The Life Cycles of Empires: Lessons for America Today?

Perceptive historians recognize that great powers go through a cycle of growth, stability, maturity and decline. Where is America in this cycle? Will we learn from the lessons of history?

The German philosopher Hegel (1770-1831) knew that just because men and women learned about the past, that didn't mean they'd make better decisions about the future. He once cynically commented, "What experience and history teach us is this—that people and governments never have learned anything from history, or acted on principles deduced from it."

For years after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, America seemingly towered over the world as a great giant—economically, culturally and militarily. But now for nearly a decade since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, its armed services have clashed with the forces of Islamic extremism and terrorism in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere in the world.

If that weren't bad enough, the worldwide economic crisis has laid the country low with high unemployment, an immense federal government deficit, rising inflation and depressed home values. Other challenges loom ahead, flowing from the European Union's growing political and economic integration, Russia's increased strength and assertiveness, and China's rapid economic, industrial and military growth.

Will America follow the path of past empires?

Clearly America's present lone-superpower status is being increasingly challenged. Could it be lost completely? While it clings to a general preeminence right now, could America still decline and fall?

Didn't that happen to other great empires in the past, such as those of Britain, Spain, Rome, Persia, Babylon and Egypt? Is America' s future more secure than theirs was?

Sir John Bagot Glubb (1897-1987), a highly honored British general and historian better known as Glubb Pasha, wrote about the collapsed empires of the past. In his 1978 book The Fate of Empires and the Search for Survival, he described a common pattern fitting the history of some fallen empires. They went through a cycle of stages as they started, expanded, matured, declined and collapsed.

Does the pattern apply to America today? Has the United States entered this cycle's ending stages? If so, shouldn't Americans critically examine the current state of their culture to see what could be done to prevent the same grim fate?

By knowing history better, we can better project our likely national futures. As the great British Prime Minister and noted historian Winston Churchill observed, "The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see."

Seven steps in the life cycles of great powers

Glubb Pasha learned that different empires had similar cultural changes while experiencing a life cycle in a series of stages that could overlap. He generalized about empires having seven stages of development, identifying these successive ages as follows:

1. The age of outburst (or pioneers).

2. The age of conquests.

3. The age of commerce.

4. The age of affluence.

5. The age of intellect.

6. The age of decadence.

7. The age of decline and collapse.

Each stage helps progression to the next as the values of the people change over time. Military, political, economic and religious developments all influence an empire's people to act and believe differently over time.

Let's look at these stages in more detail.

The rise of empires

In the first two stages or ages, the warrior's adventuresome and manly values drive an empire to gain power as it conquers land from others.

Later on, during the following ages of commerce and affluence, businessmen and merchants—who normally value material success and dislike taking unnecessary risks—take over at the highest levels of society. Their societies downplay the values of the soldier.

According to Glubb, they normally do this not "from motives of conscience, but rather because of the weakening of a sense of duty in citizens, and the increase in selfishness, manifested in the desire for wealth and ease."

During these middle stages, empires stop taking more land and start building walls instead. They switch from the offensive to the defensive. Historical examples include the wall built near the Scottish border by the Roman emperor Hadrian, the Great Wall of China constructed to keep out intrusion by certain nomadic groups, and even 20th-century France's Maginot Line, placed along the German border.

Conquest and (later) business investment promoted by the empire's unity builds the wealth that leads to the age of intellect. Even the brutal Mongol Empire, by bringing most of Asia under its rule, encouraged the caravan trade along Eurasia's famed Silk Road. During this fifth stage, the empire's leaders spent lots of money to establish educational institutions resembling modern universities and high schools.

Sowing the seeds of decline

During the age of intellect, schools may produce skeptical intellectuals who oppose the values and religious beliefs of their empires' early leaders. For example, the medieval Muslim philosophers Avicenna and Averroes, by accepting much of ancient Greek philosophy, weren't orthodox in belief.

Scholars also might manage schools that teach the ruling class and/or some of the average people subjects that are either mainly oriented towards financial success or are simply impractical. For example, in the early Roman Republic, students received a basic education that stressed character development and virtue. But in the later Roman Empire, teachers taught rhetoric (the art of speaking) when emotionally persuading assemblies was no longer of political or practical value.

The corrosive effects of material success encourage the upper class and the common people to discard the self-confident, self-disciplined values that helped to create the empire. Then the empire eventually collapses. Perhaps an outside power, such as the so-called barbarians in Rome's case, wipes it out. Or maybe an energetic internal force, such as the pro-capitalist reformers in the Soviet Union, finishes the job instead.

The growth of wealth and comfort clearly can undermine the values of character, such as self-sacrifice and discipline, that led to a given empire's creation. Then the empire so affected by moral decline grows weaker and more vulnerable to destruction by forces arising inside or outside of it.

Not surprisingly, God in the Bible specifically warned the ancient Israelites against departing from worshipping Him once they became materially satisfied after entering the Promised Land (Deuteronomy:8:11-20; 31:20). He understood this human tendency.

A society is known by its heroes

Has the United States entered the latter phases of the empire life cycle? True, it's only been independent from Britain for somewhat over two centuries. It's a young country compared to those of Europe or Asia. But does America today have the same values or cultural developments that past empires such as Rome had before they fell?

For example, who are the nation's heroes? What does a people's choice of heroes tell us about the people themselves? Today in America the people generally admired above all (and perpetually gossiped about) are celebrities such as sports stars, singers, actors and musicians.

As Glubb explains, the heroes of an empire's people change over time as their values do. Soldiers, builders, pioneers and explorers are admired in the initial stages of the empire life cycle. Then successful businessmen and entrepreneurs are esteemed during the ages of commerce and affluence.

For example, late 19th-century middle-class Americans wanted their children to learn the values of prudence, saving and foresight as found in the stories of author Horatio Alger, whose heroes lead exemplary lives striving to succeed in the face of adversity and poverty. Intellectuals are also increasingly respected during the age of intellect.

During the last stages of decadence and decline, an empire's people often think most highly of and imitate athletes, musicians and actors—despite how corrupt these celebrities' private lives are.

Remarkably, according to Glubb Pasha, in 10th-century Baghdad during the Muslim Abbasid Empire's decline, its writers complained about the singers of love songs having a bad influence on the young people! It seems the old adage is true: The more things change, the more they stay the same (or, perhaps, become the same again).

Because people grow emotionally attached to the music they love, they have a high regard for its singers and want to emulate them. Inevitably, popular music's often spiritually rotten lyrical content—such as foul language, blunt sexual references, glorifying immorality, and even Satanic allusions at times—influences fans. Furthermore, the immoral lifestyles of many musicians, often including drug abuse and promiscuous sex, also have an impact on society.

What are some key signs of decline?

What are some common features of an empire's culture in its declining period? Glubb describes developments like these:

1. Rampant sexual immorality, an aversion to marriage in favor of "living together" and an increased divorce rate all combine to undermine family stability. This happened among the upper class in the late Roman Republic and early Empire. The first-century writer Seneca once complained about Roman upper-class women: "They divorce in order to re-marry. They marry in order to divorce."

