Feb. 24, 2022
Context and background
King Hezekiah was a righteous King who followed Jehovah God with his whole heart. Near the end of his life, God sent the prophet Isaiah to tell him to set his house in order, for his death was imminent. The King pleaded with God for more time, and God granted him an additional 15 years. During that time, a son was born to Hezekiah, named Manasseh, who was one of the most wicked Kings of Judah to ever sit on the throne. Consequently, God determined to destroy the nation of Judah and the city of Jerusalem where God placed His name.
“And I will forsake the remnant of mine inheritance, and deliver them into the hand of their enemies; and they shall become a prey and a spoil to all their enemies.” 2 Kings 21:14.
Manasseh had a son, Amon, who succeeded him on the throne after his death. Like his father, he was an evil ruler. Amon’s servant killed him. The people of the land made Josiah, Amon’s son, the King of Judah. Josiah was 8 years old when he became King. Josiah, despite the evil influence of his father and grandfather, turned his heart toward Jehovah God. When he was 26 years old,
Josiah set about to repair the house of God. It was then that the Book of the Law was found. The Law was in the temple but lost through disuse and neglect. Josiah humbled himself when the Book of the Law was made known to him.
The prophetess, Huldah, was given a message from God to King Josiah. The word was,
“Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the words of the book which the King of Judah hath read.” 2 Kings 22:16
But to Josiah, whose heart was tender and who humbled himself, God told him that he would be gathered to his fathers in peace and would not see all the evil that God would bring on this land. Josiah then sets about reforming Judah and eliminating all the lawlessness and evil that were the reasons for God’s judgment in the first place. Josiah removed all the idols, killed the idolatrous priests, broke down the houses of the sodomites, defiled the high places, and defiled Topheth in the valley of the children of Hinnom so that no man might make his son or daughter pass through the fire to Molech.
Josiah got rid of the king’s horses and chariots. He destroyed the altars and high places that King Solomon had erected. He destroyed the altar that was constructed in Bethel and the high places of idolatry, whereby Jeroboam made the children of Israel sin. Additionally, Josiah tore down the high places in all other cities of Judah and killed the idol-worshipping priests. He reinstituted the Passover and put away wizards and workers with familiar spirits. Josiah destroyed everything and everyone who led God’s children to sin by departing from the Law of God.
“And like unto him was there no king before him, that turned to the LORD with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; neither after him arose there any like him.” 2 Kings 23:25
Josiah was assured, based on his repentance, that he would not witness or endure the evil God was bringing upon the land because of the sins of Manasseh and other Judahite rulers. However, God had determined that Judah’s sins would result in His righteous judgment upon the nation, the people, and the land. And Josiah’s wicked sons would face God’s judgment even though Josiah himself would be spared.
The following passage is one of the most frightening passages of scripture in the entire Bible.
“Notwithstanding (Josiah’s repentance and his national reforms) the LORD turned not from the fierceness of his great wrath, wherewith his anger was kindled against Judah, because of all the provocations that Manasseh had provoked him withal. And the LORD said, I will remove Judah also out of my sight, as I have removed Israel, and I will cast off this city Jerusalem which I have chosen, and the house of which I said My name shall be there.” 2 Kings 23:26, 27 (emphasis added)
In the days after Josiah’s death, two of his evil sons became kings of Judah. During the reign of his second son, Jehoiakim, God sent Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, as well as kings from other nations, to Judah and Jerusalem. The complete destruction of Judah and Jerusalem was set in motion over many years and was finally fulfilled in 586 BC. The good king Josiah could not stop this devastation because Judah’s sins had reached a point where God would no longer allow Judah to survive as a nation.
“Surely at the commandment of the LORD came this upon Judah, to remove them out of his sight, for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he did; and also for the innocent blood that he shed; for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood: which the LORD would not pardon.” 2 Kings 24:3,4
King Josiah, despite his numerous reforms, could not alter God’s decision regarding the destruction of Judah and Jerusalem. God’s judgment comes when apostasy is so entrenched that He has no other option. Pardon is no longer an option for a perpetually backslidden and wicked people. And when the land is filled with the blood of innocents, God’s judgment is inevitable. Listen to what God told the prophet Jeremiah.
