I am thinking today of the rise and fall of Nations. As we see the “wars and rumors of wars” taking place almost daily, we are aware that wars are totally about winning and losing. Wars are won or lost. If your nation is on the losing side, nothing will ever be the same again. Defeated nations sometimes keep the same name, but they are not the same. Rulers, generals, and dictators will see to that.
A lifetime ago, I read Gibbons now famous book, “The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.” Having read it, I came away thinking “Those stupid, carnal, and thoroughly pagan Romans! They got what they deserved!” Never imagining that the same decline and fall could happen in the modern Western world I grew up in. Yet, history is repeating itself.
For example, just look at the map of Africa. The Africa that was called the “dark continent” when I was a school boy, has seen its map revised almost yearly, as colonized nations have been “liberated” by civil war, political coops, or violent assassinations. Some of it is shameful tribalism leading to decline. In the African nations where the Gospel has been allowed to penetrate the culture, light has dispelled the darkness. However you look at it, nations come and go. It is the way of things.
Where did the America go that my grandparents loved, fought for and even died for? That country is almost gone.The words of Francis Schaeffer are coming true, when he predicted that the 21st century would usher in the post-Christian American culture. We are fast approaching that time when our nation as they knew it is no more.
You know, prophets have been telling us for years that in Bible prophecy, America is “absent’ from the landscape of last days nations. They can see modern nations like Israel, China (the dragon), Russia (the bear), even a United States of Europe, but they do not see the USA. Every day that passes makes that scenario more probable. Scary- huh? This does not necessarily mean the USA does not exist, but it could mean our existence does not matter much in the scheme of things. Nations like Togo exist, but who cares except those living in Togo! Our nation, if it does not honor the great God who gave it breath, will disappear like all others. I can tell you this for a fact, that the nations in Africa that I know, give more honor to the name of Christ than our politicians do! Jesus is more welcomed in Rwanda than in California, Oregon or Washington DC.