The birthrate declines, and abortion and infanticide both increase as family size is deliberately limited. The historian W.H. McNeill has referred to the "biological suicide of the Roman upper classes" as one reason for Rome's decline. Homosexuality becomes publicly acceptable and spreads, as was the case among the ancient Greeks before Rome conquered them.

2. Many foreign immigrants settle in the empire's capital and major cities. The mixture of ethnic groups in close proximity in these cosmopolitan places inevitably produces conflicts.

Because of their prominent locations within the empire, their influence greatly exceeds their percentage of the population. Here diversity plainly leads to divisiveness.

We see this today in the growing conflict in European countries such as France and the Netherlands, where large numbers of immigrants are stoking violent cultural clashes. German chancellor Angela Merkel recently made headlines when she stated that attempts to create a multicultural society had "utterly failed" and immigrants must do more to integrate into society.

3. Both irresponsible pleasure-seeking and pessimism increase among the people and their leaders. The spirit described in 1 Corinthians:15:32 spreads throughout society: "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!"

As people cynically give up looking for solutions to the problems of life and society, they drop out of the system. They then turn to mindless entertainment, to luxuries and sexual activity, and to drugs or alcohol.

The astonishingly corrupt and lavish parties of the Roman Empire's elite are a case in point. The Emperor Nero, for instance, would spend the modern equivalent of $500,000 for just the flowers at some banquets.

4. The government provides extensive welfare for the poor. In the case of the city of Rome, which had perhaps 1.2 million people around A.D. 170, government-provided "bread and circuses" (food and entertainment) helped to keep the masses content. About one half of its non-slave population was on the dole at least part of the year.

True, helping the poor shows Christian compassion (Mark:14:7). But such help also can lead to laziness and dependency (2 Thessalonians:3:10-12). Such problems are especially likely when the poor believe state-provided charity is a permanent right or entitlement.

Is America on a downward cultural and spiritual spiral?

Considering this list of indicators of an empire's cultural and moral decline, is it reasonable to deny that the United States has entered the stages of decadence and decline?

True, the tidal wave of social and cultural decay unleashed by the 1960s in America has ebbed some in recent years. The rates of abortion, divorce, illegitimate births, drug abuse, welfare dependency and violent crime have either declined or gone up much more slowly.

Furthermore, some indicators of decline have good, not just bad, results. For instance, some immigration is helpful. As skilled, educated immigrants arrive, they normally benefit America economically while being a "brain drain" from Third World countries. And, indeed, the United States has historically embraced vast numbers of immigrants.

Nevertheless, the present flood of immigrants, legal or illegal, equals in impact the wave that arrived at America's shores around 1900. Today, they are far more apt to be a divisive force. Why? Unlike a hundred years ago, America's intellectual elite overall has adopted multiculturalism (the promotion of immigrants maintaining their prior distinct cultures) and has rejected assimilation (adopting the existing national culture) as its ideal.

Today multiculturalism is the ideology underlying a potentially ultimate political Balkanization, wherein society is fragmented along ethnic and cultural lines. (For evidence, see the liberal historian Arthur Schlesinger's 1991 book The Disuniting of America). A lack of cultural unity inevitably leads to conflict in a free society such as in the United States.

Are we paying attention?

How should we react to the historical insights of Sir John Glubb Pasha's The Fate of Empires and the Search for Survival as they relate to America, Britain and other related English-speaking nations?

As he notes in his examination of a number of previous empires, the processes of history often repeat themselves. We shouldn't believe that America will automatically avoid the fate of other great empires that declined and fell in the past.

God is ever so merciful, but His patience in the face of our national sins is wearing thin. He has given His true servants a mission to warn the nations of what is coming (Ezekiel:33:1-9), and that is one of the purposes of this magazine. We want to help you see how prophecies given long ago are now shaping up before our eyes!

If modern nations repent, as the people of the ancient Assyrian capital of Nineveh did after the prophet Jonah delivered God's warning to them (as described in the book of Jonah), they can avoid the dreadful punishments prophesied to come. But even if only the few of us reading this article repent before the time of tribulation arrives, God will keep us in His care.

Many of God's faithful followers will be protected from the tribulation (Revelation:3:10). And, most importantly, Jesus promises eternal life to all who truly believe, turn from sin and persevere in their faithful obedience: "He who endures to the end shall be saved" (Matthew:24:13).

Since we know that the handwriting is on the wall, what will we now choose to do?

The Son of God

"He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering." Isaiah 53:3

Jesus shows true humility. Have you ever heard someone described as “so down to earth?” Normally, it’s talking about someone who has the potential to be really puffed-up or conceited, but is in fact the opposite—really humble and approachable. You might hear someone talking about a celebrity or star athlete who could be so prideful, but instead people describe him as, “so down to earth.”

Jesus was the most down to earth person—ever. Think about it: He had the potential to be the most grandiose figure in history. He came from Heaven where He created everything and everyone. He had the power to do whatever He wanted. And He knew the hearts of everyone. Plus, He was perfectly sinless. Think about what you might do with all the power in the world. Yet Jesus never tooted His own horn. He just did what God, His Father wanted. Jesus said, “And the One who sent me is with me—He has not deserted me. For I always do what pleases Him" (John 8:29).

Instead of making Himself look great, Jesus just cared about making His father look good. And in the meantime, He was attracted to the sinful, needy people; not the religious, arrogant ones. People criticized Him for it, saying, "Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?" (Mark 2:16). See, normally, a celebrity would only like to hang out with other celebrities of great importance. Instead, Jesus liked to hang out with the needy and broken-hearted. Imagine a celebrity who only hung out with poor, sick people! That was Jesus.

If you are there thinking Jesus doesn’t really want much to do with you or that you have too many problems, take heart. This is what Jesus says to you, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28,29). Jesus is your down-to-earth Savior. Take heart that He loves you just how you are and is there for you today for whatever you need.

So, this week, let us pray and

• Ask God to help us all to be truly humble
• Tell Jesus Christ how much we love Him -- He is so wonderful!
• Ask God to help us at Global Media Outreach reach more people with the gospel

THANK YOU so much for your prayers for us. 

America and Britain Cut Defense: What Does It Mean for the Future?

Faced with exploding government debt, America will likely soon see massive defense cuts. Britain has already made severe cutbacks in military spending. What is the inevitable long-term outcome?

British naval power dominated the world's oceans during the 19th century and the first few decades of the 20th. Then the American colossus boldly stepped into the gap for the balance of the 20th century. But just as Britain's dominance at sea rapidly declined due to new fiscal realities after World War II, so does American military power face a new and dismal economic reality.

If wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and military intervention in Libya and Yemen weren't enough, the United States faces serious challenges from Chinese military ambitions in the Pacific. Previously some deemed this vast ocean as practically an American lake. Yet recently a Chinese official suggested that China should control the Pacific west of Hawaii.

China is also making rapid gains in advanced military technology. Several years ago it showed it could shoot down satellites orbiting the earth. It has recently conducted test flights of its first stealth fighter jet and is launching its first aircraft carrier this summer. It's building new submarines capable of launching nuclear missiles. China's advanced anti-ship missiles are a clear threat to U.S. naval forces in the Pacific, including aircraft carriers.