“Thus saith the LORD unto his people, Thus have they loved to wonder, they have not refrained their feet, therefore the LORD doth not accept, he will now remember their iniquity, and visit their sins. Then said the LORD unto me, Pray not for this people for their good. When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and an oblation, I will not accept them: but I will consume them by the sword, and by the famine and by the pestilence.” Jeremiah 14:10-12
God’s patience had run out. His day of grace and mercy was over. Only His judgment remained for this wicked nation. These wicked people were His children, the children of Israel. God told Jeremiah not to even pray for this wicked group, as He would not hear him. They were forsaken by God because they rejected His laws, His will, and His lordship over them and the nation. Their fate was sealed by their own actions.
“I have forsaken mine house. I have left mine heritage: I have given the dearly beloved of my soul into the hand of her enemies. Mine heritage is unto me as a lion in the forest; it crieth out against me: therefore, I have hated it. Mine heritage is unto me as a speckled bird, the birds round about are against her; come ye, assemble all the beasts of the field, come to devour. Many pastors have destroyed my vineyard, they have made my pleasant portion a desolate wilderness. They have made it desolate, and being desolate it mourneth unto me; the whole land is made desolate, because no man layeth it to heart.” Jeremiah 12:7-11
In this passage, God says that He came to hate His children and His nation because they continually rejected His lordship over them. God’s mercy was no longer available to them; only His wrath remained. They experienced His wrath as a result of their stubborn wickedness. God always means what He says and says what He means. Believe Him.
God rebukes the false teachers, prophets, and pastors. These blind guides told the people lies to give them a false sense of comfort, security, and peace. The real prophets of God told them to repent of all sin or prepare for judgment. These false teachers said to the people that God would never destroy the temple of the LORD in Jerusalem and that they would always dwell in peace despite their wicked practices and violations of God’s laws. People then and now love this seemingly kind and gentle yet false message.
Is there a message for the United States of America?
If the USA commits the same wickedness that Israel did, what can our nation expect from God? Is it possible that God will bless what He once condemned? If our nation abandons God like Israel and Judah, can we truly expect God’s salvation?
Blood screams from the ground. It is hard to believe that Judah spilled more innocent blood than the USA has. The legalization of baby killing across this land happened in 1973. The number is staggering—over 62 million innocent children “passing through the fire” as we have forsaken the God of Scripture and now serve our self-made gods.
Many of our political, business, religious, and civic leaders fully support abortion. Praise God for the newest law in Texas and for other states trying similar measures. However, this will not prevent ongoing legal and political battles, nor will it stop baby killing in other states.
Where is the outrage? Where is the condemnation of those who want the government and taxpayers to pay for abortions (baby killing)? What about the selling of baby parts for profit? What about using murdered babies for medical research? Where is the outrage? Maybe we all have blood on our hands. Most of us rarely even think about the murder of babies and do nothing to stop it. We have become desensitized to this wicked and demonic practice. Wake up, America! Wake up, church! You have been brainwashed. Call it abortion if you will, but by any other name, it is still baby killing, regardless of its legality.
What makes us think that God will not destroy this nation when we have not stopped the baby killing? Our leaders, almost without exception, show no shame over the shedding of innocent blood and demonstrate a stubborn and prideful refusal to stop the murders. For many people, the killing of babies is a sacrament, inspired by the god of this world. Can there be any hope for a nation so cruel and wicked? “…and thou hadst a whore’s forehead, thou refuseth to be ashamed.” Jeremiah 3:3 KJV. Our national leaders have a whore’s forehead and know no shame. Until they are ashamed of their wickedness, there is no hope for them or those who follow them.
If ever a nation deserved God’s judgment for shedding innocent blood, the USA should be near the top of the list, especially considering our Christian roots. Not only do we take pride in the murder of our children, but our nation also encourages other countries to follow our corrupt example. We even fund the murder of children in other nations. To those who reject God and His law, Jeremiah was given the word that follows.
“Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? Nay, they were not ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore, shall they fall among them that fall: in the time of their visitation, they shall be cast down, saith the LORD. Jeremiah 8:12 KJV
Gay pride and sexual immorality. Our nation aggressively promotes other depraved behaviors around the world, such as homosexuality, gay pride, and gender confusion.
Sexual immorality is made sacred in our depravity culture and by our wicked political and business leaders. In June, we “celebrate” gay pride month all over the USA. In 2015, our depraved and godless highest court voted to make gay marriage the law of the land. There is a passage in the book of Isaiah that speaks to this belligerent depravity. The passage I am thinking of contains this phrase “…they declare their sin like Sodom, they hid it not…Isaiah 3:9.” Instead of being ashamed of this sexual sin, we are teaching, even demanding, that our children and each other celebrate it. Oh shame, where is your face? I would have no problem believing that Sodom and Gomorrah were more righteous than the USA, for “we declare our sin like Sodom, we hid it not.” Instead of hiding it, we celebrate it for all to see. We have public parades and TV programming telling the world that the sexual sin of sodomy is a beautiful thing, “we hid it not”. God says it is an abomination in His sight, while our civic, political, and some religious leaders and business leaders say it is terrific. We brag about our inclusive and diverse culture while God’s wrath mounts up and His patience is pushed to the breaking point.
