Introduction:

“It was the best of times and it was the worst of times.”
-Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities

The Best of Times?

By many reckonings, it appears to be the best of times in America: We enjoy a robust economy, reinforced by continually advancing technologies. At least one computer in every home, and a personal telephone on almost everyone’s belt. People are buying their 3rd and 4th cars. Our military is the most feared throughout the world. Indeed, in many ways, it seems like the best of times.

Judgment on the Horizon?

However, let’s assess the State of the Union in the mirror of God’s Word. Homosexuality is accepted as simply “an alternative lifestyle.” We murder babies that are socially inconvenient. We change marriage partners like a fashion statement. We have abandoned the sanctity of commitments in our families and in our businesses. Immorality and deceit have come to characterize the highest offices in our land; our politics have condoned and covered up more murders than we dare list. Our public enterprises have been prostituted to the convenience of the elite. Our mainline media takes pride in forming public opinion rather than informing it, which had been its sacred role in a representative republic. Our culture has disconnected character from destiny. Our entertainments celebrate adultery, fornication, violence, aberrant sexual practices and every imaginable form of evil. We have become the primary exporters of everything that God abhors.

One of the major theological mysteries is why hasn’t God judged America? The parallels in Bible (Cf. Hosea 4-14; Isaiah 5; et al) would suggest that it is long overdue. The only ostensible answer is God’s commitment in Genesis 12:2-3, in which He promises Abraham that He “will bless them that bless thee, and curse them that curseth thee.” It may well be that America has been spared-so far-due to its support of the nation of Israel. But that, too, may be short lived...

Conspicuous by Its Absence?

One of the mysteries in the Biblical prophetic scenario, is where does America appear?

The final battle-the Battle of Armageddon-is a four-power conflict: triggered by the “Kings of the South” (Egypt?), responded to by the “Kings of the North” (Syria? Russia? ...various opinions), and dominated by a Western Confederacy (The Antichrist, et al) until the “Kings of the East” are drawn in.

Where is the United States? There are many conjectures among scholars. Some assume that we will ultimately be somehow associated with the Western Confederacy. The continuing erosion of our constitutional republic, plus the increasing move toward a police state to “fight terrorism,” seems consistent with the growing tide toward a global government.

Others assume that America simply will not be a major player at that time. As variations of this second view, some suggest that America will have become economically and militarily less relevant by then. Others (disturbed by the hint in Ezekiel 39:6), fear that we may have been the subject of a major nuclear exchange over the growing tensions in the Middle East.

Life Cycle of Nations

As we study the rise and fall of nations, there is a disturbing sequence throughout history. The sequence of nations, as observed by Alexander Tyler, 1750, follows a predictable pattern “from bondage to spiritual faith; from spiritual faith to great courage; from courage to liberty; from liberty to abundance; from abundance to complacency; from complacency to apathy; from apathy to dependency; from dependence back again into bondage." It is hard to deny that we may well be at the zenith of that sequence. If you ask the average American what is the biggest problem facing our nation, Is it ignorance or apathy? He will likely answer, “I don’t know and I don’t care!”

It remains to be seen whether the wake-up call of September 11, 2001, will prove to be more effective than simply a brief spasm of patriotism, or whether it may lead to a more serious revival and return to our heritage. In any case, we each need to prepare and to rise to the opportunities that present themselves for a spiritual revival and we must begin with ourselves. God has declared an immutable principle:

If my people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.
2 Chronicles 7:14

Notice that this isn’t addressed to the Congress, or the Administration, or to the pagan left. It is addressed to His people, who are called by His name. It is the members of the Body of Christ that are standing in the way of what God would prefer to do in our land. A revival needs to begin with us.

