It was a very long time ago, in a far-away land. The land was beautiful and bountiful. It was a lush and fruitful land that produced immeasurable crops which were more than enough to meet the needs of all who lived there.

The land was ruled by a very kind and gracious king. The king provided the freedoms and liberties that enabled the people to enjoy all the benefits of living in his kingdom. He truly loved the people – each and every one of them. His boundless love for the citizens of his kingdom was so immense that he was compelled to go above and beyond their wildest imaginations in how he cared for them.

For a long time the citizens of this kingdom were moved with gratitude and thanksgiving for the bounty they enjoyed. Their love for their king motivated them to serve him and live in obedience to the laws he issued for their well-being. His laws were designed in such a way that obedience to those laws would always bring about multiplied blessings and enormous bounty for the obedient citizen. The laws were not oppressive, rather they were most beneficial to the occupants of the land. The obedient citizen would be the blessed citizen.

However, the laws issued by this most benevolent king carried certain conditions. The king promised his citizenry that as long as they were obedient to his laws, and would consistently show gratitude for his kindness, love and bounty, they would always enjoy the blessings of his benevolence. But, if they chose to disregard his laws, and began to take credit for the bounty and blessings instead of giving him the gratitude he deserved, they would suffer dire consequences.

After a while, the citizens grew tired of the king’s laws, and began to take credit for blessings as if they had brought them about themselves. The king was very patient, extremely longsuffering, hoping the citizens would come to their senses and return to him. They did not. So, the king began to send messengers to go throughout the land to remind the people of the goodness of the king. They refused to listen. Eventually, they even grew hostile toward the messengers, persecuting them, and even killing some of them.

The king was heartbroken. He was grieved over the actions of the occupants of his kingdom. He began to send more messengers, this time warning the citizens of impending judgment if they persisted in their spirit of rebellion.

Finally, due to the fact that the people had now completely rejected the rule of the king, he allowed them to fall to their enemies. They lost the blessings and the bounty they had long enjoyed because they chose to reject the calls of the king for them to return to him, and once again experience his love.

The kingdom in this story is, of course, the nation of Israel. The king is God, who established the nation and blessed them immeasurably. His law was given to provide the means of showering them with his ongoing presence and provision. His desire was that they always live in fellowship with Him.

Is it possible to draw a parallel between Israel of the Old Testament and the United States of America? In some ways the answer would be no. God brought the nation of Israel into existence by His sovereign choice of one man, Abraham, and through that one man and his descendants forming the nation. In that regard there is no parallel between Israel and America. There are many promises God made to Israel that are theirs alone, so in that sense there is no parallel.

However, if we consider the vision of the founding fathers of the United States, there are clear parallels that can be seen. The founding fathers envisioned a nation which would be built upon Christian principles, a nation that would, in fact, be a Christian nation. Many of the founding fathers and early political leaders of this nation stated clearly that this nation would only succeed if it were ruled by those who embrace the Christian faith and adhere to Christian principles.

For well over two hundred years of this nation’s existence it could be stated with great accuracy that it was striving to live by the vision and the understanding of those early founders and leaders. However, in the recent past, we have witnessed a mass departure from the vision and the faith of our founders. The firm belief of our founders that there is a standard of ethical principles which determines right and wrong has now been replaced with the belief that there is no such thing as an absolute standard of ethical behavior. Now, we are pretty much left to ourselves to determine what is right and wrong for me. My standard may be vastly different from yours, but no one can accuse anyone else of being wrong because there is no standard which determines ethical behavior.

The Bible states clearly that God has established an ethical code of conduct. But the contemporary belief is that my life is mine, and I can do anything with my life I choose. This has now opened the door for a smorgasbord belief and behavior. I cannot tell you that an action or lifestyle you have embraced is wrong, because it is your life, and your choice. And, now, this idea of individual rights has gone so far that there can be no standard, because everyone is a standard to himself.

The parallel is clear, is it not? God blessed Israel immeasurably, as He has blessed America. Israel grew restless, and chose to reject God and His standards, and suffered dire consequences. Could America suffer the same fate? This writer believes that not only is it possible, it is probable. If God did not spare His own chosen nation, will He spare America? He is at the present time raising up messengers, such as Franklin Graham, Greg Laurie, John Piper and others, warning the citizenry of impending judgment if we persist in our present course. But the enemy is also raising up messengers, tickling the ears of those who choose to disregard God’s law.

We have a choice: to obey the message and return to God, or reject the message and suffer God’s judgment.