San Juan church of Christ. What Does God's Word Say About... When Nations Perish Nations and empires actually have "ife cycles." This has been studied by many historians throughout the years and they all have come to the same conclusion: a nation's lifetime on average is about two centuries. They all seem to go through the same life cycle: "trom bondage to spiritual faith; from spiritual faith to great courage; from courage to liberty: from liberty to abundance; from abundance to complacency; from complacency to apathy; from apathy to dependency; from dependence back again into bondage." When the founders of this great nation chose to leave England they were fleeing religious tyranny. They refused to follow the Church of England. The colonists came to America to build a better economic life for themselves, to have religious freedom, and to escape increased persecution that included imprisonment, fines and land selzure. The citizens were under bondage from the King of England. With spiritual faith in one true God, and with great courage, they were able to defeat Great Britain and establish the Constitution of the United States, creating "iberty and justice for all." The founder's had great faith in God and His word. Much of the Constitution and their writings are laced with scripture and references to God. They established the first amendment which reads: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. The founders understood the God given reason for government and its purpose (Romans 13:1-7). The Psalmist wrote "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord" (Psalm 33:12). The foundation of our constitution is based upon the principles of God's word, therefore our liberty and freedom have led to prosperity and abundance Abundance can lead to complacency and apathy, resulting in the loss of faith in God. Solomon wrote, "Because I (wisdom) called and you refused, I stretched out my hand and no one paid attention; and you neglected all my (wisdom) counsel and did not want my reproof; I will also laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your dread comes, when your dread comes like a storm and your calamity comes on like a whirtwind, when distress and anguish come upon you. Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord. They would not accept my (wisdom) counsel, they spured all my reproof. For the waywardness of the naive shall kill them, and the complacency of fools shall destroy them. But he who listens to me (wisdom) shall live securely and shall be at ease from the dread of evil (Proverbs 1:24-33). Solomon wrote in the book of Proverbs that "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people" (Proverbs 14:34). God warned the nation of Israel to "Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments and His ordinances and His statutes.otherwise, when you have eaten and are satisfied, and have built good houses and lived in them, and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and gold multiply, and all you have multiplies, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God..But you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth.it shall come about that if you ever forget the Lord your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I testify against you today that you shall surely perish. Like the nations that the Lord makes to perish before you, so you shall perish; because you would not listen to the voice (His word) of the Lord your God" (Deut. 8:11-14, 18-20). In the 1800's children learned how to read and write in school by reading the word of God. In 1962 the Supreme Court removed prayer from the public schools. In 1963 the Supreme Court ruled that legally and officially mandated Bible reading in the public schools was unconstitutional. In 1965 President Lyndon B. Johnson said the main goal of the legislation referred to as the Great Society was the total elimination of poverty. Jesus said, "For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you wish you can do good to them" (Mark 14:7). Jesus gave no reference to the government giving to the poor. Solomon wrote, "The generous man will be prosperous, and he who waters will he himself be watered" (Proverbs l1:25). "One who is gracious to the poor man lends to the Lord. And He will repay him for his good deed" (Proverbs 19:17). "He who is generous will be blessed, for he gives some of his food to the poor" (Proverbs 22:9). "He who gives to the poor will never want, but he who shuts his eyes will have many curses" (Proverbs 28:9). "Instruct those who are rich in this present world.to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed" (1 Timothy 6:17-19. As you can see, there is no govermment involvement in these scriptures and the word of God instructs the individual to give to the poor as they have need. Our government, recently, has used the plague to create more dependency on the government by encouraging small businesses to close their doors and they in turn will send the business owners stimulus checks. The government has closed many businesses down with the promise that it will support them with these checks. Dependency returns them to bondage. Therefore, the cycle has been completed and the nation falls. God reminds us in His word that "It is He who changes the times and the epochs; He removes kings and establishes kings" (Daniel 221). God, through the prophet Jeremiah said, "I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to uproot, to pull down, or destroy it; if that nation against which I have spoken turns from its evil (repentance), I will relent concerning the calamity I plan to bring on it. Or at another moment I might speak conceming a nation or concerning a kingdom to built up or to plant it; if it does evil in My sight by not obeying My volce (His word), then I will think better of the good which I had promised to bless it" (Jeremiah 18:7-10). So, do we choose to perish as a nation, or repent and return to obedience to God's word? Please Join Us! Sunday 10:00 a.m. Bible study 11:00 a.m. Worship 970-626-4116 1414 Hawk Parkway Unit C (across from Walmart) sanjuanchurchofchrist.org