Is The USA
In Biblical End Times Prophecy?
By
Rev. Paul J. Bern
By
now you all know or have heard and read the various arguments about
America's role in Biblical prophecy, both pro and con. There are
those who say the US isn't the Bible and many others who insist that
it is. These folks have included everyone from master theologians to
televangelists on the Christian TV channels to some pretty wild
conspiracy theories posted on You-tube and other websites. I see no
point in debating this or in blogging about it based on what has
already been disseminated. Instead, as I always do, I'm going
straight to the Word of God as my reference point. This is not about
dogma, denominational exclusivity, nor is it about any particular
version of the Bible being more “correct” than any or all others.
This is based on a lot of research, study, prayer and meditation
based on the Word of God, which surpasses the religious dogma of
mankind.
So
what will our starting point be? How can we make sense out of end
times prophesy considering all the angles and points of view being
discussed both within and outside of the Church? One good starting
point is found in the book of Isaiah, chapter ten, verses 1-4, as it
is written: “Woe
to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees,
to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from from
the oppressed of my people, making widows their prey and robbing the
fatherless. What will you do on the day of reckoning, when disaster
comes from afar? To whom will you run for help? Where will you leave
your riches? Nothing will remain but to cringe among the captives or
fall among the slain.”
Who
is it that makes unjust laws? Was this intended for groups of people,
or races, or entire nations? First of all, discriminatory laws are
based on all of the above. Laws that discriminate against people due
to their race, nationality, creed, gender, age, sexual orientation –
and especially for class and financial status – have no place in
any 21st
century society. Here in the US, we have or have had
institutionalized discrimination based on all of the above for as
long as I can remember, and I was born in the 1950's. During WWII,
America forcibly incarcerated several hundred thousand Japanese
Americans based solely on their race and ancestry. Then there were
the “Jim Crow” laws that openly oppressed all black Americans up
until the 1950's. As you know, there are significant vestiges against
our black brothers and sisters that continue to make themselves known
even as I write this. And let's not forget the genocide of Native
Americans that has been ongoing for the last two hundred years.
Another
form of discrimination still in force in modern times has been the
enormously wasteful war on drugs (if you smoke cannabis, even for
medical reasons, you're considered a criminal, but if you overdose on
pills that you purchased legally, it's usually ruled to be accidental
and it gets swept under the rug). As of 2014, 54% of all incarcerated
inmates at the state and federal levels are locked up for nonviolent
drug offenses – mainly simple possession cases – with well over
75% of these hapless individuals being people of color. Now there's
a classic case of discrimination based on race, ethnicity and class.
Last but not least, is the ticking time bomb of economic inequality.
When you have a situation where 99% of any given country's wealth
(not just America – but anyone) is in the hands of 1% of the
population, you have a recipe for class warfare and civil unrest
throughout the country. All of these things are the result of unjust
laws and oppressive decrees whose source is the US government. And it
is for this reason, among a few others, that America has been judged
by God and found to be wanting.
“What
will you do on the day of reckoning, when disaster comes from afar?”
What was Isaiah talking about? “Days of disaster” from “afar”
sounds a lot like a nuclear first strike or the battle of Armageddon.
This has nothing to do with domestic terrorism. This is worded to
look like anything from terrorism outside the US directed inward to a
full amphibious military assault on American soil by way of external
invasion. Before moving on, allow me to share another quote from the
prophet Isaiah: “Come
near, you nations, and listen; pay attention, you peoples! Let the
earth hear, and all that is within it, the world, and all the nations
that come out of it! The Lord is angry with all nations; his wrath is
upon all their armies. He will totally destroy them, he will give
them over to slaughter. Their slain will be thrown out, their dead
bodies will send up a stench; the mountains will be soaked with their
blood (Isaiah chapter 34, verses 1-3, NIV).
How does this read to you? I see the total obliteration of all the
armies of the world, and the US will not escape unharmed – not by a
long shot. God is sick and tired of all the countless centuries of
fighting amongst mankind. He has had more than enough of those who
are murderers, robbers, kidnappers, extortionists and rapists within
the civilian population (not counting the military). God is enraged
with the world's armies who kill and pillage their neighbors and
other counties due to extreme covetousness on the part of all the
governments and multinational corporations who forcefully put their
profit margins ahead of the people they claim to be serving. So, God
is going to wipe out all the world's armed services in one swift
stroke, and what a horrible day that will be! God wins, and everybody
who stands against him will lose, beginning with those for whom
fighting has become a way to make a living.
