The Burden Of Nineveh

The Burden of Nineveh is the burden of America. Nineveh repented under Jonah's preaching only to backslide into greater sin some 100 years after the great prophet came with God's word. Nineveh's judgment was greater because it had received greater light. When a nation or individual sins against light the measure of their judgment is tied directly in proportion to the light that nation or individual receives. America's sin is great but it is even greater in the face of the LIGHT we have received as a country. Jesus had a great deal to say about nations who rejected light - He said in the day of judgment it would be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah who had no light than for those who have been given great light. We as the church of the living God are the light that shines in the darkness. But our light is not from ourselves - it's the light of our HEAD - the Lord Jesus Christ.

By Chris McDonald

TEXT: Nahum 1:1-8 - The burden against Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite; God is jealous, and the LORD avenges; the LORD avenges and is furious. The LORD will take vengeance on His adversaries, and He reserves wrath for His enemies; The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked. The LORD has His way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of His feet. He rebukes the sea and makes it dry, and dries up all the rivers. Bashan and Carmel wither, and the flower of Lebanon wilts. The mountains quake before Him, the hills melt, and the earth heaves at His presence, yes, the world and all who dwell in it. Who can stand before His indignation? And who can endure the fierceness of His anger? His fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by Him. The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knows those who trust in Him. But with an overflowing flood he will make an utter end of its place, and darkness will pursue His enemies. (NKJ)
 

Nineveh was the capital of the Assyrian Empire, which for more than 100 years before Nahum's day, had been one of the dominant powers of the ancient world. The northern kingdom of Israel fell to Assyrian forces in 722 B. C. Some prophets taught that this pagan nation was used as an instrument of God's judgment against His wayward people. But now it was Assyria's turn to feel the force of God's wrath. The armies of Nabopolassar of Babylon stormed Nineveh in 612 B. C. The entire Assyrian Empire crumbled three years later under the relentless assault of this aggressive Babylonian ruler. Thus, as Nahum prophesied, Assyria's day of dominance ended with their humiliation by a foreign power. Just 100 years before Nineveh had repented at the preaching of Jonah. But after backsliding into sin and apostasy that was worst than her first state - judgment had been decreed.
 

The message of the entire book of Nahum teaches us of the sure judgment of God against those who oppose His will and abuse His people. There is also a warning in this book that I believe applies to this nation as well - it's a message that says "if you sin against God it's one thing, but to sin against God IN SPITE OF LIGHT is another.

Acts of inhumanity are acts against God, and He will serve as the ultimate and final judge. God sometimes uses a pagan nation as an instrument of His judgment, just as He used the Assyrians against the nation of Israel. But this does not excuse the pagan nation from God's laws and requirements. It will be judged by the same standards of righteousness and holiness which God applies to all the other people of the world.

By a strange irony, the city in Galilee most closely associated with the ministry of Jesus was Capernaum. The name Capernaum in the Hebrew language means "the village of Nahum." We will deal with Capernaum later for she holds a huge key in the backdrop for this journal.
 

The Light And The Darkness

From the very beginning of Creation, God has always made a distinction between the light and the darkness. The very first words of God recorded in scripture are, LET THERE BE LIGHT.

Genesis 1:1-7  - In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. [2] And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.  [3] And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. [4] And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. [5] And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
 

After He separated the light from the darkness He placed "lights" in the firmament to divide the day from the night. These lights were for "signs," "seasons," "days" and "years." These were to give light upon the earth. He made the Sun to rule the day, the Moon to rule the night and individual stars also. That is a beautiful picture of His Son, Jesus Christ, and His church here on earth. The moon reflects the light of the Sun and the stars reflect the light of the Sun and the Moon. The CHURCH is to reflect the light of the Lord Jesus and we as individual members of the CHURCH are to reflect the light of the SUN and MOON as well. These acts of creation were done on the first and fourth day respectively AND GOD SAW THAT IT WAS GOOD.

Genesis 1:14 -  And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: [15] And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. [16] And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. [17] And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, [18] And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. [19] And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
 

Paul said in 1 Timothy that God dwells in a light that natural man cannot comprehend. That light is HIS LOVE and it shines to a world fallen and plunged into a fallen state by sin. Even the course of creation speaks of this process. In the beginning GOD created the heavens and the earth. THEN sin, which many feel was brought on by Lucifer's original rebellion against God, brought on DARKNESS. Then the SPIRIT OF GOD moved on the darkness and God said, "LET THERE BE LIGHT." Glory to God.

