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An American Epitaph

The article you are about to read is an excerpt (with slight modifications) from a book entitled It Came Without Warning, which is showcased in our library. It tells the story of how a great nation rejected the source of its greatness and as a result was introduced to the consequences of its defiance. It is not pleasant—even more so because it is being played out again in the most powerful nation on earth.

An American Epitaph

Dennis Fischer

Throughout the Old Testament, the nation of Israel played a prominent role in God’s plan. The scriptures reveal that the Eternal intended to use them as an example to all the earth of how a people can be rightly governed. Israel was to stand as a model nation—a nation under the direct authority of God Almighty—a nation with laws that reflected God’s wisdom and His justice. Imaging living in such a land—a land where God Himself was the architect of it’s government. The descendants of Jacob were given that opportunity.

However, the Bible also indicates that this great nation would be destroyed by its enemies and led away as captive slaves. All the prosperity and safety they had enjoyed as a real super-power would eventually evaporate and be replaced with untold suffering. The history of Israel reveals how such a catastrophe could happen. And more importantly, why God would let it happen. To best understand this extraordinary lesson, it is important to return to the birth of this nation God likened to His “bride” (Isa. 62:5).

The Birth of a Nation

Almost thirty five hundred years ago, the children of Israel were rescued from a horrible oppression inflicted on them by the nation of Egypt, who at that time was the premier super-power on earth. Shortly after this deliverance, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob entered into a special covenant with them. The terms of this covenant were quite simple. Israel was to obey all of God’s instructions to them. In return, the Great Creator of the universe would physically bless them in a way that would set them apart from all the nations on earth. Additionally, God would be their personal protector, and as such, He would safeguard them from their enemies and even ensure that their enemies would be in fear of them.

A Covenant with Israel

God introduced the terms of His covenant by explaining that there was a very specific link between Israel’s obedience and God’s blessing. However, if Israel would obey their Deliverer, they would become the preeminent nation on earth.

And it shall come to pass, if you shall hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord your God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command you this day, that the Lord your God will set you on high above all nations of the earth. (Dt. 28:1)

This is an extraordinary promise. Here, the very God who led Israel out of Egypt, and in doing so, brought the mightiest nation on earth to its knees, was promising a collection of slaves that they were to become a nation to which all other nations would look up. He then outlined a series of blessings that would befall them if they obeyed. These blessings would include unmatched physical prosperity and growth—prosperity that would be greatly desired by any nation on earth—then or now. Notice the promise God makes to the children of Israel if they obey Him.

And all these blessings shall come on you, and overtake you, if you shall hearken unto the voice of the Lord your God. Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, and the fruit of your ground, and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your kine, and the flocks of your sheep. Blessed shall be your basket and your store. Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out. (Dt. 28:2-6)

With these words, God was explaining that if Israel would rely on Him and heed His words, they would live what could only be described as a “charmed life.” Whatever they would do and wherever they would do it would turn out right.

God then promised Israel that although they would have enemies, those enemies would be scattered if they attempted to harm them.

The Lord shall cause your enemies that rise up against you to be smitten before your face: they shall come out against you one way, and flee before you seven ways. (Dt. 28:7)

In the book of Leviticus, God indicated that Israel’s military superiority would be so overwhelming, that they would be able to rout armies that outnumbered them 100 to one.

And five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight: and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword. (Lev. 26:8)

God continued outlining the terms of His covenant by reaffirming His promise of incredible physical blessings for Israel. He declared that their prosperity could be seen, even in their food reserves.

The Lord shall command the blessing upon you in your storehouses, and in all that you set your hand unto; and he shall bless you in the land which the Lord your God gives you. (Dt. 28:8)

When God promised to bless “all that you set your hand to do,” He was declaring that He would even inspire Israel’s creative and technological efforts. In essence, God was saying that the great inventions and discoveries down through time would come through His people.

However, the Great Creator then reminded Israel that the tremendous relationship they were to enjoy with Him was predicated on their obedience. If they obeyed, the entire world would be in awe of them.

