IS AMERICA UNDER GOD’S JUDGMENT?
BY
DR. JERRY FALWELL
A. INTRODUCTION
1. The Declaration of Independence is the greatest document (outside the Bible) in the history of mankind.
Because it promises the greatest good.
Because it has impacted the greatest number of people.
Because it provided the greatest quality of living.
Because it produced the greatest nation;
And that nation provided the greatest freedom in history,
And led to the greatest advancement of mankind this world has ever known.
2. “We hold these truths to be self-evident: That all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights. That among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776.
3. Four Christian “Self-Evident Truths” our founding fathers believed.
a. They believed in a Creator.
b. They believed that God created them in His own image.
c. They believed in supernatural acts, i.e. that a supernatural Being began this universe and is responsible for giving them the rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
d. They believed in moral absolutes or absolute truths which our Fathers call “inalienable rights,” and self-evident truths. (Government cannot give these rights, so they cannot take them away. These rights came from God.
4. The Mayflower compact, November, 1620.
a. “In the Name of God Almighty, we whose names are underwritten . . . having undertaken for the glory of God, and advancement of the Christian faith, . . . a voyage to plan the first colony in northern Virginia (they were in Massachusetts); do by these present, solemnly and mutually in the presence of God and one another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil body politick . . .”
b. Three truths those on board the Mayflower believed:
(1) They believed the new nation would glorify God.
(2) They believed the new nation would extend Christianity.
(3) They believed their authority was from God.
B. FROM THE BEGINNING THE CHURCH AND NATION WERE SEPARATE.
1. America was/is not a theocracy, i.e. the direct rule of God.
2. America was/is not a church controlled nation, i.e. operated for church purposes.
3. I believe in the separation of church and state.
a. The Christian church is organized to carry out the Great Commission, . . . nations are not organized to carry it out.
b. A nation is organized by its people, for its people and under the authority of its people for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness . . . that is not the purpose of the church.
c. The First Amendment. “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”
The church does not control the government and the government cannot control the church.
4. America is a Christian nation because:
a. It was Christians who first came to America for Christian purposes.
b. It was Christians who wrote the Declaration of Independence and included their belief of God in its Preamble.
c. It is Christians who wrote our Constitution on a Christian view of law. They did not found our nation on Christian laws, but on God’s laws, which are absolute truth and absolute morality.
d. Christianity has been the largest religious body in America.
C. DID AMERICA MAKE A COVENANT COMMITMENT WITH GOD?
This title asks a question. I believe the answer is yes. American pioneers made a compact with God. In the compact/covenant, the people agreed to honor God. In return, they expected God to bless them.
COVENANT = PROMISE-MAKERS.
BROKEN COVENANT = PROMISE-BREAKERS
NEEDED = PROMISE-KEEPERS
1. Mayflower Compact: “Undertaken for the glory of God and advancement of the Christian faith.”
2. Declaration of Independence: “Endowed by their Creator unto certain inalienable rights.”
3. Our fathers founded this nation:
a. For the glory of God.
b. Based on rights given to them by God.
c. Seeking the blessing of God.
d. In a covenant, two sides make promises and commit themselves to the other side. The Declaration of Independence maintains, that,
“We the people in order to form a more perfect union.” We made a covenant with God the One that we called creator. We recognized we were made in God’s image. We based our covenant on “inalienable rights” also called “self-evident truths.” Yes, America made a covenant with God.
e. Evidence of America’s reliance on the covenant:
Did not America pray and fast in times of war and national emergency?
Did not America claim to be “One nation under God” in its slogans?
Did not America put “In God we trust” on its coins?
Did not America inaugurate its presidents with a hand on the Bible and ask them to pledge “So help me God?”
Has not America portrayed itself as a Christian nation which depends on God for help?
Has not America held out its missionary hand to every other nation of the world?
D. HAS AMERICA BROKEN ITS COVENANT WITH GOD?
The following facts are presented to demonstrate
America has broken its covenant with God.
LEGAL POSITION:
1. Prohibited the reading of Scripture in public school.
2. Prohibited prayer in public school.
3. Prohibited a Christian manger scene during Christmas in public places.
4. Prohibited the posting of the 10 Commandments.
5. Prohibited (Arkansas Supreme Court) the teaching of Creation in public schools along with evolution.
6. Allowed abortion (Roe v. Wade, 1973).
7. Allowed homosexuality in the military (Don’t Tell, Don’t Ask).
SOCIAL POSITION:
1. America is turning away from Christian values of family, sexual purity, correct speech, and church attendance. Turning to and embracing the filthy speech movement, state approved gambling, and allowing the distribution of X-rated movies and books.
2. America is turning away from ecognition of Christian holidays, Christian worship and Christian symbols. Turning to and allowing demonic expressions, New Age rituals, and embracing secular humanism.
3. America is turning away from recognition of God as Creator and embracing atheistic evolutionism.
4. America is turning away from recognizing our Christian heritage, while turning to those who are re-writing history to exclude any reference to the influence of God or the Bible in our past.
5. In the 1996 Presidential election, 68% of the electorate said character in the President was NOT an issue. The problem is not the lack of character in the American President, the problem is 68% of Americans voted against character and morality.
E. IS AMERICA UNDER JUDGMENT OR UNDER A CURSE?
If America is NOT under the judgment of God because she is a promise-breaker, I believe she is dangerously close.