NEW! Those Pesky, Community-Serving Boy Scouts May 06, 2008

'Expelled' Finds An Audience April 22, 2008

Thinking Outside The Box April 01, 2008

Faith-Based Charities Face Challenge February 27, 2008

Evolution and Academic Freedom February 12, 2008

Why Super Tuesday is Super Important January 29, 2008

35 Years After Roe v. Wade January 22, 2008

The Nature of Inflation January 22, 2008

Is Marriage Unnecessary? January 15, 2008

In Eminent Danger January 08, 2008

America's Ultimate Destiny November 13, 2007

Political Correctness Run Amok November 13, 2007

In God We Still Trust November 06, 2007

Free Contraceptives for Middle School Children October 16, 2007

Economic Upheaval: Maxed Out September 18, 2007

Economic Upheaval: The Mortgage Mess September 11, 2007

Censoring Christianity In the Public Schools September 04, 2007

Economic Upheaval: The Decline of the Dollar September 04, 2007

Faith in the Classroom August 21, 2007

Is Hell A Real Place? August 21, 2007

Saving Our Youth August 14, 2007

Even Pastors Too Busy For God August 07, 2007

Freedom From Religion? July 31, 2007

Morality v. Homosexuality: Who Is Winning The Culture War? June 05, 2007

A Forecast for 2008: The Turbulence Ahead by Chuck Missler

The Vortex Strategy: Part 3 Guarding Your Liquidity by Chuck Missler

Updated Briefing: The Vortex Strategy: Part 2 by Chuck Missler

Updated Briefing The Vortex Strategy: Part 1 by Chuck Missler

Excerpt from Prophecy 20/20 The American Challenge by Chuck Missler

For the Fourth Understanding the Worth of our Nation by Frank Salvato

In Memoriam The Passing of the Constitution by Chuck Missler

An Alternate Scenario: The Twilight’s Last Gleaming? by voicefromzion.org

A New Threat on the Horizon: The Quiet Game by Chuck Missler

An Interesting Perspective: The Denial of Guilt by Bruce Malone

An Additional Perspective: Katrina's Geopolitical Legacy by Chuck Missler

A Respite for America? An Election Mandate by Chuck Missler

Hosea, Can You See?: Hosea's Challenge to America by Chuck Missler

Twilight's Last Gleaming: Clinton's War on Hate Bans Christian Values by John Loeffler and Berit Kjos

None Dare Call It Fascism: Reflections on Our Republic by Chuck Missler

A Personal Challenge: Our Desperate Warfare by Chuck Missler

Freedom of the Press? Media Madness by Chuck Missler

Twilight's Last Gleaming? Judgment on the Horizon by Chuck Missler

The Federal Reserve: The Engine of Power by Chuck Missler

News Sources

NEW! 1 in 10 Boomers Borrow For Everyday Expenses - The economic downturn is hitting roughly one in 10 middle-aged and older Americans especially hard, compelling them to borrow money for everyday living expenses and to seek help from family, friends or charities, according to a survey released Tuesday by the AARP.

NEW! $200 Oil Could Happen This Year - A Goldman Sachs analyst on Tuesday predicted that oil prices could reach $150 to $200 a barrel over the next 6 months to two years, but said that how far prices could climb still "remains a major uncertainty." Oil for June delivery hit a record of more than $120 a barrel Tuesday in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Home Foreclosure Rate Continues Ugly Climb - The number of US homes heading toward foreclosure more than doubled in the first quarter from a year earlier, as weakening property values and tighter lending left many homeowners powerless to prevent homes from being auctioned to the highest bidder. Among the hardest hit states were Nevada, Florida and California.

Housing Prices Drop at Fastest Pace Ever - Housing prices dropped in February at the fastest rate ever, reflecting that the housing slump is gaining momentum and showing no signs of letting up.

US Christians Support Israel - More than 80 percent of American Christians say they have a "moral and biblical obligation" to support the State of Israel, and half say Jerusalem should remain its undivided capital, according to a recent survey.

Study: Few Born Agains Tithe - Only 9 percent of all born again adults gave 10 percent of their income to churches and charitable groups, a new survey revealed. Overall, only 5 percent of US adults tithed in 2007, according to data collected by the Barna Group.

