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The Road to Armageddon: America, Iraq, Israel, and Prophecy
Understanding the Signs of the Times in 2005
(AgapePress) - A tsunami tragically kills over 200,000 people, and scientists tells us Planet Earth is still vibrating from the undersea earthquake. Yasser Arafat dies and is replaced by PLO leader Mahmoud Abbas. The American military seals off Iraq in preparation for its elections. Iran races to complete its nuclear missile program with intentions of using it against Israel. President Bush, Ariel Sharon, and the European leaders talk of creating a Palestinian State in Israel, and "the roadmap to peace." It is clear that the "signs of the times" are all around us. People want to know "what does the future hold?" and "what will be America's fate?"
On my nationally syndicated talk show, The Paul McGuire Show, I am constantly asked the question: "Where is America in Bible prophecy?' Despite many people's attempts to use scripture verses to place America in Bible prophecy, the reality is that there are no direct scriptural references to America in the Bible. However, the Bible does speak in great detail about the fate of nations who choose to disregard God's Word. In that sense we can have a general sense of what will happen to America prophetically.
America is unique among the nations of the earth. The Founding Fathers and early settlers had strong Christian beliefs. They believed they were entering a covenant with God when they first came to our nation's shores. Although, many Christians and Christian leaders speak of "separation of Church and State," a careful study of our nation's history reveals that there is no such thing -- and that our Founding Father's never intended for government and society to be separated from Judeo-Christian religious beliefs. To put it simply, our Founding Fathers understood that if America continued to obey God and His Word, our nation would continue to be the recipient of numerous blessings. In contrast, if America ever chose to turn its back on God, then America could expect the judgment and chastisement of God.
The sad reality is that for the last several decades, America and much of the Church has turned its back on God. Since Roe v. Wade in 1973 there have been more than 45 million abortions in this nation. The divorce rate in the Church and outside of the Church is around 50 percent. Pornography and all kinds of sexual immorality are epidemic inside the Church as well as society in general. Now, God's sacred institution of marriage is under assault -- and unless the Church awakens from its apathy, marriage in America will be redefined to include relationships between two men, two women, or other multiple-person combinations.
In addition, America -- which has traditionally been Israel's greatest defender -- is showing signs of weakening that position. A number of Christian denominations are urging that Israel be treated as South Africa and be subject to economic boycotts. Plans are under way in our State Department to create a Palestinian State, and America is now part of the quartet of nations that will impose such a state on Israel. The day may come soon when we will see blue-helmeted U.N. troops occupying the nation of Israel.
Evangelist Billy Graham once said, "If God does not judge America, then He will have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah." It appears that divine judgment on America may well be contingent on the Church's response to overturning Roe v. Wade, protecting traditional marriage, and America's relationship to the nation of Israel.
The Lukewarm American Church
Most people agree that 9/11 was a wake-up call for America and the Church. But did the Church and America wake up after 9/11? The answer, sadly, is no -- although there are promising signs of spiritual hope in America, such as the recent election where evangelicals turned out in record numbers to vote for morality and spiritual values.
Regardless, the present spiritual condition of much of the evangelical Church in America is that of the Laodecian Church in the Book of Revelation (chapter 3, verse 16). It is neither hot nor cold; it is lukewarm -- and Jesus Christ's response is that He will spit that Church out of His mouth. It is true that there are many strong, Bible-believing churches and pastors who have a genuine passion for Christ. But demographic data from pollster George Barna tells us that only 7 percent of Protestant Christians -- and only 51 percent of Protestant pastors -- have a biblical worldview. In addition, Barna's research indicates that 61 percent of Americans believe it's okay to live together outside of marriage, 59 percent believe immoral sexual fantasies are okay, 45 percent believe it's okay to have an abortion, and 42 percent believe it's acceptable to have sex with someone other than your spouse.
Across the board, being a Christian has only a limited effect on people's attitudes and beliefs. In many respects, there is little difference between the morality of the Church and the non-believing culture. All of the demographic research indicates that the Church in America is the Laodecian Church of Revelation. As such, America, like ancient Israel, has turned its back on God and has chosen to break His laws and commandments. A study of the Old Testament reveals that when a nation does this, judgment and chastisement from God will come sooner or later. Many people believe America is already under the judgment of God.