Now
that I have shared some quotes from the Old Testament, I will move on
to the New Testament. As I do this, let me mention some related facts
with regard to Bible prophecy. There are numerous examples of
prophecy throughout the Bible that have to do with the end times that
we are currently living in. In the overwhelming majority of these
instances, these prophecies have to do with the fate of the nation of
Israel, God's holy land. Much has been said about the fact that the
United States doesn't seem to fit into Biblical prophecy, and that it
is barely mentioned at all. By and large this is very true. But there
is one place in the Bible where America is not only mentioned, but
her fate is spelled out in stark and frightening detail. For that, we
need to go all the way to the last book in the Bible, the book of
Revelation, where we will focus the remainder of this commentary on
chapter 18.
“Fallen!
Fallen is Babylon the Great! She has become a home for demons, and a
haunt for every evil spirit, a haunt for every unclean and detestable
bird. For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her
adulteries. The kings of the earth have committed adultery with her,
and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries.
Then I heard another voice from heaven say, 'Come out of her, O my
people, so that you may not share in her sins, so that you will not
receive her plagues; for her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has
remembered her crimes. Give back to her as she has given; pay her
back double for what she has done. Mix her a double portion of her
own cup. Give her as much torture and grief as the glory and luxury
she gave herself. In her heart she boasts, 'I sit as a queen, I am
not a widow, and I will never mourn'. Therefore in one day her
plagues will overtake her :
death,
mourning and famine. She will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the
Lord God who judges her. When the kings of the earth who committed
adultery with her and shared her luxury see the smoke of her burning,
they will weep and mourn over her. Terrified at her torment, they
will stand far off and cry, 'Woe! Woe, O great city, O Babylon, city
of power! In one hour your doom has come!'” (Revelation 18, verses
2-10, NIV)
What
is Babylon the Great? Is this a person, a place or a thing? It has
been taught in the past that this is a reference to the Babylonian
Empire that conquered the nation of Israel and carried her into
captivity around 880 BC. There is a famous quote from Iraq's
now-deceased dictator Saddam Hussein that he was going to resurrect
this ancient empire and make it into a world power as in days of old.
As you all know, this didn't quite work out as Saddam Hussein had
planned. So we can discount that possibility by process of
elimination. Others have taught erroneously that this was symbolism
for the Greek Empire of Alexander the Great, or for the Roman Empire,
Napoleon's France or Hitler's Germany. But when we compare these
possibilities to the ancient prophets such as Jeremiah, Daniel,
Zachariah, or Joel – to name a few – Babylon the Great as
foretold in Revelation simply doesn't match up with those passages of
Scripture. So we conclude that this prophecy has yet to be fulfilled,
and that horrific future will become the present much sooner rather
than later based on Scripture. Since Babylon the Great is a world
power based on what we have just read, that leaves only one
possibility. What global powerhouse, both financial and military,
fits this description? None other than the USA.
Let's
examine this more closely, starting with verse two. “Fallen!
Fallen is Babylon the Great! She has become a home for demons, and a
haunt for every evil spirit ... For all the nations have drunk the
maddening wine of her adulteries.”
Has the US become a home for demons and evil spirits? We only need to
look at today's news for the answer. There are mass shootings (and
stabbings such as what just occurred this past week) in our nation's
schools, at military bases, and out in the streets. Mayhem is running
rampant and it continues to get ever worse. America is descending
into a battlefield populated by murderers, armed robbers, rapists and
thieves. People of all ages are being kidnapped or they disappear
every time you turn around or look up. Sometimes their bodies are
found, and it gets chalked up as a murder. Other times, and
especially concerning our children, people disappear never to be seen
or heard from again. This is usually because they are either
kidnapped and sold on the black market by human traffickers, or
because they are being sacrificed in satanic rituals that are nothing
short of revolting. So we can now see clearly that the phrase “home
for demons” is very accurate indeed. What is “the maddening wine
of her adulteries”? This is far more than mere substance abuse or
addiction, although those things do play a part. I think this
represents all the espionage, cloak-and-dagger black operations, and
political and military maneuvering behind the scenes both at home and
abroad. From the Kennedy assassinations to Rev. Dr. King's brutal
murder, from the wars in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan to incidents
of domestic terrorism such as Waco Texas, Ruby Ridge Idaho, Oklahoma
City and the 9/11 attacks, America's “leadership” has been behind
them all to one extent or another (they're called “false flag
operations”). So as we translate this into 21st
century English, the US government has been fooling around behind the
scenes for decades as they engage in espionage in nearly every
country in the world, playing both sides of the fence, pitting one
opponent against another, and most recently by drone warfare.
