In his January 2001 inaugural address, President George W. Bush alluded to "an angel in this storm," a metaphorical reference to divine providence guiding the destiny of the United States. America must face some crucial issues if it is to maintain its role as world leader. Yet Scripture indicates the same social problems that led ancient Israel to its fall are present in modern America.

In part one of this series (see February 2001World News and Prophecy), we looked at the condition of ancient Israel during the midpoint of the eighth century B.C. The prophets God sent to warn of Israel's condition spared no words in pointing out the inner decay that threatened ruin if not changed. Amos, Hosea and Isaiah clearly pointed out the problems facing the nation and its people.

Amos showed a nation with deep social divisions. Notice this passage, "They hate the one who rebukes in the gate, and they abhor the one who speaks uprightly. Therefore, because you tread down the poor and take grain taxes from him, though you have built houses of hewn stone, yet you shall not dwell in them; you have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink wine from them. For I know your manifold transgressions and your mighty sins: afflicting the just and taking bribes; diverting the poor from justice at the gate. Therefore the prudent keep silent at that time, for it is an evil time" (Amos 5:10-13).

This gulf between the rich and the poor seems to be even further aggravated by a callous disregard for the well-being of the disadvantaged. Those who were profiting from the good economic times focused their attention on themselves and consumer consumption. "Woe to you who put far off the day of doom, who cause the seat of violence to come near; who lie on beds of ivory, stretch out on your couches, eat lambs from the flock and calves from the midst of the stall; who sing idly to the sound of stringed instruments, and invent for yourselves musical instruments like David; who drink wine from bowls, and anoint yourselves with the best ointments, but are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph. Therefore they shall now go captive as the first of the captives, and those who recline at banquets shall be removed. The Lord GOD has sworn by Himself, the LORD God of hosts says: 'I abhor the pride of Jacob, and hate his palaces; therefore I will deliver up the city and all that is in it'" (Amos 6:3-8).

Amos saw these social problems as deep sins entrenched in the national character that would lead to punishment by God. Unless drastic changes took place, there would be a soon-coming day of judgment. In fact, judgment did come within a few short decades. The prophet's message is stern. He felt Israel was really beyond repair. He held out the hope of restoration in his concluding statement (Amos 9:11-15), but he definitely saw a coming calamity that would sweep away the moral decay.

America today

The aftermath of the 2000 election shows America to be a nation divided along deep lines of cultural issues. President George W. Bush won a narrow victory in the electoral college, even though he lost the popular vote. A look at the breakdown by state shows that Bush carried most of the midwestern, southern and western states while losing the key population centers in New England and the West Coast.

There is more to this divide than mere geography. The January 19, 2001, Wall Street Journal gave this view of what the new president faces. "As the nation's 43rd president, he inherits a country split not by economics or politics so much as by culture. On one side is the America Mr. Bush already identifies with: mainly rural, religiously observant, devoted to traditional notions of marriage and morality. On the other is the group he is reaching out to: largely urban, secular, tolerant of feminism and gay rights" ("President-Elect Bush Risks Widening the Cultural Gap, Instead of Closing It" by John Harwood).

The divide is starkly shown in areas of race and religion. The priorities of those who regularly attend church are different from those who do not. "Among Americans who say they attend church at least once a week, 48% say it's most important for the new president to restore moral and family values, while 37% say it's most important for him to maintain economic growth. Among those who don't attend church at all, 59% think the most important mission is maintaining economic growth, while only 25% say it is restoring moral and family values" (ibid.). The more often voters went to church, the more likely they were to vote for Mr. Bush. Those voters not attending church tended to vote for Mr. Gore.

Perception of which ideology best serves a particular racial group is also evident. "And the racial divide-which persists notwithstanding the conservative social views held by many African-Americans-has become a chasm. Among white Americans, 55% say they have positive feelings toward Mr. Bush; just 13% of blacks do. Almost half of white Americans say they are confident that Mr. Bush has the right set of personal characteristics to be president; only 6% of blacks feel that way" (ibid.).

It is increasingly evident that America has become one system, but two nations. One Republican pollster commented, "We have two massive colliding forces. One is rural, Christian, religiously conservative. [The other] is socially tolerant, pro-choice, secular, living in New England and the Pacific coast" (The Economist, "One Nation, Fairly Divisible, Under God," January 18, 2001).