Why has the Republic of China found it necessary to increase its missiles targeted at Taiwan from 1,328 to 1,410, as recently reported? What is the mentality at work here? War with China may never happen, but hostility clearly remains and even increases.

Ironically, Americans are themselves financing these threats through massive imports of Chinese-made goods and staggering deficit spending made possible by the Chinese buying American debt!

U.S. military spending under threat

As these threats grow, what is happening to the U.S. military?

The British newsmagazine The Economist recently observed: "Amid all the agonising over America's ballooning debt, the once sacrosanct defence budget, which represents half of all discretionary federal spending, is no longer off limits. Even some Republicans . . . concede that defence has to be 'on the table' if a serious assault on trillion-dollar annual deficits is to be launched" ("Threatening a Sacred Cow," Feb. 12, 2011).

In May, outgoing Defense Secretary Robert Gates issued a warning about coming cuts. The Associated Press reported from Washington, "In a parting shot by one of the longest serving Pentagon chiefs, Robert Gates on Tuesday warned that shrinking defense budgets will mean a smaller military and a diminished American role in the world" ("Gates: Big Cuts Will Shrink U.S. Influence," May 25, 2011).

Secretary Gates noted that "a smaller military, no matter how superb, will be able to go fewer places and be able to do fewer things" (ibid.).

Severe cuts in U.S. military spending will not make Chinese and Iranian challenges go away—not to mention the still-simmering Iraqi conflict, the hot war in Afghanistan, the uncertain Libyan dilemma and our ongoing worries about Pakistan.

America and Britain reaching a crossroads

Financially both Britain and America find themselves at a disturbing crossroads.

Throughout much of the 20th century Britain was able to aid and abet American efforts to face down the world-ruling ambitions of powerful dictators like Hitler, Stalin and Tojo. More recently Anglo-American joint efforts have concentrated on coping with conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and now Libya.

Repeatedly Britain has been the United States' strongest ally. However, recent developments have called into question the ability of the United Kingdom to continue in that role indefinitely.

The UK's military cuts have been severe. Yet British Defence Secretary Dr. Liam Fox notes that "it is easy to forget that Britain remains the world's fifth biggest economy, with the world's fourth biggest defence budget . . . An island nation like Britain, with so many interests in so many parts of the world—92 per cent of trade moving by sea, [with] around 10 per cent of our citizens living abroad—is inevitably going to be affected by global instability" ("Holding the Line Against a Future Full of Uncertainties," The Sunday Telegraph, Feb. 27, 2011).

Still the severity of these cuts must be addressed. Wrote Daily Mail defense columnist Ian Drury: "Scrapping the RAF's [Royal Air Force's] £4.1 billion fleet of new Nimrod spy planes will weaken Britain's defences by leaving a 'massive' security gap, leading military figures and MPs have warned . . . Defence Secretary Liam Fox admitted in November [2010] that getting rid of the Nimrods was a 'calculated risk.' But ministers were determined to press on, claiming it will save the cash-strapped MoD [Ministry of Defence] £2 billion over the next ten years" ("Axing New Nimrods Is a Huge Risk Say Top Brass," Jan. 23, 2011).

When sheer lack of funds dictates military preparedness, American and British defenses will be gravely compromised.

Armaments are only part of the American picture

World and national affairs magazines are currently debating the question of American decline. Is it an uncomfortable reality or only a temporary mirage? Observers seem to be divided about 50-50. Yet all freely acknowledge the serious nature of national challenges on both domestic and foreign fronts.

America cannot effectively separate the prospect of serious military cuts with the general decline of its national condition. Ultimately, everything stands or falls together.

As it stands today, American military strength still dominates every other nation by large margins. But if—as recent trends indicate—that military gap were substantially bridged in the future, we would have a far different story on our hands. America's vulnerability to enemies would become painfully apparent.

By then it may be too late to turn to God and seek the help of our Creator. Remember the words of God through the prophet Ezekiel: "'When a land sins against Me by persistent unfaithfulness, I will stretch out My hand against it; I will cut off its supply of bread, send famine on it, and cut off man and beast from it. Even if these three men, Noah, Daniel and Job, were in it, they would deliver only themselves by their righteousness,' says the Lord God" (Ezekiel:14:14; compare Jeremiah:15:1).

There will come a point of no return. Inevitably a tipping point will arrive.

The all-important biblical background

The United States and Britain cannot escape history. Surprisingly, the Bible and history reveal that their respective national DNAs reach back to the patriarch Joseph in the book of Genesis.

The God of Israel marked off a special responsibility for the British and American peoples toward the time of the end. Their military and economic might was foretold in Genesis 49 and Deuteronomy 33. Their cultural influence enabled the two nations to take the message of the Bible to the entire world.

But overall, how have they performed? Have they fulfilled what God wanted them to do? The enormous material gifts bestowed on the two nations by the Creator puts them in a position of great responsibility, requiring a very high standard of moral conduct. Yet the last 50 years have seen ever-increasing degrees of moral failure.

In just the last 10 years the United States has witnessed a 25 percent hike in unmarried couples living together. People no longer honor the God-given marriage institution. Instead we carelessly tolerate "alternative lifestyles," including homosexual marriage, contrary to clear biblical teaching.

The Ten Commandments are going out of style in America and Britain. A recent survey published by USA Today shows that nearly half the American populace hardly ever even opens a Bible. The current situation in Britain and its partner countries in the Commonwealth of Nations reflects similar symptoms of serious national decline.

A proverb of King Solomon states, "The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but deliverance is of the Lord" (Proverbs:21:31). Cut off from the help of our Creator whom we have rejected, even military strength cannot and will not save us.

If we continue to allow our morals to drift into the proverbial cesspit, our national downfall is certain. It was Thomas Jefferson who said, "I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, that His justice cannot sleep forever."

Does Israel Matter?

U.S. President Barack Obama recently called on Israel to return to its pre-1967 borders as the basis for a solution to its conflict with the Palestinians. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu countered that this is a non-starter. Why is this so critical, and does Israel really matter in the scope of things?

Forty years ago I traveled to Israel to spend the summer working on an archaeological dig at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. When our group arrived we were put to work at the base of the southern wall in the shadow of the Al Aqsa Mosque.

We spent about two months clearing the dirt and debris and in the process uncovered the topmost level of the monumental steps by which people entered the Temple complex in Jesus Christ's day. Today you can see those steps and much more when you visit the Jerusalem Archaeological Park.

We also traveled throughout Israel exploring many sites mentioned in the Bible. That summer remains among the highlights of my life. I met people from around the world and saw places I had only read about in books. It was quite an adventure.

Israel garners a lot of attention in the news. Is that warranted? Why should we even care about this place that, for many, is so far away?

Country's expansion after enemy attack

Had Israel not annexed the territory it captured in the 1967 Six-Day War, I probably would not have made the trip I was on. Certainly there would not have been an archaeological excavation at the Temple Mount. Before 1967 the Arab nation of Jordan controlled that area, and Jews were not allowed there. Jerusalem was a divided city, and certain sections were off limits.

But with the 1967 war this all changed. Israel's borders were expanded, giving Israelis some "breathing room" to defend themselves against their enemies. Israel fought one more all-out war, the near fatal Yom Kippur War of 1973, wherein Egypt nearly defeated the Israeli Defense Force. The Israelis, aided by America, rallied and won that war, and years later they signed peace agreements with Egypt and Jordan.