Judge Orders School to Stop Bible Giveaways - A federal judge ordered a public school system in Louisiana to stop allowing in-school Bible giveaways, saying the practice violates the First Amendment separation of church and state. The ACLU filed the lawsuit against the school district after Gideons International was allowed to distribute Bibles on campus.

Divorce, Unwed Parenting Costing Taxpayers - Divorce and out-of-wedlock childbearing cost US taxpayers more than $112 billion a year. The study was conducted by economists at Georgia State University. The study attributes the loss to the fact that households headed by a single female have relatively high poverty rates, leading to higher spending on welfare, health care, criminal justice and education for those raised in broken homes. The $112 billion estimate includes the cost of federal, state and local government programs, and lost tax revenue at all levels of government.

Bankruptcy Filings Jumped 38 Percent Last Year - Bankruptcy filings jumped 38 percent last year compared with 2006, as many consumers struggled with higher mortgage payments and other debt loads. Total bankruptcy filings rose to 850,912 in 2007. The largest increases in filings came from California and Nevada, where the real estate bust has hit particularly hard. Bankruptcy filings jumped 98.5 percent in Nevada.

Bible Tops America's 10 Favorite Books of All Time - Regardless of which demographic group they belong to – male-female, Republican-Democrat or old-young – Americans named the Bible as their favorite book of all time, according to a recent nationwide poll. An estimated 92 percent of Americans own a Bible and the average household owns three, a 1993 Barna Research study found. More recent research puts Bible ownership at an average of four per household, which suggest that Bible publishers sell twenty-five million copies a year. Yet less than half of Americans actually read their Bible in a typical week.

National Media More Liberal, Secular Than Ever - A recent study conducted by the Pew Research Center found that 32 percent of national reporters acknowledge being politically liberal - compared to only 19 percent of the general public. The Pew survey also found that 68 percent of national reporters and news executives never or almost never attend worship services.

New Marriage and Divorce Statistics Released - The Barna Group has released new statistics on marriage and divorce in the US. Statistics show that most Americans get married at some point in their life: just one out of five adults has never been married. Among those who have said their wedding vows, one out of three have been divorced at least once.

Student Sues Wisconsin School After Getting a Zero for Religious Drawing - A high school student has filed a federal lawsuit alleging his art teacher censored his drawing because it featured a cross and a biblical reference. The lawsuit alleges other students were allowed to draw "demonic" images and asks a judge to declare a class policy prohibiting religion in art unconstitutional.

High School Graduation Rates Drop - Seventeen of the nation's 50 largest cities had high school graduation rates lower than 50 percent, with the lowest graduation rates reported in Detroit, Indianapolis and Cleveland. Nationally, about 70 percent of US students graduate on time with a regular diploma and about 1.2 million students drop out annually.

Gun Rights to be Argued in Supreme Court - The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments March 18 in a case challenging the District of Columbia's 30-year-old ban on handguns. Attorneys for the District plan to argue that the Constitution protects only the gun rights of militias and that the Second Amendment does not prevent states from enacting firearms regulations.

CDC Says 25 Percent of Teen Girls Have STD - A newly released study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that at least one in four teenage girls nationwide has a sexually transmitted disease.

California's Top Court Ponders Gay Marriage - Four years after San Francisco ignited passionate embraces and heated national debate by briefly allowing gay marriage, California's top court hears arguments on Tuesday as to whether matrimony should be limited to a man and a woman.

Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons Fastest-Growing 'Churches' in U.S. - Jehovah's Witnesses and the Mormon Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, regarded by many Christians as cults, are the two fastest-growing church bodies in the United States and Canada, according to a newly published report.

US Deficit Running at Twice Last Year's - The federal budget deficit is running at a pace that is more than double last year's imbalance through the first four months of the budget year. The deficit totals $87.7 billion so far this budget year, double the $42.2 billion imbalance recorded during the same period in 2007.

