Yom Kippur is the holiest day on the Jewish calendar, and it’s also, like Passover, a chance for President Donald Trump’s spiritual adviser Paula White to promise her followers special blessings from God in return for a donation to her ministry.
Yom Kippur, known as the Day of Atonement, begins this year at sundown on Oct. 8 and runs until sundown on Oct. 9. A pitch from Paula White’s Twitter account leads to a web page urging people to “Honor God Give Your Atonement Offering” and declaring that Yom Kippur is an opportunity for people who show obedience to get “seven specific atonement blessings” from God.
The page reads as if the text is borrowed from a direct-mail piece, and in one part, it asks people to use “the enclosed envelope.” It says, “The Day of Atonement also gives you the freedom to receive SEVEN SPECIFIC PROMISES from God. The blessings that follow are reserved for those who are obedient to His holiest day and commandment.” Among the blessings White says are promised in scripture are “financial abundance” and “miracles.”
White warns people that the days and weeks leading up to the Day of Atonement have “heightened” supernatural activity. “But," she writes, "on the Day of Atonement, Satan and his fallen angels cannot prevent God from applying His promises to the lives of those who honor Him and His holiest day.”
White promises to pray for people who send her their urgent needs. But she needs people to do her a favor, though:
The second thing you need to know about the Day of Atonement is that: IT IS A DAY OF OFFERING AND SACRIFICE! “MEET WITH ME AND HONOR ME,” saith the Lord. In this opportunity for oneness with the Almighty, God commands “…and they shall not appear before the Lord empty-handed. Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord your God which He has given you” (Deuteronomy 16:16-17). Every individual was commanded as they sought reconciliation and redemption to bring their VERY BEST SACRIFICIAL OFFERING to covenant with God. I want you to send your very best Day of Atonement offering, along with your prayer request right away, using the enclosed envelope. On October 9th, like the high priest, I’ll take your offering and needs before the Lord as a sweet savor, believing for a release of HIS SEVEN BLESSINGS OF THE ATONEMENT into your life!
If your “best atonement offering” turns out to be $100 or more, you’ll get not only a book and four-disc “message series” but also a “beautiful custom replica of the Ark of the Covenant.” If you kick in $200 or more, you’ll also get a ram’s horn shofar, which are now inevitably heard at religious right events.
In case you missed God’s—or Paula White’s—quid pro quo, it’s emphasized again at the end of the web page:
God’s promises of blessings do not depend on circumstances. They depend on obedience. God established the Day of Atonement so that you would be able to be at-one with Him in Spirit. MEET WITH HIM ON HIS MERCY SEAT and move into that special covenant starting today by sending me your prayer request and your sacrificial Day of Atonement offering as you honor Him on October 9th!
Back in April, White promised supporters who honored God by sending her money that they would receive seven supernatural Passover blessings.
White is a liaison between the White House and other evangelical leaders and a fixture at White House gatherings and Trump campaign events. In June, she kicked off a Trump reelection rally in Orlando with a prayer that labeled Trump’s opponents “demonic.” In September, she told supporters that she has used her access to the White House to “dedicate it by the superior blood of Jesus” and declare it “holy ground.” In July, she declared that God has made the White House holy ground through her presence:
“How does he do that?” she asked. “He does that through you. He does that through me. Wherever I go, God rules. When I walk on White House grounds, God walks on White House grounds. When I walked in The River, God walked in The River. When I go in to the dry cleaners, that dry cleaning place becomes holy. I have every right and authority to declare the White House as holy ground because I was standing there and where I stand is holy.”
