Is God Going To Judge America?

"I tremble for my country when I recall that God is just; and that His justice will not sleep forever."
Thomas Jefferson

A question that seems to be on many Christians' minds lately concerns the possibility that God is displeased with America, and that we are beginning to see signs of His judgment appearing. So what makes people think God may be displeased with America? Could it be the obvious decline in our moral standards? The fact that every day we can read somewhere about sexual sin such as public figures having extra-marital affairs, living together without being married, teachers having sexual contact with their students, or even "sexting" the new term for students that take sexually provocative pictures of themselves and send them to others over their cell phones.

Or maybe it may be that we see the country electing leaders on the basis of what they believe about abortion, the environment, global warming, or gay rights, instead of what they believe about God and the fact this country was founded on the principles taught in the Bible? Instead of standing on the moral absolutes God has revealed in His word, we elect leaders that preach tolerance, and acceptance of alternative lifestyles, and make promises that feed the attitude of greed that fueled the economic crisis we find ourselves in today.

"If God doesn't judge America He will have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah."
Rev. Billy Graham

So what does God have to say about this? Can we find something in the Bible that addresses the question we have asked? Actually, I think the answer is very clear if we begin by looking at Paul's letter to the Romans. In the very first chapter, verses 18-32 I think we can see exactly what is happening in our country today because Paul explains what happens when we turn our eyes away from God, and let us not forget that the direction of our country is determined by the collective will of the people. If the majority turn their eyes from God and elect leaders that agree with their beliefs and priorities, the path we will follow has only one end.

The key to the problem is found in verses 18-20 where Paul tells us that all men have the knowledge of God because what is "known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them." He then backs that up by saying that the attributes of God can be "clearly seen" through His creation. So we have two statements here; God has given every man the awareness of His existence within ourselves, and we can also see God in the creation around us as physical evidence to support that. In spite of that, a problem arises which is that certain people choose to ignore the evidence and instead "speculate" about alternative explanations which results in their "foolish heart" being darkened. God says it best in verse 22 where He tells us that "professing to be wise, they became fools."

So what is the result of this choice to not honor God as the creator, and rely on His truth as revealed in scripture? Paul tells us in verses 24 through 32 that there are three results or evidences of people making this choice. The first is listed in verse 25 where we find that people begin to worship the creation rather than the creator. The second is found in verses 26-27 which tells us that sexual sin becomes commonplace. The third is explained in detail in from verse 28 to the end of the chapter where we are told that people develop such a perverse spirit that their personality changes into the complete opposite of what God intended. In verses 30-31 God uses words like "insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful;". The saddest commentary of all is found in verse 32 where we are told that even though they know what God says, and know that God's judgment for this is death, they not only continue to do it, they encourage others to do it as well.

So lets see here. If I'm not mistaken, in this chapter God tells us through Paul that those who choose to reject Him will end up worshipping(making it your priority) the creation, engaging in sexual sin, develop a personality that doesn't reflect the fruits of the spirit while encouraging others to do the same. Is it just me or does that sound like what we see in America today? Unless I'm wrong, America just elected a president that said his priorities were the environment, toleration, and fixing the economy so we can resume the same spending habits that produced the problem with the economy in the first place? Somehow I think the answer to our original question is pretty evident.

So why hasn't God's judgment occurred yet? I believe the key may be Genesis 12:2-3 where we are told those who bless Israel will themselves be blessed. America has long supported Israel and their right to exist, and I'm sure in no small part this is the reason we may have escaped national judgment so far. Many are saying, however, our new president intends to change many of our long standing policies with regards to Israel. How do you think that decision might be received in Heaven?

We might shortly find out.