Ezekiel 38:13 Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?
Many theologians see Tarshish as Great Britain and her young lions as the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand since each were founded or birthed by English people as part of the English empire that once never saw the sun set.
In the context, these nations are looking at Gog and Magog heading for Jerusalem and all they are doing is talking as if they have no power to do much else. Do these countries at the time have leaders like Neville Chamberlain who thought he had brought peace by negotiating with Hitler thereby leading to WWII? Are they in financial disaster? Had their military been downsized by leaders who believed they were no longer necessary or the last resort?
There is no clear teaching of the reasons. We only know that they were in no position to stop Gog and Magog, which is considered to be Russia, from exercising their will. Elsewhere we learn that God stops Russia by using natural disasters to destroy most of their army causing the remainder to return home in abject defeat. God defends Israel as He is their greatest and faithful ally.
The US has seen financial problems and a downgrading of its military might or political actions causing military defeats. Will the US at the Rapture be in a state of all three of these conditions thus virtually being out of the picture as a power? Possibly.
Revelation 8:6 And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.
7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
The US might survive as a weakened country until the middle of the Tribulation where God starts pouring out His wrath on the world. At the first trump a third of the trees were burned up. The US and Canada have a third of the earth's forests.
Does the passage indicate a third total from around the earth or does God take out America and Canada in the first strike because of their apostasy and sin, especially if they have turned against Israel? It is not without reason to suggest that we are gone. We had great blessings and influence, but are becoming less and less a Christian nation with no reason for God to spare us.
Ezekiel 14:12 The word of the LORD came again to me, saying,
13 Son of man, when the land sinneth against me by trespassing grievously, then will I stretch out mine hand upon it, and will break the staff of the bread thereof, and will send famine upon it, and will cut off man and beast from it:
14 Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord GOD.
For those who trust in a remnant deliverance of the country from judgment you need to read these passages. Jerusalem is the beloved city of God with many promises still to be fulfilled in it and yet, at that time, God did not spare that city. Anyone righteous in it like Noah, Daniel and Job would be spared, but the city was going down. The remnant of Christians in any nation can be spared in the midst of war, financial collapse, etc., but God will not turn aside for their sake when He has finally decided enough is enough.
We cannot guarantee that America will survive as a nation until the Millennium. We can be reasonably sure that there will be some Christians that became Christians during the Tribulation who will see Christ return and see Him on the throne in Jerusalem in their mortal bodies.
Seek salvation now and be one of those who return with Him and be in Jerusalem as part of the Bride or else you will be damned after the Rapture with no second chance of being saved despite what Christian fiction or a pastor might say. Maranatha!