Since that time a tenuous relationship has existed between the Jewish state and Palestinians who continue to seek the return of lost lands as part of a final settlement.

The lack of a permanent treaty and establishment of a single Palestinian state is at the heart of the ongoing dispute in the region. Many expect a push at the United Nations this autumn to declare the existence of a Palestinian state, which would place Israel in a major dilemma.

Renewed call for pre-1967 borders

Since January the Middle East has been in turmoil, with leaders ousted in Tunisia, Egypt and Yemen. Others may yet follow. The so-called "Arab Spring" has not created new democracies. Rather it has destabilized the region in a manner not seen since the creation of the modern Middle East at the close of World War I.

The Obama administration is carefully watching these events. Its members want to come down on "the right side of history," even if they may not grasp what that "history" might be. President Obama has not made any positive progress with the Arab world since his much-vaunted speech in Cairo two years ago. His recent call for Israel to return to pre-1967 borders with "agreed-upon swaps" of land is ill-defined.

What would a return to pre-1967 borders mean? In key areas, Israel would be only about 10 miles wide, allowing enemy armored forces to easily cut the country in half in time of war. Israel's one large airport near Tel Aviv would be just a few miles from enemy territory, exposing departing and arriving flights to missile attacks.

Syria would again control the Golan Heights, a high plateau overlooking northern Israel and an advantageous area from which to fire on or attack exposed cities and towns below. And the Old City of Jerusalem would again be under Muslim control, cutting off access to Jewish and Christian holy sites—or at least making them unsafe for Jews and Christians to visit.

Israel knows it must have defensible borders. Its troops must have room to maneuver and protect its people. The Israelis have no room to make mistakes. Just one could be fatal. They know that they, not unreliable allies, are responsible for their survival.

Israel understands it must negotiate an agreement that provides for a Palestinian state alongside a defensible state of Israel. And the Israelis have confirmed that Jerusalem must remain their united capital. They will settle for nothing else. They're in the land to stay and will not be moved.

Some benefits of expanded Israeli rule

What have the Israelis done with the land they gained in the 1967 war? They opened the land and made it productive. It has been cultivated to grow crops that not only feed the nation, but provide exports to the world. You can drive though these areas and see the progress that stable democratic government has brought to the land and its inhabitants, Jew and Arab alike. More than 1.5 million Arabs actually live in peace and freedom within Israel—a fact seldom reported.

I have seen the benefits Arabs living in Israel enjoy. Travel through the Jordan Valley, to Jerusalem, to Nazareth and Galilee and you will see the signs of prosperity where mutual cooperation is maintained.

There is another benefit gained in the more than four decades since the 1967 war. It is the rich knowledge of the archaeological finds that have opened up the history of the land. The Bible, along with many of its characters, has been confirmed historically by these finds. The field of Bible archaeology has exploded, and the world is better for that.

I earlier mentioned that the dig I worked on at the Temple Mount would not have been possible were the area still controlled by Muslim Arabs. Likewise, to the south of this area, in what is called the City of David, various digs have unearthed the history of the city, confirmed the ancient Jewish presence and affirmed the accuracy of the Bible. We would know little of this rich history were it not for the openness fostered by the State of Israel.

Israel a crucial focal point

Walter Russell Mead spoke to Israel's role in a recent piece at The American Interest. Israel matters to America like no other nation on earth, he wrote. "The people and the story of Israel stir some of the deepest and most mysterious reaches of the American soul . . . The belief that God favors and protects Israel is connected to the idea that God favors and protects America.

"It means more. The existence of Israel means that the God of the Bible is still watching out for the well-being of the human race . . . The restoration of the Jews to the Holy Land and their creation of a successful, democratic state after two thousand years of oppression and exile is a clear sign that the religion of the Bible can be trusted" ("The Dreamer Goes Down for the Count," May 25, 2011, emphasis added)

The existence of Israel does matter in today's world. It is larger than a Palestinian refugee problem. It is even more than the survival of one ethnic group over another. The ancient land occupied today by the remnant of mainly one tribe of the biblical nation of Israel is the site of God's story of eternal salvation for all the tribes of mankind. It is the culminating spot where the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob will show Himself once more for the good of all people and bring all nations before Him in judgment.

Today Jerusalem may be a "heavy stone for all peoples" (Zechariah:12:3), but one day it will become a place where people dwell in peace, for "Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited" (Zechariah:14:11).

Over the years I have made several visits to Jerusalem. In spite of its current troubles I have always felt safe. I've been able to place my hand on the Western Wall and walk around the Dome of the Rock. I've been able to see all its fabled streets and buildings, taking in all its history. I've been able to do this because it has been a free and united city. That is the way it should always be.

Violent Weather: Where Was God?

Over recent months America has been repeatedly stricken by devastating tornadoes, floods, wildfires and drought. Is there a message for us in these events? What is the biblical perspective on such disasters?

In terms of weather in the United States, the spring of 2011 proved to be the deadliest season in more than 60 years, as violent killer tornadoes devastated major areas of the Southeast and Midwest. As of mid-June, the confirmed death toll had passed 520, and was set to climb even higher as more bodies were recovered from the rubble of demolished homes and businesses. Property damage estimates ran into the tens of billions and were still climbing steadily.

While not on the massive scale of what Japan has suffered in its recent earthquake and tsunami, the U.S. weather-related deaths and damage have nevertheless greatly exceeded what American communities and states usually have to cope with.

Meteorologists were astounded by the outbreaks, as wave after wave of violent thunderstorms swept across the United States. From mid-April to late May, the deadly pattern repeated itself. High altitude jet stream winds, moving rapidly, collided with warm, moist, low-altitude winds from the south and southeast, producing a perfect brew of conditions for devastating thunderstorms and tornadoes.

Like a massive army moving along a 500-mile-long front, the weather systems, originating in the southern plains, moved east, spreading death and destruction as they spawned tornadoes, some with winds exceeding 250 miles per hour.

Few things that man builds can withstand the direct onslaught of such winds. Houses were literally blown apart, roofs lifted off as easily as one might take the lid off a jar. Older buildings were reduced to piles of bricks. Metal buildings were ripped apart, their metal panels blown around like scraps of paper. After the devastation passed, survivors emerged to scenes that looked like war zones.

The worst outbreak occurred April 26 and 27, when a wave of more than 100 tornadoes took 350 lives in the Southeast and Midwest—238 in Alabama alone. As April turned into May, most Americans breathed a sigh of relief, believing the tornado season to be over. But late May brought another wave of storms. Early in the morning of May 22 a massive multiple-vortex tornado struck Joplin, Missouri, killing 153 and leaving a six-mile swath of destruction through the heart of the city.

Is violent weather on the increase?

The wave of tornadoes that swept the plains and eastern United States in April and May killed more Americans than any disaster since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. But are killer tornadoes actually increasing in number and intensity? The evidence is inconclusive. Some scientists point to studies showing an increase in the past decade in the deadly category F4 and F5 storms, those with winds approaching 300 miles per hour.

