occur in the US. They believe that “The business of shifting culture or transforming nations does not require a majority of conversions.” Instead of seeking consensus, they state, “we need more disciples in the right places, the high places. Minorities of people can shape the agenda, if properly aligned and deployed.”

A thorough analysis of this movement was provided by Trevor O’Regio in his 2012 article The Rise of the New Apostolic Reformation and Its Implications for Adventist Eschatology.  According to O’Regio, the declared goal of the new movement is to eradicate denominations and form a unified church that will overcome evil. This will be achieved a very specific way by building a worldwide Kingdom under NAR’s rule.

Although the NAR is a Protestant Christian movement consisting of charismatics and Pentecostals, there also exists a charismatic Catholic movement that supports NAR beliefs. According to O’Regio, the number of NAR followers is growing by 9 million per year, with the fastest growth occurring in South America. According to an estimate in the journal Fides et Historia, the number of NAR followers in the US in 2020 was about 33 million, though this figure is disputed. However, it is also known that many pastors associated with the NAR deny not only belonging to it but even the existence of the movement itself. Thus, the actual number of NAR adherents could be even higher. If 33 million is not an overestimate, the NAR has already become one of the largest denominations in the U.S.

Rick Warren, one of the most influential religious leaders in the US and author of the bestseller “The Purpose Driven Life,” is also connected to this movement. On April 17, 2005, speaking before 30,000 people at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California, Rick Warren announced his plan, “The bottom line is that we intend to reinvent mission strategy in the 21st century. As I stated, this will be a new reformation. The first Reformation returned us to the message of the original church. It was a reformation of doctrine – what the church believes. The second reformation will return us to the mission of the original church. It will be a reformation of purpose – what the church does in the world.”

The recognized leaders of the movement include convening Apostle Dr. C. Peter Wagner (founder of the movement, now deceased); other apostles include Doris Wagner (C. Peter Wagner’s wife), Charles “Chuck” D. Pierce (who succeeded Wagner in leading several organizations), Samuel Rodriguez, Ed Silvoso, Jim Ammerman, Cindy Jacobs (the highest-ranking female apostle), Os Hillman, Julius Oyet, Pat Francis, Bill Hamon, Lou Engle, Harry Jackson, Lance Wallnau, and John Benefiel. The most famous prophets are Todd Bentley and Rick Warren.

Structure of the NAR

The NAR is not a fringe movement but a rapidly institutionalizing organization, larger than most Protestant denominations in the United States. Its leadership structure combines several elements of Pentecostal and charismatic Christianity and is often referred to as the Third Wave. Under the leadership of convening apostle C. Peter Wagner, they created an international organization encompassing thousands of independent Pentecostal and charismatic churches around the world, as well as hundreds of interdenominational and para-church organizations with their own educational and accreditation systems, conventions, media, and businesses.

The High Priest of the NAR was its founder, Dr. C. Peter Wagner, former professor of Church Growth at the Fuller Theological Seminary’s School of World Mission. He began his ministry as a Pentecostal and was the founder of Global Harvest Ministries, the presiding apostle and founder of the International Coalition of Apostles, and co-founder of the World Prayer Center. O’Regio writes, “There is a hierarchy in NAR that resembles the Roman Catholic Church. Once world domination is accomplished, those at the top will have apostolic authority over the ministries. According to one source the coalition includes several hundred apostles, across the US and about 40 nations, international training centers, and prayer warriors communication networks in the 58 states and worldwide.”

The movement differs greatly from traditional evangelical and Pentecostal movements in its composition. Journalist Bruce Wilson, who studied the NAR, describes the movement “as multi-racial and includes women in positions of both apostles and prophets. At first glance many of their organizations might appear to be promoting the social gospel but their message is quite
the opposite – while they participate in charitable activities, societal transformation is to be a supernatural event that can only take place as the demons are expelled and society is purged of evil influence such as homosexuality, religious pluralism, and separation of church and state.”

In other words, we emphasize once more, the movement seeks to eliminate the separation of church and state. Typically, nations without such separation are called theocracies, where supreme authority belongs to those chosen by God. How exactly one determines who has been chosen by God is another matter, but it is clear that representative democracy is not, and cannot be, part of this system.

