In Part One, I dealt with the fact that America not specifically appearing in the Bible does not mean anything—it does not guarantee our decline, and it does not mean the Rapture is close because we are having trouble. The Rapture can come in good times or bad, with Republicans in power or Democrats, when America is strong or weak. It might be tomorrow, but it has nothing to do with that. America WILL be judged, fall, and be turned to powder, as will ALL countries in the Tribulation.
We’re not there yet. It is natural to humanize nations because they are a “thing,” an entity. We think they can be saved, lost, repent, etc., like people. But only Israel is dealt with as a nation and will have a national salvation. Gentiles are individuals. But God did group those individuals into nations.
So how do we deal with America in the church age? How do we balance the nation, the individual, and what do we do? If the nation is doing bad things, are we helpless?
Nations have the government decisions, and the individuals have theirs. Individuals can repent of their bad decisions; governments can only change policy. A most important one is Israel. Does government policy bless and promote the peace of Jerusalem? Do individuals bless Israel and pray for the peace of Jerusalem? And if the government DOESN’T have the policy, the PEOPLE can still do their part and gain blessing. No one can stop you from doing that. So do all you can to pray for and influence policy, but DON’T NEGLECT YOUR OWN DUTIES.
While there are certain things that are only for saved people, there are also Biblical principles that are simply practical instructions and ways of justice. If even an atheist follows these principles and practices, things simply work better. If a large number of people, whether saved or not, even in an ungodly country, follow God’s ways, things go better for them. If those principles are followed by local, state, and national governments, the same result occurs. If you can get BOTH a government and a majority of the people doing this, it’s a best-case scenario.
We still live in a sin-cursed world, so there will always be trouble and tribulation, but one can get a potentially good situation that way. Thus, our first duty is to God, and we should follow those things.
As mentioned previously, even many atheists recognize the wisdom of those things and conduct themselves accordingly. But how about in the wider world? We know that judgment will ultimately come for the earth (Malachi 4), and this world is not our home; our citizenship is in heaven. But the house the Lord has provided for you is also not your permanent home. So do you leave the rain pouring through a hole in the roof in your child’s bedroom, telling the child, “Well, this isn’t our real home, and this very trouble is a sign that the Rapture is close. We need to accept it as an end-time sign. And you know we have our sins, and our home will be destroyed in the Tribulation anyway. This happened by the sovereign will of God.”
Of course, you’d never (let us hope!) do that. So why do you do that with your local, state, and federal God-provided home?
Of course, one can feel quite helpless, feeling political forces beyond our control. But in Sodom, only ten people repenting could have saved it. The GOVERNMENTS have abandoned the Godly principles they were founded on. But you can still study and firmly apply those principles yourself. Then, not only raise your children that way but homeschool or put them in schools that teach those. And if you have no choice but to send your children to public school, purchase a single-book homeschool curriculum that has fun exercises to be sure they actually learn. Especially get books on history that are accurate, and discuss them to combat the school. Superb books on combatting evolution lies, abortion lies, and history lies are out there.
And TALK TO YOUR CHILDREN ABOUT WHAT IS GOING ON IN SCHOOL. Ask them to tell you anything they either were specifically told not to tell their parents or knew they weren’t supposed to. You might get some ugly surprises.
And if you aren’t saved, GET SAVED (2 Corinthians 5:21, Romans chapter 10, Acts chapter 2) since trouble in your country is not even close to the worst you are facing. Then, start being Salt and Light.
Everything in life starts local and moves out. Show up at school board meetings and make your views known. Make your own tracts and leaflets (I’m at 8 so far), not only about salvation but combatting media lies. Ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom so that the media-correcting truths lead into a salvation message. Find tracts printed by others that do this, and as you are led by the Holy Spirit, spread them around. Consider publishing newsletters online, and also to hand out or leave places (careful of local laws, and NEVER leave anything in people’s mailboxes or on their cars).
With the Lord’s leadership, you can get very clever. But don’t let your lips be silent; tell the truth about what is going on, and more importantly, about salvation. Both your family and the local church can do so much. Organize and run people for local school boards, city councils, and county boards of supervisors.
Research before you vote, and make sure you vote. Form think tanks. Become police, firefighters, security guards. Send your children to trade schools rather than brainwashing colleges. And more importantly, seek the Lord as to what and how to pray, and hold prayer meetings in churches and homes.
Pray for salvation for the Left, the Communists, including the Chinese Communist Party and others the Lord puts on your heart. Pray for the Lord to show you how and what to rebuke in Jesus’ Name (don’t just go off halfcocked and start yelling at the devil). Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, and bless Israel with prayers and giving to various groups that go to Israel to bless it.
Live your faith. Clean up unbiblical actions. Organize to clean up trash and slum areas and clean up litter. Take food to the homeless. A good idea is to get a bulk lot of the little cardboard carryout containers like you get from Chinese restaurants. Cook at home or organize groups in church to cook good, nutritious vegetables and things to put in them. They are very portable, and you can go in groups. Add plastic utensils and ziplock freezer bags full of hygiene products and other such things (make different gender bags).
Witness to those you bless. Add tracts. And in ALL the foregoing, INVOLVE YOUR CHILDREN. They yearn to make a difference, and if you don’t provide a way, the corrupt school systems will. And you won’t like it a bit.
Our national hymns are also prayers for the nation in many cases. Sing them with your children, sing them at organization meetings, say the Pledge of Allegiance, and sing the national anthem in your homes. Show your children, family, and friends how it was a slow increase in applying Godly principles that eventually overcame racism, sexism, and other injustices in the country. Things can KEEP getting better if these continue to be applied.
And finally, for churches themselves, hold hour-long classes for all ages to correct lies out there. Dedicate a room for children of all ages to come and hang out together after school. Due to their spiritual content and teaching ability, I would strongly encourage the singing of the old hymns during services and a service that is not ‘entertainment.’ But who says the building can’t be used for that too in things other than the services? You can meet for a church dinner and then have a fun, exuberant praise and worship songfest complete with clapping and all. Have concerts with the more modern stuff. Have fun movie nights where everyone can watch Bible movies while munching popcorn. The kids will go to events one way or the other, but whose? Yours? Do they exist?
And if you’re doing all these things in your locale, and everyone else is too, then what happens to the area – first local, then state, then federal?
Everyone feels discouraged and helpless, but the fact is, you should have ALWAYS been doing these things, regardless of anything else going on. Nothing, not your faith, not your actions, not your witness—IF they were where they should have been—should change with some election. And if they aren’t where they should have been, get them there.
We are like the lepers at the city gates in the Bible —why sit we here until we die? You don’t have to sit there; there’s tons of stuff you can do, and much is easy to do. And when do you stop? The Rapture. Not until then.