Image by Getty Images

By Sam Kestenbaum September 1, 2017

The evangelical Christian “firefighter prophet” Mark Taylor — who believes that Donald Trump was lifted up by God to bring America and Israel closer together in a sacred union — is now saying that Steve Bannon’s ouster from the White House is also part of God’s plan.

In a podcast last week, Taylor suggested that Bannon will be a powerful help to Trump (and God) now that he is out of the administration. Bannon is better able now to attack mainstream “news media” from his position at Breitbart News, Taylor suggested.

“I think it was purposefully done this way, to bring Bannon in, let him see the inner workings of the beast, and see who the beasts actually are, and then come out, and then wage war against them on the outside,” Taylor said.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Taylor read a portion of what he said was a message given to him by the “Spirit of God” this summer, to argue that Bannon was part of God’s prophecy.

Taylor claims God came to him in a voice that said, “The news media, the news media, you have become a stench unto my nostrils, there is no spirit of truth in you… the news outlets will go down, bankrupt, and I the Lord God will rebuild them using my righteous people to restore them.”

The “firefighter prophet” is one of a handful of self-styled apostles and prophets that researchers term Christian Dominionists. They seek to transform America into a pure “Christian nation” through political activism — and believe that Jesus Christ will return to earth once this has happened.

Contact Sam Kestenbaum at [email protected] or on Twitter, @skestenbaum

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’ve started our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we need 1,800 readers like you to step up to support the Forward by April 21. Members of the Forward board are even matching the first 1,000 gifts, up to $70,000.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism, because every dollar goes twice as far.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

2X match on all Passover gifts!

$90 → $180 $180 → $360

$360 → $720

Other amount