RECAP OF PREVIOUS BLOG
My last blog titled "The Spiritual Connection Between America And Israel", revealed some startling mysteries about ancient leaders whose lives provide a template that is followed by modern leaders. I started by showing, from the Bible, that the life of Jacob was like a mirror reflection of the life of Moses. I developed this further to show how Joseph, in Genesis is in fact a picture or type of Jesus Christ. This is called typology. And a type is a person, event or thing designed to represent another. I further demonstrated that the life of an individual can prophetically tell us what the future of an entire nation will be like. A typical example of this was Abraham and Israel. I was setting up the tone to illustrate the idea that nations can also be types of other nations. I then explained with examples why I believe that spiritually speaking, America was ordained by God to be a modern day Israel. Please read the previous blog if you missed it.
IS AMERICA BEING JUDGED BY GOD?
In a world in which humility and teachability are scarce commodities, where preferences trump truth, not many Christians like to be rebuked or corrected. It is no surprise then that many Christians in the western church get offended when they're told that they are being judged by God. Our culture balks at the notion of judgement. It is a term that is perceived negatively. For many, it conjures up doom. Finality. Punishment. Like after judgement there’s no comeback. Yet it can also mean; correction or disciplinary or remedial action taken on the basis of love rather than retribution or indignation.
Lets look up the definition of the word judgement:
'the passing of a ruling or a sentence, or a verdict;
a misfortune or calamity viewed as a divine punishment;
a condemnation;
a punishment'
I would choose to go with definition 2 as it matches with the context of my discussion. How can we tell with certainty that America has been under judgement from the time of 9/11 to the present? Well, before I can show you the biblical model that underscores this, let me answer an objection that many throw at me or any person who dares speak about judgement in the dispensation of grace.
God’s judgement on America is no different to the judgement that Jonah was subjected to when he was swallowed by a fish. The judgement was actually two-pronged. It offered him protection from the ocean while at the same time giving him pause to reflect, repent and realign with God’s instruction. Today, America has an opportunity to turn back to God and make right with Him by repenting and obeying many of the forbidden principles that have been violated.
Hebrews 12 v 6; ”My dear child, don’t shrug off God’s discipline, but don’t be crushed by it either. It’s the child he loves that he disciplines; the child he embraces, he also corrects.”
Hence I want to speak to that. But, on second thoughts, may I ask you to please be patient. I will give time a little later to explain why judgement DOES in fact have a role to play in the era of grace. I intend showing my readers scripturally, that God does judge nations/people in this era of grace.
In my previous blog, I explained and showed from a biblical perspective that America was established by God to be a modern day Israel. Please go back to the blog and refresh your memory so that there may be continuity as I develop this particular story further and explain what judgement looks like in God’s eyes for a nation going down the road of apostasy.
When it comes to judgement there are a number of elements to look at but three are key. The bible talks about the following when discussing about ancient cities. Gates, Walls and Towers. I shall speak of each in turn. After I’ve dealt with those three, I shall then move on to Foundations as I believe nothing of value can ever exist without a foundation. So let me dive right in and show how in times of antiquity, particularly in the Greco Roman world, cities were protected by means of walls and gates.
GATES
The Gate was a portal to the rest of the world. A means by which those who dwelt in the city could gain access out of and into it. Visitors came in and out of the city through the gate. Commerce and trade were conducted at the gate. Markets thrived at the gate. The bible also tells us that at the gate, the elders of the city sat and tried cases, decisions were made and verdicts passed. See Ruth 1 v 1-11; Proverbs 31 v 23
As a consequence of this, the gate epitomized a nation’s wealth, its economic prowess and its greatness. Over and above that, the gate was an extension of the wall. It protected the inhabitants of the city. Think with me now, even in our modern era, the mark of opulence and abundant riches is reflected by the type of gate a property has. As it was in ancient times, so it is today. The gates of ancient cities were made of and adorned with expensive metals like pure gold, silver and other precious metals. They were decorated with symbols of power and wealth.
Now let’s look at what happens to a nation that once knew God, abandoned Him and is now under his judgement.
Deuteronomy 28 v 49 “therefore you shall serve your enemies, whom the Lord shall send against you…The Lord will bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flies, a nation whose language you will not understand, a nation of fierce countenance, which does not respect the elderly nor show favor to the young. They shall besiege you at all your gates until your high and fortified walls, in which you trust, come down throughout all your land; and they shall besiege you at all your gates throughout all your land which the Lord your God has given you”.
Ezekiel 21 v 15 “I have set the point of the sword against all their gates that the heart may melt and many may stumble”
Lamentations 2 v 9 “Her gates have sunk into the ground; He has destroyed and broken her bars”.
