“And He (God) has made
from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and
has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings.” (1)
The prophet Jeremiah
explains how the future of a nation is determined.
“The instant I speak
concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to
destroy it, if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I
will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it.” (Jer. 18:7-8)
“And the instant I speak
concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it, if it
does evil in My sight so that it does not obey My voice, then I will relent
concerning the good with which I said I would benefit it.” (Jer. 18:9-10)
This article takes a
look at the epic tales of two infamous cities, Nineveh and Jerusalem. These
comparisons are made to determine which one of these locations best
characterizes America’s current spiritual condition. If such a historical
comparison can be applied now, then the relevant question is: Should Americans
find hope in Jeremiah 18:7-8, with the story of Nineveh at the time of Jonah, or feel despair
in the story of Jeremiah 18:9-10, which describes Jerusalem at the time of the Babylonian
conquest? To determine the answer, I propose the examination of two principles
that I call “The Nineveh Principle” and “The Jerusalem Principle”. (2)
THE NINEVEH PRINCIPLE
“I think in many ways
America is like Nineveh. The wickedness of Nineveh was so great that God
effectively said it was recognized up in heaven – ‘the sin of Nineveh has come
before me’ – and I believe America is at such a state.” (Senior Calvary Chapel Pastor and
Evangelist Greg Laurie.) (3)
The Nineveh Principle
has its origin in the 8th century BC before Jeremiah 18:7-10 was written. It is
rooted in 2 Chronicles 7:14;
“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and
seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven,
and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
Although these verses
primarily dealt with the Lord’s response to King Solomon’s petition for the
protection of the nation of Israel around 957 BC, they apparently also laid the
groundwork for the Lord’s treatment toward other nations. The Assyrian city of
Nineveh at the time of Jonah about 760 BC evidences this. (4) Nineveh,
the capital city of the Assyrian empire, was ultimately destroyed around 612
BC; however the empire had become exceedingly evil long before it came to its
end.
At the height of its
wickedness, the Lord sent Jonah, a prophet, to warn of Nineveh’s fast
approaching destruction.
“And Jonah began to
enter the city on the first day’s walk. Then he cried out and said, “Yet forty
days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!”” (Jonah 3:4)
Jonah’s warning was well
received by the king and the people of Nineveh. They took it upon themselves to
turn from their evil ways and Nineveh received a stay of execution.
“Then God saw their
works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster
that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it.” (Jonah 3:10)
Although it can be
argued that the Assyrians at the time were not classified as “My people,” the
fact that they repented and turned from their evil ways changed their spiritual
standing with the Lord.
With the historical
precedents of 2 Chronicles 7:14 and Jonah 3:10 already in place, Jeremiah
18:7-8 reinforces this Nineveh Principle: if an evil people repent and turn
from their wicked ways, the Lord will relent from bringing disaster upon them.
THE JERUSALEM PRINCIPLE
In sharp contrast to the
Nineveh Principle, is the Jerusalem Principle. The Jerusalem Principle applies
when a nation reaches a point of no return and the Lord determines that its
destruction will not be postponed. This happened to the city of Jerusalem and
the Southern Kingdom of Judah about 2700 years ago during the time of the
Hebrew prophet Jeremiah. Three times Jeremiah was told to stop praying for the
people of Judah.
“Therefore do not pray
for this people, nor lift up a cry or prayer for them, nor make intercession to
Me; for I will not hear you. Do you not see what they do in the cities of Judah
and in the streets of Jerusalem?” (Jer. 7:16)
“So do not pray for this
people, or lift up a cry or prayer for them; for I will not hear them in the
time that they cry out to Me because of their trouble.” (Jer. 11:14)
“Then the LORD said to
me, “Do not pray for this people, for their good. When they fast, I will not
hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and grain offering, I will
not accept them. But I will consume them by the sword, by the famine, and by
the pestilence.”” (Jer. 14:11-12)
After Jeremiah received
his instructions to quit praying for the people of Judah, he forewarned them of
their impending judgment. The people were captured and transported into
Babylonian captivity where they remained for seventy years. Their homeland sat
desolated during that period. (5)
In His foreknowledge the
Lord knew that Judah would not have a Nineveh or 2 Chronicles 7:14 moment.
Jeremiah’s intercessory prayers on behalf of Judah would have no effect on the
Lord’s decision and he was told to cease praying for the people. The Lord
explained why:
“Therefore you
(Jeremiah) shall speak all these words to them, (in Judah) but they will not obey you.
You shall also call to them, but they will not answer you.” (Jer.