The widespread acceptance and practice of adultery, fornication, homosexuality, divorce, and other sexual sins speaks to the corruption of our society and our culture. “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?”. We are witnessing the destruction of our Judeo-Christian cultural foundation. What God says is evil, modern man says is good, and what God says is good, modern man says is evil. Scripture foretold this day would come. We have a front row seat. It is happening before our very eyes.
Idolatry today? What about pagan religious practices, astrology, and witchcraft that are openly practiced in our society? There is only one God, the maker of heaven and earth. He is the God of Scripture. All other gods are false. That should be obvious, but we are so brainwashed that it isn’t.
There is much more that could be addressed, such as the legal and illegal use and abuse of drugs, all of which point to the final days of this nation and culture if we do not repent of all this evil.
What about President Donald Trump? We have Christian teachers who say that Donald Trump is a picture or type of Jehu, King of Israel. I agree. Jehu was God’s pick. However, I pray Trump would become more like Josiah, King of Judah. Jehu did some of what God told him to do, such as the destruction of Baal worship and the removal of Ahab and Jezebel. Yet, Jehu was a godless leader who continued much of the apostasy of Israel.
“Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of God with all his heart for he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam, which made Israel to sin.” 2 Kings 10:31
Based on his partial faithfulness, God allowed Jehu’s seed to sit on the throne for four generations. Jehu stopped Baal worship, including the practice of baby killing or offering children as a sacrifice to their demon god. President Trump appointed three Supreme Court justices who will hopefully someday soon make baby killing illegal in the US once again. Early indications of these three Supreme Court justices are mixed at best, even considering the ban on abortion in the State of Texas. Meanwhile, the baby killing goes on, especially under President Joe Biden’s leadership, where it is expanded, celebrated, and praised. The shedding of innocent blood is a Satanic sacrament for the Democrat Party and its leadership and other godless leaders.
King Josiah was a devout and exemplary leader. He instituted many reforms according to the law of God, including stopping the practice of baby killing and destroying sodomite houses. Would Trump or any other political leaders ever attempt to stop, or even discourage, the practice of sodomy? It is hard to imagine any political leaders, of any party, even speaking out against this sin, isn’t it? It seems unlikely. In his day, Josiah enforced cultural righteousness. However, the people quickly backslid when he died. That is the history of the nation of Israel and most other nations that once embraced Biblical ethics.
God said he would never pardon Judah for the shedding of innocent blood. In 586 BC, the southern kingdom of Israel and the city of Jerusalem were destroyed. Many thousands of Jews died, and the others became slaves again, but this time to Babylon.
Does God change? Is God the same yesterday, today, and forever? Can the USA be saved? Even with genuine revival and a great turning away from all sin, can the USA be saved after spilling the blood of over sixty million innocent children? Can we be saved when we celebrate sodomy which God hates? Remember, God didn’t save Jerusalem and Judah with Josiah’s reforms. It will be said that the people were not really revived in Josiah’s day, and the reformation was superficial. Probably true. But does that really change anything when considering the USA? How long will the backslidden “Christians” in America stay faithful to God even if there is genuine revival? Even with Donald Trump again in the White House as President, instituting the reforms of Josiah according to the law of God seems unrealistic at best. And let us remember that Josiah’s reforms only delayed the judgment of God on Judah and Jerusalem for a short time. Remember also, none of Josiah’s reforms have been implemented in our nation. We are hastening our destruction.
What will it take for the killing of babies to stop? What devastation must God bring upon the USA and around the world to make us cease this Satanic practice? How long will God permit this to go on before He destroys our nation in judgment? God’s judgments are always meant for redemption. Ending abortion would be a huge step in the right direction. But that is not enough. Stopping that evil does not remove God’s anger toward our other sexual sins and the many wicked practices we’re involved in. Would God allow us to continue confusing and corrupting our youth about gender, practicing gross immorality, and approving gay marriage among other sins that need repentance?
The love of money is the root of all evil. This love permeates our culture and many professing Christians. If we consider the reckless spending of our government and people in general, we should understand that this is a moral issue at the core. To borrow money with no intention or means to repay is to steal. It is to be dishonest and corrupt.
