When the Lights Go Out

by Pastor Stephan Nash

One of our sons got my wife and me a Roku last Christmas and we have enjoyed the many Netflix films that are offered.  Lately, we have been watching a television series called “Revolution.”  This series begins with the disaster of all generated power going out throughout the world.  It depicts how governments fall and chaos grips America.  People are so hungry they will kill their neighbor for a small portion of food.  Militias are quickly formed in various parts of the country with evil people in leadership.  I couldn’t help think about the possibility of the lights going out in this country.  Some would say that would be unthinkable so why talk about it.

Not long ago President Reagan spoke of a “City on a Hill.”  He was talking about America being this world’s last great hope and how we, as a nation, have the responsibility to lead the rest of the world toward a better society.  I took his vision to heart and believed that, with the fall of Communism a few years later, Reagan’s vision may come true.

Lurking in the back of my mind, however, was the fact that I have always wondered why America is not referred to in the Bible during the last days of civilization.  Some will try and stretch the Scriptures to declare we are, but that is quite a stretch.  The horrifying realization of America’s demise is evident when we read of the assaults upon Israel in the last days and no other country is there to defend her (Zech. 12).  We have either been defeated previously or have ceased to be a world power or worse yet, have joined the rest of the world to eliminate Israel from the globe.

The physical lights may never go out in America but some other very important lights are dimming every year.  There are three major types of “lights” that are still flickering but not as bright as they use to be. They are:

1. Spiritual Lights – this is the light that made America great in the first place.  It was for religious freedom that North America was founded as a Christian society.  We soon became the world’s greatest missionary sender and were blessed by God to the point where we became the envy of the world.  There were different periods of revival and reformation in this country that kept us spiritually fine-tuned.  I could write several articles on this subject alone, but let me simply say at this time, we don’t have time for revival that would bring reformation to America.  That’s it, we simply don’t have time!  The priority and sacrifice it would take for revival is no longer in the minds of most all American churches.  Instead we are rapidly witnessing a falling away from the faith.
2. Social Lights – When I speak of “social lights” I am talking about the health of our society.  We are more divided now than we have been in 150 years.  The moral condition of our nation is repulsive to the Muslims who hate us and other nations of the world who once looked to us as the moral leaders of civilization.  Could you have imagined just 20 years ago that we would be legalizing homosexual marriage and declaring that we have “evolved” morally in order to give the homosexual this right to call their unions a “marriage?”  We are morally sick from the top of our head to the bottom of our foot!  Corruption in our government sets an example that the “ends justify the means” and therefore we can cast off any biblical restraints we once lived by.  Our schools are teaching our children lies about our history and instead insisting on political correctness which calls evil good and good evil.
3. Physical Lights – By “physical lights” I mean our economy and military might.  Our economy will fall!  It is no longer a question of how, but when.  We no longer can pay the interest on our national debt.  The middle class family made more money in 1989 than it does today and there appears to be no end to this slide toward economic collapse.  Our military superiority will continue to decline while China’s and Russia’s continues to increase.  There may never be a war between the 3 world powers, they may only need to ask us to “turn over the keys” and we will be compelled to do just that.  As our economy continues to decline, our alabaster cities will dim such as Detroit experienced in recent years.

I know I sound like a “gloom and doom” preacher, but I wasn’t always that way.  I was an eternal optimist like President Reagan some 30 years ago.  The difference is that now I do not see how this boat can be turned around, except for maybe one possibility – a spiritual awaking!

Earlier I said we don’t have time for revival.  I still believe that to be the sorry case, but, the decline of the moral, social and economic condition in this country can be used of God to bring America to its knees.  On our knees we may seek the Lord once again and experience His help and deliverance from total collapse.  The only other possibility is that we, like the Jews in their exodus,  harden our hearts as trying times come upon us and quickly usher in the day of reckoning.  What will it be?  I am not entirely sure except for the fact that I still do not see America in the writings during the end times!