Many years ago, God promised Abraham that his descendants would be mightily blessed. That same promise was passed on to Isaac and his son Jacob and their generations (Genesis 15:1-21; 22:15-18; 26:1-5; 49:1-28; Hebrews 11:17-22).
Those blessings came to fruition. The United States of America and the British Commonwealth were two of the greatest nations or groups of nations that ever ruled on this earth. God saw to it that they were well taken care of. They both led the industrial revolution. They invented incredible and amazing things. They possessed some of the greatest natural resources known to man. They won many battles and conquered many lands.
And yet, we find today the United States with a debt deficit of 22 trillion dollars. Some analysts say while that number is on paper, it is more likely that the debt is actually around 70 trillion. We see the great debacle of the British people attempting to leave the EU with a “great deal,” and coming woefully shy of doing so. A number of companies are already leaving the UK and there could be many more in the future, including many of the financial services that once did massive amounts of business in London.
Yet only very few bother to stop and see why this is happening. The answers are in the Bible. Deuteronomy 28:18-68 shows aptly what is occurring. Verses 43-44 tell us: “The alien who is among you shall rise higher and higher above you, and you shall come down lower and lower. He shall lend to you, but you shall not lend to him; he shall be the head, and you shall be the tail.” This is not just a one-time warning. Haggai 1:3-7 states: “Then the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet, saying, ‘Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this temple to lie in ruins?’ Now therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘Consider your ways! You have sown much, and bring in little; You eat, but do not have enough; You drink, but you are not filled with drink; You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; And he who earns wages, Earns wages to put into a bag with holes.’ Thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘Consider your ways!’”
IF people would consider their ways and if they would pay attention to the warning signs of what is going on, they would be able to see that something is dreadfully wrong. David’s thoughts in Psalm 119:9-16 show that we must not forget God and turn from Him, but that we must delight in obedience to God’s laws. In fact, Deuteronomy 28:1-14 shows that when people are obedient, then the blessings that God rains down are innumerable.
From all appearances, our nations are on an inevitable crash course to swift destruction, because most people don’t want to change. They would rather enjoy life as they see fit (Romans 1:18-31). It should be evident that things are getting worse, not better. When the ancient city of Nineveh was confronted with their sin and their threat of punishment, all the people, from the greatest to the least, fasted and turned from doing wrong, and so God delayed for a time the destruction of that great city. Unfortunately, it appears that this world is asleep. Hopefully, we in the Church are awake and are working feverishly to draw closer and closer to God, so that we can escape the soon-coming prophesied great tribulation.