7:27)
In essence, Jeremiah was
informed that the people of Judah would not respond to his warnings in the
similar way that the people of Nineveh did to Jonah’s forewarnings. As per the
provision of forgiveness given in Jeremiah 18:7-8, if Judah would have
repented, like Nineveh did, then the Lord would certainly have relented from
judgment. However, due to their evildoings and disobedience the Lord
implemented the provision of judgment in Jeremiah 18:9-10, which was ultimately
executed through the Babylonian conquest.
The people of Judah
forsook their God Jehovah and became idolatrous. Jeremiah 19:4-9 provides the indictment of; and verdict for, Judah. These
verses paint a graphic picture of despair and they are summarized below.
The INDICTMENT of JUDAH (Jeremiah 19:4-5)
• The people forsook the
Lord and alienated Him from Judah.
• They worshipped false gods instead.
• They sacrificed the innocent blood of their children to the false god Baal.
• Child sacrifice appalled the Lord.
The VERDICT of JUDAH (Jeremiah 19:6-9)
A judgment in the form
of a slaughter would come as sequenced below.
• The counselors of Judah would provide foolish counsel.
• The people of Judah would be killed by the swords of their enemies.
• Their corpses would be eaten by the vultures and carnivorous animals.
• The land would be desolated and contaminated with plagues.
• The survivors would become cannibals in order to survive.
• They would even eat their own sons and daughters due to their despair.
It is important to note
that the Lord told Adam and Eve in Genesis 1:22, 28 and Noah and his three sons in Genesis 9:1, 7 to be fruitful and multiply upon the earth. The goal was to
populate the earth with godly offspring. Contrary to the Lord’s command, the
people of Judah were murdering and ultimately reduced to eating their children!
The Jerusalem Principle
depicts what has historically happened when judgment and destruction occurs to
an evil people who forsake the Lord.
“We have taken God out
of the public debate…I want to put Him back in.” Evangelist Franklin Graham. (6)
America has crossed
every forbidden biblical boundary and in so doing has forsaken God. Throughout
history nations and empires have been judged and destroyed for transgressing
these biblically defined moral and spiritual boundaries! Boundaries such as:
• SEXUAL
PERVERSION, like that of Sodom and Gomorrah at the time of Abraham around
2000 BC.
• IDOL WORSHIP,
which in its worst conditions led to child sacrifice, which resulted in the
destruction of the Northern Kingdom of Israel in 722 BC and the Southern
Kingdom of Judah in 586 BC.
• WICKEDNESS AND
MORAL DECADENCE, which caused the ultimate destruction of the Assyrian
empire about 612 BC by the Babylonians and Medes.
• ANTI-SEMITISM,
which led to the destruction of the Egyptian army at the time of Moses about
3500 BC. The treatment of Israel by a nation is reciprocated upon that nation
according to Genesis 12:3. This policy pertains to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and
their descendants, the Jews today. Blessings are in store for those who treat
Israel favorably, but troubles are guaranteed to them that curse Israel.
In every instance the
destructions caused unbearable sufferings and hardships to everyone, including
believers in God and unbelievers that did not heed the prophetic warnings given
in advance by the Hebrew prophets.
(Tombstone image quotes
Daniel 5:24-28 – MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. God has numbered your kingdom,
and finished it; You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting; Your
kingdom has been divided). (June
26, 2015 is when the Supreme Court approved same sex marriages).
AMERICA IS IN THE DANGER
ZONE
Over the past fifty
years, America has transgressed over all of these dangerous boundaries. This is
attested to by the Supreme Court decisions listed below.
• 1962 – Engel
v. Vitale: the removal of Prayer in public schools by the Supreme Court.
• 1963 –
Abington School District v. Schempp: the removal of Bible reading in public
schools by the Supreme Court.
• 1973 – Roe v.
Wade: legalized abortions by the Supreme Court. Since then, America has
performed over 58 million abortions. Presently about 1 million abortions occur
every year in America. This law means that about 1 million children annually
will not be able to grow up, populate the earth and potentially become Godly
offspring.
• 1980 – Stone
v. Graham: in this case the Supreme Court ruled that a Kentucky statute was
unconstitutional. The statute in question required the posting of a copy of the
Ten Commandments on the wall of each public classroom in the state. The Court
ruled that because they were being placed in public classrooms they were in
violation of the First Amendment.
• 2003 –
Lawrence v. Texas: This was the landmark decision by the United States
Supreme Court that struck down the sodomy law in Texas, which by extension,
invalidated sodomy laws in 13 other states.
