I recently read a short article written by Andrew Strom entitled Is Politics ruining Christianity.  I took grave exception to it, and I would like to explain why.  I have always wondered what was behind this view and attitude towards America.  Why was it just America that always appeared to get the brunt of such criticism and not South Africa, South America or perhaps China, Russia or Europe?  Are there not nationalistic Christians in all of these countries, so why are people so set against Americans in the USA who claim to be Christians and seek to keep their freedoms in the bill of rights and the constitution?

Let me recap in a few words the message I got from Andrew Strom, who is not a US citizen, but a citizen of New Zealand, this is what I took away from the article linked above.  I won’t exactly quote the article, you can read it if you want, but here is the message:

Christians in America are too nationalistic, this reminds me of the words of Barack Obama – “they cling to their guns and their bibles”.  Strom claims that Americans, not New Zealanders, rather than preaching the gospel are hollering angrily at the wicked over the constitution, gun rights, anti-abortion, anti-gay, anti-liberal, illegal immigration and anti-family measures that are propagated by the wicked people of this world.  He goes on to quote the scripture  “Our Kingdom is Not of This World”.  I take it that he is really saying – “rather than voting or other political activities, because that makes the wicked mad, Americans should instead preach the gospel”.  It sounds good, but is it?

First let’s talk a little about, not America, but the people of America.  I believe it is a mistake to speak of America as though America is a one entity that must be defined.  Israel of old was a nation and an entity that could be defined because God renamed a man “Israel”.  Jacob’s name was changed to “Israel” at the time of Jacob’s trouble as he wrestled with an angel, Jacob said to the angel, “I will not let you go until you bless me!”  So the nation of Israel was always tied to a man, a chosen and blessed man by God, so it could be said of Israel that they were literally the children of God, a holy nation a peculiar people.  While America was founded at the times of the Pilgrims, some of whom were fleeing Christian persecution, America was formerly founded through a political process that resulted in wars and the writing of the bill of rights and the constitution.  America is not a “Christian” nation, we are NOT a peculiar people, a holy nation as Israel of old was.

In the times of old when the natural nation of Israel were the people of God, they were a set apart people and because of that they had enemies.  These enemies were other nations with unique characters, these nations who were not set apart by God were there in contrast to Israel that WAS set apart by God.  In these times of old, God dealt with nations as persons, he dealt with nations as entities.  We can read the words of the prophets as God sent prophets to many nations to warn them of the calamity they faced for their wickedness, Jonah and Nineveh comes to mind.  In old times the Babylonians, the Assyrians, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Philistines, the Medes and the Persians, all these nations were of a certain character and God used them in contrast to and in dealing with, his people Israel, the apple of his eye.

GOD NO LONGER DEALS WITH NATIONS AS PEOPLE OR ENTITIES, GOD DEALS WITH INDIVIDUALS THAT LIVE IN THESE NATIONS and this will change only After the Israel of God becomes a nation again!  Isa. 66:8 – Rev. 12:1-2

This is why it is folly to call any nation Christian, God deals with persons.  America is NOT the Israel of God – no evidence for that at all, so in my prayers I don’t hope for God to save America, I hope for God to save his PEOPLE!  So then the question remains – where do God’s people live?  You know I am pretty sure that the vast majority or perhaps I should say many people that are the people of God still live in the USA, am I wrong?  We know that the scriptures say “Righteousness Exalts a nation and Wickedness brings it Down” – so note that America, while being brought very low, is still the best place in the world for a true child of God to live!  Am I wrong?

So the real question is – who’s purpose does it serve to destroy these United States of America?  Does it serve the purposes of God, or does it serve the purposes of Satan to destroy, still the best place on earth for the people of God to survive and in some cases thrive?

(1Ti 2:1-4) I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

Note that the above scriptures make it clear that the way and attitude of the Saints should be to pray for Kings and ALL MEN – that we might live a quiet, good, peaceable and honest life? It sure sounds like to me that God does want us to care about “politics”!

But what of the men who want to see America Destroyed?

I have watched over the years with horrified amazement as groups of people in our country have advocated for the destruction of it.  We now have a ruling class in this country that quite frankly, are anti-USAmerican.  Of course I know that these people have been promoted by our own wickedness, just as the scriptures say that wickedness would bring us down. (Pro. 14:34)  But I still would like to know whether the forces that want to destroy America are forces that benefit the cause of righteousness – “thy kingdom come and thy will be done” or are these forces desirous to destroy America because their aim is really at the poor who put their trust in the Lord?  Does the destruction of America serve the purposes of God or does it serve the purposes of Satan?

Do you know of any God fearing righteous groups that advocate the destruction of America?  Let me speak of a few over the last one hundred years:

1. Early on after the fascist in Europe were defeated by America, the number one group who has desired our destruction were the Communist.  Just ask yourself the question – did the Communist who killed millions of Christians – did they serve the purposes of God or Satan?  And BTW, get over it you propagandized conspiracy theorists, the Communist Killed John F. Kennedy – Lee Harvey Oswald pulled the trigger as an agent of the Communist!
2. The next group desirous of bring down America are related to the Communist, they are the sixties Beatles, sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll, these were all influenced by two main things, rebellion of the children of dead hypocritical Christianity and influenced by transformational Communist Marxism found in our University system and in the media.  The scriptures say “Rebellion is the sin of Witchcraft”, so do the forces of the sixties in our country, desirous to change or destroy America, do they serve the purposes of God and his kingdom, or do they serve the purposes of Satan and his kingdom?

