(Headline USA) Thousands sang, cheered and prayed as multiple preachers said Donald Trump is God’s favored candidate to defeat the “forces of darkness.”
Attendees stood and recited the “Watchman Decree,” invoking a government that honors God and has “righteous” laws and “biblical” judicial rulings.
“We break every curse against Donald Trump—we break every satanic incantation against his presidency,” stated the host preacher, Hank Kunneman, at the annual Opening the Heavens conference, held in mid-September at the Mid-America Center arena in Council Bluffs.
The conference is one of several of its type around the country this election year, featuring worship and speeches by preachers.
Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance appeared recently at a similar conference, called the Courage Tour, in Pennsylvania.
Goals for the conference included getting out the vote for Trump and his allies, and mobilizing people to pray.
“Get your butt out there and vote. Get your voice and raise it!” declared Kunneman, who pastors Lord of Hosts Church in nearby Omaha, Nebraska, with his wife, Brenda. “Let every devil fall. … We push back any attempt to steal the executive office.”
Headliners at the Council Bluffs conference repeatedly spoke of being in a true spiritual war.
The “favor of the Lord” is on Trump, said one preacher, Dutch Sheets. “America is going to be saved, and I believe this election is a part of it.”
His brother and fellow preacher, Tim Sheets, recounted seeing a vision of a warrior angel firing an arrow that landed in front of the White House, claiming the territory for God.
“We must move into battle for the Lord,” he said. “The drums of spiritual war are beating.”
Preachers repeatedly denounced abortion and transgender procedures on minors.
With the movement, churches and ministries largely operate independently, even as its leaders speak at each others’ conferences and appear on each others’ broadcasts.
As one example of the overlap: The Opening the Heavens conference in Council Bluffs featured one segment called FlashPoint Live—an in-person version of a television show that mixes Christianity and conservative politics.
It’s one of several such FlashPoint Live conferences this year, hosted by pastor Gene Bailey—whose recently interviewed Trump.
The ReAwaken America tour, started by Trump’s former national security advisor Michael Flynn, has similarly blended the political with revival-like rallies and featured members of Trump’s family.
Separate from the Council Bluffs conference organizers is the Courage Tour. It’s led by Lance Wallnau, who popularized the Seven Mountain concept and was an early booster of Trump’s 2016 candidacy.
Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press
