Written by Jerry Robinson
Originally Posted on 3/18/2004
We are living in a day and hour described by the prophet Isaiah: 'Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!'
"Hear the word of the LORD, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah. To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats. When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts? Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them. And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood. Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it." (Isaiah 1:10-20)
Billy Graham once said that if God does not punish America, he will have to apologize to Sodom & Gomorrah. Judgment is coming to America. Indeed, the Lord proclaims that He will judge every nation, every person, every deed, and every thought according to the high standard of His Holy Word.
Now I am as just as patriotic as the next guy, but understand one thing: God's throne is not draped in an American flag. There is no American flag in heaven. God is no respecter of persons. Make no mistake, God is not dependent upon the wealth of America to spread his gospel. Everything in the world belongs to Him and therefore everything is at his disposal. He chose America as a vessel to spread his gospel and we have been the benefactors of the blessings attached to that responsibility.
The Bible teaches us that God never pours out his wrath without warning. America has received many warnings about its impending judgment. America has an average of 5 Bibles in every home, TV/Radio evangelism galore, and churches on virtually every street corner.
The Arrogance of Ancient Judah
"The LORD gave another message to Jeremiah. He said, 'Go to the entrance of the Lord's Temple, and give this message to the people: 'O Judah, listen to this message from the LORD! Listen to it, all of you who worship here!' The LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: 'Even now, if you quit your evil ways, I will let you stay in your own land. But do not be fooled by those who repeatedly promise your safety because the Temple of the LORD is here." (Jer. 7:1-4 NLT)
Prior to God pouring out his wrath on ancient Judah, God raised up several prophets such as Jeremiah and Micah. Unfortunately, the people of Judah believed that because the Shekinah glory resided in the temple, God would never allow his temple or the nation that housed it to be destroyed. Similarly, America has become a proud nation. Through our arrogance, we have turned our back on Almighty God. "Like the Jews of biblical times, America wants the blessings of God, but not the God of blessings."
"God is going to judge America for its violence, its crimes, its political corruption, its backsliding, its murdering of millions of babies, its militant homosexuality, its drunkenness and drug abuse, its form of godliness without power, its lukewarmness toward Christ, its rampant divorce and adultery, its pornography, its child molestations, and its occult practices."
If all of this weren't enough, America is in the midst of a culture war. Groups like the ACLU and People for the American Way are leading the charge against those of us who desire to restore this nation back to its Godly principles and heritage.
Examples:
Someone correctly said that today, where two or three are gathered in His name, there also, it seems, is the ACLU in their midst.
Former Congressman Jack Kemp said, "When grade schoolers are encouraged to learn and read about condoms, but forbidden to see the Ten Commandments on a classroom wall, something is mightily wrong with education in America. This is a double standard that undermines all standards."
We are living in a day and hour described by the prophet Isaiah: 'Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!' (Isaiah 5:20)
We can curse the darkness or we can light a candle
So, the socialists want to take over our country and eradicate the very spiritual foundations that made this nation great. Many countries live under dictatorial regimes and have no religious freedoms. We cannot allow this to happen to our great country because of something so preventable. What can we as Christians do? We can curse the darkness or we can light a candle. One thing we can do is pray. Don't underestimate the power of prayer.
When Minister Joe Wright was asked to open the new session of the Kansas Senate in prayer on January 23, 1996 he said, and I quote:
"We have ridiculed the absolute truth of Your Word and called it Pluralism;
We have worshipped other gods and called it multiculturalism;
We have endorsed perversion and called it alternative lifestyle;
We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery;
We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare;
We have killed our unborn and called it choice;
We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable;
We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem;
We have abused power and called it politics;
We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition;
We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression;
We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.'
Things are going to get worse before they get better
Jesus uttered these words to his disciples shortly before his death to remind them of the cost of following him:
"When the world hates you, remember it hated me before it hated you. The world would love you if you belonged to it, but you don't. I chose you to come out of the world, and so it hates you." (John 15:18,19 NLT)
You may be thinking that things really aren't that bad. Maybe you have found it relatively easy to walk out the Christian life without any persecution. If that describes you, it could be that you have compromised your beliefs so much that nobody could find enough evidence to convict you of being a Christian. Personally, I have been verbally assaulted due to my stance upon many issues and was even fired from a writing position with an academic publication over an inflammatory piece I wrote. Why? Because I refused to call 'evil good, and good evil.' Stand up against the tide and you will feel the resistance.
I conclude this piece with a poem whose words haunt me every time I read it. It was written by Justice Roy Moore, the same judge recently involved in the Alabama Ten Commandments case.
America The Beautiful
by Justice Roy Moore
America the Beautiful or so you used to be Land of the Pilgrims' pride, I'm glad they'll never see Babies piled in dumpsters, Abortion on demand, Oh, sweet land of liberty, your house is on the sand. Our children wander aimlessly poisoned by cocaine, Choosing to indulge their lusts, when God has said abstain. From sea to shining sea, our Nation turns away From the teaching of God's love and a need to always pray. So many worldly pastors tell lies about our Rock, Saying God is going broke, so they can fleece the flock. We've kept God in our temples, how callous we have grown, When earth is but His footstool and Heaven is His throne. We've voted in a government that is rotting at the core, Appointing Godless Judges who throw reason out the door. Too soft to place a killer in a well deserved tomb, But brave enough to kill a baby before he leaves the womb. You think that God's not angry that our land's a moral slum? How much longer will He wait before His judgment comes? How are we to face a God from Whom we cannot hide? What then is left for us to do, but stem this evil tide? If we who are His children will humbly turn and pray, Seek His holy face and mend our evil way, Then God will hear from Heaven and forgive us of our sins, He will heal our sickly land and all who live within. But America the Beautiful if you don't, then you will see, A sad but Holy God withdraw His hand from thee.
Jerry Robinson is the founder of Jerry Robinson Ministries, a ministry devoted to taking the Gospel of Jesus' First Coming to the unbeliever, and the Good News of Jesus' Second Coming to the Global church. He is an ordained minister, writer, and speaker and holds university degrees in International Economics and Religious Studies. Additionally, Jerry operates jerryrobinson.org, an internationally known website that archives and analyzes global events through the lens of biblical prophecy.