According to the Weather Underground weather service in Ann Arbor, Mich., the 362 confirmed tornadoes that struck April 26-28 set a new record, exceeded only by the wave of twisters that struck the American Midwest and Southeast in early April 1974. "What was truly amazing was the unprecedented number of F5 tornadoes, and how they tended to strike populated areas," said Weather Underground spokesman Jeff Masters.

Meteorologists have studied the impact of the jet stream, the vast high-altitude river of wind that moves easterly across North America. And they've noted the jet stream's southward shift, which has led to an increase in springtime violent storms and tornado activity.

However, killer tornadoes have been a fixture of American life for the past century. Waves of tornadoes in the 1920s and 1930s actually killed more Americans than this year's outbreak.

Scientists are in agreement, however, that advances in tornado-tracking technology have allowed for earlier and more accurate tornado warnings. For example, Doppler weather radar that can detect the strength of winds inside funnel clouds gives meteorologists the ability to track storms far more accurately than just a few years ago. They also agree that hundreds of lives have been saved as a result of those early warnings.

Where is God when violent weather strikes?

News reports commonly gave accounts of people huddled together in basements, storm shelters or just the inner rooms of houses, praying fervently for God's protection as the killer winds tore their homes to kindling. Americans are, by and large, believers in God, and many of those who survived when others around them died credit their survival to His protection. God may have answered many of those prayers.

But for many, there is the larger question, the same question often voiced in the aftermath of natural disasters: Where was God? How could a God of love allow such disasters to occur? And if He spared some, why did He not spare others?

The Bible does have much to say about God and natural disasters, and it may not be what you expect.

It might come as a surprise to many, but God's Word actually foretells an increase in natural disasters in what the Bible calls "the last days." Let's notice Matthew:24:7, part of Jesus Christ's last major prophecy before His crucifixion. Here He gives His disciples advance notice about what world conditions would be like just prior to His return: "There will be famines, earthquakes, and pestilences in various places."

Luke's account of this same prophecy adds a few more details: "And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring" (Luke:21:25). Waves roar at sea during violent storms, something that can cause fear in even the most stalwart individuals, as the next verse indicates.

Both of these passages refer to destructive weather events and other natural disasters to occur in the end time. The past decade has seen a torrent of hurricanes, tornadoes, droughts and floods! The last week of May witnessed record flooding on the lower Mississippi River, while large stretches of Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and New Mexico experienced near-record drought. In large areas of the southern plains, 2011 crop yields will be a small fraction of normal. And again, consider what Japan has had to go through.

It isn't just tornadoes, but natural disasters of all types that were foretold to occur with increasing frequency in the end times!

Does God send disasters to punish sinners?

Some, including a number of religious leaders, solemnly declared that the tornadoes of 2011 are God's punishment on those living wretched, sinful lives. But is this accurate?

To begin with, many of those who died were just ordinary, law-abiding, decent people living what society would term normal lives. Many victims attended church regularly, were good neighbors and tried to lead moral, ethical lives. But the storms killed indiscriminately, taking the lives of all types of people.

The Bible does note that it's possible for people to simply be at the wrong place at the wrong time. In ancient times, Israel's King Solomon mused on this exact subject. Notice Ecclesiastes:9:11: "I returned and saw under the sun that—the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men of understanding, nor favor to men of skill; but time and chance happen to them all" (emphasis added throughout).

We have to realize that life is full of risks, and that natural or unnatural disasters can happen to anyone. Recent history is replete with accounts of people being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Consider those lost when interstate highway bridges collapsed during the Oakland, California, earthquakes in 1991, or the nearly 3,000 tragic deaths when terrorists attacked the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.

Jesus Christ Himself showed that people can die accidentally, and not because they were singled out for punishment for their sins. We read in Luke:13:3-5 that some were speculating that a number of Galileans murdered by Pilate, or another group killed when a tower fell on them, were sinners and that their death was punishment for their sinful lives.

But notice Jesus' response: "Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, no, but unless you repent you will all likewise perish." Or, as the American Standard Version renders the last part here, "ye shall all in like manner perish." The Darby Translation has: "ye shall all perish in like manner"—that is, in the same way. And what way is that? Completely subject to freak happenstance.

Yet for those who repent of their sins and enter God's family, matters are quite different, as they are then directly within God's care. God promises protection for His children. He is the master potter molding their lives and character. This is not to say they could never die in an accident. They could. But if they do, it is only because God specifically allows it—determining them prepared for eternal life in His family.

The unrepentant in the world at large, on the other hand, can simply be swept away in any random occurrence without God's assurance of help and protection and eternal life.

The wonderful truth is that God will ultimately grant His repentant children immortality with no possibility of perishing. His followers He's allowed to die will at the time of Christ's return be resurrected to life without end.

(It should be mentioned that those who've died without ever repenting will also be raised to life in the age to come, but not yet eternal life. Their lives will still be subject to the possibility of perishing unless they repent and remain faithful at that time. This will not be their second chance for salvation, as some may deem it to be, but their one and only opportunity.)

A coming "time of Jacob's trouble"

While the Bible does not show God using natural disasters to single out individual sinners for punishment, it does prophesy punishment on nations, particularly the major English-speaking countries, for their national sins.

For years, this publication has been proclaiming what many find hard to believe—that a time of national punishment is coming on the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the other modern descendants of the "Lost Ten Tribes" of ancient Israel (to learn more, request or download our free booklet The United States and Britain in Bible Prophecy).

Many are astounded to learn that the Bible devotes considerable space to this subject. We won't go into detail here, but Jeremiah:30:7 states: "Alas, for that day is great, so that none is like it; and it is the time of Jacob's trouble, but he shall be saved out of it" (after suffering through it).

Amazing as it may sound, the national forebears of today's major English-speaking nations were some of the tribes of Israel, whom God rescued from slavery in ancient Egypt. Many are familiar with how God brought them, after years of wandering in the wilderness, to the borders of the Promised Land. At that historic juncture, He gave them a choice of two ways of life—obedience to His laws, which would bring untold blessings, or rebellion against His way, which would bring curses and national suffering.

In Deuteronomy 28, often referred to as one of the two "blessings and curses" chapters (the other being Leviticus 26), God laid out the choice for His people. Theirs was an agricultural economy, and good weather was crucial to national prosperity. Notice what God said would happen for disobedience: "Your heavens which are over your head shall be bronze, and the earth which is under you shall be iron. The Lord will change the rain of your land to powder and dust" (verses 23-24).

Is it just coincidence that we are seeing yet another severe drought in the United States? A growing chorus of scientists is predicting major changes to weather patterns that may make droughts increasingly common.

The evidence is mounting that something major is happening to our weather. Is God using devastating weather events as part of His punishment on modern Israel? At the very least, these tragic and enormously expensive disasters should make us stand up and take notice!

Living in Satan's world

We also cannot ignore the reality of what the Bible terms "this present evil age." God has, for the present time, turned over much of the control of this world to Satan the devil, the adversary and enemy of mankind. God is allowing Satan considerable sway and latitude over much of what happens on our planet, including the weather.

The apostle Paul was quite aware of this. Writing to the churches in Galatia, he said that Christ "gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father" (Galatians:1:4).

In another letter to the church at Corinth, he wrote of those "whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them" (2 Corinthians:4:4).