At the same time, the NAR does not have a central organization with an identifiable name, because the New Apostolic Reformation is a coalition of church groups and congregations. This structure allows individual independent churches or pastors to claim that they are not part of the NAR, since such an organization does not officially exist. Nevertheless, the NAR does have recognized “apostles” and “prophets,” who lead various organizations that develop theology, provide leadership, and set strategic directions for the movement. Alongside the apostles are the prophets who are “God’s spokesmen,” who convey His will to His people. These prophets, however, are subordinate to the apostles, working with them to fulfill the mission of the movement.

Although, the NAR seems to be a loose coalition of churches, internally it has already formed the core of a large structure — a set of organizations and ministries with various responsibilities. Below are some of these organizations, as described by O’Regio:

1. International Coalition of Apostles (ICA). This network includes several hundred apostles active in the United States and forty other countries. Each apostle is assigned a particular ministry. The ICA was founded by the “convening apostle” C. Peter Wagner.

2. Apostolic Council of Prophetic Elders (ACPE). This is an inner circle of roughly two or three dozen apostles, about which very little is known.

3. International Association of Healing Rooms Ministries (IAHR). This is the “healthcare system” of the Kingdom (the future kingdom the NAR intends to establish), an international network of healing centers led by Charles Pierce, an apostle, faith healer and, according to the NAR, demon exorcist. According to Pierce, “healing is the undergarment that God’s army will wear to support the armor for battle.”

In this context, “healing” usually refers to the demon exorcism or the breaking of curses. A vivid example of an NAR healer is MD Stella Immanuel. She joined the movement Doctors on the Frontline, which sought to challenge the official position of the authorities on COVID-19. Doctors on the Frontline criticized the establishment, claiming to base their arguments on scientific data. MD Immanuel, who had previously attributed gynecological illnesses to having sex dreams with demons, spoke at one of the organization’s events in Washington. When supporters of Dr. Fauci and the official COVID narrative began using this story to discredit the Doctors on the Frontline movement, accusing all movement’s members of pseudoscience, she was asked to retract her statement. MD Immanuel refused, declaring that it was her conviction. Essentially, she acted as a provocateur among doctors opposed to US government COVID-19 policies.

4. International Society of Deliverance Ministries (ISDM). This organization focuses on expelling demons that cause physical and emotional suffering. It is led by Bill and Janet Sudduth.

5. Apostolic Council for Educational Accountability (ACEA). This organization functions as an accrediting system, ensuring that all organizations and ministries within the NAR adhere to a unified ideology and purpose. The council operates under the apostolic authorship of Leo Lawson.

Thus, the movement exercises ideological control, which means it must have been created by a major entity and cannot be reduced merely to C. Peter Wagner’s personal initiative.

6. Eagle Vision Apostolic Team (EVAT). This is a secretive inner-circle group whose membership list is not made public.

7. Wagner Leadership Institute (WLI). Under the leadership of apostle Charles Pierce, this institute is an international network of faith-healing centers.

8. Heartland Apostolic Network (HAN). This serves as a coordinating center for prayer networks in the United States. It is led by apostle John Benefiel and is based in Oklahoma.

9. Global Harvest Ministries. This was the personal parachurch ministry of Peter and Doris Wagner. From a legal standpoint, it serves as the parent organization for many other NAR bodies listed above, including ACEA, EVAT, ICA, ISDM, and WLI. After Wagner’s death, the organization was taken over by Charles Pierce, and it is now known as Glory of Zion International Ministries. Initially, its activities were aimed at Europe and Russia, specifically, the territories between 40°N and 70°N parallels.

It is, therefore, obvious that the movement, in addition to a network of ideological organizations, includes two structures with unclear functions. One of these (ACPE) appears to be analogous to the College of Cardinals in the Roman Catholic Church, while the Eagle Vision Team, whose composition is undisclosed, may serve other purposes. Again, the formation of a complex hierarchical structure with ideological control and a governing council (Council of Elders) out of seemingly independent churches indicates that this is not a spontaneously emerged movement but one organized by a central actor.

Roots of the NAR

The movement considers itself the second great Protestant Reformation, the heir to the European Reformation, but its more immediate predecessor is the so-called Second Great Awakening, a wave of rapid Protestant expansion that arose in the United States in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The Second Great Awakening is considered the most profound and pervasive religious revival in US history, giving birth to American Evangelicalism. By the late 19th century, the United States experienced another revival wave, emerging from the Second Great Awakening, within which Pentecostalism was born.

Pentecostalism emphasizes direct communication with supposedly the Holy Spirit, who is believed to descend upon believers during collective prayer. Signs of receiving the Holy Spirit among Pentecostals include “speaking in tongues” (ecstatic utterances in an incomprehensible language during a state of spiritual exaltation), ecstatic convulsions, and healing from illness.