The Lord shall establish you as a holy people unto himself, as he has sworn unto you, if you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God, and walk in his ways. And all the people of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the Lord; and they shall be afraid of you. (Dt. 28:9-10)

God then continued to present what can only be called the greatest “wish list” any nation on earth could ever construct. It included uncanny prosperity, tremendous natural resources, including their climate, as well as protection from their enemies. Imagine if a third world country today was presented with an opportunity to enter into such a covenant. Consider what they would be offered.

And the Lord shall make you plenteous in goods, in the fruit of your body, and in the fruit of your cattle, and in the fruit of your ground, in the land which the Lord swore unto your fathers to give you.

The Lord shall open unto you his good treasure, the heavens to give the rain unto your land in his season, and to bless all the work of your hand: and you shall lend unto many nations, and you shall not borrow.

And the Lord shall make you the head, and not the tail; and you shall be above only, and you shall not be beneath... (Dt. 28:11-13)

The Eternal also promised that if Israel would honor His words, they would enjoy a very unique and intimate relationship with Him.

And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and you shall be my people. (Lev. 26:11-12)

Imagine a nation being offered the opportunity to have the GREAT GOD of Heaven as its partner in whatever it endeavored to do. In the “arts,” He would be there. In the “sciences,” He would be there. In “labor and agriculture,” He would be there. In “research and technology,” He would be there. The all powerful, all knowing King of everything that exists would be an endless source of inspiration and the eternal force behind every blessing. With these words, the Governor of the universe was extending to the children of Israel the greatest package of national blessings ever assembled. Consider what God was promising them.

Israel would:

Multiply in population,

Expand in territory,

Thrive in labor and commerce, and

Increase in wealth and prosperity.

Their defense would be the strongest,

Their economy the richest,

Their prestige would extend to every corner of the world,
And they would be the envy of all the nations on earth.

Their enemies would fear them,

Their friends would respect them, and

Their God would love them.

It is hard to imagine that any nation in human history more closely reflects those promises than the United States. This great land can stake claim to every one of them as no nation in human history can. It has enjoyed the greatest strength, the richest economy, and the most extraordinary advances in science and industry. Its soil is the richest. Its natural resources the most abundant.

America has been seen by people around the world as a magical place. It is the home of freedom and opportunity. It has been called “The Land of Dreams” and has been the most coveted ticket in the history of immigration. For two centuries the United States has seemingly rolled the dice and they keep coming up “seven.” This nation is truly a land of promise and the beneficiary of Divine gifts. Abraham Lincoln certainly thought so. Notice his words:

We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven. We have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth and power as no other nation has ever grown.

However, President Lincoln was also deeply concerned about a sense of national arrogance that would make the terrible mistake of thinking that its prominence among the nations of the world was the result of its personal skill and talent.

But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own.

Shame on America

This is the story of America in the twenty-first century. Because of our unmitigated gall and arrogance, we now believe that the great prosperity and freedoms we have enjoyed for over two centuries are somehow the product of American ingenuity and “Yankee know-how,” not Divine blessings. The great American patriot and president, Thomas Jefferson, warned of such thinking. His bold words stand as an indictment against the America of today. What high school history textbook in the entire country would have the courage to preserve such a statement?

God who gave us life gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people, that these liberties are a gift of God?

Today in the United States a great movement has emerged dedicated to proving Thomas Jefferson wrong. Through it, every attempt is being made to expunge the knowledge of the God of Heaven out of our national landscape. The architects of this movement have tried to redefine America as a nation founded on the principle that faith and government are mortal enemies. They attack those who believe faith is a fundamental partner of our government as “religious fanatics” attempting to build a theocracy.

An America Lost

Today in the United States any public expression of faith, especially Christianity, is viewed as a threat to our freedom. The irony to this is that America was once proud to express its belief in the God of the Bible. Consider just a few examples: John Quincy Adams, the sixth president of the United States, thought nothing of expressing his thoughts concerning the value of the scriptures.

It has been my custom for many years to read the Bible in its entirety once a year.

He was not alone in this sentiment. Theodore Roosevelt stated that he saw more value in the wisdom expressed in God’s word than that taught in America’s great academies and universities.

A thorough knowledge of the Bible is worth more than a college education.

Daniel Webster saw a link between following the word of God and national prosperity.

If we abide by the principles taught by the Bible, our country will go on prospering.