The new president, and likely any president after him, will face a growing cultural divide in this country. The divide will be along the lines of what people believe about race, sexual morality, money, values, religion and even themselves.

As he struggles to bring people together, he will have to contend with polarizing views of the various groups. Those on the right will want to see their social agenda prevail in areas of economic tax cuts, abortion and education. Those on the left will resist programs that threaten to roll back their social agenda in these areas. This will continue to erode our national character over the next decade.

America in 2001 is a country divided along significant cultural lines. A majority middle group, which describes itself as moderate, holds the extremes together. Fully 50 percent of Americans describe themselves as moderate. This means they are socially liberal, economically conservative. They are concerned about their kids' schools, their Palm Pilots, their SUVs and the roads over which they drive them. They are interested in values, and the value they most cherish is tolerance-which suggests their moral center, their spiritual compass, is not fixed.

Religious decay

Such was the case in ancient Israel. Amos eloquently addresses the false religion that had permeated every part of Israelite society. The Baal worship imported by Jezebel remained as a stain upon the nation. The churches of the land were full of people. The wealth of the merchant class found its way into the religious coffers as well. "'Come to Bethel and transgress, at Gilgal multiply transgression; bring your sacrifices every morning, your tithes every three days. Offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven, proclaim and announce the freewill offerings; for this you love, you children of Israel!' says the Lord GOD" (Amos 4:4-5).

Yet the worship services of Israel did not reflect the true pattern given through Moses. God turned a deaf ear to the music and praise that came to His hearing. He averted His eyes from the outward form of religion that came before His face. "I hate, I despise your feast days, and I do not savor your sacred assemblies. Though you offer Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them, nor will I regard your fattened peace offerings. Take away from Me the noise of your songs, For I will not hear the melody of your stringed instruments. But let justice run down like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream" (Amos 5:21-24).

Israel had abandoned the true faith and embraced a false religion based on the worship of Baal. Ironically, they still looked upon themselves as a righteous nation even though there were few vestiges of the truth. "Harlotry, wine, and new wine enslave the heart. My people ask counsel from their wooden idols, and their staff informs them. For the spirit of harlotry has caused them to stray, and they have played the harlot against their God" (Hosea 4:11-12). A new updated form of religion had supplanted the true worship of God.

American spirituality—"Twinkies or broccoli?"

Today we live in times of paradox. In America there seems to be a period of religious revival.

Typical surveys show that 90 percent of people say they believe in God. Many feel they are spiritual or feel a need to fill a spiritual void in their life; not that they always feed on valid knowledge. One prominent American theologian was asked if he felt the people's quest for spiritual fulfillment was authentic. "The hunger is always authentic," he answered. "It's just that you can feed it with Twinkies or with broccoli."

But what exactly are people feeding upon? Is it truth or is it error? What is the foundation upon which modern religionists base their faith and practice? "In polls on biblical literacy, half of those describing themselves as Christians are unable to name who delivered the Sermon on the Mount. Many Americans cannot name the reason for celebrating Easter or what the Ten Commandments are. People think the name of Noah's wife was Joan as in Joan of Ark" (George Gallup, Jr., The Next American Spirituality, 2000, p. 30).

There are major gaps in what people say they believe and how they actually live. All around us, we see evidence of moral and ethical failure. Political leaders flagrantly transgress moral and professional standards. Television has become a moral wasteland. Two-thirds of adults in the United States say the country's moral and cultural values have changed for the worse since the 1960s. For the first time in a half-century of surveys on American's top national concerns, a Gallup poll conducted in 1999 revealed "ethics, morality, and family decline" led the list at 18 percent (ibid., p. 31).

Twenty years ago in America, Ronald Reagan, a Republican conservative, was elected president. Reagan drew largely upon the support of traditional Christians organized under the banner of the Moral Majority. There was great expectation that through legislation and politics the moral and cultural slide that began in the '60s could be reversed. But something happened along the way.

Religious conservatives learned that because of the expediency of politics and the pervasive influence of the popular media culture they could not stem the great moral slide of the times.