1 Tim 6:13-16 - In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you; to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which God will bring about in his own time-- God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords; who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen. (NIV)

Col 1:12-14 - Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
(NIV)

So separating light from darkness has been an eternal, creative principle from the very beginning. This separation also speaks to us of two kingdoms in the universe that have existed from the very beginning.  Darkness is the domain of Satan. It speaks of sin, hiding, fear, judgment, disobedience, rebellion, and calamity. The kingdom of God is a kingdom of LIGHT. Light speaks of goodness, peace, tranquility, harmony, righteousness, holiness, purity and all that is HEAVENLY. In God, there is NO DARKNESS, only LIGHT. Light can be defined as a place where nothing is hidden because in HIS LIGHT we have no need to hide. Whatever His light reveals in our lives, His grace is more than able to forgive and cleanse. Darkness hides from God because it knows once sin is made known sin must be accounted for.

 It matters not whether I'm talking to a Christian or a non-Christian the principle remains the same. To be quite frank a true Christian will want to come to the light to have his deeds reproved, but the enemy's deception can keep even Christians in darkness and unwilling to repent. The world at large sits in this state as I speak right now - darkness. This nations sits in darkness. Since 1973 we have slaughtered nearly 30 million babies. Since the rebellion of the 1960s, America has seen a rampant rise in Satanism, blasphemy against God, homosexuality, dishonesty, greed, avarice, murder, hate, racism. These things should be long to a nation in the dark not a nation like America whose founding fathers came to this land that we live on today with one thing in mind and that was to make a homeland that would be free to spread the LIGHT of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the four corners of the world. We were founded for this purpose - and to be a future beacon of protection for Israel - and these two purposes alone!

So it's not that we sin, it's that we sin against LIGHT. Nineveh received LIGHT from the preaching of Jonah and repented, then went back on that preaching and apostatized 100 years later. When Nahum walked through the streets his message was no longer of mercy and hope, the message was "prepare for the wrath to come." I can't help but ponder right now how long do we have as a nation before God removes His mercy from us. I cannot say God will ever remove ALL His mercy from us because the tender mercies of our Heavenly Father run too deep for mortal man to comprehend those. But on September 11, 2001 we turned a page in this nation's history I'm afraid we may never come back from. God's removed the hedge around this nation to get our attention that we are sinning against light.

 I want to make something abundantly clear. I was like many the first few weeks after the tragedy to point a finger at the abortionists, the homosexuals, the pornography industry and say "that's why we were judged like we were." But the Lord has made it clear to me over the past 18 months that when judgment hits a nation it's not because of the heathen - it's because HIS PEOPLE have drifted so far from Him that the covering of their covenant with God has been removed and the enemy is then allowed to STEAL, to KILL and to DESTROY. America's tragedy didn't happen because we have slipped into homosexuality like never before (even though the sins of homosexuality and sodomy are the most degrading, immoral acts in human nature). America's tragedy did not happen because of the abortionists (even though abortion is one of the most despicable, cowardly acts a human being can perpetrate - the death of an innocent unborn child). No, no, no.

America's HEDGE was removed because GOD'S PEOPLE have sinned against LIGHT and the burden of Nineveh has become the BURDEN OF AMERICA! And until we as the people of God repent and come back to Him with our whole hearts and stop dibbling and dabbling in beat with this condemned world system, then the enemy will STILL have inroads into this nation. Revival will never start on Bourbon Street, revival will start when FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH, FIRST PENTECOSTAL CHURCH, OR FIRST CHURCH WHATEVER gets right! The nation dies because the church has died!

Judgment Will Be Meted Out In Measure To The Amount Of Spiritual Light We Receive

Luke 12:40-59
Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not. [41] Then Peter said unto him, Lord, do you speak this parable unto us, or even to all? [42] And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season? [43] Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. [44] Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath. [45] But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; [46] The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. [47] And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. [48] But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.
 