Rising Foreclosures Pressure Housing Prices - A growing share of home sales are from foreclosures, especially in states hardest hit by the housing bust. In some parts of California lately, nearly 50 percent of home sales come from foreclosed houses.

Growing Number of Christians Voting Liberal - A surprising new survey out Monday found that a growing number of born again Christians are supporting democratic candidates. A new Barna study shows that if the general election was held today, 40 percent of all born again adults who are likely to vote in November would choose the Democratic candidate, and only 29 percent would choose the Republican candidate. The remaining 28 percent are currently unsure whom they would support.

Housing Market Hasn't Hit Bottom - As the White House and Congress work to head off a recession, fresh data out Tuesday points to further trouble ahead for the main cause of the downturn — a housing market that shows no signs of hitting bottom. Home prices plunged by a record 8.4 percent in November. Mortgage foreclosures surged in 2007, some 1.3 million homes were the subject of a foreclosure filing, up about 80 percent from 2006.

Court Ends Bible Distribution in School - A rural school district's long-standing practice of allowing the distribution of Bibles to grade school students is unconstitutional, a federal judge has ruled. The lawsuit was filed by the ACLU against the school district for allowing representatives of Gideons International to give away Bibles in schools.

44 Percent Find Marriage Unnecessary - Almost half of Americans 20 to 69 years of age believe marriage is not necessary - according to a new study.

Marriage Amendments May Be on Ballot in Four States - Constitutional amendments protecting traditional marriage as the union of one man, and one woman may soon be poised to go on the ballot in at least four states in this year's election. Voters in Florida, California, Indiana, and Arizona may have the chance to vote on marriage amendments for their state constitutions.

National Debt Grows a Million a Minute - Like a ticking time bomb, the national debt is an explosion waiting to happen. It's expanding by about $1.4 billion a day — or nearly $1 million a minute. What's that mean to you? It means almost $30,000 in debt for each man, woman, child and infant in the United States.

Home Prices Tumbled in 3rd Quarter - US home prices fell 4.5 percent in the third quarter from a year earlier, the sharpest drop since Standard & Poor's began its nationwide housing index in 1987 and another sign that the housing slump is far from over.

Supreme Court to Consider Gun Law - The US Supreme Court is to consider an American's right to bear arms for the first time in nearly 70 years. It has agreed to rule on whether a ban on handguns by the city of Washington, DC complies with the Second Amendment of the US Constitution. The case is expected to be heard next spring, with a ruling in summer, it will be the first time since since 1939 that the high court made a ruling on the issue.

Fed Forecasts Economic Slowdown - The housing collapse and credit crisis will slow economic growth and nudge up unemployment next year, the Federal Reserve said Tuesday in a first-of-its-kind forecast that some economists believe will lead to interest rate cuts early in 2008.

School Sued Over Birth Control Policy - A conservative legal group demanded on Monday that a school district in Maine abandon its policy of distributing prescription contraceptives to students as young as 11 years old without parental consent or become the target of a lawsuit to have the policy struck down.

Abortion Parental Consent Law Struck Down - The Alaska Supreme Court on Friday issued a decision overturning a state law allowing parents the right to agree to or deny abortions their minor teenager daughters may be considering. The state's parental consent law has been tied up in court ever since the state legislature approved in in 1997. The court issued a 3-2 decision on the law claiming that it denies a teenager her so-called right to an abortion, even though the US Supreme Court, which handed down the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling, has consistently upheld parental notification and consent laws.

Dollar Sinks to New Low Against the Euro - The dollar reached yet another record low against the Euro Tuesday, prolonging its slide amid expectations of more interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve.

Voters Asked to Approve Nativity Scene - When voters in Berkley, MI, go to the polls on Nov. 7, they'll be asked to approve a charter amendment requiring the city to display a Nativity scene in its holiday display. Last winter, the Berkley City Council in Michigan voted to remove a decades-old Nativity display from city property after the American Civil Liberties Union threatened to sue. But the decision upset many residents of the Detroit suburb, who launched a grassroots petition drive to overrule the city council's vote - they gathered enough signatures to put the question on the ballot.

