Judgment on America
By Bruce Cannon
Mitchell County
Psalm 137:1,2 “By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion. We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof.”
The nation of Judah was in captivity. Their past had caught up with them. The Lord’s mercy had waned, and He allowed the enemy, Babylon, to come into the nation not once, but three times to take the Jews into captivity. Beginning in 605BC Babylon came and took the strong, intelligent, and the best of the nation back to Babylon as captives. It happened again in 597BC and again in 587BC. After the last deportation, the enemy tore the Temple Solomon had built down and badly damaged the walls. The Lord allowed Babylon to be His right hand of judgment against Judah and took away the desire to “fight” from His people. It was His will that they be taken into captivity by Babylon.
The 137 Psalm describes the attitude of the people of Judah in captivity. They sat by the rivers with their harps hung in the willow trees. There was no joy or song in their hearts. Many of their people would never come back to Judah after the captivity was over. They made a life for themselves in Babylon. Some of the women married Babylonian men. Many of the men accepted their positions of servitude in Babylon.
How did this happen? God had given the Promised Land to His people and they entered into it during the time of Joshua. How did they get to the point of having it taken away? The simple answer is rebellion, disobedience to God. The Jews started acting like the world around them. They served other gods and allowed themselves to be overtaken by evil.
Do we understand that the Lord will only allow this to go on so long before He sends in judgment? Before that, however, the Holy Spirit of God brings conviction and chastisement in an attempt to turn His people back to Himself. If that does not work, judgment always falls.
Is that where we are in America? Have we gone so far away from God that He is allowing the enemy to come in and bring great harm? Is the Lord OK with us aborting 60+ million babies? Is He OK with us allowing pornography to go uncensored but censoring the name “Jesus” from corporate prayer in government? Is He OK with children being sent into foster homes with homosexual parents? Is He OK with marriage being redefined in our country as that of same-sex couples? The answer to all of these questions is a resounding, “NO!”
Let me ask a few rhetorical questions at this point:
1) Can we remember a time when the power of God fell, and the Spirit of God tremendously moved in our midst? Are our Churches filled with the power of the Holy Ghost of God or are we just going through the motions?
2) Has our rebellion as a nation caused the Lord to pull back His hand of blessing to a large degree?
3) Is the Coronavirus an agent of God’s judgment as the Babylonian captivity was?
4) What about the Church being cast out of its building for well over two months because of the virus while retail stores remained open and packed with shoppers?
5) Is the Coronavirus the beginning of sorrows spoken about in Matthew 24:7,8?
5) Have we learned our lesson? Do we understand the extreme need to return to Him in brokenness, repentance, and holiness?
If we fall on our knees before God, will it help? Will He run to our aid? Will He restore? Yes! Pray with me for deep cleansing of the people of God. Pray with me for brokenness, humility, conviction, and repentance among all of God’s people. Pray with me that the power of God truly falls in Washington, Raleigh, and all across our country. Pray with me that there is a tremendous move of God that truly brings a Spiritual Awakening in our land. How I long to see evil stopped dead still in its tracks and the power of God turned loose in our homes and churches! How I long to see souls saved, moms and dads on fire for the Lord and children raised up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord! How I long to see the houses of God full of people, full of praise and full of the power of God!
Pray with me, please!
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Reverend Bruce Cannon currently serves as the Senior Pastor of Bear Creek Baptist Church in Bakersville. Formerly he served as Director of Missions for the Bladen Baptist Association and he has served on the General Board of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina.
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