These things we just discussed regard the natural processes of creation. But the natural "lights" or creation are types which speak to us of the SPIRITUAL light God gives all of humanity. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. All need to be saved. There are no exceptions to that. All are in darkness without God. When one is born again we have been changed by the SPIRIT OF GOD. Just as the SPIRIT OF GOD hovered over and changed the waters and darkness in Genesis and brought forth a glorious LIGHT, so are we when we are saved - we are placed in the kingdom of light instead of darkness. This ties us to an eternal principle regarding the spiritual light we receive here on Earth. Some are given more light than others. Yes, we are all alike and all stand accountable to God. But many of us, especially WE HERE IN AMERICA, are blessed more than others. In our case just the fact we live here in the United States grants us more opportunity than those who might live in a third-world country like Iran or Afghanistan, India or Pakistan.

Remember this statement again. I will repeat it often in the course of this journal - JUDGMENT IS ALWAYS METED OUT STRICTLY ON THE BASIS OF WHAT LIGHT ONE RECEIVES. This can be true of a nation, an individual or even a world empire like America. Israel is a testimony to what happens when we reject light. Israel had the light of the world in Her midst and yet she rejected that light and crucified the Son of God. Heaven gives us light from three different sources:

• Jesus is the Light of the world - John 8:12  - Then spoke Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

• The Word of God is Light -  Ps 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.

• We as believers are Lights that God has commanded to shine His Word and the light of His Son to a world lost in darkness and sin 

Matthew 5:14  - Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it gives light unto all that are in the house. [16] Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
 

Jesus Is The Light Of The World

John 1:4-9 - In him was life, and that life was the light of men.  The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.  There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.
(NIV)

Isa 9:2-3 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as men rejoice when dividing the plunder.
(NIV)

John 9:5 - While I am in the world, I am the light of the world." (NIV)

John 8:12 - When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." (NIV)

John 11:9-10 - Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours of daylight? A man who walks by day will not stumble, for he sees by this world's light. 10 It is when he walks by night that he stumbles, for he has no light." (NIV)

John 12:35-46 - Then Jesus told them, "You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. The man who walks in the dark does not know where he is going. 36 Put your trust in the light while you have it, so that you may become sons of light." When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them. Even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him. Then Jesus cried out, "When a man believes in me, he does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. When he looks at me, he sees the one who sent me. I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness. (NIV)

The Word Of God (The Gospel) Is Light

Ps 19:8 - The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes. (NIV)

Prov 6:23 - For these commands are a lamp, this teaching is a light, and the corrections of discipline are the way to life, (NIV)

2 Cor 4:4-6 - The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
(NIV)
 

Believers Are Also Called "Lights;" We Are To Reflect THE Light - Jesus Christ

Prov 13:9-10 - The light of the righteous shines brightly, but the lamp of the wicked is snuffed out. Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice. (NIV)

2 Cor 6:14-18 - Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people." "Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you." "I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty." (NIV)

Eph 5:8-14 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said: "Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you." (NIV)

1Thes 5:5 - You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.

1 Pet 2:9 - But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. (NIV)

2 Pet 1:19 And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it,  Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. (NIV)

Psalm 119:105 -  Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. [106] I have sworn, and I will perform it, that I will keep thy righteous judgments.

All three of these things we have mentioned are sources of LIGHT.  Never has any country on Earth been given so much opportunity to spread the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to other parts of the world like America has. Never has any country been so free to truly worship GOD in a way that we have. None of us who get up to go to church on Sunday go in fear wondering if governmental leaders will be waiting to shoot us as we enter the building. None of us are locked in our homes on Sunday or any other day for that matter to go to church or read our Bible or pray. Christian television programs abound here in America with messages of warning, hope, encouragement and grace to warn us of our need for God and HIS LIGHT. Every time you turn on the television and a preacher is preaching the true gospel - LIGHT is being given to us as individuals but also to a nation as well. We as individuals have been given great freedom and light. Even though there are some in America who battle poverty and the such - for the most part most are mightily blessed in this nation. We continue to be the most affluent, blessed, well-off people than any nation on the planet.