Abraham Lincoln acknowledged that Jesus Christ was the Savior of the world and that the Bible was a gift from God Himself.

I believe the Bible is the best gift that God has ever given to man. All the good from the Savior of the world is communicated to us through this book. I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had no where else to go.

Presidents such as George Washington, Andrew Jackson, and Calvin Coolidge all saw an inextricable connection between a workable government and obedience to the Bible.

“It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible.” George Washington

“The Bible is the rock on which our republic rests.” Andrew Jackson

“The foundation of our society and our government rest so much on the teachings of the Bible that it would be difficult to support them if faith in these teachings would cease to be practically universal in our country.” Calvin Coolidge

These words express a fundamental principle as powerful as the law of gravity - without God and His word, what goes up will come down. God Himself expressed this truth to the infant nation He had recently delivered from bondage.

The Consequences of Disobedience

After outlining the unimaginable blessings He would bestow on Israel in consideration of their obedience, God explained the consequences of disobedience. He did this because of His extraordinary fairness and love. Love, because by explaining the penalties for rebellion, God was discouraging the very behavior that would go totally contrary to Israel’s true happiness. God begins by returning to His great moral code and explains that just as obedience to His law brings blessings, disobedience will bring “curses.”

But it shall come to pass, if you will not hearken unto the voice of the Lord your God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command you this day; that all these curses shall come upon you, and overtake you: (Dt. 28:15)

Through His servant Moses, the Eternal then described a state in which no nation wants to find itself. The consequences for disobeying are truly catastrophic. As a result of rebelling against God and His law, wealth will turn to poverty, strength to weakness, fame to contempt, and hope to despair. Furthermore, there would be no place in all the land that would be exempt from God’s punishment. Whether it was commerce and industry in the city or agriculture in the country, everything will fail.

Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the field (Dt. 28:16)

The Great God who provided for and sustained Israel then explained that if His people rebelled against Him, prosperity would be a thing of the past. None of the great abundance they knew would be left—only empty storehouses. No matter where or when they looked, the only thing they would see would be NOTHING.

Cursed shall be your basket and your store.

Cursed shall be the fruit of your body, and the fruit of your land, and the increase of your kine, and the flocks of your sheep.

Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out. (Dt. 28:17-19)

But God wasn’t finished teaching His people about the law of cause and effect. He continued to contrast the benefits of obedience with the consequences of rebellion.

No More Inspiration

When God outlined the blessings He would give to Israel if they obeyed, He said that He would actually inspire their creative efforts—everything they put their hand to would prosper (Dt. 28:8). However, God now explains that if Israel refuses to obey Him, all the breaks would go the other way. Abundance would be replaced with austerity. And everywhere there would be nothing but contempt for a people that was once so great. All this if Israel refused to obey the true God.

The Lord shall send upon you cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that you set your hand to do, until you be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the wickedness of your doings, whereby you have forsaken me.(Dt 28:20)

Once again, God returns to a recurring theme of obedience to Him. Not because He is some kind of egomaniacal monster, but because He is a loving God who wants His people to grow and prosper. His warning regarding the consequences of rebellion was intended to serve as a deterrent to His people from sinning. That deterrent would also include the removal of physical health and healing.

None of These Diseases

Shortly after leading the children of Israel out of Egypt, God promised to spare them from the horrible plagues He had brought upon the Egyptians. However, once again, this promise was predicated on Israel’s obedience.

...If you will diligently harken to the voice of the Lord your God, and will do that which is right in His sight, and will give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon you which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that heals you. (Ex.15:26)

God would later say that he would fill Israel with health and remove diseases from their midst (Ex. 23:25) and even give those diseases to their enemies (Dt. 7:15).

God My Healer

The Bible reveals that one of God’s names is Yhvh Ropheka (God my Healer), and as such He truly does have power over man’s health. And why shouldn’t He? God made man. Every molecule that comprises the genetic code of each human being works in accordance with laws God has ordained. The Great God is the best-equipped Being in the universe to protect man from the ravages of disease. In the New Testament, Jesus even likened himself to a physician (Mt. 9:12). The point here is that God can bestow the blessing of health on a nation or withhold that blessing from them. This fact was affirmed by God when He indicated that if Israel rebelled against Him or His law, He would withhold His protection from diseases, and instead bring plagues upon them.