Paul freely acknowledged that this is Satan's world and that Satan has a certain amount of control over how this world functions!

Satan has the power to unleash the forces of nature on human beings. The Bible records an actual case of this happening in the book of Job, as recorded in the first chapter. Here we see recorded an actual conversation between God and Satan. God asks Satan, "From where do you come?" and Satan answers, "From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it."

The conversation then proceeds to a discussion of Job, a righteous man who was also blessed with a fine family and much material wealth. Satan challenges God: "Does Job fear God for nothing? . . . You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to your face!" (Job:1:7-11).

Notice how God responds: "Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not lay a hand on his person" (verse 12). Satan then proceeds, in the rest of this first chapter, to systematically kill Job's children and destroy his possessions. The final destruction comes as a result of "a great wind [that] came from across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people, and they are dead" (Job:1:19).

Clearly this shows us that Satan has some control over the weather. This raises an obvious question: Could it be that Satan has reason to send violent weather on mankind?

Revelation:12:12 suggests that there is: "Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time."

Satan is completely aware of the fact that his time of ruling over this earth is fast coming to an end! Yet the final wrath referred to here is the time of the Great Tribulation, which we have not yet entered into (compare verses 13-14).

Times are definitely going to get worse—with worsening calamities. But the ultimate news is very good. A time is coming when good weather will be the norm, when violent storms and killer tornadoes will be a thing of the past. You owe it to yourself to find out how you can be a part of this solution to the problem of violent weather. (Request or download our free booklets The Gospel of the Kingdom and What Is Your Destiny?)

The tornadoes that swept across northern Alabama near where I live killed five members of a family of nine. The local news carried the heart-wrenching story of their funerals, with five caskets lined up outside a funeral home, waiting to be loaded into five black hearses.

Many other equally tragic stories have been repeated in this season of death and destruction from these devastating storms. But God assures us that the day is coming when such scenes will be unknown to mankind, and the reign of "the god of this age" will be no more. God speed that day!

Freedom and Free Enterprise - Great Biblical Blessings

Few people understand how much the wonderful principles of civil liberty and free enterprise originated with God and are taught in the Bible!

Freedom—Liberty—How sweet the sound! From the beginning of time, humanity has been "yearning to breathe free."

The greatest freedoms are spiritual, but physical, civil and economic freedoms are also important. They often overlap.

Freedom is a major theme in the Bible. In fact, the Bible has inspired people down through the ages to seek freedom for themselves and others.

However, many people tend to take their freedoms for granted and undervalue them. They don't understand how much God wants us to cherish and protect them.

Many hold misunderstandings about the Bible. Wasn't the God of the Old Testament a severely controlling dictator? Weren't His laws a "yoke of bondage"? Weren't the Israelites poor nomads who had no personal property?

To those questions, the answer is no. God's way is that of liberty, including free exchange of goods and services, within law.

Are human beings born free?

"God created man in His own image" (Genesis:1:27). This made man vastly superior to all the other creatures!

God said mankind was to "be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion [rule or stewardship]" over all the other creatures (verse 28). And God told Adam "to tend and keep" the Garden of Eden, implying that his descendants should tend and keep the planet (Genesis:2:15).

Notice what God did not say: He did not specify innumerable details about how they should do it (although He clearly holds us accountable to obey His laws that are to govern our actions).

This immediately shows God's confidence in the abilities of human beings in general to learn—from their own experience and the experience of others—how to manage their occupations without rigid control by some central government.

Human beings are born free because we have been given amazing minds with which to think, learn, speak, imagine, make decisions, set goals, develop tools, invent, be entrepreneurs, be creative and artistic, develop personality, love and worship. (Other physical creatures, however, are not born free—they are ruled mainly by their instincts.)

Human government can restrict your freedom, but it can't give you freedoms because you already have them.

Freedom of choice is clearly taught in the Bible. God defines good and evil and announces rewards and punishments according to our behavior. But God leaves people free to choose between the options (Deuteronomy:30:19).

Do laws provide freedom or deprive people of freedom?

When man's laws are overly complex, overly restrictive and excessive in number, they largely deprive people of precious freedom. However, God's laws, which are perfect and few in number, provide for maximum liberty overall.

God, of course, does not grant absolute freedom, which would mean anarchy and license to do evil! Laws are needed to constrain people from intruding on the freedoms of others.

So the Ten Commandments are the opposite of a "yoke of bondage"! James calls them the perfect "law of liberty" (James:1:25; 2:12, emphasis added throughout).

The Ten Commandments have been criticized for sounding negative—most saying, "You shall not . . ." But that kind of law is exactly what a nation needs—laws that restrain evil and harm to others but don't restrict free enterprise and honest business!

Free enterprise is also called private enterprise. Here's a brief dictionary definition: "Business activities unregulated by state ownership or control." It is the opposite of socialism. Today, many nations have "mixed" economies—partly free enterprise and partly socialistic.

Perhaps the most famous exponent in the 20th century of free-market economics was the Austrian-American genius Ludwig von Mises (1881-1973), author of a monumental work titled Human Action: A Treatise on Economics.

Probably the best recently published book about the science of economics is by Dr. Shawn Ritenour, an adjunct professor with the Ludwig von Mises Institute. In his 545-page book Foundations of Economics: A Christian View (2010), he explains how the many laws of economics are based on the teachings of the Bible. Two excellent shorter books are Biblical Economics by R.C. Sproul, Jr. (2008) and Money, Greed, and God by Jay Richards (2009).

Scripture teaches the importance of private property

God, of course, owns the world (Psalm:50:12). But Psalm:115:16 tells us, "The earth He has given to the children of men." This implies God's desire for each family to "own" a piece of property—essentially a long-term lease of God's property.

The protection of the Eighth Commandment—"You shall not steal"—shows the importance God places on private property. The Tenth Commandment—"You shall not covet"—tells us to not even think about stealing (Exodus:20:15, 17).

Stealing, of course, takes many forms. God's Word mandates that all measurements and standards remain accurate, consistent and unchanging to prevent the cheating of customers (Leviticus:19:35-36). It forbids cheating or defrauding others (verse 13). It prohibits moving markers that define the boundaries of one's land and lying in any matter of law (Deuteronomy:19:14-20).

All of these, and many other laws, were designed to protect the people and their property.

Just think: If a person has at least a small piece of land that is debt-free and tax-free, he can at least put up a tent, plant a garden and get by with relatively little income. It may also provide an opportunity for a profitable farm or cottage industry.

A beautiful prophecy about life on earth after Christ returns is that "everyone shall sit under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid" (Micah:4:4). When it's "his vine" and "his fig tree," that means they are on his land!

Material wealth and Jesus' promotion of investment

The Bible does not say that "money is the root of all evil," as some assume. It says, "The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil" (1 Timothy:6:10). We must love God and spiritual riches far more than physical riches.

The Bible warns against the two opposite evils of materialism and asceticism. The apostle Paul wrote that God "gives us richly all things to enjoy" (1 Timothy:6:17).

We are certainly to focus on helping others. But earning money and building wealth for ourselves puts us in a position to be of help to others—rather than burdening others with our need (though some must rely on others' generosity of course). A number of godly men in the Bible were wealthy (such as Abraham, Job and David), but they put God ahead of their wealth.