These two groups are the bedrock for the destruction of America – that America who has said “In God we Trust”!

Again I ask the question – does the destruction of America serve the purposes of “Thy Kingdom Come and thy Will be done” or does it serve to secretly destroy the poor who put their trust in the Lord and make him their refuge?  And BTW – WHO ARE THE POOR?

(Psa 14:4-7) Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread, and call not upon the LORD. There were they in great fear: for God is in the generation of the righteous. Ye have shamed the counsel of the poor, because the LORD is his refuge. Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! when the LORD bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.

The truth is ALL of the poor make God their refuge – that’s who the poor is, “blessed are the poor in spirit” – tell that to all those Arminian teachers of the false social gospel!  The truth is WE ARE THE POOR!

Out of this bedrock of Communism and Witchcraft has grown many things, all aimed at the destruction of America. Let me name a few:

1. The entitlement class of people who have been convinced because of race, disease, addiction, class, disability or whatever, that they are entitled, so they put their trust in government to save them rather than God.(Isa 32:6-7) For the vile person will speak villany, and his heart will work iniquity, to practise hypocrisy, and to utter error against the LORD, to make empty the soul of the hungry, and he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail. The instruments also of the churl are evil: he deviseth wicked devices to destroy the poor with lying words, even when the needy speaketh right.
2. Conspiracy theories and the spreading of propaganda have diluted the separation between good and evil.  An example:  “911 was an inside job and since George Bush was President, he must have been in on it – see America is evil! And oh, you do know that he is a member of Skull and Bones and Nights of Malta and The Masonic Lodge and he bowed to the Pope”.  And yet none of them were present, none of them know the hearts or motives of any of these people, yet they know, because they have the internet and they did their research – of course they are right, America is evil!
3. Doctrines that make America into a thing, person or entity – false doctrines like “America is Babylon”, “America is Christian”, “America is Israel”, “America is … you name it”  America is simply the best place for real Christians to live and be at peace until the Lord returns, simple.
4. From all of these things arise false prophets, these false prophets always speak to America as a person, an entity, a thing, notice they are always calling America to Repent and speaking of the woes to America.  Let me say again, God is calling his people to repent, NOT America.  The only nation that is righteous, the ONLY nation that will ever all be saved is Israel when it becomes a nation, until then God deals with the salvation of persons, not nations.  Many a proud false prophets stand up to establish their vision of America, as though they themselves are called as a prophet to the nation of America, they are delusional, they see a vision of their own mind, so please remember this the next time you get another doom and gloom prophecy to the nation of America.

 

It should be noted that these things have grown and prospered because of dead, apostate, hypocritical Christianity and the only thing that can defeat these things is the coming of the Lord and Israel becoming a nation again.  It should also be noted that Andrew Strom’s vision of Revival does not cut it.  I have seen many videos of “on the street ministries” and for the most part I detect little grace from God, they are lacking fruit, they don’t produce the true children of the kingdom, and quite frankly I think most Christians would be better off if they shut their mouths, they are an embarrassment at best and in many cases, they aren’t helping but making things worse, their so called “preaching the gospel” is nothing like the NT Apostles!  We do NOT need to bring back the old wine skins of former revivals or awakenings, we need nothing less than the brightness of his coming and the gathering of the saints.

I certainly am not saying that there is nothing anyone can hope to do, every true saint should live by the grace of God and should do nothing in themselves.  As the scripture says in Daniel 11  “they that know the Lord their God shall be strong and do exploits and turn many to righteousness”.  However, these things don’t happen because we proclaim that everyone needs to stop praying for, or caring about politics, our governments, or rally for the destruction of America as the focus of all evil, or just go out on the streets and cry “turn or burn”, it’s by grace are we saved through faith it is a gift of God, not of ourselves lest any man should boast.

Andrew Strom claims we are making the wicked mad at us because of our politics.  No Andrew, I say rather we are making the wicked mad at us because we are hypocrites, we are not the salt of the earth, we hate each other.  Salt make life on earth better, even for wicked men, hollering at them on the street isn’t the answer, but being a real Christian and living by the grace and power of God in our lives.  As the scriptures say “the world will know that you are my disciples by your love one for another”.  I am not voting for a Christian candidate as though I think America is a Christian nation.  I do not look for a politician that can bring in a physical kingdom of God here on earth.  But let me tell you this, I haven’t diluted my mind with unproven conspiracy theories, I have separated myself from hypocrisy and all kinds of false teachings.  What I have done is sought the Lord for wisdom and knowledge that begins with the fear of God. I know the difference between good and evil, I know the difference between good men in a worldly sense and vile men who’s deeds and ways are full of death and destruction.  I am going to vote for good men and hope to see good.  I for one do not approve of the total destruction of America.

Abraham, a righteous man plead on behalf of Sodom and Gomorrah, if there were but ten righteous people, God would have spared them!  I would suggest that any American who truly trust in politics to save them rather than God, they aren’t saved to begin with.  However, I believe that the destruction of America does not serve the purposes of the Kingdom of God, in fact the preservation of America may serve that purpose, despite what these self-loathing false prophets say!  I will leave you with one last scripture, I have many, but for times sake, I will end this for now.

(Zec 1:17) Cry yet, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; My cities through prosperity shall yet be spread abroad; and the LORD shall yet comfort Zion, and shall yet choose Jerusalem.