But the retort to all that I’ve said above would be but this is talking about Israel it can’t possibly apply to America because there are no gates to modern cities are they? And the answer to that is, not in the same sense that we understood gates in the past. Today’s gate is not literal. Manhattan Island, New York Harbor, The Hudson River and New York City are THE GATES OF AMERICA. New York City has been and I suppose always will be referred to as the gateway to America. As I mentioned earlier, the gate in ancient times was the place of markets – of buying and selling, it was the place where trading took place. Today of course the focal point of markets, the largest stock exchange in America is the New York Stock Exchange. So no one can deny that New York City stands as the embodiment of America’s strength, wealth and greatness. It is a well-known fact that Ellis Island, in New York Harbor, was the entrance point, the gate through which millions of foreigners entered America.
Now that we have established that New York is the modern day version of ancient Israel’s gate, let us go back to the verses of scripture above and carefully analyze to what extent each of those “prophetic words” were fulfilled on September 11, 2001. My purpose for sifting through each verse is to reveal to you what happens to a state when it rejects God and He brings judgment upon that land.
Deuteronomy 28 v 49… The Lord will bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flies, a nation whose language you will not understand.
On 9/11, the planes that flew into the twin towers were flown by terrorists who came from the Middle-east. They spoke a Semitic language, not understood in America. Moses (the writer of Deuteronomy) spoke of the enemy coming as swiftly as eagles fly – on 9/11, America’s enemy literally flew planes swiftly into the heart of America’s gateway, New York City.
“They shall besiege you at all your gates”
But where exactly did the terrorists hit? They hit Lower Manhattan which more precisely describes America’s gate. And to be even more accurate, they attacked the edge of lower Manhattan which overlooks the river which is THE GATEWAY.
“…a nation of fierce countenance, which does not respect the elderly nor show favor to the young.”
On 9/11, in one of the most harrowing experiences of onlookers and witnesses to the attack, a pregnant woman was seen throwing herself from one of the twin towers in an attempt to escape the inferno that came after the plane exploded due to the impact of the crash. Both young and old were killed in the attack as the prophetic word had predicted.
Ezekiel 21 v 15 “I have set the point of the sword against all their gates, that the heart may melt and many may stumble”
And so the gate of America became a place of mourning, wailing and distress after the Nation’s portal became the entrance point through which judgment began. And by the way, it is significant to point out that the terrorists knew none of these prophecies that I have referred to above. They just carried out instructions. I do not believe any of them including the brains behind 9/11, Osama Bin Laden himself, would have read the Christian bible to understand how the principles of judgment work. Many if not all of the attackers on 9/11 were Muslims whose holy book is the Qur’an not the Hebrew bible. Even so, assuming for a moment that they were all Christians, they still would not have known about all these things because it takes revelation from the Holy Spirit to find these principles in the bible and requires time and dedication to then put these elements together. How many Christian Prophets or Pastors let alone ordinary Christians knew any of these things before reading this article? I don’t doubt that there are those who may have received this revelation but I am certain they can’t be many. If there were many wouldn’t millions of people have known about it by now.
THE TOWERS
Now let’s look at another sign that shows us that a nation is under God’s judgement. Before we get there, it is necessary to explain what happens when a country becomes wealthy and successful. How do empires demonstrate the level of success they have reached economically, politically and or militarily? Flavius Josephus, the Jewish-Roman historian wrote that the first city on earth was built by Nimrod and it was the latter also who built the Tower of Babel.
Genesis 11 v 4 And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves.”
In the above example the people were united by one language yet they were many. Whatever they desired to do, because there was unity among them, they could do. But the intention and motivation was wrong. There was selfishness and pride in wanting to achieve this feat of building a tower for their own glory and not for the glory of God. When nations become powerful and prosperous economically and otherwise they build towers as monuments to their greatness. As kings and kingdoms rose to unprecedented levels of power so rose the towers that symbolized the magnitude of their achievements. The Egyptians constructed pyramids at a time when Egypt was a world power. And as it was in the ancient past, so it is in our modern era. It is no surprise that when America attained economic prowess, its successes were paralleled only by the rise of its towers; today we call them skyscrapers. Think of the Twin Towers of The World Trade Centre, The Empire State Building and The Statue of Liberty. These edifices are the embodiment of the American Dream, they stand as testament to the heights of prosperity that their civilization has risen to. But you see, to seek greatness and power outside of God and in defiance of His will, is pride. In recent years Dubai, has intensified its efforts to compete in the area of building numerous imposing structures. Part of the United Arab Emirates, Dubai has sought to erect not just the tallest towers in the world, but also the most awe inspiring. This is the way that human beings showcase their glory and power.
Evidently, the towers of nations become the epitome of their pride and arrogance. Now we must ask, what does the bible say will happen to these monuments of success when the civilization that built them forgets God.
Isaiah 2 v 12: For the day of the Lord of hosts Shall come upon everything proud and lofty, Upon everything lifted up— And it shall be brought low—
Thus, on the day that God judges those who are defiant and arrogant, they shall be humbled and humiliated and their towers will be levelled to the ground.
