Pastor Mark Driscoll wants Jesus to return before Election Day as civil war chatter abounds

Hours after former president and presumptive Republican 2024 presidential nominee Donald Trump was convicted Thursday on 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up a sex scandal that threatened his 2016 presidential campaign, megachurch pastor Mark Driscoll pleaded on social media for Jesus to return before Election Day. 

"Lord Jesus we would humbly request that you return before November 5," wrote Driscoll, founding pastor of Trinity Church in Scottsdale, Arizona, in a post on X.

While many conservative Christians see Trump as the answer to America's challenges, earlier this month, Driscoll made it clear in a post on Instagram that he doesn't believe trusting in politicians should be seen as the answer for Christians.

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"Government can't fix spiritual problems; it's ultimately a God problem. Trusting in politicians won't solve it — repentance and faith are the only way forward," he wrote.

Driscoll previously urged Christians to approach the 2024 presidential election with "sobriety" and admitted that he found neither President Joe Biden nor Trump attractive candidates.

"How should a Christian approach the 2024 election? Make every effort to maintain sobriety despite the difficulty. And the truth is we're going to have two candidates, both of which are old. I would like somebody who is younger," Driscoll noted on TikTok. "They are both in the flesh. So we have a Democrat in the flesh, and we have a Republican in the flesh. If you're filled with the Holy Spirit, your options stink, but welcome to America."

Devout Baptist Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson, R-La., said the verdict of the Manhattan jury, which made Trump the first former U.S. president convicted of a crime, made Thursday a "shameful day in American history."

"This was a purely political exercise, not a legal one," Johnson tweeted in response to the verdict.

Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., claimed the trial outcome for Trump was due to a "corrupt and rigged" justice system.

"I fully support President Trump appealing this decision and look forward to the New York Court of Appeals delivering justice and overturning this verdict," she said in a statement.

Rising political and cultural tensions have led to many claims or suggestions in recent months that the United States could be headed toward another civil war.

After Trump's conviction on Thursday, that chatter emerged even more online, with people like conservative political commentator Joey Mannarino declaring on X that: "The Civil War just began. We no longer live in a democracy."

He further explained his position in a follow-up statement.

"The Civil War didn't start today. It started in November 2020 when an illegitimate President stole the White House through a fake election. To cover up all the criminality, they accused Donald Trump of being a felon and made up fake charges to try and make sure he never wins," he said. "YOU HAVE AWOKEN THE BEAST! AMERICANS WILL RISE UP AND TAKE BACK OUR COUNTRY! NOVEMBER 5, 2024!"

Outside the Trump Tower in New York City on Friday, protesters warned of a possible civil war. 

"I believe these far radical left are trying to start a civil war," one man said, according to Newsweek. 

One Manhattan resident told The Independent that she wanted Trump to be found guilty so it would help him in the polls, arguing that a "civil war" could happen if Trump was jailed or the November election is "rigged."

"You've got to understand that there are millions of Americans that don't register their guns, me being one of them. And, I'm ready for everything that's coming because give me Trump or give me death," she was quoted as saying. 

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the Republican vice presidential candidate in 2008, suggested in August that a Trump conviction could lead to civil unrest. 

"I think those who are conducting this travesty and creating this two-tiered system of justice, and I want to ask them, 'What the heck? Do you want us to be in civil war?' because that's what's going to happen," Palin told Newsmax.