Ronald Reagan, a decent man espousing positive patriotism and family values, won the Cold War against Communism but, regrettably, lost the culture war.

"Paul Weyrich...a founding father of the Moral Majority says that traditionalists 'have lost the culture war.' The nation is caught up, he argues, 'in a cultural collapse of historic proportions, a collapse so great that it simply overwhelms politics'" (ibid., p. 31).

Leaders of the so-called "Christian Right" have come to see that they cannot effectively work within the political structures. While politicians may speak words of sympathy and a common ideology while they are running for office, once they are elected, they sacrifice principles to the expediency of policy or other business. It seems their influence within the political circle is not strong enough to influence legislation, much less the cultural decline.

A false foundation

While the emphasis continues to be on a moral and spiritual renewal, the question must be asked, "What is the foundation of our modern Christian religion?" The answer is, a false form of the true religion taught by Christ and the apostolic Church. Like ancient Israel, today's manifestation of spirituality draws the condemnation of the Creator.

"Thus He showed me: Behold, the Lord stood on a wall made with a plumb line, with a plumb line in His hand. And the Lord said to me, 'Amos, what do you see?' And I said, 'A plumb line.' Then the LORD said: 'Behold, I am setting a plumb line in the midst of My people Israel; I will not pass by them anymore. The high places of Isaac shall be desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste. I will rise with the sword against the house of Jeroboam'" (Amos 7:7-9).

Little understood in today's religious supermarket of ideas is the reality that foundational Christian doctrines taught in churches bear little resemblance to the teaching Christ gave His disciples, which they spread to the world of the first century. A return to that form of apostolic teaching would require a repentance few groups could muster in the modern wilderness of spiritual deception. You cannot reform faulty theology and solve the fundamental problems created by spiritual lies. New wine cannot be poured into old wine skins. New containers must be built to hold long suppressed truths.

Israel of old did not heed the message of Amos or the other prophets. They haughtily thought that the God of their fathers was on their side and would not forsake them. They mistakenly interpreted their economic prosperity and international stature as proof of God's blessing. It was unthinkable that their world would or could be any different from the comfortable and secure state that they had always known. Israel had existed in its land for more than four hundred years and their current prosperity had lasted for many decades. They saw no reason to think this would not continue indefinitely.

Yet when Jeroboam II died, there ensued a period of political uncertainty from which the nation never recovered. No one was able to adequately assess the danger and effectively govern the disintegrating state. The words of Hosea sum up the situation, "They set up kings, but not by Me; they made princes, but I did not acknowledge them. From their silver and gold they made idols for themselves-that they might be cut off" (Hosea 8:4).

Chapter 15 of 1 Kings shows a dizzying succession of kings reigning for short periods, with many of their reigns ended by assassination. Finally, under Pekah, a military man who seized control of the kingdom, the wrath of Assyria was aroused, the nation was invaded and lands seized. Within a few more years, the nation ceased to exist.

Good will and good intentions did not keep Israel from experiencing the judgment of God.

By 718 B.C., the nation had been overcome by Assyria and ceased to exist. These northern tribes were exiled, sifted among the nations (Amos 9:9), to reappear generations later as significant powers on the world scene.

Much of prophecy is dual and what came upon ancient Israel will come upon their modern descendants, the American and British peoples. They have sown the wind and shall reap a whirlwind of tribulation. Yet, through it all God remains faithful to His promise to restore and rebuild. "'I will bring back the captives of My people Israel; they shall build the waste cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink wine from them; they shall also make gardens and eat fruit from them. I will plant them in their land, and no longer shall they be pulled up from the land I have given them,' says the LORD your God" (Amos 9:14-15).

In order to have full confidence in continuing to receive God's blessings, sooner or later a nation has to be willing to take a long look at its lifestyle and make sure that it is pleasing to the Creator.

The Bible speaks seriously of basic spiritual obligations we need to fulfill. God's willingness to continue to bless America or any other nation is contingent upon its people complying with His laws.

In Amos 3:2 the Israelites were reminded that with knowledge of the true God came moral responsibility. Jesus Christ reemphasizes this point by stating that men and women should not live by bread alone, but by every word of God (Matthew 4:4; Luke 4:4). Only then can the divine blessings in God's Word be absolutely assured. WNP