The Lord shall make the pestilence cleave unto you, until it has consumed you from off the land, whither you go to possess it.

The Lord shall smite you with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue you until thou perish.(Dt. 28:21-22)

God went on to say that even mental illness would afflict this people he had so richly blessed.

The Lord shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart:

And you shall grope at noonday, as the blind gropes in darkness, and you shall not prosper in your ways: and you shall be only oppressed and spoiled evermore, and no man shall save you. (Dt. 28:28-29)

It is important to understand that God does not do this because He is some great bully in the sky. He is not simply trying to “rough up” a people who are defenseless. The Bible reveals that God derives no pleasure out of human suffering (Ezk. 33:11). On the contrary, it causes Him great anguish. What God is doing is explaining to those, whom He has created, that they need him. He created them that way. Man is not unlike an infant in the care of a loving parent. Every young child relies on that parent for sustenance—the essentials of life. This includes their food, clothing, shelter, protection, and LOVE.

Today, man doesn’t believe he needs God for anything. By withholding His blessings, God is teaching His people, and the whole world for that matter, that man without the true God is like a child without a loving parent.

The Weather Shall Betray You

When God revealed the great blessings He would bestow on Israel if they obeyed His commandments, He included a climate that would be conducive to abundant crop production (Dt. 28:12). Like all of the creation, the weather is also subject to the God of Heaven. As such, it does what He commands it to do. Throughout the scriptures, God has used weather to demonstrate His strength. In the days of Noah, He commanded the heavens to open and release a relentless rain upon the earth (Gen.7). In the days of Elijah the prophet, God sealed up the heavens, causing a great drought (I Ki. 18:1, Jas. 5:17). The book of Zechariah reveals that God will even employ the weather during the millennium to correct the nation of Egypt and encourage them to keep His Holy Days, specifically The Feast of Tabernacles (Zech. 14:16-18).

When describing to Israel the consequences of disobedience, God includes adverse weather - a weather that would not sustain crops. This is clearly one of the great devices the Creator can use that can radically change the prosperity of a nation, and God said He was prepared to do just that.

And the heaven that is over your head shall be brass, and the earth that is under you shall be iron.

The Lord shall make the rain of your land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon you, until you be destroyed. (Dt. 28:23-24)

As a result of a massive depletion of rain, as well as an incursion of insects, crops will fail, and agricultural production will be a thing of the past.

You shall carry much seed out into the field, and shall gather but little in; for the locust shall consume it.

You shall plant vineyards, and dress them, but shall neither drink of the wine, nor gather the grapes; for the worms shall eat them.

You shall have olive trees throughout all your coasts, but you shall not anoint thyself with the oil; for your olive shall cast its fruit. (Dt.28:38-40)

A Brief Review

So far, God has explained to the children of Israel that if they obey Him, they will be the recipients of unimaginable blessings. However, He also described the consequences for refusing to obey. These consequences include great poverty and sickness as well as the depletion of natural resources and a favorable climate. He now explains that Israel will experience first hand, the utter destruction and humiliation of defeat in war.

National Security Will Be Decimated

When God established the nation of Israel, He knew it would have enemies. But He also knew that He could provide them with the greatest security network on earth. God assured the Israelites that they would receive HIS protection if they obeyed.

Now, in the interest of fairness, God explains what Israel’s defenses would look like without Him, and it is not a pleasant sight. The great strength they would enjoy as a superpower would be so depleted they would actually be turned to flight by enemies who were radically inferior to them. God began by indicating that He would break the pride of Israel’s power (Lev. 26:19). As a result, what lay before them would be inconceivable.

The Lord shall cause you to be smitten before your enemies: you shall go out one way against them, and flee seven ways before them: and shall be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth. (Dt.28:25)

So complete would be the destruction of a nation bent on rebelling against God, that it would be driven out of its own land and led away captive.

The Lord shall bring you, and your king which you shall set over yourself, unto a nation which neither you nor your fathers have known; and there shall you serve other gods, wood and stone.

