The sinking of a country – America the Titanic

It is a sad fact that when someone makes statements about how reliable a manmade object may be, something often happens that shows that objects unreliability. The Titanic was said by some to be unsinkable.  It was the biggest, the best and the most expensive. In 2011 dollars, first class passage from England to New York would have cost about $94,000. Nothing about this ship seemed to tell its disastrous future. Yet we know that the HMS Titanic lies at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean having met her doom at 2:20 am April 15, 1912.

Another manmade object, the United States of America, has also been said to be unsinkable. There are many who proclaim loudly and proudly that the US is unstoppable and will never fall. After all aren’t we the strongest and richest and mightiest nation on earth? How can we fail?

I am reminded of other mighty empires of the past. The Great Roman Empire is the first that crosses my mind. “All roads lead to Rome” was more than just a trite phrase, it was a fact the time. Rome’s pax romana, or Roman peace, was enforced by Rome’s mighty legions of soldiers. It was practically impossible to go anywhere in the known world and be outside of Rome’s influence.  The might Rome fell. Most historians believe it was due to corruption and indulgence within the highest levels of the Roman government that caused this fall. The Carthaginians, the Medes and the Persians and the Chinese dynasties all disappeared. More recently the Spanish Empire and then the British Empire, which were called “the empires on which the sun never sets”, because of their territories and possessions around the globe, are no more.

A friend of mine from down south (Central America) once said that when the US sneezes Latin America gets a cold. While the US does not have an empire, per se, our influence is felt worldwide. Until the last few years, the US Dollar was the currency of trade everywhere. English was considered the language of trade in most Western countries and most of Asia as well. All of this is fading into history.

As with the Titanic, there are many factors that are leading up to America’s fall. As with the Titanic, we are overlooking these factors with the assurance that “this situation will never occur”.  Of course, if you are interested in the HMS Titanic you can look the history up in many web sites and history books.  The titanic experiment called The United States of America (and it was an experiment in the 1700’s) lasted for over 200 years, but is now destined to failure.

There is, in my mind, one and only one reason that this is happening. Even a quick and cursory reading of the founding documents of this country will reveal that this was a nation set on worshiping God. While a secular, constitutional nation there is no doubt left in any of the original papers that Christianity was a central part in the lives of the leaders of the time. While the motto “In God We Trust” became official in 1956, it has been the de facto motto from the beginning. All of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, all of the signers of Articles of Confederation and all of the signers of the Constitution of the United States were active in some Christian denomination. All proclaimed a faith in God and many stressed the need for divine protection over this nation. They thanked God for their victories.  They gave God the credit for what was accomplished. This is historical fact, often denied and overlooked, but recorded fact nonetheless.

Today the story is different. We are a nation that has turned away from Almighty God both in word and in action. We have allowed and even legislated other gods to take the place of Almighty God. We no longer allow prayer in public places for fear of offending someone. We, as Christians, cower in fear if we are asked to speak our feelings on homosexuality or abortion. We fail, as believers in Jesus Christ, to even tell people that Jesus forgives sins. Or even that Sin is the problem this nation is facing.

Is it too late for America? Honestly, I don’t know. I am at a loss to find anything in the Bible that could be mention of this country as a player in the last days. This tells me that we have, if not disappeared, at least lost our world influence.  

I also know that there are a lot of people in this country that need to hear about the message of God's love and redemption. God gives second chances. In the book of Jonah there was a country so violent and evil that God had purposed to destroy them. However, He chose to give them one more chance to repent. Jonah was sent (reluctantly) to proclaim God's judgment on Nineveh. Forty days remained before God would completely destroy this great city. As this was the center and capitol of the Assyrian Empire destruction of “the city” also included destruction of the empire.

Nineveh repented and God granted the city a reprieve. Jerusalem, and by extension, Israel, was warned that when they turned away from God calamity would befall them as well. God told King Solomon what would happen after Solomon dedicated the new Temple. He also told Solomon what to do. “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.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)

This warning from God should be taken to heart by every Christian in America.  By claiming to be a Christian we are called by His name. As we look around us and see a nation falling apart at the seams we are being warned. It is not the world’s fault that this is happening! The world cannot be expected to act in any way other that worldly. That is who they are. Christians, on the other hand, are expected to be different. Jesus told us that we are not of this world. We have been called out, separated, just like Israel in the Old Testament; we are a peculiar or set apart, people.

Is America a sinking ship? Yes, but she hasn’t hit the bottom of the ocean yet. There is still time. Many lost and spiritually dying in this country are depending on Christians to act like Christians, even if they don’t know it. They don’t know that Jesus is their only hope. They don’t know that their time is short. Like many of the passengers on that fated voyage of the Titanic, they are living the life of excess and abandon. It is up to believers to humble themselves, pray and seek God's face. We must stand in the gap for those who are not aware that they are dying. We must turn from our wicked ways.

What wicked ways? First, do not neglect prayer. Seek God at all times and in all circumstances. Stand up for what is right. Do not expect your neighbor to take a stand do not place the burden on your pastor.  All Christians are called to act like Christians. Do not get involved in the sinful ways of this world. If it was a sin 200 years ago, it’s probably a sin today. Just because the majority of people are dressing or acting a certain way does not make it acceptable in God's eyes.

Not standing up for what is true and right is saying that you agree with the wrong. By turning your back on wickedness and evil just because it normal you are accepting the evil.

Well, there’s a lot more that I could say about this, but I’ll stop here. Pray about this. Ask God to direct you in how or if you need to change. Seek the Holy Spirit’s guidance.  Don’t take my word for what’s needed. I am only sounding an alarm. Let God direct your response to this alarm then it is assured that it will be the right response.

 

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