This tradition was fully carried over into the New Apostolic Reformation.

In the 1970s, the so-called Prosperity Gospel emerged within Pentecostalism. It was created to counter Liberation Theology, which arose in Latin America and represented a synthesis of communist ideas and the Gospel. Priests who followed Liberation Theology called for resistance against colonialism and for establishing socialist states. Liberation Theology received particularly strong support in Cuba after the victory of the revolution led by Fidel Castro.

It is quite obvious why Latin America became of particular interest to US evangelicals. In the 1980s, the founder of the NAR C. Peter Wagner was actively engaged in missionary activity there. During that period, the region saw a rise in neo-charismatic churches, which Wagner called the “New Wave.” The neo-charismatic movement — unlike traditional Pentecostalism, which focused on individual deliverance from demons — developed a theology of regions controlled by certain demons, known as territorial principalities. Wagner helped popularize this concept and, as early as the 1980s, established the spiritual warfare networks to combat these principalities.

In a 2007 letter, C. Peter Wagner, founder and apostle of the NAR, expressed his views as follows, “our theological bedrock is what has been known as Dominion theology. This means that our divine mandate is to do whatever is necessary by the power of the Holy Spirit to retake the dominion of God’s creation, which Adam forfeited to Satan in the Garden of Eden. Our goal is transformation. . . . We want to see whole cities and regions and states and nations transformed to support the values of the kingdom of God. This will happen only as kingdom focused saints become the head and not the tail of each of Lance Wallnau’s seven mountains or molders of culture. Here in America we have done fairly well in leading the religious mountain, but not the other six.”

The declared goal of the NAR is to eradicate fragmented Protestant denominations and form a unified church that will defeat evil in the end times. Like many American fundamentalists, the apostles of the NAR teach that the events of the end times are inevitable but unlike the fundamentalists, they see it as a time of great victory for the Church. Instead of escaping the earth before the turmoil of the end times (as taught by dispensationalists, adherents of another specific theological doctrine, discussed below), NAR pastors teach that believers will overcome evil by taking control of all sectors of society and government, leading to the mass conversion of humanity to charismatic evangelicalism and the establishment of a Christian utopia or “Kingdom” on earth.

It should be emphasized that within this concept of a global theocracy, there is no place for the United States as a national state with an elected democracy, just as for any other nation.

Representatives of traditional Christian denominations increasingly refer to the “Kingdom” that the NAR seeks to build as the kingdom of the Antichrist.

Theology of the NAR

Dominion theology teaches that Christians will gain complete authority over the earth before the Jesus comes.

It rests on three main beliefs: 1) Satan usurped humanity’s dominion over the earth through the  temption of Adam and Eve; 2) The Church is God’s instrument to take back dominion from Satan; 3) Jesus cannot and will not return until the Church reclaims dominion by gaining control of the world’s governments and social institutions.

Thus, the theology of the NAR explicitly and unambiguously claims global authority, not only spiritual but also governmental. In their view, the Second Coming will occur only after the Church (that is, NAR adherents) completes the process of reclaiming dominion over the earth.

According to the apostles of the NAR, salvation is achieved through establishing the kingdom of God as a literal and physical kingdom to be advanced on earth in the present age. Some dominionists ascribe to the church duties and rights that scripturally belong only to Jesus Christ . This includes the belief that believers can incarnate Christ and function as His body on earth to establish His kingdom rule. To build such a kingdom, the wealth must be taken from the ungodly and given to the godly.

NAR theology merges dominion theology with dispensationalism. However, this union is not equal, more precisely to say, that the new movement absorbed dispensationalism. According to dispensationalist belief, believers will be secretly taken up to heaven (the “rapture”) before the appearance of the Antichrist, thereby escaping the turmoil of the end times. According to NAR teaching, however, there will be no secret rapture, and the Second Coming will not occur until Christians build a kingdom on earth under the leadership of NAR apostles. These two ideas are incompatible, and dispensationalists are being persuaded to abandon the idea of a “secret rapture” in favor of a “victorious eschatology”, the belief that they will remain on earth to rule and transform it. This implies that believers must take control of societies and governments across the world.

