After 911 a radio commentator spoke these words, “I’M GOING TO SAY IT. In the war against terrorism, God is on our side. I know that God is good and because God is good, and we are good people, God is on our side.” [1] It is popular to believe God is on our side. But we must honestly ask, “Can we count on God being on our side?” And we must seek an honest answer from God’s Word which sets forth three great principles of how He deals with nations:
Principle # 1 – God both blesses and curses nations (Deut. 11:26-28).
Principle #2 – God judges nations on the basis of the light and opportunity they are given (Luke 12:48; Heb 2:2-4).
Principle # 3 – God sometimes uses exceedingly evil nations to judge those who are less evil. Nations so dealt with by God are those nations who have been given greater light of His truth.
- Think of Israel and Judah, the most blessed nation in history. God gave them a land, a law, and a Lord; yet in time they turned to idolatry and pagan idols. Their lifestyle became corrupt; even their religion became so abominable that the Lord ordered them to put a “padlock” on the door of the church (Mal. 1:10). Not all the people were corrupt, but most were. What action did God take?
- First, God commissioned Assyria to carry off the people of Israel (the 10 Northern Tribes) into captivity in 722 BC. At that time Assyria was the most wicked nation on earth. They invented the cross and skinned people alive to punish them. Israel was not nearly so wicked, as Assyria, but because they had greater light than Assyria God judged them severely.
- Secondly, God ordered Babylon to carry off the two tribes in the South, Judah and Benjamin (known as Judah) for a period of 70 years in 686 BC. Judah was not nearly so wicked as the Babylonians, (or Chaldeans), but because they had greater light than the Babylonians, God judged them severely.
No doubt the bumper stickers on Israel and Judah’s chariots read, “God bless Israel” and “God bless Judah.” But God said, “No.” God’s answer to the evil in Israel was the greater evil of Assyria, and God’s answer to the evil in Judah was the greater evil of Babylon.
Consider: Although Israel and Judah were in covenant relationship with Yahweh and could claim His blessings in ways that we cannot, even they were severely judged. Twice God had other wicked nations take his own covenant people from the land He gave them and had them transported to other nations as a judgment. Jesus summed up why God judges individuals and nations in these solemn words, “This is the judgment that light has come into the world and men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil” (John 3:19).
Billy Graham said, “God must judge America or resurrect Sodom and Gomorrah and apologize for judging them.”
Startling though it might seem, there are times when God actually is described as fighting against His own people, ‘But they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit; therefore He turned to be their enemy, and Himself fought against them’ (Isaiah 63:10). Imagine, God fighting against His own people! If Israel could not take His blessings for granted, neither can we.
If God so severely judged a nation that had a unique covenantal relationship with Him, think of how He might judge America, a nation that cannot claim such a relationship. The God of the Bible will not endlessly tolerate idolatry and benign neglect. He graciously endures rejection and insults, but at some point, He might choose to bring a nation to its knees with severe discipline.”[2]
- Now Think of America:
America is the greatest nation in history measured by the goodness it has done through the world.
(1) America enjoys more freedom than any nation on earth.
(2) America has sent more missionaries across the earth to preach the gospel than any other.
(3) Americans are the most generous people on earth.
(4) America was the major force to win against Nazism and godless Communism.
(5) After World War II, America gave Germany money to rebuild itself.
(6) Though Japan openly and dastardly attacked America at Pearl Harbor dismantling much of her fleet, America helped Japan to rebuild her devastated country.
(7) America gives billions – now running into the trillions – all over the earth to many great needs – the fight against aids, malaria, Tsunami, earthquake disaster, efforts to promote human rights.
(8) America has paid a phenomenal price in human blood and money to defeat radical Islamism.
May God use a wicked country to judge a good country like America? Yes, He may, for while we are a good and generous nation we are the leader of the world in the following evils: Abortion, Production of Pornography, Acceptance of same sex marriage, consumption of drugs and alcohol, etc.
In addition in recent decades, God has been banished from the “Public Square.”
- In some schools children are not allowed to draw a picture of the Nativity at Christmas.
- One judge told a high school valedictorian, “If you mention Jesus in your valedictory address, you will wish you had never been born.” [3]
- The judicial system, especially the Supreme Court, renders judgments that banish God from the public schools to the market place.
- Local school boards have insisted that atheistic evolution be taught rather than affirming belief in God the Creator.
- One Appeal Court has voted that “under God” be removed from our “Pledge of Allegiance.” But as Ronald Reagan said in 1984, “If we cease to be a nation “Under God,” we are a nation “gone under.”