How many of our public policies reward the slothful and punish the diligent? An immoral culture will not only practice all manner of wickedness and sexual perversion, but it will also practice fiscal immorality. It will reward sin and punish righteousness. It will excuse and enable careless living, and insist that those who are disciplined and self-controlled should be responsible for those who refuse discipline and self-control. It will call evil good and good evil. And this is precisely what we are seeing with our own eyes. That is if we choose to see it.
Most everyone agrees that the USA will never be able to repay what it owes and promises. Yet we continue to spend money we do not have. Is this not theft from future generations and our creditors? No household can spend more money than it takes in year after year. No business can spend more money than it earns year after year. And no nation can spend more than it takes in year after year. This ends only one way. We are going to be judged by God, and the economic depression that results will hit every household in our country and around the world. Fiscal immorality is wickedness. The love of and lust for money is the root of all evil. God is not mocked for whatever a man sows that shall he also reap. I wonder how many evangelical Christians actually believe that is true?
The nation of Israel. The northern 10 tribes of Israel were destroyed or taken captive by the Assyrians in 721 BC. The southern tribe of Judah and the city of Jerusalem were destroyed or taken captive by the Babylonians in 586 BC. After being regathered again, the remaining Jewish population, under Roman rule, was finally dispersed after a great slaughter in 70 AD.
God gave Israel the promised land of Canaan because the nations occupying it committed sexual immorality and murdered innocents. After Israel conquered the land, they repeated these same evil acts and even surpassed the wickedness of the pagan nations. They believed they were forever safe because they were children of Abraham and part of the nation of Israel.
Individuals and nations have two options: 1) God will be their President, King, and LORD, or 2) a tyrant will rule over them. The USA, like Israel, rejected the God of the Bible as their LORD and sovereign. We know the sad history of the nation of Israel. However, the consequences of that choice (to reject Jehovah as our LORD God) are all around us, and it will bring on this nation its destruction just like it did for Israel. People do not learn from history. They unthinkingly repeat it. They lust after money, sex, fame, power, position, and possessions. Praise God, we have a few glorious exceptions to that rule in the remnant of God.
All of the pain, suffering, hurt, and death in the world is because man has decided to reject the leadership and lordship of God Almighty. All this suffering is a result of man’s refusal to submit to their Creator.
Consider the cultural divide in our nation. Our nation and its political leadership have decided to reject Jehovah as sovereign. Instead, they have decided to make themselves our potentate. They have worked tirelessly to destroy the Christian foundation of this nation and have been very successful. What God says is evil; they say is good, and what God says is good; they say is evil.
Light is still present as we have a large number of professing Christians who embrace Biblical values and who will never agree with or celebrate gay pride or gay marriage, orbaby killing, just to mention two sins. For these people, God will always remain King, LORD, and Sovereign.
Which political party most closely embraces Christian principles? Clearly, the Democrat Party is, at the core, ungodly, yet many professing “Christians” are deluded into thinking that they can support all this evil, as outlined in the platform of the Democrat Party, and still be a child of God. Nothing could be further from the truth. And there are many Republicans, who are just as deluded and just as wicked. For these Republicans, there is only one degree of separation, if that, between them and the Democrat Party. They profess to be fiscal conservatives and social liberals. The Republican Party platform is at least pro-life while the Democratic Party is pro-death. I could go on and on.
Someone’s idea of right and wrong is going to prevail and be made the law of the land. Either God will determine what is right and what is wrong, or a tyrant or a political class will do so. In the last century, we have witnessed the erosion of our most fundamental moral principles. Baby killing was made legal in 1973 on a national level. It is legal, but it is not moral, and the God of the Bible has not changed His mind. The United States Supreme Court decided to tell us that it was ethical, and not wrong, to kill babies.
Our politicians and judges have decided to throw the God of the Bible out of the schools, courts, and government. We have sown the wind and are reaping the whirlwind. In 2015, the United States Supreme Court decided that gay marriage should be permitted. Again, what is now legal is not moral according to the God of the Bible. Homosexuality is immoral even when many think that it is not and is equivalent to heterosexuality.
God defined gender as either male or female, yet our elite think they can change God’s will even in regard to the issue of gender. And on and on it goes, as we continue the war against God. Soon enough we will be forced to see the fruit of this evil madness.
