There are many who believe that nations will not matter in the end times, that only individuals will receive their reward or judgment. There are many diverse teachings about prophecy and nationalism. We should all understand that we cannot stop the march of prophecy, but we can determine our place in it.
As individuals, we make up the nations. The nation we live in reflects the people, especially in the United States where we get to choose our leaders. While some are teaching that you can be a Christian or a patriot, that you must choose between one or the other, this is not necessarily scripturally accurate and can be a very dangerous end time strategy. It may not be either-or, but rather both-and. Choose wisely.
Nationalism and patriotism can be a bad thing or a good thing. History indicates, for example, that German nationalism led to the holocaust. Islamic nationalism, which is a combination of fascism, Marxism, and false religion, has a millennial-plus history of death, destruction, slave trade, human trafficking, drug trafficking, civil and human rights violations, and persecution of Christians and Jews that continues wherever it exists today.
In both examples, God’s people suffer at the hands of such nationalism. America, however, guarded against such persecution with a secular Constitution that enumerated the powers of government with limitations and allowed freedom of speech and religion.
The result was a nation that supported Christian evangelism, Christian ideals became a light for justice and freedom around the world. There can be no honest discussion about preaching the gospel to the uttermost part of the earth without mentioning America.
Even as this nation’s light grows dimmer with leadership that does not do right in the eyes of the Lord, America still sends more missionaries, more goodwill, more bibles, more comfort and Christian love than most other nations combined.
Yes, the darkness continues to war against this light, but let us not despise our nation for its faults, but rather pray and act to shine the light of Christ in all things, that our nation can be shown worthy, even through our deeds.
This is an important “both/and.” In Matthew 24 and 25 Jesus Christ explains what will happen in the end times. In Matthew 25:31-34, Christ says:
“When the Son of man shall come in his glory…And before him shall be gathered all the nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”
This is about both nations and individuals, and how they treat others, especially the brethren of Christ. For a nation whose people comfort the stranger, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, and feed the hungry inherit the kingdom. It’s good to be a patriotic sheep.