BUT ALL OF THESE BLESSINGS will turn into GREATER JUDGMENT if we don't allow these blessings to come back to God and become a nation of righteousness, peace, justice and love once again. To whom much is given, MUCH will be required.  Like Nineveh, America has been sent prophet after prophet to beg Her to return to God. When we ignore light, the only alternative is darkness and when we receive darkness as a result of God taking His hands off of us - friend, HOW GREAT WILL THAT DARKNESS BE. There is no darkness in God, but when He no longer is our SOURCE OF LIGHT - we choose darkness.
 

 Nineveh Rejected Light

Get this thought squarely in your head: when you reject light, you bring upon yourself greater judgment. To the extent God grants you light it is to that degree that He will hold you accountable in the day He judges us by His Word. The city turned back to God at Jonah's preaching but apostatized into greater idolatry than before. As a result of this backsliding, God brought such a severe judgment upon Nineveh that it too some archeologists till 1851 to even find a trace of its existence. The Medes, with the help of the Babylonians, sacked Ashur and Calah in 614 B. C. Two years later Nineveh fell to these combined forces. Nineveh was left in ruins <Nah. 2:10,13> and grazed by sheep <Zeph. 2:13-15>, just as the Hebrew prophets of the Old Testament had predicted.

Nahum 2:10-13 - She (Nineveh) is pillaged, plundered, stripped! Hearts melt, knees give way, bodies tremble, every face grows pale. Where now is the lions' den, the place where they fed their young, where the lion and lioness went, and the cubs, with nothing to fear? The lion killed enough for his cubs and strangled the prey for his mate, filling his lairs with the kill and his dens with the prey. "I am against you," declares the LORD Almighty. "I will burn up your chariots in smoke, and the sword will devour your young lions. I will leave you no prey on the earth. The voices of your messengers will no longer be heard."

Zeph. 2:13-15  - And he will stretch out his hand against the north, and destroy Assyria; and will make Nineveh a desolation, and dry like a wilderness. [14] And flocks shall lie down in the midst of her, all the beasts of the nations: both the cormorant and the bittern shall lodge in the upper lintels of it; their voice shall sing in the windows; desolation shall be in the thresholds: for he shall uncover the cedar work. [15] This is the rejoicing city that dwelt carelessly, that said in her heart, I am, and there is none beside me: how is she become a desolation, a place for beasts to lie down in! every one that passes by her shall hiss, and wag his hand.

 

I believe Nahum's message holds a solemn message to our nation as well. I know the "burden" of Nineveh was to a city, but this city was the "capital" of a greater empire that had not been threatened by a foreign enemy. She has said in her heart according to Zephaniah "there is NONE beside me." This sounds very similar to the pride and arrogance America boasted of before the attacks on our nation on September 11, 2001. New York City, one of the most affluent and "mighty" cities in America was brought to its knees in a matter of just 15 minutes. New York was the Nineveh of America, the greatest and largest empire on the Earth of our day. The similarities are striking, yet solemn. The warnings are the same. If we continue to reject light, we are going to share in the "burden," or judgment upon Nineveh.

Nineveh was the capital of the Assyrian Empire. The Assyrian Empire was one of eight great empires - (six are past, three are yet future) that either have oppressed Israel in the past or will oppress her in the future. Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome are empires of the past. Very soon a "revision" of the old Roman Empire will emerge in parts of Europe which will be the source from where the coming Antichrist  (whom we believe will come from "Assyria;" He is called the "Assyrian," in Isaiah)  will emerge and eventually deceive Israel into a seven-year peace treaty with him. In the middle of this treaty, he will break this treaty and bring utter carnage and death to the Jewish people unlike they have seen in their history. His kingdom, what many Bible scholars refer to as "revised Greece," will be known as the "seat of the Beast." Once again, when you reject light, darkness comes. Jesus told the Jewish leaders of His day that He had come in His Father's name and they had rejected HIM, but one would come in the future in HIS OWN NAME in whom they would receive. The one coming in HIS OWN NAME will be promising light but will be full of darkness, death and demons.

