Civilizations have come and gone since the dawn of man. War, natural disaster, famine, economic collapse, etc. have brought an end to many a people who thought their nation would last through the ages.
Much has been said in the Christian community about the progression of moral decay in our nation over the last 50–60 years. Sins that were once uncommon and considered unthinkable are now widespread and even treated as normal.
At what point do you think that God has had enough? At what point does He bring judgment on a nation? Does He just bring hardship, or does He bring full destruction? These are questions I have been pondering. No nation should be arrogant enough to believe it will never fall, yet I’m concerned that’s what the average American believes. At the very least, we believe that the downfall will not happen anytime soon.
As should always be our practice, let’s look to the Bible for some guidance. In particular, what follows are five examples of instances when God brought judgment on a location or people group. In basic outline form, I will list the location, a detail or two about the situation, why Scripture says God brought judgment, the timeline in which it happened, and the form of the judgment. Perhaps we can learn a little more about how God controls the rise and fall of kingdoms and peoples (Psalm 22:28; Daniel 2:21; Acts 17:26).
The Whole Earth
- DETAILS: Judgment of all people outside of Noah and his family
- WHY JUDGMENT: Man became wicked and did evil all the time (Genesis 6:5)
- TIMELINE: Scholars can’t agree on how long it took Noah to build the ark, perhaps 50–100 years
- FORM OF JUDGMENT: The great flood (Genesis 7)
Amorite People
- DETAILS: Descendants of Canaanites; an evil people
- WHY JUDGMENT: Child sacrifice, idolatry, prostitution, divination (Deuteronomy 18:9-12)
- TIMELINE: God would judge after 400 years of Abram’s descendants’ enslavement in Egypt (Genesis 15:13); meanwhile, Amorite/Canaanite sins would reach a climax and God would judge them (15:16)
- FORM OF JUDGMENT: Defeated by Israelites under Moses (Deut. 2:24-3:11) and later Joshua (10:10)
Sodom and Gomorrah
- DETAILS: Lot pitched his tents near there; Abram went to Hebron
- WHY JUDGMENT: People were wicked and sinning against the Lord (Genesis 13:13; 18:20), social injustice (Ezekiel 16:49-50), sexual immorality (Jude 7)
– Abram begs for mercy, but no one righteous could be found to prevent judgment (18:16-33)
– Men of Sodom wanted to gang rape God’s messengers (19:5); origin of the word “sodomy” - TIMELINE: Seemed imminent because Lot left in a hurry (19:14-17)
- FORM OF JUDGMENT: Destroyed by burning sulfur from the heavens (19:24); never rebuilt
Nineveh – Part One
- DETAILS: Between 800 and 700 B.C.; an impressive city of 120,000
- WHY JUDGMENT: The city’s wickedness (Jonah 1:2)
- TIMELINE: 40-day warning from Jonah (3:4)
- FORM OF JUDGMENT: Delayed because people repented (3:5, 10)
Nineveh – Part Two
- DETAILS: Made capital of Assyria in 700 B.C. by King Sennacherib
- WHY JUDGMENT: Oppression, cruelty, idolatry, and wickedness (Nahum 3)
- TIMELINE: Unclear when prophecy took place
- FORM OF JUDGMENT: Destroyed by conquest in 612 B.C., never to be rebuilt; didn’t wipe out Assyrians as a people
Jewish Captivity (Judah)
- DETAILS: Had not followed God’s command to rest the land every seventh year (Exodus 23:10-11; Leviticus 25:3-4)
- WHY JUDGMENT: Disobedient for 490 years
- TIMELINE: Unclear when prophecy took place; they would be captives for 70 years (Jeremiah 25)
- FORM OF JUDGMENT: King Nebuchadnezzar and Babylon; held captive for 70 years ending @538 B.C.
– Story of Daniel takes place during this time
– God would then restore His people and destroy Babylon (25:12-14)
As you can see from these examples, sometimes God brought judgment quickly, while other times it occurred many years later. Sometimes the judgment took the form of a natural disaster, while other times it happened through conquest.
In regards to the fate of America, consider the words of Jeremiah 18:7-10, then Joel 2:13. I will leave you with these messages as we ponder the future of our once great nation. Please pray for America and its leaders, and for repentance and revival in the Church:
If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned. And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted, and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it.
Jeremiah 18:7-10
Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.
Joel 2:13