One of the central doctrines of the NAR is the restoration of apostles and prophets in the overcoming end time Church. Some scholars describe the New Apostolic Reformation as a religious movement that has produced the most radical changes in church governance since the 16th century. Hector Torres, one of the NAR’s leaders in the Spanish-speaking world, describes these changes in his book The Restoration of Apostles and Prophets: How It Will Revolutionize Ministry in the 21st Century as God’s work “to restructure the government of the church and to reveal new strategies. In order to accomplish his objective of establishing the kingdom of heaven here on earth, God is restoring all the truth that had been lost. Those who refuse to accept the movement of the Spirit, with its new and marvelous strategies in the end will cease to produce fruit and disappear.” How exactly they will “disappear” is not specified.

In the preface written by C. Peter Wagner to Bill Hamon’s book Apostles, Prophets and the Coming Moves of God: End Time Plan for his Church on Planet Earth, Wagner spoke of a paradigm shift within traditional Christianity. What is the nature of these coming changes? Hamon explained the essence of this new paradigm in October 1999 at a meeting of the International Gathering of Apostles and Prophets, where he said, “we are seeing prophets and apostles coming forth for a strategic reason . . . we are being positioned to lay new foundations for the dawning of a new kingdom age. We are in the throws of birthing a whole new order dispensation . . . we are about to move from this dispensation of grace to the dispensation of dominion.”

It is important to understand that the NAR apostles are convinced they receive instructions directly from God, and many claim that Jesus visits them personally. Like the true biblical apostles who founded the early Church, these so-called “restored apostles” believe they are called to lay the foundation and governance for the new kingdom — a unified world church. Their goal is the acquisition of power — absolute control over the Church, society, and government.

According to Hamon, the teachings of the new apostles will spread across the world. Apostles will prophesy the rise and fall of nations and peoples, distinguishing “sheep nations” from “goat nations,” so that when Jesus returns, each will receive its due reward.

In other words, the new prophets will decide which nations are good and worthy of life, and which are “goat nations” that must, in one way or another, disappear.

Thus, according to NAR doctrine, the movement seeks to dominate every aspect of social life, not only in the United States but worldwide. It has not yet been explicitly stated what exactly NAR adherents plan to do with Muslims, Jews, Taoists, or Indians, as it would be difficult to attract them with NAR ideas. Yet without their submission, the establishment of a global kingdom is impossible. It can be assumed that countries that refuse to convert en masse to evangelicalism will be classified as “goat nations.” There is little doubt that the Russians will also be deemed a “goat nation,” if only because for seventy years they tried to build a kingdom of grace on Earth without evangelicals, relying solely on human effort. And it is clear that the movement, which is overtly anti-Christian in its spirit, must regard Orthodoxy with hostility.

Meaning of NAR’s key concepts

The Seven Mountain Mandate. This is a mandate to build the kingdom of God on earth by taking control of the seven key spheres of society, including government. Speaking on Pat Kings Extreme Prophetic TV, evangelist Lance Wallnau said, “the Seven Mountains are almost a template for warfare because the church so frequently does not have a language for how it goes about taking territory.” NAR intends to train agents who will climb these “mountains” and conquer them for the glory of God.

The mountain of Business is regarded as the key to conquering the other mountains. Control over it is exercised by “marketplace apostles” such as Os Hillman and Lance Wallnau. The latter is a leading motivational preacher who travels throughout Africa, Asia, South America, and Europe. Os Hillman, based in Atlanta, heads the Marketplace Leaders Ministries. Apostles who have already invested significantly in business are called upon to merge ministry and commerce.

One of NAR’s key theological terms is “Social Transformation.” In 2009, a conference on “Social Transformation” was held at Harvard, featuring leading NAR apostles Lance Wallnau, Bill Hamon, Pat Francis, and Os Hillman. All four travel the world promoting the “Reclaiming the Seven Mountains” campaign and are regarded as experts in “marketplace evangelism.”

“Transformation” is not a general term for the NAR, but rather a brand used in the titles of training videos, books, and conferences — as well as in the names of certain organizations. As the following quotations show, promoting “social transformation” is synonymous with seizing political and social power or establishing Christian dominion. While NAR leaders often publicize their charitable activities, these are secondary to their primary goal: the mandate to establish dominion over society and government, a mandate that entails expelling those who, in their view, are literally under demonic control.

In his 2010 book Prophetic Scriptures Yet to Be Fulfilled, Apostle Bill Hamon describes the transformation of the seven mountains of culture and how each nation will become either a sheep nation or a goat nation. The movement believes that, ultimately, the fulfillment of all the prophecies and visions of NAR apostles and prophets will enable Jesus to come and establish His dominion over the entire Earth.

