"As Nations cannot be rewarded or punished in the next world, they must be in this. By an inevitable chain of causes and effects, Providence punishes national sins, by national calamities."

While teaching one day, Jesus said these startling words:

Then Jesus criticized the cities where he did most of his miracles, because the people did not change their lives and stop sinning. He said, "How terrible for you, Korazin! How terrible for you, Bethsaida! If the same miracles I did in you had happened in Tyre and Sidon, those people would have changed their lives a long time ago. They would have worn rough cloth and put ashes on themselves to show they had changed.

But I tell you, on the Judgment Day it will be better for Tyre and Sidon than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to heaven? No, you will be thrown down to the depths. If the miracles I did in you had happened in Sodom, its people would have stopped sinning, and it would still be a city today.

But I tell you, on the Judgment Day it will be better for Sodom than for you” (Matt. 11:20-24 NCV).

It is only a matter of time before America ends up like Sodom, Chorazin, and Bethsaida. These Galilean towns where Jesus did much of His work, were not as immoral as certain Gentile cities of the Old Testament era such as Tyre, Sidon and Sodom.

However, because these Galilean towns had witnessed the many mighty miracles of Jesus only to deliberately reject Him, Jesus said that such towns would suffer a more sever judgment than the Gentile town that had never heard of Him.

Why? Their greater privilege of witnessing the miracles and works of God first hand had placed upon them a greater responsibility, and this meant that their failure would bring a greater judgment.

You see, back in Jesus’ day as is often the case in our day, the privilege and learned classes did not sense a need to turn to Christ for deliverance. They were quite satisfied and comfortable with their life’s achievements. But at the same time, many who felt helpless turned to Jesus to satisfy their deepest needs, and through Him came to receive a personal relationship and walk with God.

I personally think we can learn something here about these privileged nations who had been given an abundance of light from God’s miracles, only to trample upon such their unbelief and rejection of truth. America’s life and existence as we have come to know and love could certainly be cut short.

I further believe that for many years God has been slowly withdrawing his hand of blessing on this nation. We have had five anniversaries for the 9-11 terrorists attack that took the lives of nearly 3000 of people and cost billions of dollars to clean up and repair the damage. Billions more are being appropriated to try to prevent another attack.

Then there was the anthrax scare that took several lives and huge sums of money are being spent to counter more of the same. The Post Master General has said, "The anthrax attack will cost the United States Post Office billions of dollars in lost trade and the implementation of a screening and sanitizing system."

Western wildfires, covering a third of the nation, have destroyed homes and taken the lives of several fire fighters. Again, the cost has been in the billions of dollars and creating untold hardship for thousands of people. Others are seeing floods and mudslides wash away their homes and diminishing their hopes for the future. In other parts of the nation droughts, are drying up crops and incomes.

Who can forget the calamity of biblical proportions -- Hurricane Katrina? I have heard reporters make that statement numerous times. But, what you might not have known is that homosexuals had planned a huge Southern Decadence festival… replete with tens of thousands of men and women engaged in public nudity, prostitution, illegal drug use and destructive public S & M sex. According to WorldNetDaily, "Hurricane Katrina walloped New Orleans just two days before the annual homosexual ‘Southern Decadence’ festival was to begin in the town."

For the first 150 to 175 years, America’s culture had a respect for God, His Commandments, His principles, and for His people (see Psalm 36:1-4). Our government, our courts, our schools and colleges, and our leaders made rulings and decisions based on Biblical principles, but that all started changing about 50 years ago. All of those solid Biblical principles that were the foundation for our Constitution and Bill of Rights, and highly regarded for nearly 200 years are now being maligned, ignored, litigated and judged unconstitutional.

The teachings of the Bible are deemed as being unacceptable and even harmful by unbelievers and God haters, and it is increasingly being ruled that it must be excluded in the public forum. The atheists, humanists, hedonists, homosexuals, and secularists, speak out boldly and say, that Christians are bigots, hate mongers, homophobic, puritanical and intolerant and must NOT be allowed to express their offensive views in public.

Some Christians are wondering why all these bad things are happening while we have a President who says he is a Christian and reads the Bible regularly. It is certain that President George Bush is much less hostile to Christianity and more in line with Godly issues then Al Gore or John Kerry would have been. By anyone’s estimation his moral character is far beyond that of his predecessor, Bill Clinton. But why is so much bad stuff happening when George W. Bush is President? Some would have you believe that it is all George Bush’s fault, when that is not true. Study your Old Testament carefully. As most students of the Bible know, God's judgment comes on a nation years after the crime, in some cases hundreds of years. For instance, God postponed His judgment on the nations of the earth for 120 years in the days of Noah (Genesis 6:3; 1 Peter 3:20).

