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AMERICA IN BIBLE PROPHECY

by Dr. R. L. Hymers, Jr.

A sermon preached at the Baptist Tabernacle of Los Angeles
Lord’s Day Evening, December 30, 2012


Last Friday night my wife prepared an excellent prime rib roast with all the trimmings for 31 of the leaders of our church. They came to our house to have dinner and watch “Christmas Eve at the Baptist Tabernacle,” a beautifully produced video made by Mr. Martin Olivacce. Unlike some cantankerous, rattle-brained, mutinous people we have known in past years, these leaders are both industrious and amiable – which are by-products of a real conversion and a Spirit-filled life. What a joy it is to be in a church led by these fine men and women! God bless you all!

After we had dinner Friday night Dr. Cagan reminded me of a Sherlock Holmes story I read many years ago titled, “The Adventure of Silver Blaze.” One of the characters said to Holmes, “Is there any other point to which you would wish to draw my attention?” Holmes said, “To the curious incident of the dog in the night-time.” The other man said, “The dog did nothing in the night-time.” Holmes replied, “That was the curious incident.” The fact that the dog had not barked was the clue that solved the mystery.

Often the absence of something is highly important. In the Sherlock Holmes story the person who entered the stable late at night had to be someone the dog knew. The mystery was solved by the absence of its bark; which brings us to America in Bible prophecy. Careful students of the prophetic Scriptures have long noticed the absence of the United States in end-time events. A few have made an unsuccessful attempt to identify America in a very obscure passage. But nearly all Bible students have, at one time or another, been surprised that the United States is not prominent in Bible prophecy. China is there. Europe is there. Russia is there. Italy is there. But where is America? It isn’t there! We are compelled to ask why it isn’t there.

I believe that it’s like the dog that did not bark in the Sherlock Holmes story. The fact that America does not appear is “the curious incident.” Until very recent times no answer for its absence was discernible. Only now, under President Obama, did a reason for its absence become plausible. But with our economic problems, and the breakdown of our society, it is now becoming clear that our nation is crumbling, and will soon pass off the world scene as a major power.

During the time of the prophet Jeremiah the nation of Judah descended into sin – until God judged it and it went into Babylonian Captivity. When we read Jeremiah’s description of God’s judgment on Judah, we can see a real parallel between that nation and the United States. Turn in your Bible to Jeremiah 5:28. Please stand as I read verses 28 to 31.

“They are waxen fat, they shine: yea, they overpass the deeds of the wicked: they judge not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, yet they prosper; and the right of the needy do they not judge. Shall I not visit for these things? saith the Lord: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this? A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land; The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?” (Jeremiah 5:28-31).

You may be seated. Dr. J. Vernon McGee gave these comments,

      The nation at that time had rejected God, but the people were still making a pretense of following Him. Such a people will find themselves rejected by God and by the world. America is following that same path. We are not loved by the world today. After World War II we were the pious people who were going to bring democracy to the world. What have we done? We have brought lawlessness into our own land. Do you think we should bring lawlessness into the trails of the jungle as we have into the streets of our cities? Is that the kind of civilization we are going to bring to people?
       We find ourselves despised by other nations. God said it would be that way. No people can pretend to be God-fearing, be hypocritical about it, and still expect the world to look up to them. God has ordered it that way. I know it is not popular to say this – Jeremiah wasn’t very popular in his day, either…But I must tell you honestly the message of [Jeremiah]: A people who turn away from God will find that God turns away from them…
       What is the big sin in our nation today? It is sexual sin, only we don’t call it that. We call it “the new morality.” But God still calls adultery sin…
       The entire nation was obsessed with covetousness. And covetousness is a great sin in America. There is the coveting of gold and silver, riches, fame, and the neighbor’s wife. Those are the things men covet…
       There was a reformation on the surface. There was a little healing, but it was like pouring talcum powder on a cancer and then saying it was healed. People are saying, “peace,” when there is no peace. And we hear a great deal about peace today, but I think that in reality we are getting ready for the final conflict…
       God says to the people of Judah, “You have rejected My law, and I will reject you and when I reject you, the men of the world are going to reject you also.” Interesting, isn’t it? It worked out that way in Jeremiah’s day, and it is working that way in our day. We have spent billions of dollars to buy friends throughout the world; yet we are not loved by the big, bad world because we have rejected God and God will reject us. This is a very solemn message, and we ought not to treat it lightly (J. Vernon McGee, Th.D., Thru the Bible, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1982, volume III, pp. 366-368; notes on Jeremiah, chapters 4 to 6).

I agree with Dr. McGee. This great Bible teacher said that God is rejecting America because of our rebellion against Him. He came to that conclusion while teaching the fifth chapter of Jeremiah. Now, in our text, the prophet Jeremiah focuses on two sins, (1) the fact that the people of Judah did not protect the fatherless, and (2) false prophecy by the religious leaders of Judah. In my view, these are two of the main things that are killing America in our time.