• 2013 – United
States v. Windsor: the case that the Supreme Court struck down the Defense
of Marriage Act (DOMA). DOMA stated that one man should be married to one
woman. DOMA was biblically supported according to Genesis 2:24, which says;
“Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife,
and they shall become one flesh.” Marriage is the ordained relationship through
which a man and woman can become fruitful and multiply the earth with godly
children.
• 2015 –
Obergefell v. Hodges: the Supreme Court case that ruled in favor of Same
Sex Marriages, which is unbiblical according to Romans 1:27 and elsewhere. Same
sex couples are unable to procreate naturally. Therefore, it is humanly
impossible for them to be fruitful and populate the earth with godly kids.
• 2015 –
The present White House Administration has turned its back on Israel. As an
example, Obama believes the Iran JCPOA nuclear deal is good, but Israeli Prime
Minister Netanyahu believes it’s the worst deal imaginable. A recent poll
conducted by the “Panels Politics in Tel Aviv” confirmed the concerns that Israelis have about U.S. President
Barrack Obama. The poll overwhelmingly rated him as the worst president for
Israel in the last 30 years.
The Lord has provided
ample warnings to Americans that the country is headed for destruction. These
forewarnings have come in the forms of remedial judgments, prophetic voices,
and ultimately by giving them the ungodly leaders they deserve. For instance,
U.S. President Barack Hussein Obama is the most pro-abortion, pro-homosexual,
and anti-Israel president in America’s history!
AMERICA’S VERDICT
Which of these two
cities does America most resemble today, forgiven Nineveh or judged Jerusalem?
Most would agree that
once upon a time the Lord planted, built up and blessed this nation. This would
connect the USA with Jeremiah 18:9, which says, “And the instant I speak
concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it.”
It appears safe to also
suggest that from the Supreme Court decisions provided above, that America has,
as Franklin Graham stated, “Taken God out of the public debate.” Thus, if the
Lord’s voice is not even in the public debate, then how can we be obeying the
Lord’s say-so in the important matters of this country? If we are not obeying
the Lord’s commands then we are doing evil in His sight. This would connect the
USA with Jeremiah 18:10a, which states, “if it (a nation) does
evil in My sight so that it does not obey My voice, then…”
Then what? “Then I will relent concerning the good with which I said I would benefit it?” (Jer. 18:10b).
Let’s substitute America for Jerusalem and Judah in Jeremiah 7:16 to see if the
shoe fits.
“Therefore do not pray
for this people, nor lift up a cry or prayer for them, nor make intercession to
Me; for I will not hear you. Do you not see what they do in the cities of Judah
and in the streets of Jerusalem?” (Jer. 7:16)
This verse is
paraphrased below for potential American application.
“Therefore do not pray
for Americans, nor lift up a cry or prayer for them, nor make intercession to
Me; for I will not hear you. Do you not see the forbidden biblical boundaries
their Supreme Court has crossed over in the city of Washington D.C., the sale
of aborted baby body parts by Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest, and
the LGBT Gay Pride Parades in the streets of San Francisco and San Diego?”
WILL AMERICA HAVE A
NINEVEH OR JERUSALEM EXPERIENCE?
Is it possible that the
historical example of Nineveh could be repeated in America? If indeed America
is headed for a disaster, could America receive a similar pardon from the Lord?
The answer is yes, but the Lord does not issue “get out of jail free” cards
like in the game of Monopoly. Americans and their leaders must sincerely
emulate the actions of Nineveh in order for the Lord to relent from destroying
the nation.
I’m not saying that Americans
should stop praying for their country, nor am I suggesting that Americans will
become so desperate that they will someday eat their sons and daughters. In
fact, Ezekiel says that was a one-time episode for Judah that wouldn’t be
repeated.
“And I will do among you (Jerusalem) what I have never
done, and the like of which I will never do again, because of all your
abominations. Therefore fathers shall eat their sons in your midst, and sons
shall eat their fathers; and I will execute judgments among you, and all of you
who remain I will scatter to all the winds.” (Ezekiel 5:9-10)
What I am asking
Americans to consider is does America have a national repentance forthcoming in
the near future? If the answer is yes, then America will most resemble forgiven
Nineveh and Jeremiah 18:7-8. If the answer is no, then… Then
what? Then, at the very least, the Lord will no longer bless this
nation and America’s greatness will never return! Only God, who knows the end
from the beginning, knows America’s final verdict!
“Remember the former
things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none
like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things
that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure.’” (Isaiah 46:9-10)
