When President Donald Trump meets with North Korean Dictator Kim Jong Un in Singapore June 12, it will be a historic summit. We must pray that not only will North Korea be denuclearized, but that North Korea—where freedom of religion or belief is largely nonexistent—will begin to allow religious liberty.
Meanwhile, my longtime friend Kathie Walters, a prophetess who often writes for Elijah List, brought to my attention several very interesting parallels between Trump and Kim.
She told me that in 1906, there was a great revival in Pyongyang that involved Kim Jong Un's grandfather's parents and grandparents. Kim Jong Un's grandfather, the dictator who ushered in North Korean communism, was Kim Il Sung, who was raised a Presbyterian. His father was a church elder, and his maternal grandfather was a pastor.
In the first half of the 20th century, northern Korea is said to have been much more Christian than the southern part. In fact, Pyongyang was called the "Jerusalem of Asia." At the time of the Korean War, there were 3,500 churches in North Korea. Today, Christianity is outlawed there, and at least 50,000—and by some reports as many as 130,000—Christians are in what amounts to concentration camps.
Meanwhile, President Trump was also raised a Presbyterian. His mother was from the Outer Hebrides Islands in Scotland, where there was a massive revival from 1948-51 (ironically almost the same years as the Korean War). The Hebrides was so on fire for God, it was called the "Jerusalem of the U.K."
I'm researching this now for my new book, Trump Aftershock, due to release in November. There are conflicting reports, but some suggest that members of Donald Trump's mother's family were involved in the Hebrides revival. His mother had moved to America about 15 years before, so she wasn't literally there at the time. But since nearly everyone in the Hebrides was touched by the revival in some way, we speculate members of her family (who were known as very devout Christians) were involved.
In addition, I'm researching Christianity in North Korea as well as the country's glorious history of revival. I'm also documenting its enormous persecution of Christians, which has made North Korea one of the most—if not the most—oppressive regimes on earth.
Another interesting coincidence is that the day of the Singapore summit is June 12. That's the exact date when in 1987, President Ronald Reagan said to the general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in Berlin, Germany: "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" Let's pray President Trump challenges Chairman Kim to tear down the barriers to Christianity in North Korea.
Another interesting fact Kathie mentioned is that the summit is being held on the island of Sentosa. The luxury location, however, has a dark past. It was used by Japan as a camp for British and Australian prisoners of war after Allied forces surrendered to the Japanese in 1942.
It was also where Singaporean Chinese accused of anti-Japanese activities were executed in large numbers. Until 1972, Sentosa was known as the "island of death from behind" and was renamed by the Singaporean government as part of the campaign to turn the island into a luxury destination. It is connected to the main part of Singapore with only one causeway, which makes security easier for the summit.
"It is now a five-star resort with a curse on it," Kathie says. "What an opportunity to reverse the curse. Don't you think God might be up to something?"
To that, I say, "Amen."
Steve Strang is the founder of Charisma Media and president of Christian Life Missions. He is also the author of the best-seller God and Donald Trump. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. Click here to subscribe to the Strang Report podcast, and here to sign up for the Strang Report newsletter.
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