And you shall become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all nations wither the Lord shall lead you. (Dt. 28:36-37)

When describing the utter destruction of Israel, God said it would be perpetrated by an enemy that had a ferocious contempt for everything about this once-blessed nation. Further, this enemy would show absolutely no mercy on their captives. They would only despise them, whether young or old.

The Lord shall bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flies; a nation whose tongue you shall not understand;

A nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor show favor unto the young:

And he shall eat the fruit of your cattle, and the fruit of your land, until you be destroyed: which also shall not leave you either corn, wine, or oil, or the increase of your kine, or flocks of your sheep, until he has destroyed you.

And he shall besiege you in all your gates, until your high and fenced walls come down, wherein you trusted, throughout all your land: and he shall besiege you in all your gates throughout all your land, which the Lord your God has given thee. (Dt. 28:49-52)

Great Humiliation and Injustice

It is hard to imagine that things could get worse for a nation committed to walking totally contrary to the God who raised them up—but worse it will get. God then declared that if Israel rebelled against Him and His law, they would suffer unbelievable humiliation and injustice. This humiliation will come at the hands of their enemies.

You shall betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her: you shall build a house, and you shall not dwell therein: you shall plant a vineyard, and shall not gather the grapes thereof.

Your ox shall be slain before your eyes, and you shall not eat thereof: your ass shall be violently taken away from before your face, and shall not be restored to you; your sheep shall be given unto your enemies, and you shall have none to rescue them.

Your sons and your daughters shall be given unto another people, and your eyes shall look, and fail with longing for them all the day long: and there shall be no might in your hand.

The fruit of your land, and all your labors, shall a nation which you know not eat up; and you shall be only oppressed and crushed alway:

So that you shall be mad for the sight of your eyes which you shall see. (Dt. 28:30-34)

God also stated that because of Israel’s refusal to walk in the way that He would direct, they would have to march to the orders of an enemy that would enslave them.

Because you served not the Lord your God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things;

Therefore shall you serve your enemies which the Lord shall send against you, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon your neck, until he has destroyed you (Dt. 28:47-48)

The Ultimate Humiliation

In a very real sense, rebellion against God by a nation that once knew Him, is nothing less than an act of depravity. It stands as unimaginably foolish. It constitutes the height of arrogance, and God said it would be met with the ultimate of curses. The ravages of war can bring massive suffering on a people. In its wake there can be disease and almost always FAMINE. When explaining to Israel the consequences of rejecting His law, God described the gravity of the FAMINE they would experience. The words that follow illustrate where man will stoop, absent the protection of a great God.

When your enemies are besieging your towns, you will become so desperate for food that you will even eat the children that the Lord your God has given you.

Even the most refined man of noble birth will become so desperate during the siege that he will eat some of his own children because he has no other food.

He will not even give any to his brother or to the wife he loves or to any of his children who are left.

Even the most refined woman of noble birth, so rich that she has never had to walk anywhere, will behave in the same way. When the enemy besieges her town, she will become so desperate for food that she will secretly eat her newborn child and the afterbirth as well.

She will not share them with the husband she loves or any of her children. (Dt. 28:53-57) Today’s English Version

Why Would God Punish His People?

Throughout this covenant, God reminded Israel that His blessings would be showered down upon them like a gentle rain. However, that rain would cease, and curses would appear, if Israel elected to walk contrary to God’s law.

Moreover all these curses shall come upon you, and shall pursue you, and overtake you, till you be destroyed; because you hearkened not unto the voice of the Lord your God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded you:

And they shall be upon you for a sign and for a wonder, and upon your seed for ever. (Dt. 28:45-46)

These verses reveal a great honesty about the God of the Bible. There is nothing subtle about His words. They are clear and direct. They outline a very specific formula for tapping into the wisdom, wealth, and strength of Almighty God. But they also reveal that God is not interested in His people taking Him for a “test drive” before they buy. And why should he be? Israel saw firsthand that God could deliver on His promise. The problem was that Israel couldn’t deliver on theirs.

The law God gave to the children of Israel fills the pages of the books of Moses (the first five books of the Bible). Here, God provides His wisdom regarding the great moral and ethical questions man faces to this very day. If any society would open that book and commit to honoring the wisdom of The Holy One of Israel, they would be the beneficiaries of promises that are as timeless as the God who gave them.