First, they did not judge the cause of the fatherless; that is, they did not protect the fatherless children and babies. Now notice what the prophet said,

“They are waxen fat, they shine: yea, they overpass the deeds of the wicked…”

“They are fat, they are sleek” in modern English. What a picture of most Americans today! We have more overweight people than any nation on earth! “They overpass the deeds of the wicked” – they also excel in deeds of wickedness. If there is a sin, the American people excel at it, whatever it is! Las Vegas calls itself “sin city.” When Chinese kids get here from the mainland, they take off for the “sin city” of Las Vegas, rather than coming to church. Right away, they copy the Americans by indulging in the very sins that are destroying our nation. My old Chinese pastor, Dr. Lin, used to say in his sermons, “Don’t be like the Americans! Don’t be like the Americans!” That is very good advice. I say it too – don’t be like the Americans! The stepfather of one of our girls heard me say in a sermon, “Don’t be like the Americans.” He was committing adultery and smoking marijuana. So he was naturally furious when he heard me say, “Don’t be like the Americans!” There was nothing wrong with me saying that! But there was something wrong with him! He got mad because there is something wrong with him – he is a sinful American! As President Truman used to say, “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.” Amen! Don’t be like those Americans!!!

And then the prophet said, “They judge not the cause, the cause of the fatherless.” What an indictment on the American Abortion Holocaust! Americans murder 1 1/4 million babies every year by this barbaric method! The people do not judge the cause of these unborn children. The judges in our courts do not “plead their cause.” No Hollywood actor stands up for these helpless infants. And I know of no pastor in America who does so regularly! Not one! What about the pro-life people? Why, they never do anything practical to stop the barbaric butchery! You see, it is not in the interest of the pro-life people to actually stop abortion! They earn big salaries from the donations they receive. If they actually stopped abortion, they would be out of a job! That’s the last thing in the world most of them want. They are parasites, making their salaries by pretending to try and stop abortion. Do not ever send one dime to these pro-life organizations – not one dime! They have had over thirty-nine years to stop abortion – and all they have done is raise money for themselves! Shame on them! Never send those crooked, so-called “pro-life” people any money. I think it angers God when we give money to that crowd of hypocrites! The only one that seems any good to me is Operation Rescue. That’s the only one we send money to! Don’t ever give the rest of them even a dime!

Remember, we are talking about one and a quarter million babies a year! America has now slaughtered 55 million of our own children! We have killed nearly nine times as many babies as Hitler killed Jews in the ovens of his concentration camps. Hitler didn’t get away with it, and neither will America! America is doomed, irreparably doomed – finished – just like Nazi Germany. We are now waiting for the axe to fall, and America to be judged and broken as a nation. Nothing can save us from the wrath of God now! Nothing! Too late to repent! Too late! Too late for II Chronicles 7:14 to do any good! Our country lies under the wrath of God, as did ancient Judah. It is only a matter of time now, before judgment falls, and America is destroyed by the God of the Bible!

Then, second, the prophets and preachers spoke falsely.

“A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land; The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?” (Jeremiah 5:30-31).

This was a second reason that God punished Judah by letting the nation fall to the Babylonian barbarians. The preachers told the people what they wanted to hear. Instead of preaching against sin and calling for people to repent, they gave soothing little talks that disturbed no one. Men like Rick Warren, Joel Osteen, and Benny Hinn fit this description in America today. One of the main reasons that America has become so sinful is because the pastors have “quit preaching and gone to teaching.” There is very little preaching against sin in the sermons of Rick Warren, Joel Osteen, Benny Hinn, and many others. Preachers are often too afraid of losing someone who attends their church to speak out against the sins of America. These are the false prophets of our time.

So, the fact that the dog didn’t bark is very significant. America is not mentioned in Bible prophecy, because America will soon be reduced to the level of a backwater Third World country by Mr. Obama, a rudderless House and Senate, and thousands of preachers that are really false prophets, because they only preach to make money, and do not tell the people what they need to hear about sin and salvation.

What should you do as America collapses and falls? First of all make sure you are saved. Don’t play with your soul! Get serious, very serious, about repenting and coming to Christ by faith. And be sure that you are in a Bible believing church every Sunday morning and every Sunday night. If the church doesn’t have a Sunday evening service it is not much good. You better look for one that does have a Sunday evening service. That’s the church to join! And be in prayer meeting each week as well. The Bible says, “The world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever” (I John 2:17).  Yes, as much as we love America, it will pass away perhaps sooner than we think.  Therefore let us put our hope in Christ.  His Kingdom is eternal!  “Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:20). Dr. Chan, please lead us in prayer.

(END OF SERMON)
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Scripture Read Before the Sermon by Mr. Kyu Dong Lee: Jeremiah 5:21-31.
Solo Sung Before the Sermon by Mr. Benjamin Kincaid Griffith:
“In Times Like These” (by Ruth Caye Jones, 1902-1972).