Most intelligence experts agree that America is going to have another 9/11. The question is not will it happen, but when. The Church in America is totally unprepared for the probability of another major terrorist attack. What if a major WMD attack occurs in an American city or multiple cities at the same time? What if the terrorists detonate a nuclear weapon in one or more American cities simultaneously? Research indicates that any kind of WMD attack on our nation would produce catastrophic and cataclysmic results -- mass deaths, economic collapse, martial law, and the disruption of life as we know it.
Yet, in response to these intelligence probabilities there is almost a giddiness in many evangelical churches -- a far cry from the kind of repentance the Prophet Joel talked about when Israel called for solemn assemblies, weeping, repentance, and fasting for the sins of the nation. Christians eulogize Martin Luther King, Jr. But Dr. King's real message was that if you really believe that what you are doing is right, then you must be willing to take it to the streets and face the consequences. How many churches in America are willing to follow Dr. King's admonition and take what they believe into the streets of America, as the civil rights activists did in the 1960s?
Tick, Tick, Tick ...
A clock is ticking for America and the world -- God's prophetic time clock, which is the nation of Israel. Many people overlook the enormous prophetic significance of Israel being reformed as a nation in 1948. Many people falsely believe that the world has always had the same level of earthquakes, disasters, and immorality. They attribute the so-called "increase" to the fact that we have a global media that is simply bringing it to our attention. However, they are wrong.
Scientists are telling us that earthquakes and other natural disasters are on the increase. In addition, there is an explosion in immorality that the world has not seen since the time immediately preceding the Great Flood in Noah's time. With the simple click of a mouse, the average American child can see things they did not even dream about in Sodom and Gomorrah. There are tens of millions of "born-again" Christians who are addicted to pornography on the Internet. On Sunday morning they go to church, but during the week they are secretly watching pornographic images of the most debasing, violent, and degrading acts. The statistics for adultery, sex outside of marriage, and pornography are exactly the same in the Church as those outside of it. In short, there is absolutely no difference between the Church and the world.
While Americans are blinded by sensuality and materialism, God's prophetic time clock is clicking away. The reality of World War III looms on the horizon as militant Islamic nations conspire to destroy the nation of Israel. It is no accident that American troops are now occupying Iraq, which is ancient Babylon. Iraq is where Babylon, the Tower of Babel, and the Garden of Eden were located. Iran, the force behind the terrorism in Iraq, is ancient Persia. In 2005 America finds itself in a nation under the control of what the Book of Daniel describes as "The Prince of Persia."
The United Nations, the U.S. State Department, Russia and the European Union all have plans to maintain Jerusalem as an international city and create a Palestinian State. However, they ignore the fact that God gave the land of Israel to the descendants of Abraham as an "everlasting covenant." In Chapter 12 of the Book of Zechariah, the prophet Zechariah warns of a future time when "Jerusalem will be a cup of trembling" and all the nations of the earth will gather against her. In the Book of Ezekiel (Chapter 38) we read of a coming war of Gog and Magog. Theologians argue as to the timing of this war, but in this account we see an alliance of nations coming against Israel in the last days and being supernaturally destroyed. It appears that Zechariah and Ezekiel are referring to two different attacks on the nation of Israel. However, in both cases the enemies of Israel are supernaturally destroyed. In the same chapter in Zechariah, we read of Israel's Messiah returning at the Second Coming to defend the nation and set up His Millennial Kingdom on earth.
Reading the 'Signs'
For centuries, theologians and authors have made the mistake of predicting when these events might occur. The fact is, nobody knows when these things will happen. However, we do have the "signs of the times" that Jesus Christ warned about in Matthew, Chapters 24 and 25.
There are two common mistakes that people making when reading these signs of the times. One is to dismiss them entirely and say that "these things have always happened." To a certain degree that is true. However, there is one important exception: Israel did not exist as a nation for almost 2,000 years. In 1948 Israel was re-formed as a nation, and the Jews began to return to their land from around the globe as the ancient Hebrew prophets existed.
The second mistake people make when interpreting the signs of the times is to make exact predictions and set specific timetables. History is littered with individuals, cults, and religions who misread the signs of the times. Without setting dates, I would like to conclude by simply saying: We are probably closer than we think.
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Psalm 119:104Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way. 105Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
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