America Under God’s Judgment

Published November 15, 2012 in the Lynchburg Ledger 

There has been no shortage of reasons given for the devastating Romney defeat, and the disastrous Obama victory last week.  Many political pundits have offered a wide variety of explanations, and indeed each is part of the mosaic.

Some say Romney failed to go on the attack in the second and third debates.  They point to the Romney campaign and its fear of offending the independent voters.

Some say Romney did a poor job in pushing back against the Obama campaign’s flood of lies and character assassination.

Some blame New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and giving Obama a chance to be presidential following Hurricane Sandy.

Still others point to the estimated 6.5 millions Christians who did not vote or the 3 million McCain voters who didn’t show. 

Others point to the “free stuff” (health care, Obamaphones, Food Stamps, etc.) offered by Obama and the Democrats.

Some say Obama stole the election by voter fraud.  They point to places like St. Lucie County, Florida where they had a 141% voter turnout.  They had 247,713 votes cast, but have only 175,554 registered voters. 

In 59 voting divisions in Philadelphia, Romney received not one single vote.

They also point to Colorado, where in 10 counties, the number of registered voters exceeded the Census Bureau population count by between 104 and 140 percent.

Now, looking at it from a Christian Worldview perspective, there was Hurricane Sandy, which stopped Romney’s momentum in its tracks and took Benghazi off the front pages. 

The timing of Sandy was uncannily perfect, which to me suggests divine intervention.

From our nation’s very beginning, there has been ample evidence of God’s hand in national affairs.  No less than Benjamin Franklin attested to this when he spoke at the Constitutional Convention in 1787. 

When the convention appeared to be deadlocked, Franklin, who some historians mistakenly call a Deist, rose and said these words:  “In this situation of this Assembly, groping as it were in the dark to find political truth, and scarce able to distinguish it when presented to us, how has it happened, Sir, that we have not hitherto once thought of humbly applying to the Father of lights to illuminate our understandings? In the beginning of the Contest with G. Britain, when we were sensible of danger we had daily prayer in this room for the divine protection.- Our prayers, Sir, were heard, & they were graciously answered. All of us who were engaged in the struggle must have observed frequent instances of a superintending providence in our favor.”

Both Thomas Jefferson and George Mason held that God judges nations.

Thomas Jefferson said, "God who gave us life gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the Gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever.”

George Mason said, “As nations cannot be rewarded or punished in the next world, they must be in this.  By an inevitable chain of causes and effects, Providence punishes national sins by national calamities.”

I believe that God is now judging our nation.  What has amazed me is that He has waited this long. 

9-11 was a warning which our nation failed to heed.  The sins of our nation have just become more and more brazen over the 11 years since 9-11. 

When you read the Old Testament, you see how God judged Israel until they repented and returned to Him.  However, since we live in a fallen world, it did not take long for Israel to fall back into sin and incur God’s wrath.

When we consider our national sins - 50 million unborn babies killed, embracing the homosexual lifestyle that God calls detestable, an epidemic of pornography and a political party that booed God - we can begin to understand why God is withdrawing His protective hand.

Matt Barber, Vice President of Liberty Council Action, has an excellent column in “World Net Daily” titled “God Will Not Be Mocked.”  I commend it to you.

He writes, “America has tasted the poisonous fruits of lust, pride, passion, and envy – sloth, frivolity, iniquity and entitlement. She has tasted of their sweet deception and found it irresistible. She has danced in the streets, intoxicated by the very poison that will be her undoing.

“America has rebelled against God. She has shaken her fist at Him and arrogantly cried, ’We don’t need you. We don’t want you. We know better than you. Now go away.’

“And so He’s going away.”

Just as in the American Revolution when God used a weather phenomenon, a dense fog to shield Washington’s retreating army across the East River, so too has he used Hurricane Sandy to give America just what it is says it wants. 

With three states voting in favor of homosexual marriage, which is the very first time the voters have approved it, and two states legalizing marijuana, God has withdrawn His protective hand. 

The days ahead are going to be very difficult financially.  We saw the stock market react negatively the day after the election and saw many companies announcing layoffs. 

The cost of energy is going to escalate, as well as health care and the basic necessities of life.

For people of faith, it is going to be difficult times because traditional values are being discarded and there will be attempts to censor religious speech in the public arena.

It is going to take a national tragedy much greater than 9-11 for our nation to repent.  God has already told us what we need to do when He said, “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves, pray, seek my face and turn from their wicked ways; then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sins and heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:13-15)