It's very interesting to see just how much Nineveh's and our fate are intertwined. Nineveh rejected the light of Jonah's preaching. Israel, our example, rejected the light of "one greater than Jonah" - The Lord Jesus Christ and 40 years after the crucifixion and ascension - Jerusalem was destroyed by Rome. Since the turn of the century, America has really only experienced one true period of revival other than the Great Awakening of the 1700s.  It's very interesting to note that the last "great awakening" this country experienced was at the turn of the 20th Century with the advent of the Holy Spirit outpouring on Azusa Street in 1903. Evangelists like Charles Spurgeon, Billy Sunder, Dwight L. Moody, Charles and John Wesley, Charles Finney and others roamed the nation with powerful messages of God's grace, holiness and love. Many souls were saved. Many received the baptism in the Holy Spirit. It was truly more powerful than even the "Great Awakening" of Jonathan Edwards time right after America's inception.

Some of these men were born right here in America while others came from England and other parts of world - anointed by God, full of the Holy Ghost. America was listening and America was responding. We had just come out of a horrific Civil War that had seen hundreds of thousands of people die in our country's darkest conflict. The Civil War was not a war fought against a foreign enemy, it was a war fought among ourselves. We were humble then. We had no choice but to turn to God for our recovery and reconstruction. But now, over 100 years later through two World wars, three other foreign conflicts (Korea, Vietnam and the Persian Gulf), America is no longer humble. And a great deal of that has to do with the church and its message during these times. Jesus said, "if the LIGHT that is in you be DARKNESS, then HOW GREAT IS THAT DARKNESS?

 Instead of the church becoming a greater light to this country, we sank into the ditch with the idolatrous system of America and stopped preaching against sin and Godly living. We started offering people prosperity without humility. People started believing that it was God's DUTY to bless us instead of His choice. We injected our society with the belief that America's strength was great because America overall was a good nation. It was not important for us to depend on God as we did in the early 1900s. Modern trinkets and toys made our lives more easier and money became more easily available. Other than a few seasons here or there America has been one of the most prosperous nations on the face of the Earth - EVER. But the more prosperous we grew, the less we trusted God. The less we honored God. The less we made God the forefront of our country's institutions. Then women like Madeline O'Hara began campaigning for God to be taken out of society all together. Our Supreme Courts then began to pass national laws that opened the door for genocide and the killing of millions of innocent babies in the name of pro-choice. Life is not a choice friend - It's A LIFE.  I'm not saying we should be bombing abortion clinics or acting like the devil we are trying to stop - but America needs to take a HARD LOOK at herself right now. We have allowed the homosexual and lesbian communities to parade their lifestyles in front of our children for nearly 30 years now while labeling those who called that lifestyle sin out as those who as unloving or judgmental. We have sat by over the past 100 years and watched God ooze so slowly out of our lives that we have become desensitized to things that made us blush and ashamed. We have became more blatantly open and rebellious about our sin. Pornography and sexually perverted images made themselves more prevalent in our movies and on television. Within the past five years profanity of the worst kind not gets a PG-13 rating from Hollywood. We have exchanged light for darkness. We have sinned worse than Nineveh. We have sinned worse than Sodom. And the burden of Nineveh is going to be the burden of America.

The Church In America Has Rejected Light As Well

There have been moves of God during this century such as the Healing Movement in the 1940s and 1950s with Oral Roberts and William Branham. We saw the Word of Faith movement in the 1970s as God began to enlighten us as a country about faith and His promises. It seemed another wave of the Holy Spirit began to touch America and many mainline denominations began seeing the mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Thousands were baptized in the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking with other tongues.  In the 1980s we began to see the message of faith taken to another level as professed men of God began preaching prosperity and blessing without calling for us as a nation and individually to examine our lives in light of that prosperity.

Greater prosperity and blessing only brings greater judgment on a nation or individual if that blessing doesn't cause us to live in righteousness and repent. In the 1990s we saw an even greater move of God's Spirit as many others began to teach us how to worship God. But our worship of God began to promote "people" and "groups" and "movements" and instead of leading us to deeper intimacy with Jesus we promoted "stars" among the Christian entertainment industry. We want to compete with Hollywood and Nashville so we act like Hollywood and Nashville. We offer "dove" awards and "artist of the year" awards which are no different than the world's version of the Oscars. We just put Christian labels on ours. 

