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“Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the LORD hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me. The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib…: Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward. From the sole of the foot even unto the head [there is] no soundness in it; [but] wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment,” Isaiah 1:2 – 4, 6.

 

The Lord has spoken even to us living in the United States of America and He expects us to pay attention to His warnings. But do we? Not so you’d notice. What a privilege to have been born in America and brought up in a nation of freedom and liberty. Now as America stands at the precipice of time all we can see is corruption, deceit, hatred, putrefying sores, unsoundness of mind. We are in a state of total rebellion against out Creator.

 

“And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood. Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;” Isaiah 1:15, 16.  God is pleading with His people to turn away from all evil. Here in America and around the world His people’s hands are soiled. Even so He’s beseeching us to return to Him and become clean once again.

 

What a wonderful place to live, this country of ours, and yet we have become the corruptor of nations. We are so greedy that other nations have become just like us, mirroring our greed. There does seem to be an approaching end to our silver and gold which have certainly been our idols for years now. “Their land also is full of silver and gold, neither [is there any] end of their treasures;… Their land also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made:” Isaiah 2:7, 8. Billions spent to bailout greedy banking institutions bears witness to the systematic elimination of our silver and gold.

 

“The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day,” Isaiah 2:11. There’s a day coming, not too far into the future, which will bring men to their knees. Our God – the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – will, very soon I’m afraid, put a stop to the pervasive evil that has permeated the earth. How can man stand against God? What man has ever prevailed against God? Rebellion in our very young children at times is cute and at other times quite annoying and brings about the possibility of some sort of punishment.  Rebellion against God is never cute, and there’s no question God will bring His punishment to bear.

 

Isaiah was a prophet enlisted by God Himself to herald God’s displeasure and remedies to the nation of Israel. We here in America can certainly take stock in the fact that if God’s displeasure with Israel brought devastating consequences to His chosen people, we Americans can rest assured God’s wrath will come down on this rebellious gentile nation as well.

 

The financial situation in our land is only a part of the overall problem confronting each individual in America today. Once again God is desperately attempting to get our attention. His word (the Holy Bible) gives all indication that He is serious when He chastises His people. Our Banks are failing in droves and huge conglomerates are taking unheard of massive financial hits, the stock market reflecting a sense of insecurity in our nation today is only a fraction of what we can expect if we continue in our rebellion to our God.

 

We must look at the whole picture before our eyes. We are all aware of the crises confronting us as Americans, and we can all understand why this has happened if we just give it a little thought. As a nation, we are steeped in immorality, deception, greed, hatred, and in false religions that don’t glorify the one true God, the God who created Heaven and Earth, the God who gave us His word to live by.

 

Rebellion is spreading. When did this rebellion start? It started in The Garden of Eden with two young adults who were given everything, even the title deed to the earth. What else could they have wanted? They already owned it all. It’s the same today, there are incredibly wealthy people who are unsatisfied with what God has blessed them with, and they want more. When they achieve more they still aren’t content and strive for even more.  

 

According to history, people won’t be satisfied even after they obtain it all. Solomon who was the wealthiest man who ever lived penned the following statement. “Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all [is] vanity.” Ecclesiastes 1:2. After it was all said and done Solomon wrote this admonition, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this [is] the whole [duty] of man, Ecclesiastes 12:13.

 

Satisfaction is only guaranteed when God’s people seek Him. “[Seek him] that maketh the seven stars and Orion, and turneth the shadow of death into the morning, and maketh the day dark with night: that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: The LORD [is] his name:” Amos 5:8. As God’s people we should seek Him in our daily lives. No matter what else happens in life, we must resolve to seek God’s presence and his will, and this resolve should never be compromised.

 

There is a sense of urgency among commentators today, we can read scores of articles on the subject of financial ruin and end times scenarios, and no one can find the United States of America in the end time prophecies. Just take a look around at all the confusion in this country; certainly we must come to the conclusion that we aren’t mentioned because we are no longer a viable entity. There really is no simple answer to where the US will be during the end times and the 70^th week of Daniel. After so many years at the top of the heap will America become subordinated to a lesser position, perhaps a position of say a third world nation? It didn’t seem possible a few years ago but it sure makes for interesting conversation now.

  

“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” But if ye turn away, and forsake my statutes and my commandments, which I have set before you, and shall go and serve other gods, and worship them; And this house, …which is high, shall be an astonishment to every one that passeth by it; so that he shall say, Why hath the LORD done thus unto this land, and unto this house? And it shall be answered, Because they forsook the LORD God of their fathers… therefore hath he brought all this evil upon them,” 2 Chronicles 7:14, 19, 21, 22. Jesus Christ is our God, and Christians who are called by His name must humble themselves and pray and seek His face and turn from their wicked ways.

 

Personally, my thoughts are that since God established this nation a moral nation with Christian values, He has every right to disestablish it. I believe we are currently living through God’s disestablishment of America. If we would turn from our evil ways He would heal our land. How can we, the body of Christ, convince over three hundred million people that they need to turn from their wicked ways?

 

I’ve heard figures of approximately one third to one half of the US are Christian. If that be the case, and if we each took on the responsibility of speaking to two or three non-believers, we should have this problem fixed in short order. On the other hand, when we confront those who say they are Christian but then follow up with the statement “ But I’m not a practicing Christian”, then I see the figure of one third to one half of all Americans proclaiming to be Christian, dramatically reduced. By the way, what is someone who says “I’m not a practicing Christian”? If we are truly born again, are we not practicing Christians? 

 

I know full well as do many who will be reading this commentary, that this nation isn’t going to get down on their knees and begin to ask God for forgiveness any time soon. Interestingly it won’t take the whole nation. If we His people, that means those of us who are truly born again, born from above, will repent and turn from our wicked ways He will heal our land. God isn’t calling on the whole of the U.S., he’s singling out His people, those who bear His Name. This is a corporate prayer He’s asking for. All believers should examine themselves and willingly seek God’s face and repent of the rebellion that has taken over this land.

 

The current Wall Street crisis is a call to arms. God is calling on all believers to put on His armor as in Ephesians 6, and to intercede and pray for this nation, to get down on their knees and repent before Him. If we will do this as a body, the body of Christ, He will be faithful to forgive us and to heal our land. If we stubbornly refuse to do this simple task, well then, God knows what the future will hold for America and its stiff necked people.

 

God bless you all,

 

Ron Graham

 

  

 

Email:  twotug@embarqmail.com