I believe America has reaped the prosperous harvest because of the Christian seed sown by our Godly forefathers. But, for the last 30-60 years generations have been sowing evolutionism, secular humanism, relativism, amorality, immorality, political correctness, hedonism and Multiculturalism into the culture. The harvest from that seed has been growing up and now we are beginning to reap the harvest. Should we be surprised that God would judge our nation in light of Galatians 6:7-8: "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap. 8 For he that sows to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that sows to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting."

Is America living out its last days? Consider these facts. According to reports published by Paul Scott's syndicated column, one million two hundred thousand (1,200,000) abortions took place in the United States last year. Even more shocking, is the information that the government financed between 222,000 and 278,000 of these abortions. The Department of Health, Education and Welfare (HEW) furnished these figures.

The Baptist preacher, E. L. Bynum said, "I maintain that this (abortion) may be one of the greatest crimes in the annals of human history. This may be a crime so dark, a sin so black, that nothing can stay the hand of God's righteous judgment upon America.”

When Cain murdered his brother, God came to him and said, “The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to Me from the ground” (Gen. 4:10). God was responding to the voice of one person. Imagine how many voices are crying out to Him now?

Homicide and incarceration are the highest of any industrialized nation. Ten times that of Japan, Sweden, Ireland, and the Netherlands.

Crime increased by 371% since 1960, with Juvenile Crime up 920% since 1985, the highest in the world.

Divorce quadrupled in the last 30 years, making the U.S. the world leader. Divorces among professed Christians are slightly higher than those who do not profess to be Christians.

Teenage pregnancies also quadrupled in the last 30 years (more than a million a year) making the US the Western World leader.

American is the voluntary abortion leader in the world.

America is the illegal drug use leader of the world.

America is the illiteracy world leader among industrialized nations, with our National Educational Standards among the lowest in the world.

You say, “Pastor Rich, it is one day after Thanksgiving. What about something positive to think about?” I totally understand the feeling. However, truth is not always found in “positive information.”

The bible teaches that "Righteousness exalts a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people." Proverbs 14:34. The "entitlement" attitude, the deplorable drug addiction, appalling alcoholism, the profusion of pornography, widening crime wave, utterly abominable homosexual movement, the push for same sex marriage, and the anti-God, anti-Christ attitude of multitudes in our nation today signal that the nation is RIPE for Judgment.

Read Psalm 50:22: "Now consider this, ye that forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver." Has the tearing in peaces begun in America? If not, it is only a matter of time.

I believe America is still the greatest nation in the world. However, remember that there was a time when Israel of the Old Testament was also a great nation. That was when they were following the Lord under the leadership of Joshua, David and Solomon. But their greatness crumbled when they decided to ignore God and worship other gods and idols. America is now at that point. In the beginning, our nation respected God, honored His Word, and hated idol worship, and refused to encourage and invite the worship of any religion except that of the Bible. But that is not so today.

We are now encouraging and inviting the teaching of Secular Humanism, New Age, Islam, multiculturalism, and various cults in many of our public schools and colleges, all in the name of diversity. The "powers that be" in our country are tolerating and promoting any kind of philosophy or religion at the expense of the true God of the Bible.

The Scripture is clear in what is recorded in Exodus 20:3-5: "Thou shall have no other gods before me. 4 Thou shall not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 5 Thou shall not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; 6 And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments."

God's promise to Israel was that blessing would follow them where ever they were if they would continue to obey him. He said in Deuteronomy 28:13: The LORD will make you like the head and not like the tail; you will be on top and not on bottom. But you must obey the commands of the LORD your God that I am giving you today, being careful to keep them (NCV).

Israel became a stiff neck people and as a result, God brought in invading nations that removed them from their homes and scattered them throughout the world. Do you actually think that America is beyond such things? I don’t. History is designed to teach the present generations valuable lessons, but we must take heed to such lessons.

Here are some practical steps to take:

First, pray your city and country. I am shocked when I come across Christians who do not have any inclination on who to vote for. They do not even know the issues. They live in a bubble. If everyone were like that we would all be in trouble quicker than we think.

READ YOUR NEWSPAPERS! Listen to your news! Understand the times that you are living in. Don’t put your head in the sand and vote ignorantly when it comes to doing your civil duty. This country needs you to be sharp, educated and informed people. Pray intelligently! Vote intelligently! This is your duty as a Christian. Your state, your city and your country is depending on you.

Second, live holy lives. Holiness is infectious. Don’t underestimate the power of holy and godly living. You are the salt and light of the world (Matt. 5:13-14; Mark 9:50). You can do so much good for yourself, for your loved ones and for your country if you set the example and be more Chris-like.

