As we continue to look at signs of the End Times, our prayers calling for God to bless America should not waver. He has blessed America abundantly since its beginning. Something we should not take for granted but should be grateful for. The problems we are seeing today are the doings of our leadership’s policies and a large segment of our population ignoring God values in electing that leadership. 

Since its founding, America has been abundantly blessed by God. How easily we forget. Earlier generations have traditionally offered their “Thanksgiving" to God. Have we reached a time and generation, when we have forgotten “why” we give thanks or to “Whom”? To answer that, let’s go on to the next slide. 

The Pilgrims celebrated the first Thanksgiving in 1621. They came to America to escape religious persecution in Europe. They first separated from The Church of England and migrating to South Holland. From there they crossed the Atlantic on the Mayflower and landed in Plymouth, New England. Surviving their journey and the challenges of this new land, they gave thanks to Almighty God. Their sacrifices and faith laid a cornerstone that this Nation continued to build on, one of belief and faith that rested on the Lord. Just as God reminded the Israelites how He rescued them from Egypt to build their house and nation on the Lord Almighty. God also brought these early Christians to these shores. 

As Paul noted in his letter to the Romans, and as we see in the Old Testament, the Israelites were God’s Chosen People—yet they turned away from Him pursuing their own desires, for which there were consequences. There are always consequences when a nation turns from God. Anyone familiar with the Book of Revelation will be familiar with God’s wrath being poured out on a sinful, rebellious and evil world, called the time of Great Tribulation. 

On October 3, 1863, in the midst of a bloody Civil War—April 12,1861 to May 9, 1865—President Abraham Lincoln called for a day of national Thanksgiving for this Land, with a proclamation designating “the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving." Despite the War, he found hope and reason for giving thanks. 

Map shows the division of the continental United States during the Civil War. It’s believed that if the South’s succession had succeeded, there would have been no less than three separate countries in what now constitutes the United States of America. Most likely California would have also declared its independence as a separate nation. The free territories may have joined the Union or the Confederacy or have formed a separate nation. The border states, most likely, would have joined the Confederate States of America. God in His mercy and wisdom chose otherwise. God had a plan for the United States of America, as One Nation Under God.

Nearly a month and a half before Lincoln’s famed Gettysburg Address at the dedication of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery, as shown, he called upon the forgiveness of a higher power for the transgressions of the nation. The higher power of course, was Almighty God. 

Abraham Lincoln refused to accept a permanently divided America over the issue of Slavery. As previously noted, he issued a Proclamation calling for a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to Almighty God, as noted on the slide—fervently imploring the Almighty to heal our Land. Thankfully, by God’s grace, we were restored as One Nation Under God, one without slavery. 

America and Americans have a tradition of being "Thankful to God”. As I was listening to the radio on Thanksgiving eve, the question was raised, “Who are we thankful to?” In today’s culture, a decreasing percentage of adults identify as Christian, while religious ‘nones’ have grown. What about the next generation? To whom or for what will they be thankful? Will it just be about the turkey? 

We see another example of God’s sovereignty in Genesis and Exodus, where He uses man’s evil to accomplish His good. Joseph’s brothers, out of jealousy, sold Joseph into slavery in Egypt. But God used that evil to raise Joseph in Egypt. As such, he was able to rescue his brothers and his father Israel from famine. Jacob had been named Israel by an angel of God (Gen. 32:28), by which, and through whom, God laid the foundation for the Israelites. 

As we are told, a new Pharoah, who did not know Joseph, came to power (Gen. 1:8). In Ex 1:9-10 Pharoah said to his people, "Look, the Israelites have become much too numerous for us. 10 Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country." Yet, God will use Pharoah’s actions and Satan’s evil intent, to bring the Israelites back to the land He promised to Abraham and Isaac. Just as He used Hitler’s evil—the Holocaust—to bring the Jews back to the Promised Land after centuries of exile. It is no accident, but by the Providence of God, that in 1948 the land was officially declared the "State of Israel", with the recognition of the United States.  