   Christian television has become the same medium as regular television. Instead of preaching the gospel, we offer people "time management" seminars and "weight-loss programs." And as we offer the world a cross-less gospel, America sinks deeper and deeper into darkness. These moves of God were not revival, they were "movements." And the nation has not changed as a result of "movements," it has gotten worse. Why? Because the light we seem to be offering the world is not light that comes from JESUS CHRIST, it's a light that is coming from ourselves. The church is promoting the church instead of promoting and preaching about the HEAD - THE LORD JESUS. There is NO LIGHT in the CHURCH outside CHRIST. Without HIM leading the cause, without HIM being the HEAD and the KING over our churches, without HIM being allowed total access into our programs and buildings - the light we offer the world will only result in greater darkness. Jesus made this clear when He spoke of the principle of light and darkness to His disciples:

Matt 6:22-24 - "The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. (NIV)

Luke 11:36 - Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be completely lighted, as when the light of a lamp shines on you." (NIV)

 When we offer a world in darkness anything less than the TRUE GOSPEL of Jesus Christ - friend, we are just exchanging their darkness for another type darkness. Jesus said, "if your eyes are bad," then your whole body will be full of darkness. The church in America has lost her vision for souls and thus we no longer do things with the KINGDOM of GOD in mind. We promote concerts, church programs, seminars and conferences in the name of God - but we project a light that is distorted because of a zeal laced with greed for mammon - or money - instead of seeking only the GLORY OF GOD and that alone. Ministry and mammon just don't mix. Jesus said we can't serve both. We can't have true gospel ministry and be bound by greed and desire for monetary gain.  Darkness cannot co-mingle with light and light cannot co-mingle with darkness. We must choose what we want as both a nation and as the corporate body of Christ here in America.

During America's downward spiral there were TRUE Godly prophets, preachers, teachers, authors, apostles, evangelists and others warning of judgment if we don't turn around. I think of David Wilkerson and Paul Cain among others who have warned us over and over again of our sin. Rick Joyner whom I also believe to hear from God under a prophetic mantle saw these terrorist attacks coming to America over a year ago. He boldly wrote in a recent message that if there was any doubt that God was passing judgment directly on us through these attacks it was erased by the fact that these planes didn't hit churches. JUDGMENT MUST BEGIN IN THE HOUSE OF GOD and we as the "church" in America have been guilty of the same sins that have sent our nation spiraling into oblivion over the past several decades.

In spite of all the light, in spite of all the sermons, in spite of all the Christian television, in spite of all the churches, in spite of all the warnings, in spite of all the Bibles, in spite of all the blessings and financial prosperity and peace we've experienced, in spite of what Abraham Lincoln called, "the choicest bounties of heaven" - AMERICA HAS SINNED WORSE THAN NINEVEH. And once light is rejected, the ONLY REMEDY for that is JUDGMENT and darkness. America must open the door to Jesus once again and ask Him to come back before further judgment falls as a result of Him leaving in the first place.

When We Reject Light, The Darkness We Receive In Return Is Always Worse In Scope And Greater In Intensity

Matthew 12:43-45 - When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. [44] Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. [45] Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.

There is a spiritual law etched in heaven. When a person receives light, repents, then turns and goes back into sin, the latter state of that person is worse than if that person never received light. Jesus said demonic activity increases SEVEN TIMES ('seven other spirits more WICKED than himself') and the chances for repentance the SECOND time are dim. Paul mentioned this often in his writings to the Hebrews:

Hebrews 6:4-6  - For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, [5] And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, [6] If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

The impossibility is not with God - it's with us. Sin hardens our hearts. It desensitizes us to God's convicting power through the Holy Ghost. I fear America has reached this point. We had revival 100 years ago. We have not had a move like that since. But what has happened we have become inoculated from true gospel preaching and repentance. Everything is right now a days. Nothing anyone does any more is considered sin. Homosexuality is an alternate lifestyle. Alcoholism is a disease, no longer is it a demonic bondage. Pornography is considered "free expression of art," instead of perversion. Movies portray sexual intercourse between people outside marriage as normal while those who seek to honor the sexual act by only having sex when married are portrayed as prudes and old fashioned. Friend, sin has a price and when we reject the light of the God's word and the conviction of the Holy Ghost, we are exchanging light for darkness. And the darkness we get in exchange for the light is SEVEN TIMES stronger than the original darkness we had when we were first converted and saved. That goes for both an individual and a nation.

