The Shadow of Judgement

Too often we look to elected officials to solve our problems or we look to political candidates to bring us hope. Over the last few months (and surely the coming weeks) some have felt devastated while others feel elated, just as they did four years ago. Christians and Jews both fight amongst themselves declaring one candidate pure evil and the other to be virtually blameless. Should our choice to vote for a candidate render us willfully blind and ignorant to their flaws and un-Biblical stances? The unfortunate fact is many believers choose to alter their understanding of scriptural truth and their worldview in order to conform to the tenets of a political party’s platform and the vain utterances of their champions. They become apologists for their party instead of witnesses of their Savior. The result is a culture (which was already plagued by immorality) that draws ever closer to a moral state that has led to the downfall of many powerful nations and peoples. For this reason I say, “temper your rejoicing and measure your celebration for our time still may be short.” Not only are we living in the days of Noah but also after the manner of the Canaanites, Israel before the captivity and perhaps even Sodom and Gomorrah before the rain of fire. We are most likely living in the shadow of impending judgement.

 “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance.”

Psalm 33:12 (NASB)

We’ve all heard or read these words in the context of sermons or exhortations applied to these United States. Time and time again we’ve listened to our elected officials recite their religious resumés or invoke our Creator during their speeches. But what tale do their actions and moral positions tell? What does our continuous support of these individuals say about us? If nothing else, we know for certain that the people of this nation (as a whole) have chosen to walk according to their own way and not according to Biblical precepts. When the people call that which is good evil and that which is evil good, can we really say that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is the God of this nation? When we continuously support leaders that embody and pander to the moral depravity that characterizes the current social norms, can we really say that God, the creator of the Universe, is the God of this nation? If God is not the God of this nation, does this nation have any inheritance in Him?

• How does a society that ignores the plight of the poor, or worse yet, maintains an economic climate in which crippling debt is the norm, claim to be an equitable one?
• How does a nation that keeps its thumb on the scales justice then profits from the mass incarceration of its citizens call itself a fair one?
• How does a nation that claims to value the health of its citizens but seeks to either deny access to care for pre-existing conditions or (in an act of pandering) makes provision for inadequate, pseudo-affordable care claim to be a caring one?
• How can a society that promotes wellness, exercise and healthy eating yet poisons food, living spaces, working spaces and the environment via crony capitalism view itself as an honest one?
• How does a society that (as a means of contraception) facilitates the destruction of innocent life on a genocidal scale claim to be a moral one?

“Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!”

Isaiah 5:20 (NASB)

How can a society that champions evil, peddles filth, turns a blind eye to suffering, deals in lies, facilitates injustice and clings to every form of immorality possibly avoid the fate of its predecessors who did the same? How can the hand of judgment be far from the nation who has forsaken the principles of the God who caused it to come into being? Indeed, whether it be pestilence, famine, the sword or something else, judgment is at the door poised like a hungry lion to subdue and consume the inhabitants of the nation who does such things yet claims to honor the Creator. For years, this nation has ignored the indicators (or, if you prefer, the harbingers, omens or forerunners) that have warned us of what is to come. We have ignored the historical cycles of great nations that fell in years past that we now repeat. Rather than repent, we double down on our iniquity and foolishly expect the God of all creation to bless us.

And He said to them, “Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far away from me.’”

Mark 7:6 (NASB)

If we are being honest, we know with absolute certainty that this society (as a whole) does not care for the least of these nor does it regard their suffering. If we did, perhaps we would be more inclined to stop supporting those who make these problems worse despite their unending promises to do otherwise. Instead, we allow politicians who hijack moral issues for use as political capital to foment division and animosity instead of holding them accountable (at the ballot box) to upholding moral principles. We divide red from blue over a handful of issues (each side cherry picking their moral guideposts) and claim moral high ground then vote accordingly. In many ways, what represents us in state legislatures and the nations capitol are a reflection of our worst traits.  Let us not forget, it is God who sits on the throne. It is God who has the sole authority to establish what is good and what is evil. No matter how hard we try and no matter how vehemently we argue our social positions, we cannot overcome that which has been established from the beginning.

“The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.”

(Isaiah 40:8 NASB)

Knowing all this, what shall we do? As in days of old, we must repent. We must turn from our wickedness; humble ourselves and seek the face of the Lord. We must encourage others to do the same by living the principles we espouse; by walking in the spirit and not according to the flesh. We must speak truth after the manner of Jesus not the manner of humankind. We must lift up our voices, not in judgment (for God will surely judge this nation) but in exhortation to disentangle from unholy alliances (political, mental and psychological) such that some would call upon the name of the Lord Jesus (becoming a remnant of people in the midst of a doomed land) and be saved.

It is not my desire to see human suffering or destruction. I count myself blessed to have been born here in these United States and I am honored to participate in her civic processes. I truly believe that the resources and prominence of this great nation can be used to prosper and bless many other nations and peoples. I wish for no harm to come to her or her inhabitants. At the same time, I am also an observer of historical patterns/cycles and a student of Biblical truth. These things speak for themselves. We should all take heed; praying for our collective healing and restoration through repentance accordingly.