In his 2008 book Dominion: How Kingdom Action Can Change the World, C. Peter Wagner writes, “Satan has polluted the land and cursed it. Satan has deployed high-ranking demonic powers to darken the spiritual atmosphere over society and to block the freedom of heaven flowing to earth. Both of these arenas need to be and can be cleansed spiritually. We have the tools to do it, we have the gifted personnel to do it and we have the power of the Holy Spirit to do it. It will be done!” In his book The Church in the Workplace: How God’s People Can Transform Society, Wagner adds, “Now that we have social transformation on our evangelical agendas, it is time for action. I regard ‘social transformation’ as the concept term. However, the action term that will best set us on the road toward that goal is ‘taking dominion’.”

NAR’s Methodology and Strategy

The NAR has developed detailed strategies, action plans, and methods to achieve its ultimate goal. Since the main obstacles on this path are demons of various ranks, witchcraft, and generational curses, the movement’s strategic plan is focused on conducting spiritual warfare, aimed at destroying demonic strongholds, breaking curses, and overthrowing the strongmen being under demons control. To achieve this, the NAR establishes so-called “deliverance centers” to expel demons. Their arsenal of “spiritual” tools is extensive. It includes spiritual mapping, the establishment of kingdom healthcare systems, great wealth transfers, intercessory prayers for business, the Seven Mountain Mandate, transformation, prayer and transformation conferences, evangelical reconciliation programs, and the creation of youth militant organizations whose members are encouraged to become voluntary martyrs for the kingdom.

In addition, the movement wages what it calls strategic level spiritual warfare (SLSW). This will be discussed further. It is absolutely clear that the NAR takes its goal of world domination with the utmost seriousness.

The NAR believes that Christ expelled Satan from this world, but that Satan’s principalities and lesser demons remain, and that most of the world is still under demonic control, with individuals, groups, nations, and territories possessed by them. False religions and ideologies are likewise said to be created under the influence of demons. All of these must be defeated. Demons must be expelled, and their lands must dispossessed and returned to God’s people.

Concerning demons, it is said, “They are the source of corruption, illness, poverty, and homosexuality. Purging these demons would result in mass evangelization and eradication of social ills.” NAR apostles teach that their followers receive an outpouring of supernatural powers to help them combat these demons and engage in strategic level spiritual warfare.

Spiritual Mapping is a method used to identify and purge both demons and their helpers. This technique is a key component of the NAR’s strategic spiritual warfare and prayer strategy. During spiritual mapping, NAR adherents attempt to locate the demons’ positions, activities, names, and strength. According to O’Regio, spiritual mapping functions as NAR’s military intelligence, necessary to effectively spread the Gospel of the kingdom into various regions.

Strategic level warfare is waged by NAR apostles and followers against demonic forces that have seized entire cities, cultures, and even individual people. According to C. Peter Wagner, there are different levels of spiritual warfare. The most basic level is ground-level warfare, in which demons are cast out of individuals. The second level is occult-level warfare, involving confrontations with demons operating through witchcraft and esoteric philosophies (examples include Free Masonry and Tibetan Buddhism). The highest level is strategic level warfare, which involves confronting territorial principalities — high-order demons that control communities, ethnic groups, religions, or even entire nations.

Binding the strongman is part of the process of exorcising demons in the NAR. The term refers to the Gospel verse (Matthew 12:29), “Or else how can one enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.”

Through this process of “binding,” demonic power over people is broken. Apostle Caballeros notes that the “strongmen” are not demons themselves but people who harbor the demons.

Prayer is a major weapon within spiritual warfare. It is “petitions, entreaties and thanksgivings made on behalf of another. Intercession also involves the act of standing between the object of
prayer and spiritual forces.” There are also prayer expeditions, which are “long-distance, trans-territorial prayer walks along strategically developed routes. Intercession is made for entire countries and regions.” There is also prayer walking, which represents “practice of onsite, street level intercession” based on “immediate observations and researched targets.” In other words, NAR followers first conduct spiritual mapping, in other words identifying demons, and then pray to expel them, often at or near the location where the demons dwell. They may also walk along pre-planned routes while praying.

It is assumed that NAR structures must operate in every country in the world. Initially, these structures were called “spiritual warfare networks,” but now they are known as “spiritual warfare strategies.” Prayer networks and the Global Apostolic Network are under the supervision of leading apostles.