San Juan church of Christ. What Does God's Word Say About... When Nations Perish Nations and empires actually have "ife cycles." This has been studied by many historians throughout the years and they all have come to the same conclusion: a nation's lifetime on average is about two centuries. They all seem to go through the same life cycle: "trom bondage to spiritual faith; from spiritual faith to great courage; from courage to liberty: from liberty to abundance; from abundance to complacency; from complacency to apathy; from apathy to dependency; from dependence back again into bondage." When the founders of this great nation chose to leave England they were fleeing religious tyranny. They refused to follow the Church of England. The colonists came to America to build a better economic life for themselves, to have religious freedom, and to escape increased persecution that included imprisonment, fines and land selzure. The citizens were under bondage from the King of England. With spiritual faith in one true God, and with great courage, they were able to defeat Great Britain and establish the Constitution of the United States, creating "iberty and justice for all." The founder's had great faith in God and His word. Much of the Constitution and their writings are laced with scripture and references to God. They established the first amendment which reads: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. The founders understood the God given reason for government and its purpose (Romans 13:1-7). The Psalmist wrote "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord" (Psalm 33:12). The foundation of our constitution is based upon the principles of God's word, therefore our liberty and freedom have led to prosperity and abundance Abundance can lead to complacency and apathy, resulting in the loss of faith in God. Solomon wrote, "Because I (wisdom) called and you refused, I stretched out my hand and no one paid attention; and you neglected all my (wisdom) counsel and did not want my reproof; I will also laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your dread comes, when your dread comes like a storm and your calamity comes on like a whirtwind, when distress and anguish come upon you. Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord. They would not accept my (wisdom) counsel, they spured all my reproof. For the waywardness of the naive shall kill them, and the complacency of fools shall destroy them. But he who listens to me (wisdom) shall live securely and shall be at ease from the dread of evil (Proverbs 1:24-33). Solomon wrote in the book of Proverbs that "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people" (Proverbs 14:34). God warned the nation of Israel to "Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments and His ordinances and His statutes.otherwise, when you have eaten and are satisfied, and have built good houses and lived in them, and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and gold multiply, and all you have multiplies, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God..But you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth.it shall come about that if you ever forget the Lord your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I testify against you today that you shall surely perish. Like the nations that the Lord makes to perish before you, so you shall perish; because you would not listen to the voice (His word) of the Lord your God" (Deut. 8:11-14, 18-20). In the 1800's children learned how to read and write in school by reading the word of God. In 1962 the Supreme Court removed prayer from the public schools. In 1963 the Supreme Court ruled that legally and officially mandated Bible reading in the public schools was unconstitutional. In 1965 President Lyndon B. Johnson said the main goal of the legislation referred to as the Great Society was the total elimination of poverty. Jesus said, "For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you wish you can do good to them" (Mark 14:7). Jesus gave no reference to the government giving to the poor. Solomon wrote, "The generous man will be prosperous, and he who waters will he himself be watered" (Proverbs l1:25). "One who is gracious to the poor man lends to the Lord. And He will repay him for his good deed" (Proverbs 19:17). "He who is generous will be blessed, for he gives some of his food to the poor" (Proverbs 22:9). "He who gives to the poor will never want, but he who shuts his eyes will have many curses" (Proverbs 28:9). "Instruct those who are rich in this present world.to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed" (1 Timothy 6:17-19. As you can see, there is no govermment involvement in these scriptures and the word of God instructs the individual to give to the poor as they have need. Our government, recently, has used the plague to create more dependency on the government by encouraging small businesses to close their doors and they in turn will send the business owners stimulus checks. The government has closed many businesses down with the promise that it will support them with these checks. Dependency returns them to bondage. Therefore, the cycle has been completed and the nation falls. God reminds us in His word that "It is He who changes the times and the epochs; He removes kings and establishes kings" (Daniel 221). God, through the prophet Jeremiah said, "I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to uproot, to pull down, or destroy it; if that nation against which I have spoken turns from its evil (repentance), I will relent concerning the calamity I plan to bring on it. Or at another moment I might speak conceming a nation or concerning a kingdom to built up or to plant it; if it does evil in My sight by not obeying My volce (His word), then I will think better of the good which I had promised to bless it" (Jeremiah 18:7-10). So, do we choose to perish as a nation, or repent and return to obedience to God's word? Please Join Us! Sunday 10:00 a.m. Bible study 11:00 a.m. Worship 970-626-4116 1414 Hawk Parkway Unit C (across from Walmart) sanjuanchurchofchrist.org