Isa 5:20 - Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.

Isa 5:30 - In that day they will roar over it like the roaring of the sea. And if one looks at the land, he will see darkness and distress; even the light will be darkened by the clouds.

Isa 8:20-22 - To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn. Distressed and hungry, they will roam through the land; when they are famished, they will become enraged and, looking upward, will curse their king and their God. Then they will look toward the earth and see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom, and they will be thrust into utter darkness.

Isaiah declared "WOE" unto those who exchange light for darkness. He went on to say in the eighth chapter that when there is no light - distress, hunger, rage, darkness and a fearful gloom will rest about the inhabitants of a nation who have rejected light. They will "curse" their king and their God. We are not at that point YET but if further attacks hit this country this patriotism we see on the surface right now will be sorely tested. This is what we get when we reject light. America's sin has only gotten worse since 1900. We have had a lot of light and gospel preaching to give us ample opportunity to repent but we have said "NO."

Men Love Darkness Thus They Refuse To Repent

John 3:19-21 - This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."

When a nation loves darkness more than light it will always stay in the darkness. I pray these attacks will have gotten our attention to the point where America no longer continues to hide in the darkness with her sin but comes before a holy God to confess our national sin and need for Him. Evil hates the light. That's how our President has described the people who perpetrated these despicable acts of cowardice on innocent people. They "hide" in shadows. Evil and sin always do. Many of the terrorists booked flights on which they knew would have just women and children so they would not be threatened in anyway. That's the nature of sin. It hides and runs when exposed. But God's light always exposes sin and motives and one day we will all stand before Him without a place to hide:

1 Cor 4:5 - Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.

But what America has done in the past century has been just as bad in some cases. We have murdered babies in the "shadows," of abortion clinics. We have practiced homosexuality and lesbianism in the "shadows." We have dishonored God and caused His name to be removed from our schools, jobs and sadly yes, even in some churches. One denominational church recently removed "There is Power in the Blood," from its hymnbook because as the leadership said, "that was too offensive for some of our members to sing about blood." Truth comes to the light. God will bring these terrorists before the light of the justice bar - either here on EARTH or one day before HIM. Humanity will not hide forever. We are about to be confronted on planet EARTH about our condition and sin. When this happens, what we witnessed on September 11, 2001 will PALE in comparison to what is coming on a global scale. (That's a seed thought for a soon coming future journal)

America may still refuse to repent even after these events. I believe we really love our sin too much to change. Yes, what has happened has shocked us. Yes, what has happened has caused many to hurt because of losing lost loved ones. But as a whole our nation is back to normal hat just 3 weeks removed from its greatest tragedy ever on our own soil. Why? Because deep down where it counts - in our hearts and souls - we have not really changed. We loved what we were doing before this tragedy and we still love what we do now. But friend, SIN WILL BE DEALT with one way or the other. We can deal with it ourselves by examining our own lives and judging ourselves, or we can have God do it. That needs to give us pause to think about the road we are on in this time in history.

It Will Be More Tolerable Than Sodom...

Matthew 11:20-24 -  Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not: [21] Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you. [23] And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. [24] But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.

We see Jesus upbraiding three affluent cities during His day that paralleled the state of Nineveh before judgment came there. Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum. Three cities where Jesus did some of His mightiest works - yet in spite of the LIGHT that stood in their midst - they refused to believe. The statement Jesus made to them is one I know for a fact He is making to America. He said "it shall be more tolerable for Sodom in the day of Judgment that for you." Sodom didn't have a bible. America has millions. Sodom didn't' have preachers warning it of coming doom if it didn't repent of the perversion it was practicing - America has thousands. Sodom was not give any warning - America has had centuries and for sure decades of warning. These three cities were cities where Israel's finest and most well respected citizens lived   - yet all of that did not cause them to accept the Lord Jesus as their Messiah. America has the most affluent and well-off people in all the world. But all of our affluence has not taken us closer to God - it has alienated us from Him. As Billy Graham and others have said, "if God doesn't judge America harshly for her sin, He will have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah."

Our judgment will be in measure to the LIGHT we have received. America is headed for such a judgment and soon if we don't repent and repent SOON.