1. God made a covenant with Adam.
The Promise. “Be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth and subdue it and have dominion” (Gen. 1:28).
The Covenant Condition. “But of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it, for in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt die” (Gen. 2:17).
Broken Covenant. “She (Eve) took the fruit thereof and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat” (Gen. 3:6).
Punishment. “As by one man, sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men” (Rom. 5:12).
2. God made a covenant with Abraham.
The Promise. “I will establish my covenant between me and thee (Abraham) and thy seed after thee in their generation” (Gen. 17:7). God promised to bless Abraham with the land, money, the Messiah, and His protection.
The Covenant Condition. “But if thou wilt not harken unto the voice of the Lord thy God to observe to do all His commandments and His statutes . . . all these curses (judgments) shall come upon thee and overtake thee” (Deut. 28:15).
Broken Covenant. “All Israel hath transgressed thy law, even by departing that they might not obey thy voice, therefore the curse is passed upon us” (Dan. 9:17).
F. WHAT MUST AMERICA DO?
1. The Christians must seize the initiative.
We don’t need to point our finger at the non-Christian or the rebellious Christian. It is up to Christians to take the offensive . . . We must take a spiritual attack.
“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land” (II Chronicles 7:14).
2. Revival Formula: (2 X 7 = 14)
a. 4 Conditions -
(1) Humble
(2) Pray
(3) Seek God
(4) Repent
b. 3 Results -
(1) Hear
(2) Forgive
(3) Heal land
3. IDENTIFICATIONAL REPENTANCE; Daniel 9
a. We must identify with the sin of the people. We must take the responsibility for our spiritual problems. We must take accountability for our nation’s sin. We cannot point an accusing finger. We are the children of our forefathers, so we must take spiritual responsibility. We are brother-Americans, we must confess their sins, we must confess our national sins. (Not that our confession will forgive their personal sins). Our confession will hold back God’s national judgment. Daniel confessed for the nation of Israel.
“We have sinned and have committed iniquity . . even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments” (Dan. 9:5).
b. We must identify with one nation’s rebellion, just as Daniel identified with Israel’s sin. This is Identificational Repentance.
“We have refused to listen to your servants the prophets who have spoken your message to our kings (President) and princes (political leaders)” (Dan. 9:6).
c. We must beg for deliverance.
“I beseech thee, let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from thy city” (Dan. 9:16).
The Living Bible - “O our God, hear your servant’s prayer! Listen as I plead. For your own sake Lord, smile again” (Daniel 9:17).
G. 7 THINGS I WANT YOU TO DO
1 First, we must recognize the inalienable rights of absolute truth. We must have right living . . . right thinking . . . right solutions . . . and right principles; all are found in God’s eternal truth and God’s absolute morality.
2. Second, we must recognize and return to America’s obligation to the Creator, the One we originally recognized in the Declaration of Independence. We must recognize God’s providential care of this nation and His blessing on our people.
3. Third, we must recognize that every American has rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness BECAUSE they were created in the image of his/her Creator. Therefore, every American has vast potential because of liberty but vast obligations to insure the liberties of everyone else. We have obligations to our government that protects liberties, to our way of life that provides liberty and to our heritage to guarantee future liberty.
4. Fourth, we must repent for our sin and rebellion. We must forsake the pursuit of selfish pleasures just for the sake of pleasure. We must forsake the selfish indulgence in sexual pursuits, just for the pursuit of sex. We need conviction to be ashamed of our sin and we need guilt that makes us afraid of God’s punishment on our sin.
5. Fifth, we must confess our national sin in Identificational Repentance. We must recognize that our national sin will bring God’s judgment on the nation. So we must confess it and beg God to turn His judgment from this nation.
6. In the sixth place, we must fast and pray for revival. Fasting is not just making it hard on yourself at meal time. The Hebrew word for fast describes what happens to us when we go through an emergency. In the middle of a hurricane, we don’t think about eating, we work to survive. When our car breaks down in a snow storm, we don’t look through our pockets for something to eat. We look for a shovel, or warm clothes; we concentrate on survival. America is in danger. We must fast . . . go without food . . . we must pray . . . begging God to forgive us and send revival.
7. Seventh, we must not give up hope. As bad as our nation is because of abortion, America is the best place to worship God in the world. As bad as drug-abuse, robberies, rape and violence is in America, this is still the best place in the world to live. As terrible as America is in turning away from Bible reading and prayer in the public schools and embracing atheistic evolution; America can have revival.
If you have never really accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, would you do it right now? Do not delay or put it off. If you would like to receive Christ by faith, pray this simple prayer in your heart:
Dear Lord, I acknowledge that I am a sinner. I believe Jesus died for my sins on the cross, and rose again the third day. I repent of my sins. By faith I receive the Lord Jesus as my Savior. You promised to save me, and I believe You, because You are God and cannot lie. I believe right now that the Lord Jesus is my personal Savior, and that all my sins are forgiven through His precious blood. I thank You, dear Lord, for saving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
If you prayed that prayer, God heard you and saved you. I personally want to welcome you to the family of God. Contact us and ask for a copy of The How To Book or use The How To Book Online (Falwell.com). It is a booklet that will answer many of the questions you are sure to have about living the Christian life. And when you contact us, tell us about your salvation experience so that we can rejoice with you.
