Being an avid prophecy reader, I realize that there are millions of mixed messages among a lot of prophetic teachers. Each one describing why their ideas are the ones we should listen to. It is usually confusing as we strain to understand prophecies and end-time events. I think this is often the reason that these topics are not often discussed in most church settings or between some Christians. There is a fear of getting it wrong because of the complexity of the subject and mostly just being fearful of unknown future events.

Matthew 2:1

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”

My purpose of this article is not one of prophecy or prediction, but one of analysis and comparison. I believe the Bible, written over 2000 years ago is The Living Word of a Holy God. I believe it holds in its pages truth and answers for our age and for our nation.  Because we all come to the Bible with our own bias, we sometimes only understand a small portion of the message God has for us. To illustrate my point, the nation of Israel, was very religious in the time leading up to the birth of Jesus Christ, the Messiah. There were religious leaders, Pharisees, Sadducees, and many kinds of religious sects, all studying and learning the scriptures. It was a very large part of their culture. Yet, at the time of Jesus’ birth, very few knew it had happened or was happening, except those that were told directly by angels. The only people spoken of in the Bible who were aware of Jesus’ birth were Magi (wise men) from the east.  Not the religious “church goers” in Israel, but Persians from a far land who understood and kept a watch on God’s creation and understood heavenly signs.

Deuteronomy 11:16

Be careful, or you will be enticed to turn away and worship other gods and bow down to them. Then the Lord’s anger will burn against you…

I am concerned that in America we also, are living in such a time.  We “Christians” have become so caught up in being religious that we fail to understand or we just ignore the facts of the age we live in. After centuries of sometimes misleading paths, we have missed some of the trails that lead to being “wise” enough to understand our time. To illustrate my point, we all tell ourselves and want to believe that America is a Christian nation. Yet, if we look around our nation, where are the Christian symbols? Is there a cross in New York Harbor proclaiming to the world our belief in Jesus Christ as the one true Savior of mankind or is there a statue of a mythological deity? How, or what part of the Washington monument, represents Christianity? If we were to take a tour of the Capital, are there any great murals or scenes inside showing an empty tomb, or giving witness to the power of a resurrected Christ? There are Bible verses here and there on some of the buildings, but can we quote them? Are we taught in our education system the value of their meaning?

Exodus 34:13

Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones and cut down their Asherah poles. Do not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.

Even if all of our founding fathers were great men of the faith, if we take a realistic inventory, we would have to admit that faith has been thwarted. As a country, we have worshipped our own accomplishments rather than God. We have erected and worshipped idols, all the while calling them “American”. Because of God’s blessings we are, and have been, one of the greatest nations the world has ever known, yet our symbols and our pride does not reflect that true source. Our pride is in the strength of our own hands and our faith is in our technology. If we lose our bias and take notice of our national monuments we will realize that they are replicas of idol gods and symbols that the Bible names as abominations, because they represented heathen gods and religions that caused Israel to sin.

1 Corinthians 10:11

These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come.

King Nebuchadnezzar was one of the main figures of the first few chapters of Daniel. He was the King of Babylon when Jerusalem was seized and Israel was taken into captivity. King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream described in the fourth chapter about a tree.  The tree was so tall that it could be seen all over the earth.  It produced good fruit and all the animals found refuge in its shade and the birds nested in its limbs. In the dream, an angel came and chopped the tree down, leaving only a stump. The stump had dew on it until seven seasons went by (seven years). Daniel was called in to interpret the dream. Daniel told King Nebuchadnezzar that the tree represented him and his kingdom and, because he did not recognize the God of heaven as his source and strength, he would be taken out of power for seven years and live like an animal. Daniel told him that after the seventh year he would be restored and would recognize the one true God who gave him his strength.

Genesis 3:9

But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”

He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”

Because of man’s sinful nature, we are all inclined to hide from God and His Word. We always look at how it applies to someone elses life. Seldom do we take time to look in the mirror and apply it to our own life. I think our bias blinds us from seeing our nation as God sees it. America, just like King Nebuchadnezzar started out with greatness, but in similarities, America has forgotten the source of what made it great. America has lost its soul, and has set up idols and now bows to the gods of greed and immorality. Sin never stops, it continues to gets worse and without repentance, the nation is going down the path to perdition.

Daniel 4:30

The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty. The words were still on his lips when a voice came from heaven, “This is what is decreed for you, King Nebuchadnezzar: Your royal authority has been taken from you…

Nebuchadnezzar, at the height of his pride, was brought down. He had a very humbling experience in that for seven years he walked on all fours and ate grass like an animal. I think in the times we live that the question about America is not if, but when, will America be humbled? I am not advocating this as a prophecy, nor that the story of King Nebuchadnezzar was placed in the Bible for just these circumstances but I am suggesting this: because of America’s pride and the refusal to recognize where the source of its strength comes from, we are on a path to collapse. Our leaders continue to plot and plan everyday with no thought of God, creating laws and programs that destroy the family while promoting a sinful lifestyle.

Daniel 4:37

Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.

After seven years of living like an animal, Nebuchadnezzar came to his senses, realizing who was in control and who was the true source of his greatness. Because of God’s grace, Nebuchadnezzar was not destroyed, but was brought back to reality. When and how America’s humbling experience will come is in God’s hands but every year our nation and society take on more animalistic features in our foolish search of a nation without God.

Romans 1:22

Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.