Generational Reconciliation. NAR adherents believe that nations and cities can sin and do sin corporately, and if such sin is not remitted, the iniquity can intensify in each subsequent generation. The sins of ancestors or of society as a whole are said to allow demons to gain control over people, even without their knowledge, and this can be avoided only through the so-called reconciliation of generations.

Specifically, it is believed that many personal problems are connected with the sins of previous generations. For example, the participation of one’s ancestors in Masonic structures is allegedly the cause of many physical and mental illnesses among descendants. It should be emphasized that this teaching does not concern individual weakness or personal sins. NAR teaches that ancestral sins allow demons to enter a family line and control descendants.

Theologians of the movement claim that demons can jump from person to person in the family.

The Generational Reconciliation program was originally devised by John Dawson. It is believed that this technique gives Christians the power to heal the past. NAR pastors are convinced that corporate sin can be stopped by corporate (also called identificational) repentance, which effectively removes the foothold used by Satan to keep populations in spiritual darkness and suffering.

In other words, nations facing hardships will be told that their suffering is the fault of sinful ancestors, and they will be called to repentance on a mass scale. Identificational repentance apparently means that one must also repent for identifying oneself with a particular nation, clan, or social group. In other words, for a people or country to be “forgiven,” it must apparently renounce its ancestors, its culture, and curse its own history. Then, of course, it must submit to the apostles of NAR. An excellent strategy for total enslavement!

Organizing Young Activists. NAR is preparing for the future by training young people who will bring about global change by turning them into agents of transformation, “Our goal is to enlist one billion foot soldiers for the kingdom of God, who will permanently change the face of international mission to take on those five global giants for which the church can become the ultimate distribution and change agents to overcome spiritual emptiness and selfserving leadership, poverty, disease and ignorance (illiteracy),” declare the movement’s ideologists.

Sometimes NAR youth is called “the new breed of men” or “Joel’s army.” These young people, trained by modern apostles and prophets, will execute God’s judgment on earth. Hamon calls them “the army of the Lord movement”, “God is preparing His church to become an invincible unstoppable unconquerable, overcoming army of the Lord that subdues everything under Christ’s feet.”

George Warnock, a Canadian Pentecostal from the Latter Rain movement (which some researchers equate with NAR), wrote in his 1951 book The Feast of Tabernacles that the new generation of overcomers or manifest Sons of God would have powers similar to those of Jesus.

Theologian René Holvast, in his book Spiritual Mapping in the United States and Argentina: 1989–2005: A Geography of Fear, lists three leading proponents of the theology of the manifest sons of God: Bill Hamon, Paul Cain, and Rick Joyner. The latter stated, “Angelic appearances will be common to the saints and a visible glory upon some of them for extended periods as power flows through them.

There will be no plague, disease or physical condition including loss of limbs, Aids, poison gas or radiation which will resist the healing and miracle gifts working in the saints during this time.

Here again, the task is to take action aggressively in order to obtain dominion over the earth. The church is to be guided by the spiritual elite who are supposed to be able to wield a technique like spiritual mapping with extraordinary effectiveness”

According to journalist Casey Sanchez, a staff writer for the Intelligence Report newsletter of the Southern Poverty Law Center, a militant youth movement is growing within NAR under leaders such as Todd Bentley, a thirty-year-old “heavily tattooed, body pierced, shaved head, Canadian revivalist preacher.” These young militants of Joel’s army are to become a “military form of  young people with a divine mandate to physically impose Christian dominion on non-believers” Bentley declares that his end time army has one goal, “to take ground for the kingdom of God under the authority of Jesus Christ, the Dread Champion.” Many of these young people consider themselves the last generation to reach adulthood before the end of the world.

In 2016, journalist Elizabeth McAlister visited a NAR training camp where youth militants are trained to wage spiritual warfare. In her article, she noted that the camp follows strict military discipline. The youth are trained in military skills by Vietnam War veterans from among Native Americans, who also train the recruits in spiritual warfare. Alongside Bible verses, the recruits study the methods and protocols of “spiritual warfare.”

Deliverance Centers. NAR is actively developing a global network of deliverance centers for expelling demons. These centers are located not only in the United States but also in Canada, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, and Germany. How do these centers combat demons? This can be understood, for example, from a 2009 brochure published for the annual conference of the International Society of Deliverance Ministries. The event featured sessions on witchcraft and curses, mental disorders and demonic possession, as well as sessions addressing issues of sexuality and identity.