Third, remember your identity. You are not first and foremost a “Republican.” Nor are you first and foremost a “Democrat.” If Jesus lives within your spirit because you have opened the door of your heart to Him than you are first and foremost a “Child of God” (John 1:12). Don’t get sucked into the various worldly labels that some will want you to fit neatly into. You will then get yourself caught in trap. Remember, as a Christian, your citizenship (spiritually) is in heaven (Philip. 3:20). Therefore, seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matt. 6:33). Keep your priorities always in check – God first, then comes family, and He’ll then show you what you need to put third and fourth.

The best days for this great nation is just ahead of us; the worse days for this nation may also be just the head of us. This will all depend on whether we have the will to change, the courage to make the tough decisions, and the determination to keep God in our lives at all cost. God bless America! This is our only hope.

In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him; all his thoughts are, "There is no God” (Psalm 10:4 ESV)

While almost ninety-percent of Americans, according to the CIA World Fact Book, identify themselves as Christians, a new Harris Poll found that almost half of Americans aren't sure that God even exists, according to a British newspaper.

Asked whether or not they are absolutely certain of the existence of God, 42 percent of US adults said they were not.

Less than one-third of all adults believe that God "controls what happens on Earth" - a figure which includes just over half of 'Born Again' Christians.

Women (62%) are more likely than men (54%) to express certainty as are African Americans (71%) compared to Hispanics (61%) and Whites (57%).

But the public is almost equally divided between those who think of God as male (36%) and "neither male nor female" (37%), with 10 percent saying "both male and female." Only one percent thinks of God as female.

Broken down by groups, 76 percent of Protestants, 64 percent of Catholics and 30 percent of Jews said they are "absolutely certain" there is a God while 93 percent of Christians who describe themselves as "Born Again" feel certain God exists.

But the conclusions one reaches depends in how you read the poll. That 42% overall figure 'who aren't sure' includes 15 percent who are "somewhat certain," 11 percent who think there is probably no God and 16 percent who are not sure. Remove the words 'absolutely certain' and one ends up with the same 89% listed in the CIA World Fact Book.

Moreover, turn the poll around and it reveals that some 58% of Americans ARE 'absolutely certain' that God exists.

The proof of God's existence is all around us. The earth's perfect distance from the sun, the unique chemical properties of water, the human brain, DNA, the number of people who attest to knowing God, the gnawing in our hearts and minds to determine if God is there, the willingness for God to be known through Jesus Christ.

However, perhaps the most powerful evidence of the existence of God is the effort to deny Him. Reading the Harris Poll accurately, one finds that 58% of Americans are "absolutely certain" of God's existence and that only eleven percent are "absolutely certain" that He does not.

But that eleven percent have been able to banish God from the public arena, remove His influence from politics and the judiciary, turn Creationism into a myth and elevate the theory of evolution to the status of 'fact', and paint all American Christians as hate-mongers.

Think about it. The Bible says that Satan is the "prince of the power of the air" (Eph. 2:2)-- and the airwaves are more or less completely under his control. Consider the way this poll was itself presented.

Ekklesia UK headlined its story "In God We Trust?" The focus wasn't on the 58% who are absolutely certain that God exists, but rather on those who were 'somewhat certain' and those who 'weren't sure' lumping them together with the 11% who said there is 'probably' no God to make it appear that America is 42% atheist.

"Polls have often reported that Americans are much more likely to believe in God than people in most other developed countries, particularly in Europe. However, the new Harris Poll finds that 42 percent of all U.S. adults say they are not "absolutely certain" there is a God."

I couldn't find any news reports about this poll that presented it from the more positive perspective that 6 in 10 Americans are 'absolutely sure' God exists. That's because the 'prince and power of the air' remains in control.

If God really doesn't exist, then why so much effort to prove the negative? Why should unbelievers care about a 'mythical' God so much that they would go to such lengths to banish Him from our public discourse?

Nobody is running polls among adults to ask them if they believe in the Easter Bunny or Santa Claus.

(And if they did, the headline wouldn't focus on the minority who said that they did and then present it as evidence the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus are real.)

So, I ask again; why so much effort to prove a negative? The only logical reason is because God is real. If He wasn't, then the battle wouldn't be so fierce. The debate wouldn't be so divisive. There are no headline-making polls about the existence of Buddha. And nobody would dare question the existence of Allah. (They are not a threat to the prince and power of the air.)

"Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other Name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." (Acts 4:12)

The prince and power of the air knows that Name. That's why he works so hard to keep anybody else from learning it.

The bible says that Joseph was a “good man.” Some versions use the term, “righteous.” What stands out to me about how the bible uses this term with reference to Joseph was what follows: “He did not want to embarrass Mary in front of anyone, so he decided to quietly call off the wedding.”

I think this is noteworthy. Have you ever come across people who will seek to advance their own righteousness by throwing others under the bus? I think we all have. Some will go the whole nine yards and seek to make themselves look good in the eyes of others by putting down in a critical manner another person. This is called blaming!

“Hey Joseph.”

“Yeah.”

“How comes you and Mary are not getting married?”