“Come
out of her, O my people, so that you may not share in her sins, so
that you will not receive her plagues; for her sins are piled up to
heaven, and God has remembered her crimes.”
There are at least two different explanations I have read about for
this verse. The benign explanation comes from the apostle John's
first book (among other examples) that says we are to be “in the
world but not of it”. I suppose my own life could be an example of
sorts, or at least to a certain extent. I live in a high-crime area
for economic reasons that would take too long to explain, but no one
will ever see me out in the streets doing anything like that –
ever! There are still others, some Christian and some not, who have
taken this passage literally by obtaining a passport and leaving the
US for countries where the cost of living is lower (which is nearly
everywhere else). Once they have established themselves, they
renounce their American citizenship. Also, the “crimes” mentioned
in this passage are everything I described above, and I regret to
inform you all that my country, the United States, is guilty of all
the above, and there are times when I feel ashamed about America. Not
its people – just those in charge.
“Mix
her a double portion of her own cup. Give her as much torture and
grief as the glory and luxury she gave herself.”
Evidently the US will get all their bad karma thrown back in her
face, meaning that things within US borders will become as bad or
worse than the most corrupt 3rd
world nation anyone can think of. Pandemonium will reign supreme
across America's landscape, and only those who put their complete
trust in God and his only Son will escape unharmed. “Therefore
in one day her plagues will overtake her … She will be consumed by
fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her. When the kings of
the earth who committed adultery with her and shared her luxury see
the smoke of her burning, they will weep and mourn over her.
Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off and cry, 'Woe! Woe,
O great city, O Babylon, city of power! In one hour your doom has
come!'”
What does it mean when it mentions “her plagues”? Some say it
will be epidemics of various kinds, and I believe this is at least
partially true, but I also think there is more to it than that. It is
a little-known fact that America has the world's largest stockpile of
germ warfare weaponry. The ongoing civil war in Syria is just one
example. By now nearly everyone has seen the international news
broadcasts about the Syrian people who were killed by chemical
weapons of mass destruction. If you believe everything you see on the
news – and who does anymore – you were force-fed false
information that it was the Syrian government who launched these
weapons after their own people. It wasn't until days later that it
was determined that opposition rebels were the ones who may have used
those weapons against their own people. Where did these Syrian rebels
get these weapons? They most definitely didn't have the resources to
go out and buy such awful weapons. That leaves only one other
possibility – none other than the United States. Our own country
supplied the rebels for these WMD's, and they had the CIA's
fingerprints all over them. Now that's what I mean by a false flag
attack! But, it's the last verse of this passage of Scripture that
sends chills up and down my back: “In
one hour your doom has come!'”
This is not a typo, people. When America falls, it will happen quite
literally in one hour, like turning off an electric light. There is
more to back this up further down in this same chapter of Revelation,
so let's begin to conclude this Spiritual fact-finding mission by
taking up where we left off at verse 11.
“The
merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one
buys their cargoes anymore – cargoes of gold, silver, precious
stones and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth; every
sort of citron wood, and articles of every kind, costly wood, bronze,
iron and marble; cargoes of cinnamon, spice, of incense, myrrh and
frankincense, of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat; cattle
and sheep, horses and carriages; and the bodies and souls of men …
Every sea captain, and all who travel by ship, the sailors, and all
those who earn their living from the sea, will stand far off. When
they see the smoke of her burning, they will exclaim, 'Was there ever
a city like this great city?' They will throw dust on their heads,
and with weeping and mourning cry out: 'Woe! Woe, O great city, where
all who had ships on the sea became rich through her wealth! In one
hour she has been brought to ruin! Rejoice over her, O heaven!