Those who think the idea of “blessings” and “cursings” is inconsistent with their understanding of a God of love should ask themselves what this world would look like if there were no consequences for evil. Further, those who believe that God is like some genie in a lamp, or a jolly old fat man who brings people presents once a year, cannot grasp that God is a loving parent who is fully capable of disciplining His children.

Does God discipline? Consider some absolute truths about the God of the Bible that are routinely rejected by so many who think of the Almighty as simply a nice old man who just wants to be liked. Included in this list are facts about the United States that reflect an attitude of defiance toward the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Fact I

God is perfectly capable of rendering His judgment against nations. He did so to both Israel and Judah over twenty five hundred years ago. The result was enslavement

It is true that God is merciful and patient, but He isn’t foolish; and He isn’t one to be mocked (Ga.6:7). God created the laws of cause and effect—the laws of blessings and cursings. When speaking to the nation of Israel, He reminded them that sin brings with it a real penalty. Additionally, He informed them that sin is not something that can be hidden. Eventually every sin will be exposed and will in turn expose the sinner.

But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the Lord: and be sure your sin will find you out. (Num. 32:23)

Fact II

Throughout history, God has used other nations to execute His judgment. He used Assyria to punish Israel and Babylon to punish Judah. Each of these nations (Israel and Judah) were ripped from their land and led away into a humiliating captivity. At that time, families were separated, children were slaughtered, and their wealth stolen—just as God had predicted.

O Assyria, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation.

I will send him against an hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and

to tread them down like the mire of the streets. (Isa.10: 5-6)

The Bible makes it abundantly clear that Israel and Judah were stripped of the great liberty they had because they rejected the very God who gave them their freedom in the first place. As inconceivable as it may seem, this people laid waste the great moral code of the most morally pure Being in existence. They despised His judgements and polluted His Sabbaths (Ezk. 20:24). As a result of this defiance, God gave them over to a nation whose laws were not “good”, “just”, or “moral” (Ezk. 20:25).

Fact III

Today the United States is less connected to a legitimate moral compass than at any time in its history. We wink at promiscuity if it is “consensual.” As if adultery, fornication, homosexuality, or any other perversion possesses even an ounce of virtue because the participants agree. Adam and Eve mutually agreed to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. How impressed was God with their unity?

Those who think they can make evil good simply by declaring it so are in for a terrifying truth. The great prophet Isaiah was inspired to record that truth.

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!

Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!

Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink:

Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him! (Isa. 5:20-23)

Now listen to what God says will befall those who mock Him with their judgments - those who have crafted their own standard of morality.

Therefore as the fire devours the stubble, and the flame consumes the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the Lord of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.

Therefore is the anger of the Lord kindled against his people, and he has stretched forth his hand against them, and has smitten them: and the hills did tremble, and their carcases were torn in the midst of the streets. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still. (Isa. 5:24-25)

God’s word emphatically declares that Jesus Christ is going to return to this earth with great POWER and GLORY (Rev. 19:11-15), and when he does, he will EXECUTE His JUDGMENT on the “ungodly” (Jude 15). There will be no mocking God’s law then.

Fact IV

The United States is more violent now than at any time in its history. Whether it’s talk of war, gangs, domestic violence, crime, recreation, or abortion, we have become a nation obsessed with blood. This obsession has driven a wedge between America and the God of Heaven.

The prophet Isaiah was inspired to proclaim that Israel was estranged from its Creator because of their sins. And specifically mentioned were acts of violence.

But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear.

For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue has muttered perverseness. (Isa. 59:2-3)

If the United States and its people truly wish to be reconnected to a God who is perfectly capable of protecting it from great acts of violence, then perhaps they should stop engaging in such acts themselves. Americans can shout to the top of their lungs that they are “Pro Choice”if they wish. But the voice of the King of the Universe also thunders. And His words are clear: “CHOOSE LIFE” (Dt. 30:19).

Fact V

America is more secular than at any time in its history. God has been kicked out of our national discourse. No prayer in our schools. No “one nation under God” in our pledge. No Ten Commandments in our courts. Under the relentless prodding of secular humanism, we have ostensibly informed God “Don’t call us. We’ll call you.” Well, here’s God’s answer and you would be well advised to read it several times.