Many of Jesus' parables were stories about money and business transactions. Although His main point was always spiritual, He would not have been using financial transactions as illustrations if they were inherently evil.

For example, in the parable of the talents (Matthew:25:14-30) and in the parable of the minas (Luke:19:12-27), the master expected his servants to use his money to generate a profit without telling them how or where to invest it (except that, at the end, he said that those who produced no profit should have at least deposited his money in the bank to earn interest). The servants who invested and produced a profit are praised and rewarded by the master.

The Bible praises initiative, diligence and the work ethic as wise efforts to "bear fruit" and prosper (Proverbs:10:4; 12:24; 13:4; 18:9; 21:5; 22:29; 24:27). And if our faith is in God rather than in ourselves, God will make sure our needs are provided (Matthew:6:33).

A bum rap for capitalism

But haven't we heard bad things about "capitalism"? Capitalism, which is largely synonymous with free enterprise and free exchange, has been unfairly criticized. "Capital" refers to money, property, tools and other assets. And capitalism simply means the use of capital to produce goods or services that are "in demand," meaning things that are needed or desired by others. The scriptures cited above clearly support the idea of capitalism.

Many of the problems associated with so-called capitalist economies are not due to free enterprise but to criminal activity and government interference in markets (so that they are not truly free markets). Backroom dealing between certain corporations and government regulators is such an example.

Historically and generally, the fruit of free enterprise has been prosperity while the fruit of socialism (and communism) has been poverty and misery. Nevertheless, there continue to be dreamers (often with good intentions) who naively think their new variations of socialism will work wonderfully.

Yet socialism is based on the false premise that there is a fixed amount of wealth that must be redistributed for everyone to get an equitable share or "piece of the pie." This redistribution requires coerced taking from those with a bigger piece, which is in fact theft. Capitalism, on the other hand, provides a godly solution. Rather than redividing the pie, we can make more pies!

Indeed, free enterprise is the only system that allows more wealth to be generated rather than just moving around what people presently possess.

And free enterprise promotes liberty, being largely based on the principle of laissez-faire, French for "Let (people) do (as they choose)." Laizzez-faire, sometimes paraphrased as "hands off," was first clearly explained and advocated by the Scottish economist Adam Smith (1723-1790) in his great work The Wealth of Nations, published in 1776.

He described how free societies run smoothly without government controls as if an "invisible hand" is guiding them. This is the most efficient economic model for meeting people's wants and needs. Smith is considered "the prophet of free enterprise," but the main principles he encouraged have been in the Bible all along. (Regarding a common misconception, see "The Early Church Was Not Communist—and Neither Was Jesus".)

What is the proper role for civil governments?

Paul wrote that God has ordained civil government to prevent and punish "evil" (Romans:13:1-4). Peter wrote that civil "governors . . . are sent by [God] for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good" (1 Peter:2:14).

The powers of federal, state and local governments should largely be limited to protecting the three great natural rights—life, liberty and property—from threats from within (crime) and from threats from without (invasion). In addition, it should protect the people from the government itself.

The word "republic" implies not only a representative form of government, but one that deals with public affairs as opposed to manipulating and micromanaging private affairs. It should not be the business of government to involve itself in private business unless that business is causing harm to others.

Consider the freedoms enjoyed in God's nation of Israel

For a long while after its establishment, the new nation of Israel was a theocracy with God as its King (compare 1 Samuel:12:12). In the Promised Land the people enjoyed the most personal liberties of any nation in the history of the world.

God gave His nation a marvelous start! Moses told them that God had promised "to give you large and beautiful cities which you did not build, houses full of all good things, which you did not fill, hewn-out wells which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant" (Deuteronomy:6:10-11). Essentially, they received an inheritance that was all debt-free and tax-free!

As long as the people of Israel looked to God as their King, the laws didn't change. But when Samuel was the prophet and judge in Israel, the people began to insist on a human ruler "to judge us like the [other] nations" (1 Samuel:8:5).

Eventually God let them learn some lessons the hard way. He told Samuel to "heed their voice," but also to "solemnly forewarn them, and show them the behavior of the king who will reign over them" (1 Samuel:8:9). So Samuel forewarned them that they would see their young men and women drafted into military and government service and that they would see government confiscation of property, high taxes and other losses of their liberties (verses 10-18).

What God prophesied came to pass—over and over. As God warned, "You will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, and the Lord will not hear you in that day" (verse 18). What an appropriate description of our day as well!

A surprising key to the American success story

Henry Grady Weaver wrote a fascinating history and analysis of freedom and its benefits titled The Mainspring of Human Progress (1947).

Weaver described the greatest "revolution against pagan fatalism, the revolution for human freedom"—the birth of the United States. For nearly 6,000 years, progress in science and people's standard of living proceeded very slowly. Then once the American colonies became the "land of the free," there was an immediate outburst of human energy and innovation followed by prosperity.

The success of the American experiment has inspired many other nations to learn and apply valuable lessons.

What did the motley colonists have in common that unified and energized them?

It was not formal education. It was the fact that a large percentage of them were readers, and they mostly were reading the same books, including books about history and economics!

Some of the popular books were by English philosopher John Locke (1632-1704), French scholar Baron Charles de Montesquieu (1689-1755), French writer Voltaire (1694-1778), Geneva-born writer Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778), and English judge and professor Sir William Blackstone. Most of these Enlightenment thinkers were strong proponents of the Christian religion.

However, the most popular book by far was the Bible. In fact, the main reason they were highly motivated to learn to read and to teach their children to read was so they could read the Good Book!

The widespread self-education in noble books with great ideas, especially the Bible, explains why most of the colonists were people of principle and high moral character. They knew that, to a great extent, you become what you read.

The American colonists were in many respects a powerful illustration of Jesus' statement, "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John:8:32).

The Bible makes it clear that God deserves all the credit for making America "a great nation" (Genesis:12:2). But some of the ideas and ideologies that God inspired in the American colonists contributed to the achievement of that greatness.

True economic freedom is yet to come

Of course, for all its greatness, the United States has periodically suffered economic woes—and matters have grown far worse as the government has grown in power. Much of what is represented as free enterprise really isn't.

Governments frequently offer financial favors, but with strings attached. With every government handout (money from taxes, or the cruel and hidden tax of monetary inflation) comes more regulations and restrictions of civil liberties.

Democracies usually eventually destroy themselves because voters are seduced by promises of short-range benefits paid for by someone else. They sacrifice liberties for perks and promises of security. They vote for the political candidates who promise them the most, with the result that government spending and taxes increase, sapping the productivity of the economy and weakening the nation until it falls to forces without or collapses from decay within.

Sadly, we read in the headlines of this erosion of economic vitality and liberty taking place now in the United States and other democratic nations.

As we've seen, the Bible indeed teaches free enterprise. But the fact is that the world has never seen free enterprise at its very best. That will happen only after Jesus Christ returns! He will give the world ideal economics combined with godly ethics. The results will be spectacular—liberty, peace and prosperity throughout the world!