God worked through Moses to liberate the Israelites. God works through His people to accomplish His plans as decreed. We are His people, and He will work through us individually or collectively as the world moves closer to the End Times. And the very future of our Nation will rest on us listening to and obeying His call. 

In the Book of Exodus, God directed Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egyptian bondage. But Pharoah refused to release them. His refusal had consequences. The Jewish Feast of Passover reflects when the angel of death passed over the Israelites’ homes and killed the first born of the Egyptians, an act that compelled a stubborn and defiant Pharoah to allow them to leave. 

Throughout the Old Testament, God worked miracles to save His people and demonstrate that He is God Almighty, including the parting of the Red Sea for their escape from Egypt. When Pharoah’s army pursued them, the sea closed over the Egyptians destroying Egypt’s might as well. 

In the Book of Judges, chapter 2, the Israelites are reminded how God brought them out of bondage in Egypt, to the land promised to Abraham and Isaac. Yet, they failed time and again to follow and worship only Him, even substituting false gods. God still had mercy on His people. May He also have mercy on us as a Nation and as His children. Will God do the same for the United States? Will He lead us, as a Nation and as a people once again, out of the current circumstance we find ourselves in? It is a time to pray for His help and guidance. 

As we are told in Exodus 12, the people of Israel were in bondage for 430 years. During that time, they grew in numbers sufficient to form a new nation. Perhaps something that could only have happened in Egypt, in the fertile land of Goshen, where God shielded them, their flocks and herds from famine, which was to continue for five more years (Gen. 45:10-11). 

The Map shows Israel during the time of Judges, when there was no king in Israel. Time and again they followed the ways of the pagan world surrounding them, even worshiping the false pagan gods.  Ultimately, God did show them mercy, but not without consequences for their sins and falling away. There will be consequences for falling away as we see on the next slide. 

In Judges 2, the angel of the LORD reminded the Israelites how God brought them out of bondage in Egypt, and to the land given to Abraham and Isaac (Gen. 35:12). Their disobedience had consequences, as we see in v.3. But God reassured them in that He would never break His covenant with them. Nevertheless, there were consequences for their disobedience and sinful choices. 

The Book of Judges ends with these words as noted on the slide. There is a great moral lesson for Israel and for us. Those words would not only reflect ancient Israel, but it’s the direction of our own Nation, today. As the Church, Christians need to pray for a reprieve from a potential approaching End Times. Pray also that the Holy Spirit may strengthen His Church to reflect the image of Jesus Christ. Pray for our Nation and that America may turn back to its roots as “One Nation Under God.” 

A brief view of the End Times. The Great Tribulation is the outpouring of God’s wrath on a sinful, rebellious world. Many think we are on the threshold of a rapidly approaching End Times and Tribulation. Yet we are cautioned by Jesus, not to establish dates as to when it will occur. Jesus tells us in Matt 24:36 "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." (NIV)

There will be a time of Tribulation, as we are told, such as the world has never seen before. We just don’t know when. Many, including myself, believe there will be signs of its coming, just “not when it will come”. Why would there be signs? To turn people back to God and encourage the Church to be steadfast in the faith and take appropriate actions to open people’s minds and hearts to the Gospel. 

A nation divided against itself cannot stand, as warned by Jesus in Luke 11, which should be a sufficient wakeup call for all Americans: Luke 11:17 Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them: "Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall…” (NIV). How should we, as the Church, respond? How should we as individual Christians respond? We will explore that in a future posting. 

What are today’s signs telling us? The Russia-Ukraine war? Rising energy prices? Empty supermarket shelves? America’s declining influence on the world stage? Anyone reading the Book of Revelation will know that there will be an End Times, a time of Great Tribulation as God’s wrath is poured out of a sinful, unrepentant, evil world. Will these signs eventually pass or increase in intensity? This is not a time of fear for Christians, but a time of repentance, revival and continued faith in the Lord. 

We as the Church need to pray for revival, beginning within the Church. We will pick up again with this theme on our next posting, including a look at the False Prophet and Antichrist. 

End of this Week's Posting