Therefore will I number you to the sword, and you shall all bow down to the slaughter: because when I called, you did not answer; when I spoke, you did not hear; but did evil before mine eyes, and did choose that herein I delighted not. (Isa.65:12)

Thomas Jefferson, a great American patriot and a leading architect of the United States’ constitution once offered a chilling warning regarding how God could deal with this nation. Notice his sobering words:

I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever.

Perhaps the greatest error this world has ever made in its history is a total misunderstanding that God is just. And His justice demands that sin either be punished or forgiven. If man refuses to repent and turn from sin, then there is only one option left.

A Powerful Indictment

The book of Isaiah contains one of the most powerful indictments ever leveled against a nation. It speak of violence in its streets, corruption in its courts, evil proliferating at an unimaginable rate, and the total rejection of its Creator and Sustainer. It reveals how a great nation could fall out of favor with the God who made it great. And why God will not hear their cry for help when calamity strikes. This indictment exposes a society as arrogant in its approach toward justice and brazen in its practice of sin. It then explains how a JUST GOD is going to deal with this nation. As you read these words, ask yourself if the sins of this people sound familiar.

For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness.

None calls for justice, nor any pleads for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity.

They hatch cockatrice’ eggs and weave the spider’s web: he that eats of their eggs dies, and that which is crushed breaks out into a viper.

Their webs shall not become garments, neither shall they cover themselves with their works: their works are works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands.

Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood: their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths.

The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in their goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goes therein shall know no peace.

Therefore is judgment far from us: we wait for light, but behold obscurity; for brightness, but we walk in darkness.

We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes: we stumble at noon day as in the night; we are in desolate places as dead men.

We roar all like bears, and mourn sore like doves: we look for judgment, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far off from us.

For our transgressions are multiplied before you, and our sins testify against us: for our transgressions are with us; and as for our iniquities, we know them;

In transgressing and lying against the Lord, and departing away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood.

And judgment is turned away backward, and justice stands afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter. (Isa. 59:3-14)

When describing the moral and ethical depravity of this nation, God stated that it would get so bad that if one of its citizens tried to repent and turn from sin, he could only do so at great personal risk.

Yea, truth fails; and he that departs from evil makes himself a prey: and the Lord saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment. (Isa 59:15)

What Will God Do to Such a People?

Contrary to what our actions suggest, God is not blind. He is not some distant concept residing in some far away place. God is VERY REAL and so is His law. That law is His great moral code that He has woven through the fabric of time and space. What it says is powerful and absolute. IF YOU BREAK MY LAW, MY LAW WILL BREAK YOU.

Today man is bent on challenging this principle. He has ostensibly called on God Almighty to either “put up or shut up.” Hear is how God is going to deliver.

Therefore hear now this, you that are given to pleasures, that dwell carelessly, that say in your heart, I am, and there is none else beside me; I shall not sit as a widow, neither shall I know the loss of children:

But these two things shall come to you in a moment in one day, the loss of children, and widowhood: they shall come upon you in their perfection for the multitude of thy sorceries, and for the great abundance of your enchantments.

For you have trusted in your wickedness: you have said, None seeth me. Your wisdom and your knowledge, it has perverted you; and you have said in your heart, I am, and there is none else beside me.

Therefore shall evil come upon you; you shall not know from whence it rises: and mischief shall fall upon you; you shall not be able to put it off: and desolation shall come upon you suddenly, which you shall not know. (Isa. 47:8-11)

This is the fate that awaits the nation that defies the very God who gave it so much. And this fate is ever so close.

The Last Days

When Jesus gave the Olivet Prophecy, He indicated that in the last days there would be incredible tribulation inflicted on God’s people. He characterized this tribulation as unlike any in the history of the world (Mt. 24:21). At that time the prophetic nations of Israel and Judah will be on the wrong end of an incredibly merciless slaughter. The great tragedy is that this slaughter could be avoided. If the nation God has so richly blessed repented and turned to their Creator with prayer and fasting (Joel 2:12), He would hear them. And He would deliver them and would do what gives Him the greatest pleasure - He would BLESS them.