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About Jesus Steve Sweetman The
West, Be
Warned I
believe Scripture teaches that God causes nations, states, provinces, or
cities, to rise to success and
fall in judgment. Amos 1:3
to 2:5 gives examples of such nations.
The Old Testament shows that God caused Assyria, Babylon, Concerning
Israel, Hosea 2:8 - 10 reads, "she (Israel) has not acknowledged that I was the one who gave her the grain, the
new wine and oil, who lavished on her the silver and gold – which they
used for Baal. Therefore, I
will take away my grain when it ripens, and my new wine when it is
ready. I will take back my wool and my linen intended to cover her
nakedness … I will expose her lewdness …"
Romans
15:4 states that what was written in the Old Testament was written for
our instruction. The book of
Romans was written to Gentiles, so even though Hosea's prophetic message
was directed to Under
King David and King Solomon Israel was at the height of her greatness
because she acknowledged the Lord God in her midst.
Like In
Hosea's day, Israel
no longer acknowledged that it was God who provided her with grain, new
wine, oil, silver, gold, wool, and linen.
Like Note
that God "lavished" Israel
with silver and gold. The
Israeli economy could not be matched.
The same has been true for the western economies in times past.
Israel
paganized herself by using
God's blessings in the worship of Baal.
We've paganized ourselves by our addiction to the religion of
hedonism. We've taken God's
material blessings, claimed them as our own, and have used them as
objects of worship that feed our addiction to self. Hosea
2:9 states what came next for Israel, and what comes next for us. God
took from Israel
"His grain when it ripened and His new wine when it was
ready". Note that it
was "His grain and His wine", not Israel's, as Israel claimed. When
Israel's economy was ripe for harvest in the next business cycle, she lost it all.
We can expect the same, and to be honest, I think the collapse
might be underway. God
told Israel
that He would take away the wool and linen that covered her shameful
nakedness. He would expose Israel
for who she had become, and she was no longer a pretty sight. Her
economy was a mess. Her
military might was in shambles. She was a defenseless prey for her
enemies who eventually annihilated her.
Israel
was far from perfect, but when she acknowledged her Lord, her sins were
obscured. She was respected
and her influence extended far and wide.
Western
nations have never been perfect either.
We've committed many atrocities against God and humanity, but
when we have acknowledged the Lord, our sins haven't brought us disrepute.
You might say that the Lord's llinen covered them over. That's no longer the case. We're
being exposed for who we have become, and that's not a pretty sight
either. We've got a debt
ridden economy that is suffocating us, and all the while the left and
the right are spewing
out nastiness to one another across the air-waves and internet for all
to see and hear. We're
claiming victory as we pull out of Afghanistan, but the lifeless boots
on the ground tell a different story. In the meantime, we're losing the influence we
once had to Russia, China, and other traditional foes. Once
respected, we're now seen as an exporter of financial disaster and who
knows what else.
Does
God cause nations to rise and fall today?
You bet He does. Could
He be dismantling our western economies right now?
I think so. Is
there time for us to repent? I
really don't know. What I do
know is that God gives nations ample warning before He pronounces
judgment, and we've had ample warning over the last few decades.
The prophetic principle is clear.
When a nation rejects the prophetic warnings, sooner or later, God
will pronounce
judgment. Once judgment is
pronounced, that's it. There's
no turning back. The fall
begins, and there's nothing we can do to stop it.
God
warned nations in Old Testament times, first through the prophetic
message, and then through natural disasters, economic collapses, and
military defeats. We've
heard the prophetic warnings and we're experiencing the rest.
Even though our nations fall, the Lord
Jesus will never forsake those who are really His. It
won't be easy; the Christian life never is, but His presence, grace, and
strength, will cause us to stand amongst the ruins.
Also, God may cause a nation to fall, but individuals within that fallen
nation can always find personal salvation.
Study
the books of Amos and Hosea for yourself and see what our Lord says to
you about our western nations.
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