Dollar Hits New Lows - The dollar fell to a new record low against the euro and a 26-year low against the British pound Tuesday after lower-than-expected consumer confidence data was released and ahead of Wednesday's Federal Reserve interest rate decision.

Japan and China Lead Flight from Dollar - Japan and China led a record withdrawl of foreign funds from the United States in August, heightening fears of a fresh slide in the dollar. The IMF warned that the dollar was still overvalued and likely to depreciate further.

Chicago Researchers Look for 'Gay Gene' - A new federally funded study seeks to determine if homosexuality is genetic. It is the largest study ever conducted on the topic and it is already generating criticism and controversy, even though the initial results won't be published until next year.

Big Mac Trumps 10 Commandments - A new poll indicates that Americans are more familiar with the ingredients of the McDonald's Big Mac hamburger than the Ten Commandments.

'In God We Trust' Marks 50th Anniversary - After 50 years of appearing on the back of US dollar bills, the words "In God We Trust" continue to be at the center of debate with some courts examining whether references to God in the public sphere violates the Constitution’s separation of church and state.

See You at the Pole Set for Sept 26 - At schools across the nation, students will mark the annual See You at the Pole gathering Sept. 26 by praying for their schools, friends, teachers, government and nation. The student-led event started with a group of youth in Burleson, Texas, in 1990 and has taken root nationwide.

Maryland Court Upholds Ban On Same-Sex Marriages - Maryland's highest court today upheld a state law defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman, ending a lawsuit filed by same-sex couples who claimed they were being denied equal protection under the law.

America Honors 9/11 Victims, Heroes - Church communities nationwide are marking the sixth anniversary of Sept. 11 attacks with events and services to honor both heroes and victims.

Dollar at Record Low Against Euro - The US dollar has fallen to a record low against the euro as investors bet that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates to help the economy.

Planned Parenthood Sues to Strike Down Missouri Abortion Law - Planned Parenthood filed a lawsuit Monday seeking to strike down a new Missouri law regulating abortion clinics.

Abortion Doctors Find Legal Loophole - In response to the Supreme Court decision upholding the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, many abortion providers in Boston and around the country are injecting fetuses with lethal drugs before procedures.

Lethal Injections Being Used in Abortions - In response to the Supreme Court decision upholding the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, many abortion providers around the country have adopted a defensive tactic. To avoid any chance of partially delivering a live fetus, they are injecting fetuses with lethal drugs before procedures.

Christian Ministry Wants to Distribute Bibles with Newspapers - A Christian ministry wants to deliver custom-designed Bibles to newspaper subscribers around the United States as part of an effort to find innovative ways to spread a Christian message. But not everyone thinks that is a good idea.

Senate Bill Threatens Free Speech - As the US Senate reviews a bill that many Christians say may threaten their right to express their biblical view on homosexuality, more Christians have been accused of being "homophobic" and threatened with penalties for expressing opposition to homosexuality, leading several concerned Christian groups to stage a protest this week against the bill.

Supreme Court Upholds Federal Faith-Based Initiative - In a 5 to 4 decision, the Supreme Court Monday blocked a lawsuit by atheists and agnostics against the White House's faith-based initiative, which helps religious charities get federal grants.

Hosea, Can You See? - Chuck Missler Chuck Missler sheds some light on the startling and humbling parallels between our society and that of the prophet Hosea. These are warning we would be wise not to ignore. Click for more information - Audio Cassette

Abandonment Theology - John W. Chalfant The Clergy and the Decline of American Christianity. Click for more information - Audio Cassette

Thanksgiving: America's Challenge - Chuck Missler How did the Thanksgiving holiday first begin? Click for more information - Audio Cassette