I am Venezuelan by birth, American through naturalization, and a recipient of the covenants of promise because of the blood of Christ.
Nicolas Maduro, the illegitimate president of Venezuela, was captured by American troops in the early hours of Saturday, January 3rd 2026. Since then, news and social media has exploded with all kinds of discussions and opinions on what transpired and on what might take place in Venezuela now that Maduro has been removed.
This is one of those moments in which I am eager to say something, after all, very important dimensions of who I am are involved in processing what is happening. However, I must favor my heavenly citizenship since it is the one that matters the most! Venezuela will be done away with one day and so will the United States, yet, God’s kingdom is an everlasting kingdom characterized by Christ being on the throne…FOREVER (Ps. 145:13; Dan. 4:34, 7:14; 2 Sam. 7:13).
Here’s my first thought as I consider what’s happening: We can expect a wicked person to suffer a wicked person’s end (even if sometimes we don’t catch it on this side of eternity).
The iniquities of the wicked ensnare him, and he is held fast in the cords of his sin. (Proverbs 5:22 , ESV)
But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed; the future of the wicked shall be cut off. (Psalm 37:38 , ESV)
The wicked is overthrown through his evildoing, but the righteous finds refuge in his death. (Proverbs 14:32 , ESV)
When the wicked increase, transgression increases, but the righteous will look upon their downfall. (Proverbs 29:16 , ESV)
Maduro is a wicked man and has acted wickedly for more than a decade. He has stolen elections, he has kidnapped and tortured political opponents, he has embezzled and basked in riches that do not belong to him while ignoring the poor and the needy and the hungry, he has not stood for justice and has instead allowed for the prosperity of the criminal, he has engaged in narco trafficking and the terrorizing of other countries by releasing criminals and letting them run amuck; moreover, he has allied himself with other wicked nations and multiplied his wickedness…Who can support a leader like this with a clean conscience? Is it not right for those who do justice and love righteousness to celebrate his removal?
These are examples of his wickedness at the national level by the way. I haven’t even mentioned all the people I know who have been shot, kidnapped, and robbed. I haven’t mentioned my parents’ vehicle being taken by corrupt cops after being held at gunpoint, church attenders passing out at church activities from starvation, the murder of my neighbor Christian, my grandfather’s death from the inability to find an oxygen tank (a basic medical commodity in many countries). Now, I’m not saying that Maduro is 100% responsible for all these things…however, his willing incompetency as a leader has hurt a lot of people.
Here’s the second thought: God’s people are grateful for God’s good gifts even if they come from questionable places sometimes.
I just got done reading through the Joseph narrative recently. Do you realize that Pharaoh (the ruler of Egypt) gave the best his land had to offer (the land of Goshen) to a bunch of foreigners (Jacob’s clan) in a time of extreme need (a 7-year long devastating famine)? For the details you can reference Genesis 47 and 48.
I’ll be the first to say that—at least according to modern standards—this sounds a little…unfair? I mean…shouldn’t Pharaoh favor the Egyptians over the foreigners? Instead, while God’s people eat of “the fat of the land” (Gen. 45:18), the Egyptians trade their money, their cattle, their property, and even their own selves for food so they can survive. I guess Jacob could’ve turned down this good gift. He could’ve told Pharaoh to be a better Egyptian ruler but that’s not what he did. Jacob blessed Pharaoh and accepted these gifts with gratitude…knowing that they ultimately came from the LORD. There are other examples, like Artaxerxes and Cyrus in the book of Nehemiah (Neh. 1; Ez. 1). Ruthless emperors that God used to provide for His people.
Somewhere around 2010 my dad started leading the construction of the building where Vida En Cristo Church meets today. I remember him telling me that due to the crime in the country, it wasn’t uncommon for gangs to be territorial. These gangs often visited new construction sites and asked for “protection money” from other gangs. One day, a thug and his companions stopped by to try to squeeze some money out of those at the construction site, and my dad being my dad told him something along these lines: “look man, we’re building a church here and you have control of a lot of building material…why don’t you help US instead by bringing us a truck of gravel?” What possessed my dad to say that to the armed thug? I have no idea…but what I do know is that the thug left (probably confused) and never bothered him again. However, I can assure you that if the thug had showed up with the gravel truck my dad would’ve gladly taken the help. It would’ve been the first gang-funded church building I’ve heard of!
What’s my point? There’s a lot of talk about the legality of Maduro’s capture. Some are calling it “kidnapping,” and many are accusing the Trump administration of ignoring Congress and the Constitution. I’m not, personally, convinced that these accusations can be substantiated…but either way, Maduro’s capture is a good thing and I’m going to gratefully accept it, knowing that it is ultimately a gift from God.
Last point. There is only one ruler who will not fail us and that is Jesus Christ.
Venezuelans all over the world are celebrating in the streets. I’ve watched dozens of videos of large groups of Venezuelans dancing and singing and jumping…waiving Venezuelan flags and chanting that Maduro and his regime has fallen.
I would ask that you pray for the days to come. Although there is reason to celebrate, there is a lot of work to do as well. Pray for the government “clean up” that needs to take place in the country, for the necessary processes for the economy to be repaired and restarted, and for the Venezuelan church to serve where they can and point people to the hope of Christ.
Democracy would be nice but as a Christian, I got three words: Give. Me. Jesus.
He shall judge between many peoples,
and shall decide disputes for strong nations far away;
and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war anymore; (Micah 4:3 , ESV)