Ezekiel 16 v39 I will also give you into their hand, and they shall throw down your shrines and break down your [high places].
On 9/11, America was in the hands of its enemies and her twin towers (high places) were broken down and brought to the ground. When the high towers fall to the earth, a nation’s judgement will have begun.
So why was the gate attacked? Because the gate happens to be the most vulnerable part of the wall. Thus, in order to reinforce the strength of the gate, they built a tower on either side of the gate. That is why they erected twin towers at the gate. Therefore the gate will be the place of the towers. In America, the gate is New York City – which is the place where the high towers were built. The attack on American soil, the onslaught on the high places was not the end but the beginning of judgment. It was a warning. America was founded for God’s purposes which is why it became the most powerful nation in the world. They say when America sneezes, the entire world catches a cold. Inversely, when America is blessed there is a snowballing effect on the world at large. That is not a coincidence. When America turns its back on God, its towers and a whole lot more will be lowered to the ground. At the beginning of this blog I mentioned that there are three key elements that reflect whether or not a nation is undergoing God’s judgement. I have touched on the gates and towers. Let’s now proceed to look at the third element. The Wall.
THE WALL
During times of antiquity, cities were surrounded by and protected by means of walls. The wealthier a nation was, the more robust the fortification of its cities were. Various passages in the Bible speak to the importance of walls during these perilous times. Nehemiah famously appealed to the King to go back to his country and rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Before the Israelites took over the promised land of Canaan, at the instruction of God, they had to march 7 times around the heavily fortified walls of Jericho before the walls miraculously caved into the ground. Parts of modern day Jerusalem have been walled in since about the time of Abraham.
The wall was less vulnerable than the gate but yet there was so much more of it of course, that the enemy could attack it from virtually any direction. And the enemy would use battering rams and huge boulders that were catapulted by a powerful ‘machine’ designed specifically for that purpose. Once the wall was breached, it was a question of time before the city fell. The breaching of a wall almost always spelt the beginning of the end for a city or a nation for that matter. So I guess in everybody’s mind pops the question, since America and its cities does not have walls, how can the defenses of modern cities be breached right? Well it is true that modern nations/cities do not have physical walls surrounding them for protection anymore. Therefore, the next question is, what would be the walls of a modern nation?
Its defense forms the main part of a nation's protection against attack and danger. The ancient walls of defense, which were physical walls made of bricks and stone have in modern times been replaced by the nation’s systems of defense or defense departments. These consist of a nation’s intelligence, its secret service operatives around the world, its sophisticated weaponry and military personnel. Nowadays almost all the defense systems of every nation are controlled by computers. And in computing language, we speak of firewalls which are designed to prevent intruders, hackers or rogue nations from gaining unauthorized access into the defense network of a country. In America the central focus of its defense is headquartered at The Pentagon. Hence the central structure of the wall of America is The Pentagon. And what happened on 9/11? The enemy attacked the Pentagon. The attack on the Pentagon was the third sign of biblical judgement. And when you look at the physical shape of the Pentagon you realize that it was built in the form of a fortress with many walls. Let’s look once again at what was said to the children of Israel by Moses;
Deuteronomy 28 “52 “They shall besiege you at all your gates until your high and fortified walls, in which you trust, come down throughout all your land”.
Notice that the prophecy says throughout all your land. The attacks at 9/11 started in New York but were by no means confined to New York. The Pentagon is situated in Washington DC which is another part of America, fulfilling what Moses had foretold thousands of years ago. It is important to see that the two signs of judgment are joined together. The scripture speaks of judgement beginning at the gate and then it alludes to the breaking down of the wall. On 9/11 that’s what happened, the terrorists struck first at the nation’s gate, New York City and then followed up with the breaching of the wall in Washington DC. Let’s conclude this section by looking at what Isaiah says about the day of judgement.
Isaiah 2 v 12 and 15 For the day of the Lord of hosts shall come upon everything proud and lofty, Upon everything lifted up—And it shall be brought low—15 Upon every high tower, And upon every fortified wall.
Yes, the bible unravels the mystery of judgement and if anyone had doubts that America and by extension the entire world is undergoing judgement, I have explained how you can tell. God’s modus operandi in terms of His judgement, begins with an attack on the gates, followed by the towers and then the walls are levelled to the ground.
Is there anything else in the bible that confirms the scriptural principles that reflect the fact that a nation is undergoing judgment other than the three aspects enumerated above? Yes. I believe there is. The final element that I will show you in this blog is that of Foundations. Rabbi Jonathan Cahn lists many signs and indicators of a nation that is being punished by God for continuously breaking His laws and ignoring the call from His prophets for repentance. I have chosen four. The 3 mentioned above and now Foundations.
But this brings me to the end of part one of this blog. The next part will focus on the foundations.
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