The people and their children and all their descendants will enjoy every kind of wonderful blessing—as indicated in the following passage:

"They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat; for as the days of a tree [many days!], so shall be the days of My people, and My elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labor in vain, nor bring forth children for trouble; for they shall be the descendants of the blessed of the Lord, and their offspring with them" (Isaiah:65:21-23).

The Bible makes it clear that free enterprise is the best economic system. When people combine free enterprise with faith in God and obedience to His spiritual laws, they not only survive, they thrive.

God Made You Special

"If we confess our sins, He (God) is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9

God Made You Special. Have you ever heard beautiful music, produced by a sympony orchestra? With all the instruments playing together but often with different notes, it builds such an immense, beautiful sound. But the instruments have to be shaped different to get that kind of full, rich sound. If all the instruments were shaped like a trumpet and played the same note, what kind of sound would that be? Probably a little overwhelming. Or what if they were all violins? Even as beautiful as the violin is, it needs the grounding bass of the cello, the rhythm of the drums, the high timber of the flute to balance and contrast its haunting sound.

It’s the same with you. God shaped you the way you are on purpose. Psalm 119:73 says, “Your hands made me and formed me.” You may not be a violin; you may be the bass drum. And you may look at the other instruments and wish you were more like them. “Why can’t I be the flute?” But God made you just how you are to bring great glory to Him. Don’t try to be like the others that you are not made to be. Be who you are.

How do you do that? The key is to have peace in who God made you to be—to settle with it and thank Him. Romans 9:20 says, “Who are you, a mere human being, to argue with God? Should the thing that was created say to the one who created it, ‘Why have you made me like this?’” But we are shown the right heart response in Isaiah 64:8: “And yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, and you are the potter. We all are formed by your hand.” You can rest assured that God is pleased with how He made you; you are not a mistake.

Take a moment and thank God for how He made you. Then ask Him what sound He created you to make for His glory. Your sound may just be the one the symphony needs to balance itself out. Your sound may be the one that is going to draw someone to come and hear the symphony of God.

So, this week, let us pray and thank God that

• He made you special and lovely in His sight
• He sent His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sins
• He loves you so much and knows what is best for you

THANK YOU so much for your prayers for us at Global Media Outreach.

May God bless you!

The Hal Lindsey Report - Egypt

We all knew it was coming. When the US Administration joined the call for Hosni Mubarak's ouster last winter, everyone who warned about the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood was told that it was so weak and small that its influence on the Egyptian political landscape would be inconsequential. Both the President and the Secretary of State scoffed at the idea that the Brotherhood was anything to worry about.

Remember all those "shovel ready" projects the President promised to fund with his stimulus package? Later, he admitted that there really wasn't any such thing as a "shovel ready" project. But the money was already spent. Well, as Yogi Berra once said, "it's deja vu all over again."

Last week, the Secretary of State tacitly acknowledged that the Muslim Brotherhood is, indeed, a force to be reckoned with. In fact, the Brotherhood is the only organization she specifically named when she invited "all "[Egyptian] parties that are peaceful, and committed to non-violence... to talk with us." This Administration backtracks so much the "moonwalk" should be its official dance.

Of course, the Secretary's invitation to the Muslim Brotherhood makes the President's friend and mentor, George Soros, happy. He's a supporter of Mohamed ElBaradei, the former recalcitrant head of the International Atomic Energy Agency. ElBaradei sits on the boards of several Soros foundations and organizations. He also seems to have the Brotherhood's backing in his run for the presidency of Egypt. And Soros and the Muslim Brotherhood share similar views of America, the Great Satan, and Israel, the Little Satan -- both of which must be destroyed for their world visions to be realized.

Iran has announced that it is normalizing relations with Egypt. The late Egyptian President Anwar Sadat broke off diplomatic relations with Iran when the Iranian students occupied the US embassy in Tehran. He also welcomed the deposed Shah of Iran to exile in Egypt. The acts of supporting the United States during that crisis, befriending the Shah, and signing a peace treaty with Israel were more than the Muslim Brotherhood could bear, so they arranged Sadat's assassination in 1981.

Unfortunately for the Brotherhood, Mubarak survived and succeeded Sadat. He outlawed the Brotherhood and refused to restore relations with Iran. Finally, after 30 years and the help of the United States, the Muslim Brotherhood has gotten its revenge. Both Sadat and Mubarak are gone, Iran is a friend again, and Egypt is well on its way to becoming a theocracy like Iran. By the way, another American President helped Iranian Muslims achieve their goals back in 1979. That hasn't turned out too good for the world, either.

What's up with the United Nations? Just when you think those buffoons over on the East River can't get any wackier, they get wackier! You'll never believe the choices they've made to fill some of the more important offices in the UN's pantheon of organizations. Well, maybe YOU'LL believe it because if you're reading this e-mail, chances are you're a bit more informed and skeptical than the average American. But trust me, it's hard for me to discuss this story with a straight face!

Here's something else you may have a hard time believing. This week, the Palestinian Authority announced that it is willing to make a concession! Mark this date because it may be a historical first. I can't seem to remember the PA ever making a concession. The only concessions I can recall are Israeli ones.

Apparently, the PA is willing to suspend its efforts to coerce the United Nations into recognizing it as an independent nation. Wow, that's a relief. Just think of all the nasty sovereignty issues that will be avoided. There is, however, one minor condition. All the Palestinians want is for Israel to withdraw from the territories captured in 1967 (and later) and return control of east Jerusalem to them. Once that has been done, then the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks can begin in earnest.

That's a little like a prize fight that begins with one boxer face down on the mat and the referee halfway to ten in his count.

So, to put this into perspective, the Quartet is trying to bring Hamas and Fatah together into one, giant, globally-dependent terrorist state dedicated to eradicating Israel. And then, in total defiance of all logic and history, having granted them independent statehood, the UN hopes that they will suddenly and inexplicably change natures, abandon terror, and create a peaceful, industrious and prosperous society living side by side with Israel.

That's pure madness, but it's exactly the madness the prophets predicted for the final days before the return of Christ for His church.

The Israeli military has issued a report that says that Hezbollah now has more than 50,000 missiles for use in its coming attack on Israel. Scattered and hidden throughout Lebanon, the arsenal is larger than that of many nations. This represents an unbelievable threat to the Jewish nation.

So what has America decided to do upon learning about this threat that looms over our Middle East ally? The logical thing of course. (Well, logical for the Obama Administration.) The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has placed Israel on a special watch list of 36 nations that have "a tendency to promote, produce, or protect terrorist organizations or their members." That means that visitors from these countries, including Israel, will be subjected to "special treatment" by US authorities. If detained by Immigration and Customs personnel, they will undergo a special security screening called a "Third Agency check."

To be fair, DHS explains that Israel is on that list because Muslim terror groups like Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and others are located inside the nation's boundaries. On the surface, that may seem logical. In reality, though, Israel has suffered more than anyone else because of those terrorist organizations and the thousands of terror attacks perpetrated by these groups. And now, Israelis are suffering again because of them.

As things wind down and the prophetic scenario for the final days of this Age comes into sharper relief, it's good to know there is a way of escape. Jesus Christ provided it through His atoning sacrifice on the Cross. All we have to do is accept the gift of free pardon His death and resurrection provided. Do it today.