Those who hold to Biblical principles are made to look like unloving, wicked, and backward people who are narrow-minded and cruel. Just the opposite is true. Real love tells the truth even when it is not fashionable or when it is offensive. Our world thinks love is nothing more than a mere feeling. Lust and love are often seen as synonymous in their minds. They have lost their minds in the madness of rejecting God.
In the latter days, they will call evil good and good evil, just like the Bible predicted. Open your eyes and ears and see what the Spirit is saying to those who will listen.
God’s promises of peace, prosperity, and life are real but conditioned on faithful obedience. God promised Israel peace, health, life, and prosperity conditioned on their faithful obedience to all His commandments. But they would not obey Him. Their obedience was partial and occasional, yet they were a very religious people. At best, their profession of faith was superficial as they continued to expand their evil works. God eventually destroyed the nation of Israel because they were stiff-necked, stubborn, and wicked people.
Is the USA that much different than Israel? The very same sins Israel and the heathen nations around them practiced are still being practiced today, even by professing Christians in our country. Our false teachers and false prophets today preach a gospel that appeals to the lusts of man. The grace and love of God have been distorted and used to excuse all manner of sin in the life of a “Christian”. Our gospel is a watered-down, superficial gospel that promises eternal life while continuing in the known and deliberate practice of sin. Hell will be the end for those who believe these lies. Jeremiah faced the same challenge in his day. The false prophets told the people that God would never destroy them or the temple in Jerusalem.
Revival of truth and reformation of practices both must take place. We must believe in God, not man, so truth must once again take center stage; otherwise, we have no hope at all. Then the truth must be practiced as if our souls and eternal destiny depended on it. Yet, so many professing Christians do not believe God. They may pick a few things from scripture they like, but they also reject what they don’t like. Francis Bacon was so right when he said, centuries earlier, “Men prefer to believe what men prefer to be true.” Not what is really true, but they want to be true.
How will today’s church be cleansed and awakened? Most Christians have been taught and believe that they will sin every day, yet they expect God to bless and save them nonetheless. Christians are taught that there are no limits to or conditions on God’s patience, grace, salvation, and love. What blindness there is in our teaching and preaching.
Most born-again Christians can quote 2 Chronicles 7:14.
“If my people, which are called by my name, will humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
Why is it that professing Christians can’t detect the obvious? If His people sin in thought, word, and deed every day, then His people can’t or won’t comply with the conditions set in 2 Chronicles, “turn from their wicked ways”. God will not forgive our sins and heal our land as the conditions have not been satisfied by us. Truth be told, we expect God to heal us and our land even when we do not turn from our wicked ways. Multitudes are deceived.
In many respects, the USA is a picture of apostate Israel and Judah. We are a religious people that have forgotten God and hewn for ourselves cisterns that can hold no water. We live with one foot in the kingdom of God and one foot in the kingdom of the world, deceiving ourselves into believing that a just and holy God will accept partial devotion. And the false teachers, false pastors, and false prophets abound, telling their sheep that they are safe in the arms of a gracious and loving God while they continue to sin presumptuously. Pray for those lost souls.
Is there any hope for us? There is always hope on an individual level as it is within our power to believe the truth of God, repent from sin, and become new creations in Christ Jesus.
On a national political level, we do not have the ability to change things like we do at a personal level. However, we must be part of the national solution. But the solution depends partly on our political leaders and all of us as citizens. And when the mass of citizens is pagan, there is little hope. At a minimum, we must vote for righteousness, but millions of so-called Christians don’t vote at all, and then other so-called Christians vote for evil as outlined in the platform of the Democrat Party. Their light has become darkness, and how great is that darkness. Their salt has lost its savor and is suitable for nothing.
In Ezekiel 15:13, God says that if the land (nation) sins against Him, and even though these three men lived there (Noah, Daniel, and Job) by their own righteousness, they can only deliver themselves when God judges that nation. It is interesting that this statement asserts that God will provide for and save righteous men, even when He judges a land or nation.
Can these bones live, son of man? For those who are 40 years old or older, the America we grew up in has already changed significantly in many ways. The judgment of God is inevitable and will soon manifest in greater and more severe judgments than those of the past couple of decades.
The USA will not survive unless there is widespread revival of truth and practice. Even then our land will suffer the consequences of our sins. Only God knows what the USA will look like after the cleansing is finished.
God will save His children, but God will also destroy those who profess to be His children but live like children of the devil. God Himself will bring evil on this nation because we have rejected His will, His laws, and His Son.
There is a future and a hope if Jesus Christ is your Savior and Lord in reality. Run to Him. Trust Him. Believe in Him.