“We thought about it and felt that it was not the right timing.”

This is good! This is noble! This comes from a righteous man!

Too often what we will hear or be tempted ourselves to say something like this: “I wanted to marry her, but guess what? I found out that she had committed adultery!”

“What?”

“Yeah, she is five weeks pregnant and I am not the father! Boy it is a good thing that God is watching over me. Wait until Sunday comes so I can tell the church!”

In his article in “World Magazine” (July 22, 2006), Joel Belz described the following:

The sentence still jumps out at me from the middle of an editorial in The Wall Street Journal. It's been half a decade since I read it, but it was one of those electric expressions that you can't forget: "People want to be lightly governed," the writer said, "by strong governments."

That's what you've wanted since you were a small child. You wanted your dad to be big and strong and able to do anything you could think of—except that, when he dealt with you, it had to be with gentleness and tenderness. You wanted a policeman on the corner tough enough to handle any neighborhood bully, but who would also hoist you to his shoulders and help you find your parents when you got lost in the crowd.

Lots of muscle; lots of restraint. There's an innate yearning in almost all of us for that rare combination. When evil people rise up, we want a government with the clout to back them down. Yet we never want that clout turned on us.

In the final analysis, people want to be lightly governed by strong governments because that's how God governs. The omnipotent ruler of the universe is also the one who invites us tenderly: "Come unto me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

Joseph, as a righteous man was tough in his character, but gentle and wise in his treatment of Mary. You see, righteousness does not mean that you and I must throw others under the bus in order to parade our goodness. We can and should be righteously tough and strong in our character, while at the same time, gentle, loving and considerate of how we display such goodness to those whom God has brought into our lives.

Matthew 7:1 says, “Do not judge so that you will not be judged.” Jesus here is not forbidding judgment of any kind. His point is to show that some people judge from a self-righteous, condemning, and hypocritical stance. They point out splinters in the eyes of others not because they care but because they get some cheap thrill from faultfinding as if it makes them feel better about themselves. Some are so self-righteous that they are even blind to their own hypocrisy, being unable to see the log in their own eyes. Jesus is condemning self-righteousness, hypocrisy, and an inability to judge ourselves rightly, which we must do (1 Corinthians 11:29). In no way does Matthew 7:1 forbid discernment. In fact, later in Matthew 7 Christ explains that we can discern true believers from false ones based upon their fruit. Christ’s intention is not to forbid judgment that evaluates between right and wrong, moral and immoral. What Jesus is saying is to not usurp the place of God, Who alone can cast into hell (Luke 12:5).

Sometimes it seems that professing Christians enjoy the fact that others are going to hell. Rather than pray for a lost soul and love our enemies, we can find ourselves doing just the opposite. In such cases, we violate Matthew 7:1. Rather than condemn others, we should recognize that those who do wrong stand condemned already (John 3:18). God sees all, and He will judge sin righteously. Our job is to let God be God and to love and share the gospel with those whom we have discerned through righteous judgment to not be acting righteously.

This is the point of John 7:24 which says, “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.” Righteous judgment sees sin for what it is, and it is not afraid to point it out. But this judgment becomes unrighteous when it stems from “holier-than-thou” motives or when it seeks to condemn rather than restore.

Galatians 6:1a says, “Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness.” Righteous judgment recognizes that some are spiritual and some are not, being carnal and mired in sin. If someone who is spiritual finds a brother or sister in sin, they are to restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Clearly this requires discernment and an understanding of right and wrong. Yet it need not cross into unrighteous condemning judgment. A spirit of gentleness and being intentional about seeking restoration are essential to righteous judgment. When we see a fellow Christian sin, we need to confront the sin (after we have dealt with our own hearts) but humbly, graciously, and with an understanding that we are not above the potential to do the very same thing ourselves (Galatians 6:1b).

Unrighteous self-righteous judgment is ugly and repulsive to a world desperately in need of Christ. If Christ judged as these folks judge, He would have never come to earth and died for us. But He loved us even while we were yet sinners and died for us (Romans 5:8). The mentality and focus of the Christian ought to be to save sinners and restore believers, not to judge and condemn, though we definitely need to exercise discernment. When Christianity deteriorates into keeping records of wrongs and looking over one another’s shoulders in suspicion and even with a hope of catching another in sin, we have fallen far from Christ’s call.

In a day and age where judgment has been itself condemned, we need to judge righteously. There is a shortage of discernment in a time that demands more of it. There is a lack of love for the lost and our enemies at a time when we most need to demonstrate that central to the Christian gospel is not hate but love at all costs. Justice will be served come the return of Christ; we can rest assured in that fact. In the meantime, rather than condemning the world to hell when it stands condemned already, we need to unconditionally love those who love their sin, and we need to just as adamantly insist that their sin is offensive to God and deserving of hell.

"Can We Win the War on Terror?"