Nineveh Will Rise Up In Judgment With This Generation

Matthew 12:39-41 -  But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: [40] For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. [41] The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here. [42] The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.
 

Jesus said Nineveh will rise up in judgment against this generation. The generation He was addressing was one who had failed to repent at the preaching of Jesus, "one greater than Jonah." The sad thing is that Nineveh did repent and then backslid. But in backsliding, all of the nation's righteousness was forgotten, she rejected light, and suffered darkness and destruction. Are we headed down that same path? I believe we are and headed for a collision course with a Holy God if we don't turn around and soon.

 There were many in Jesus' day demanding a sign. Sounds like the modern church. I'm not opposed to signs and wonders and miracles. Those things are very much a part of New Testament Christianity and have not went out of fashion with the apostles. But if the signs and wonders we see today don't bring us back to the CROSS, we will miss something far more eternal and important in value. THE MESSAGE OF THE GOSPEL RESTS SOLELY ON THE FINISHED WORK OF CHRIST. Christ DIED according to the scriptures and ROSE AGAIN the third day. As a result of this, we have the HOLY GHOST living in us and working THROUGH us as a New Testament church. Praise God. To add anything to that is to reject LIGHT and ask for darkness. The church is divided into two camps right now - one which wants to preach the cross without the Holy Spirit and other camp which wants to preach and teach the Holy Spirit without the CROSS. The Cross and the Holy Spirit work together, not apart. We must have BOTH to fulfill the Great commission and see the fulfillment of the last day's harvest.

Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale. Jesus was three nights and three days in the heart of the earth (Paradise) preaching to the spirits in prison before leading captivity captive into heaven. Friend, because of His resurrection, we are assured that we will all be held accountable on the day of judgment at some point in the future. There will be NO exceptions. We can repent now and live or we can refuse to repent and perish. That goes for individuals as well as nations!

The Call To Repent Today Is As It Was In Nineveh  - An Individual One - "Put On The Armor Of Light"

Rev. 3:20-22 -  Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. [21] To him that overcomes will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. [22] He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
 

Ps 27:1-5 - The LORD is my light and my salvation-- whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life-- of whom shall I be afraid? When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident. One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple. For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock.

Rom 13:12-14 - The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

I Jn 1:5-10 - This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.
(NIV)
 

Two things here of extreme importance as we close this journal. Jesus is seen in the last days knocking at the door of hearts wanting to get in. He's not seen at a door to a nation. His call in this hour is to INDIVIDUALS. I'm not sure if America can escape her fate any longer. I've had a hard time understanding why the Lord waited now to allow these things as compared to the times during the past 8 years when our leaders were wicked and unfaithful to the office they were sworn to uphold. We had experienced tremendous prosperity during the 1990s. Now, when the man our nation elected seems to be a man of God sincerely seeking to please God in office, we have a terrible tragedy befall us. Could it be that it will not matter any longer whether we elect a Christian president or our government as whole repents? Could it be that the decreed judgment on America is coming no matter what we as a "nation" do any longer. If that's the case then the call for repentance goes to individuals who will listen and hear the voice of Jesus. It's not too late to make sure WE are ready to enter into eternity no matter what happens to the nation. America is in trouble and we need to continue to pray for our leadership. But it's just as important to be ready to meet God at any moment. Troublesome days are ahead of us. Glory and judgment are coming.

Another key point in these verses is that LIGHT is always tied into confession of sin. If we are walking in LIGHT, we are confessing our sins to God every day. Once we confess those sins, the blood of JESUS cleanses us from sin so we can have fellowship with GOD - IN WHOM THERE IS NO DARKNESS. Glory to God. If we claim to have fellowship and yet still walk and practice sin - without confession and repentance - we LIE and no not the truth. I pray this is not the case with America right now. There is a great deal of "talk" about God and how we pray He blesses America. But have we corporately "confessed" our sins to Him to ask for His cleansing and forgiveness? The bottom line is we ALL need to be ready to meet Jesus at any time. "If any MAN, hear my voice and will open the door, I and My Father will come in and SUP with him and him with me." Jesus is at your hearts door right now knocking wanting to come in. Friend, without HIM, nothing is left but darkness and HOW GREAT is that darkness! God bless.