NAR followers believe that God has entrusted them with the mission of taking control of communities and nations. They believe that once territorial demons and their helpers are destroyed and generational curses are broken, the reborn Christians (that is, NAR followers) will take control of society.

Criticism from Other Christian Groups

Journalist Marsha West, writing for Conservative Crusader, calls NAR a “damnale heresy” that many Christians are still unaware of. According to her, NAR is also known as Dominionism or Replacement Theology, and it is not a new movement at all, only its name has been changed to deceive people and make them believe it represents a new religious revival or a paradigm shift within Christianity. She states that for many years, NAR ideologists have used names such as “Joel’s Army,” “The Latter Rain,” and “Manifest Sons of God.” Their goal, she writes, is to launch a reformation greater than that of the 16th century.

Al Jazeera columnist Paul Rosenberg referred to NAR as the “America’s own Taliban” (organization banned in Russia), arguing that the movement’s goals and strategies are equally radical. In his view, the ultimate goal of NAR is to replace secular democracy in the USA and globally with a Christian theocracy and to purify the world in preparation for Christ’s return, and it is strikingly similar to the aspirations of the Taliban (organization banned in Russia). However, he notes that they “significantly at odds with more common long standing Christian beliefs about the end times, as well as the nature and purpose of prayer and the role of human and divine power.”

O’Regio, illustrating the aggressiveness of NAR, quotes one of the movement’s prophets, “We are coming to the time when passive Christianity and passive Christians will cease to exist. There is maturity, a discipline, and a divine militancy coming upon the people of
God.”

“The pitch and intensity of the militancy and rhetoric of this branch of the global Dominionist movement has increased since the beginning of 2008,” writes the research group Discernment, which monitors heresies and cults within Christianity.

Critics of the movement argue that NAR’s goal as eradication of denominational divisions and creation a unified church that will combat evil by political means in the last days contradicts the very foundations of religious freedom and the separation of church and state.

Moreover, according to the most traditional interpretations of the Bible, the true Church of God cannot triumph until Jesus returns and the archangel Michael rises to deliver God’s people from the persecution of the wicked. In other words, the beliefs of NAR supporters are seen by many Christians as at best heretical and at worst an attempt to establish the kingdom of the Antichrist.

It is, however, important to understand why the movement’s ideas have proven so attractive to ordinary Americans and Europeans: NAR publicly denounces Satanism, sexual perversions, and racism — all the things being forcefully imposed on Western citizens today. And all this happens against a backdrop of total inaction or even approval of these destructive trends by traditional denominations, including the Catholic Church.

Manifestation in Politics

Investigative journalist Rachel Tabachnick, in a 2010 article, described NAR’s activity in Uganda and stated that US citizens should be alarmed by what is happening in that African country. Her concern was sparked by legislative persecution of sexual minorities in Uganda, but Tabachnick warned that gays were only the beginning.

By early 2018, Uganda was predominantly a Christian country: 39% Catholic, 32% Anglican, 11% Evangelical and Pentecostal, and 14% Muslim. Based on the US example, formal membership in the Catholic Church does not necessarily mean a person won’t attend Pentecostal or NAR gatherings, so NAR’s real influence in Uganda may be greater than the stated 11%.

Tabachnick notes that NAR views Uganda as a prototype for the merging of church and state. The NAR leaders claim that religious Dominionism is being developed in places like Uganda, and that NAR is trying to find out how it would function. In their opinion, Uganda is a laboratory for testing the movement’s ideas.

At the same time, Dominionism uses terminology that sounds almost like Liberation Theology or the Social Gospel but pursues a completely different agenda. The “reconciliation” events promoted by the movement are aimed at converting people to NAR ideology, not at fostering religious pluralism. And finally, the “transformation” so often spoken of by NAR apostles is, in fact, the establishment of control over all aspects of societal life.

And what does Trump have to do with all this, you may ask? It should be noted that he is not the first politician to seek the White House with NAR’s backing. The first was Sarah Palin, who ran as John McCain’s vice-presidential candidate. However, she was never hailed as “chosen by God” and did not attract massive crowds.

For the US public to start speaking of divine intervention, several factors had to align. First, prophecy: it is believed that one of NAR’s prophets, Kim Clement, predicted in 2007 that Trump would become president. Although Clement’s words were quite vague, Trump’s supporters regard them as a prophecy. In 2020, after Trump lost the election, NAR pastors attended rallies protesting election fraud and some claimed that Trump would remain in power. The fact that these prophecies failed to come true did not deter anyone.