- Why did the Holy Spirit impress me to share the above message with you today? Because I believe that the only persons God can use to turn this nation back to God are those who are seeking to be “conformed to the image of Christ” through the Internalization of the Word of God. No nation has turned away so much light in order to choose darkness. No nation has squandered as many opportunities as we have. But I believe if we would humble ourselves, weeping for our nation, repenting of our sins, and cry out unto God to have mercy and restore our nation that He my yet hear our prayers.
The situation we face today parallels that of King Jehosophat when three mighty armies were converging on Judah. Then God directed the King to proclaim a fast throughout the land of Judah, and the people gathered from every town in the nation and cried out for God’s mercy. Jehosophat then stood in the temple and prayed this prayer:
“O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you. O our God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend?…If calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of judgment, or plague or famine, we will stand in your presence before this temple that bears your Name and will cry out in distress, and you will hear us and save us. O our God, will you not judge them (the adversaries)? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.” (2 Chronicles 20:6-9).
Note the words , “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.” After this prayer the word of the Lord came through a man, “Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours but the Lords.” (2 Chron. 20:15). The King commanded that a select choir walk ahead of the armies singing and praising God for “the splendor of His holiness.” The armies were so confused that they fought not against Judah but fought against and destroyed each other. And great was the victory of the Lord.
When godless communism threatened to conquer the world, Adrian Rogers repeatedly said, “My greatest fear for America is not communism, but what God may do to us.” My greatest fear for America in 2008 and beyond is not radical Islamism, but that God may cease to have mercy upon us. Will each member of our Mentoring School join me in praying, “Oh God, please have mercy upon our nation again?” And if it pleases Him, He will come to our aid.
- Where will America be in 30 years? One of the most astute interpreters of the Bible, and especially in the area of God’s dealing with nations, is Dr. Erwin Lutzer, senior pastor of the Moody Memorial Church, 1980-2008. Listen to his prediction about the future of our beloved America: “If we dare predict what America might look like in the next thirty years, we can look at Western Europe. By any account, the major countries of Europe such as England, Germany, and France, for example, have, for the most part, not only abandoned Christianity but disdain their Christian past. Their cathedrals are largely empty and now are affectionately referred to as “The Tombs of God.”
In all of these countries, and many others, militant Islam is on the rise. And if Islam should take over – and most historians say it is inevitable given the population demographics – the great freedoms of Europe will disappear, the Christian influence of compassion and religious tolerance will vanish, and in some countries the children of present-day Europe will be forced to convert to Islam. Sadly, there is no example in history of Christians being given equal rights when Islam rules a country; at best the Christians have been allowed to live if they pay heavy taxes; at worst, they are jailed or killed.
Unless there is a miracle in the offing that we cannot foresee, the children in at least some European countries one day will be worshipping a different God, namely, Allah. Meanwhile Europeans are making concessions to try to appease the radicals. I’ve read that crucifixes are being removed from hospitals so as not to offend Muslims and that public funds are being donated to build mosques. Having rejected the light of God, the nations of Europe well might be overtaken by cruel and heartless rulers and eventually will have to conform to the heavy hand of intolerance that is so despised by Europeans today.
In America, the official policy is that the so-called public square is to be entirely free of religion. But this vacuum will not be tolerated by Islam, a religion that encompasses the whole of life and law. Not surprisingly, in the interest of appeasement, schools in our country are being built with special prayer rooms for Muslims. In Chicago, a university chose not to renew an adjunct professor’s contract after Muslim students objected to his support of Israel. The professor alleged that the school did not give him a fair hearing. So much for free speech in our universities!
We cannot claim that “God is on our side” in the war against terrorism. He just might let our enemies defeat us because as a nation we continue to insult the living God. Yes, God sometimes uses wicked nations to judge those that are less wicked.”[4]
- Questions:
- What can you do as an individual to reverse our course?
- What is the role of the church?
- What is the relationship between MMM and the salvation of our nation from destruction?
- In spite of America’s goodness and generosity, would it be in keeping with God’s way and character to use an evil nation to judge us?
- Will our next president impact our future as a nation?
[1] R. C. Sproul, When Worlds Collide, p. 63
[2] Erwin W. Lutzer, Is God on America’s Side? , Chicago: Moody Press, 2008, pp. 15-16.
[3] Ibid. Lutzer, p. 11
[4] Ibid. Lutzer, pp. 31-33.