Let them bring forth and show us what will happen; Let them show the former things, what they were, so we may consider them, and know the latter end of them.
There is little doubt if we are to know what will happen to this country, we must look to the past, specifically, to ancient Israel.
One may question if we are indeed the direct descendants of the “Lost Ten Tribes,” but there is little debate that we are spiritual Israel. Biblical history gives us detailed accounts, confirmed many times by secular history, of Israel’s fate when the people disobeyed God.
God is predictable, he does not change; he is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. In Deuteronomy 28, known as the “blessings and curses” chapter, God tells Israel, point by point, what they could expect should they not obey Him. Again, in Deuteronomy 8, paraphrasing, God says,
“Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His statutes which I command you today: lest when you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them; and when your herds and flocks multiply, and your silver and gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied; Then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God. . . and say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth’ . . . you shall surely perish.”
When the Pilgrims first set foot on Plymouth Rock, they believed this country was the Promised Land, the new Israel. They began to build a country based upon God’s Laws and raised their children to believe the same ideals. A hundred-plus years later when Thomas Jefferson penned the Declaration of Independence, the country as a whole still believed in those principles. The founding fathers—Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Franklin, and Adams—all believed this country was founded on Judeo-Christian beliefs, and anyone who thinks otherwise, simply has not read, in depth, the history of this country nor read the writings of these men.
Today, the country is divided. This division is the result of two distinct views on two separate issues. First, there are those who believe the country is losing the Judeo-Christian belief system upon which it was founded, and adopt the views of those of a more liberal persuasion, who advocate abortion and homosexuality as acceptable lifestyles. The second major schism is economics, between the Republicans, who believe in a free marketplace without government interference as Hayek advocated, and those who subscribe to Keynesian economics (read Economics and the World Order Part 1, Living to Win, January, 2012).
Greed, the love of money, and pride has corrupted our government, leaving in its wake injustice. Huge multinational banks and corporations wield the power. Abraham Lincoln, in a letter to Colonel William Elkins wrote,
Corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed.
The economic power these corporations possess is staggering. Corporations do not have souls. Their sole purpose is to make money.
We have forgotten God. Hubris is pervasive. We have forgotten that God blesses this country. Our forefathers understood this, but we think, “By our power and the might our hand we have achieved greatness.” The Prophet Hosea in 4:6 states again the consequences of forgetting God: “Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your children.” Examine the generation coming of age— frightening. Many of God’s people reside in the “Bible Belt” and as such, they are a God fearing people; but doing business extensively throughout the country, one realizes a large number of Americans simply have no fear of God. It is interesting, geographically, where they reside. I read a statistic recently that said less than 20 percent of the populace attends church on a weekly basis. In England, it is less than 12 percent.
My job requires that I spend much of my time on airplanes crisscrossing the country. I am reminded often of Daniel 12:4: “But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.” The information age has brought everything ever written to devices most carry. With a few keystrokes, we can access books, magazines, articles, law libraries, the Library of Congress, the constitution of Sweden—the knowledge is endless. If one travels as I do, and spends much time in airports from coast to coast, one can easily attest to “running to and fro.” However, one does not have to travel by airplane to make the same observation. All know we live in a dangerous world.
Because we are protected by oceans, many people mistakenly believe we are insulated from wars in foreign lands. The United Nations will prevent another World War. After all, we are a civilized people. There is nothing civilized about war. Ask anyone who has seen war upfront and close. The horror one human being can inflict upon another has not changed in 3,000 years.
Reread the Minor Prophets. Ron Dart has developed extensive material (his CD series, The Minor Prophets) on the Minor Prophets, as well as a series that focuses on the message of Jeremiah called Real Prophets [Now divided into Real Prophets and Jeremiah]. They are most enjoyable and enlightening. It would behoove you to listen to these series. God calls us a stiff-necked people. We are rebellious, prideful. We learn nothing from the stories of ancient Israel or we do not believe them. As the philosopher Santayana once said, “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” We have “crossed the Rubicon.”