Movement activists launched the ReAwaken America tour, during which pastors declared that Trump would inevitably reclaim power. Once Trump announced his 2024 candidacy and began holding rallies himself, the tour quietly faded away.

However, to convince ordinary Americans to view Trump as the savior of America, it took four years of Biden’s presidency, marked by uncontrolled immigration, dominance of “minorities,” and relentless inclusivity from which citizens could no longer hide. If anyone wanted to break the US state apparatus without provoking protests, Biden’s four years were essential: now everyone understands that the USA truly needs to be saved and protected.

Amid these social upheavals, NAR supporters acted with remarkable precision. First, pastors began proclaiming Trump as the chosen by God, destined to save the nation. The failed assassination attempt only reinforced this belief among ordinary Americans.

Now Trump will begin reshaping the state apparatus as he pleases, and in fact, this process has already begun.

As for foreign policy, if Trump truly intends to implement the Seven Mountain Mandate on a global scale, then the first to be subdued will be countries unfriendly to Pentecostalism — notably China and the Islamic world. Furthermore, according to dispensationalist beliefs (a group that has merged with NAR), a Third Temple must be built in Jerusalem before Christ’s Coming.

Catholics, Orthodox Christians, and many other believers consider the construction of such a temple to be a sign of the Antichrist’s coming. But NAR is completely undeterred by this.

It is entirely plausible that this idea underpins their unwavering support for Israel. Moreover, why not draw Israel into a war with its neighbors to physically reduce the Muslim ummah?

To understand the entity behind the movement and behind Trump himself, we must return to the figure of Michael Flynn. On one hand, Trump supporters have claimed since 2016 that the military brought him to power. On the other, it’s clear that this does not refer to generals like Mark Milley, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who in 2021 openly rejected Trump’s policies and even hinted at the possibility of disobeying his orders.

But there were other military, those expelled from the army in 2021 for posting pro-Trump messages on social media. These were mostly lower ranks, but it is reasonable to assume that some high-ranking officers also sympathized with Trump. It is also noteworthy that Trump created the Space Force and gained the authority to appoint its leadership on the advice of his allies.

One of those allies, former Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) head Michael Flynn — a retired general — has deep ties to NAR and was instrumental in advancing Trump’s political career. Moreover, several of Flynn’s former DIA subordinates played a key role in persuading state legislators that election fraud was possible and that audits were necessary. Thus, Flynn and his circle mark the entity standing behind Trump.

Researchers of Pentecostal activity outside the United States are well aware that the CIA has traditionally stood behind them. However, it is highly doubtful that NAR is solely a CIA project, given that the agency worked against Trump, while NAR openly supported him. For example, the September 2020 letter labeling Hunter Biden’s laptop as a Russian disinformation operation — clearly damaging to Trump — was signed by five former CIA directors.

Therefore, while acknowledging the historical ties between charismatic sects and the CIA, it must be noted that the entity behind NAR is larger. It likely includes military factions and intelligence circles but is not limited to them.

However, it is crucial to understand that whatever this entity may be, it is not friendly toward Russia. The anti-Soviet and anti-Russian consensus is a constant within the US elite, and internal divisions do not negate that.

Moreover, if Trump truly embraces NAR ideology, his future strategy toward Russia becomes clear: reconciliation — creating favorable conditions for Pentecostal expansion into Russian territory (of course, under the banner of “freedom of conscience”).

Naturally, the leaders of the New Apostolic Reformation have not overlooked Russia. Pentecostalism in Russia is flourishing, and there is little doubt that this highly active religious movement will attempt to seize political power in the foreseeable future.

Neo-Protestant sects can act effectively in politics and bring to power forces favorable to the West — as in the case of Armenia. Ultimately, the primary objective of these religious movements is to establish dominance over states — and Russia will likely be no exception.

What can Russia oppose to the ideologically driven New Apostolic Reformation, with its own metaphysics and transcendent experience for every parishioner? In Russia, secular ideology is banned. In the absence of an ideological counterbalance, NAR’s victory in the ideological battle on Russian soil seems inevitable.

Will the Russian Orthodox Church, which could serve as NAR’s main opponent, be able to withstand such a massive onslaught? Latin America, with its deeply devout Catholic population, could not (see Svetlana Moiseyeva’s article in issue 627 of the newspaper). This should give both Russia’s church hierarchy and those in power serious cause for reflection.

This is a translation of the article by Olga Nikolaeva first published in The Essence of Time newspaper, issue 628.