Rejoice, saints and apostles and prophets! God has judged her for the
way she treated you'. Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder the
size of a large millstone and threw it into the sea, and said: 'With
such violence the great city of Babylon will be thrown down, never to
be found again. The music of harpists and musicians, flute players
and trumpeters, will never be heard in you again. No workman of any
trade will ever be found in you again. The sound of a millstone will
never be heard in you again. The light of a lamp will never shine in
you again. The voice of bridegroom and bride will never be heard in
you again. Your merchants were the world's great men. By your magic
spell all the nations were led astray. In her was found the blood of
prophets and of the saints, and of all who had been killed on the
earth.'” (Rev. 8, verses 11-13, verses 17-24, NIV)
“The
merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one
buys their cargoes anymore... “. I
could end this commentary right about here and simply say that this
is a prediction and a prophecy regarding America for the near future,
but that's only part of the explanation. As I write this, the US
still has the world's largest economy, but it will remain so only up
to about 2016, which will be the year that Red China's economy will
overtake and surpass that of the US. At that point, the US dollar
will no longer be able to maintain its position as the world's
reserve currency of choice, and the dollar will either have to be
devalued or it will suffer a total crash – the likes of which no
one has ever seen before (it will make the Great Depression of the
1930's look like child's play). This is the first two and the most
palatable options for what will happen to the US economy in the next
2 to 3 years. But what if it's not just the US that goes belly up?
That leads me to the second possible conclusion, which would be a
total collapse of Capitalism as an economic system. This would make
the above passage of Scripture from Revelation something to be taken
symbolically rather than literally. “Every
sea captain, and all who travel by ship, the sailors, and all those
who earn their living from the sea, will stand far off. When they see
the smoke of her burning, they will exclaim, 'Was there ever a city
like this great city?' They will throw dust on their heads, and with
weeping and mourning cry out: 'Woe! Woe, O great city, where all who
had ships on the sea became rich through her wealth! In one hour she
has been brought to ruin! Rejoice over her, O heaven! Rejoice, saints
and apostles and prophets! God has judged her for the way she treated
you'.”
“The great city” could very well be New York City or Washington,
DC. Then again, this could be symbolism for an economic system and
not just one country – a truly terrifying possibility. Either
scenario would create unimaginable chaos across our land as well as
the other Capitalist countries in Western Europe and Asia, and let's
not forget Australia while we're at it. But check out what John wrote
further down: “Woe,
O great city, where all who had ships on the sea became rich through
her wealth! In one hour she has been brought to ruin!”
There it is again; the prediction that the US will not only fall, but
that she will never rise again, and it will all be over with in just
one hour. Of course, there will be some who dismiss this commentary
straight out of hand, and they will say, “Who does Pastor Bern
think he is? Why, he never even graduated from a seminary!” I will
only respond that I have taken this straight out of the Scriptures.
My word may be refutable to some, but the Word of God is irrefutable!
Be careful that these dire predictions don't fall from out of the
blue and hit you right in the head. There is no substitute for God's
Word, so there can be no argument about that.
“Rejoice
over her, O heaven! Rejoice, saints and apostles and prophets! God
has judged her for the way she treated you'.”
This implies that there will be religious persecution of Christians
in America, something that has previously never happened up until
now. This is not a drill, this is the real deal. There is one last
prophecy that needs to be mentioned here, and it reads as follows:
“Then
a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a large millstone and
threw it into the sea, and said: 'With such violence the great city
of Babylon will be thrown down, never to be found again.”
This can only be explained as a meteor or comet strike upon the
earth. There is nothing else that fits this description. So, insofar
as this is possible, it must be taken very seriously. Otherwise, like
Babylon the Great, America will be obliterated. So there you have it:
the United States is in Bible prophecy all right, but not in the way
the majority of churches and denominations are anticipating –
nowhere near, in point of fact. The time for all of us to get ready
for these events – and they will occur, it's only a question of
when – is today, while we still have time and while we still have a
choice. So until next week at this same time, keep a close eye on
current events globally, particularly in the US and Israel, keep on
studying your Bible, and continue to look upward for any sign of our
Lord's return. Shalom!
