So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one.
Ezekiel 22:30
Now, just that title alone will cause a recoiling in rancor by a lot of people and many Christians in particular. However, consider this: America’s foundation, the U.S. Constitution, was founded and grounded in biblical law and principles. Okay, all those who disagree can scream your bloody heads off, but it will not change that wholly verifiable fact and reality. Second, many Christian theologians consider the United States of America to be a type of “New Israel”. If these two premises are true, and I believe they are, then America is headed for a rude and disastrous awakening.
In the Old Testament of the Bible there are numerous stories of the consequences for God’s people when they turned away from Him and followed after idolatrous, sinful paths. This was particularly true during the period of the kings of Israel. When the king decided to follow God and turn away from idols and sin, he and all of Israel was blessed and prospered. When a king rejected God, sinned and turned to idols, he and all of Israel suffered the consequences, including subjugation and captivity.
God did not spare the Jews who lived under evil leadership, nor has He spared millions of Christians and Jews over the centuries that have had to deal with persecution, torture, expulsion or death.
A U.S. Analogy.
In the Old Testament, in the second book of Chronicles (of the kings), there is the story of King Asa of Judah that warrants some attention. After King Solomon’s reign of 40 years over all of Israel, from the Sinai, north to the Euphrates River, the Jewish kingdom was split into two kingdoms: the smaller kingdom of Judah in the south with Jerusalem as its center and the larger kingdom of Israel to the north. During the approximately 200-year reign of the kings of the northern kingdom, all of the kings were evil, turning from God and seeking after idols and false gods. The kingdom of Judah, however, survived for 350 years and had mostly good kings who banded idol worship, sought God and restored the temple in Jerusalem.
One such early king of Judah offers an interesting study that presents America and its leaders a healthy object lesson. In 2 Chronicles 14, Asa, the great-grandson of King Solomon, became king over Judah. When Asa became king he “cleaned house” so-to-speak.
He,
- Removed all the worship centers of foreign gods;
- Destroyed all the idols of false gods;
- Commanded all of Judah to follow God’s law and commandments;
- Fortified the country against foreign invasion.
Because Asa did these things and sought the Lord God, “there was no one at war with him during those years, because the Lord had given him rest” (2 Chronicles 14:6). As a result, all of Judah was able to build and prosper. Not to be unprepared, King Asa raised an army of 580,000 “valiant warriors” to defend the kingdom. However, that did not stop the Ethiopians from coming against Asa and Judah with a million-man army of their own. Instead of immediately engaging this threatening force, “Asa cried out to the Lord his God, and said, ‘Lord, it is nothing for You to help, whether with many or with those who have no power; help us, O Lord our God, for we rest on You, and in Your name we go against this multitude. O Lord, You are our God; do not let man prevail against You!’” (2 Chronicles 14:11). The following two verses state that the Lord and His army routed the Ethiopians.
At the beginning of 2 Chronicles 15 the prophet Azariah met King Asa and spoke these words from God: “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you. For a long time Israel has been without the true God, without a teaching priest, and without law; but when in their trouble they turned to the Lord God of Israel, and sought Him, He was found by them” (2 Chronicles 15:2-4; my emphasis).
Now, here’s the point: The Jewish people had gone a long time without following the One and Only True God. Both they and their leaders had many times rejected God and followed after foreign gods and idols of all kinds. As a result, God rejected them and let them fall prey to their enemies because of their sins and rejecting Him. Yet, through the prophet Azariah, God was reminding King Asa and the people of Judah that if they would seek Him, He could be found. But if they forsook Him, He would forsake them. God cannot and will not live among a sinful, unrepentant people. Still, many believe that God will not forsake America because of the millions of Christians who call upon His name. However, biblical and modern history clearly demonstrate that millions of God-fearing people and devote Christians have suffered and perished at the hands of evil or because evil leaders were allowed to exist and gain power. Although God will not forsake those who are truly committed to Him through faith in Jesus Christ, it does not mean that they will not suffer persecution or even death when evil prevails.
Note in the preceding verses that it states that Israel had not been following the true God for some time; that there had been no true teaching of God’s word and that the nation had been without law. The question is: Has America reached this same tipping point in its history? Is America now following foreign gods and idols and rejected the One and Only True God? Where is the righteous indignation among the preachers of God in America, calling the church and the country back to righteousness and truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Why is the Church in America still mostly silent as the country continues to plummet into the abyss of sin? And why have we become such a lawless society where anything goes, starting with the president and religious leaders on down the line? Despite America’s descent into darkness, there is still hope, but it is quickly fading. But when in their trouble they turned to the Lord God of Israel, and sought Him, He was found of them.
All of Judah, under King Asa’s leadership, made a covenant with the Lord to follow Him and Him only. They swore with their whole heart to seek Him earnestly and “He let them find Him. So the Lord gave them rest all around” (2 Chronicles 15:15).
America, I believe, is far beyond human intervention to redeem itself; to stand firmly on the righteousness of faith and restore the once great nation. It is now up to God Almighty. But He will not act until His people (that is, His Church) repents, seeks forgiveness and returns fully to Him; seeking Him above all things. Revival and a return to righteousness start with the Church and the followers of Jesus Christ. Nothing will change for the better in the United States until the Church repents, rejects its many heresies and returns wholeheartedly to the Lord of all.
Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so 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 perversity. No one calls for justice, nor does any plead for truth. They trust in empty words and speak lies; they conceive evil and bring forth iniquity (Isaiah 59:1-4).
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