[The text below represents an edited transcript of this Tomorrow’s World program.]
Introduction: A God-Fearing Society No More?
Western culture is changing radically and rapidly. Collective belief in the God of the Bible is clearly waning, as shown in numerous surveys.
Don Feder, in a March 29, 2022 Washington Times opinion piece, wrote:
The study by the prestigious American Enterprise Institute—[titled] “Generation Z and the future of faith in America” (released on March 24)—shows a steady erosion of religious affiliation and the corresponding rise of atheism and agnosticism (“The fatal fall of religion in America will affect everything,” The Washington Times, March 29, 2022).
Some may question whether this trend is harmful to our modern nations, but Feder warned:
[This] just-published survey of the decline of religion in America should set off alarm bells in our heads. The growth of secularism is one more cause for anxiety about the future of our republic.
What happens when nations forget God? There have always been what we call “natural disasters,” but it seems that in the last few years we have experienced more than normal. The western United States has been in what is called “exceptional drought” for several years. The town of Lytton, British Columbia in Canada saw an unbelievably high temperature of 49.6 Celsius—that’s 121.3 degrees Fahrenheit—in June 2021, and that’s in Canada. And Australia has suffered through alternating droughts and floods for several years. Is this all a matter of coincidence? Or is there more to it? Is God perhaps trying to get our attention?
Acts of God: Why Natural Disasters? brings clarity to this question, and it can be yours free of charge.
The decline of Christianity in the United States, Britain, Canada, Australia, Europe, and elsewhere should, as Feder warned, set off alarm bells and I’ll show you why, so stay with me.
The Rise of the Irreligious—and the Fall of Everything Else
A warm welcome to all of you from Tomorrow’s World, where today I’m discussing what happens when nations forget God. That our Western nations have become less religious, and more secular is without doubt. As Don Feder pointed out in the Washington Times:
Generation Z (those born between 1997 to 2012) is the least religious in our history….
And it’s not only the United States. The United Kingdom has been on a long slide away from God for decades. A Religious Media Center online briefing discussed the early findings of the 2021 Census:
In the UK, the panellists expected that the results of the 2021 Census, which are due to be published in the spring, would show “significant changes” (“Religion in 2022: What can we expect?” ReligionMediaCentre.org.uk, January 5, 2022).
Those significant changes include a decline in religious interest, but panelists pointed out that the decline is not even across the board. According to Bishop Mike Royal:
In many communities, he said, religion was more important than ever. Sixty per cent of people in church in London, on any given Sunday, were black. There was a “huge explosion” of black-majority black-led churches and the Nigerian-led Redeemed Christian Church of God was the fastest growing denomination in the UK.
According to this same source, the census is expected to show the following changes over the last decade.
In 2011, the census showed 59 per cent said they were Christian, 25 per cent no religion and 5 per cent Muslim.
But in 2021,
It is widely expected that the number identifying as Christian may dip below 50 per cent and the number ticking the non-religion box will rise.
Overall, whether the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia, Canada, or the United States, secularism is on the rise and religion, especially organized “Christian” religion, is in decline.
Some think this is a good thing, and the idea is not new.
Remember “Imagine,” the popular John Lennon song which is now over more than 50 years old? Lists vary, but according to RateYourMusic.com, “Imagine” was the number one song of the 20th century.
Imagine there’s no heaven
It’s easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today
Well, we hardly have to imagine anymore as each generation seems to outdo the last when it comes to casting off belief in God, and living only for today.
Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace
John Lennon and Yoko Ono, “Imagine,” Track #1 on Imagine, Apple Records, 1971.
Again, it’s not hard to imagine, because this is becoming more the normal, except for the part about “living life in peace.”
There is more sentimental foolishness in John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s “Imagine,” but I think we get the point.
While dreamers imagine no religion, the ultimate target of many is the God of the Bible—no God, no afterlife, no hope beyond the grave—just live for today and somehow that will bring peace and happiness to all.
And don’t you just love that line in the song about “imagine no possessions” coming from one whose net worth, according to CelebrityNetWorth.com, was estimated to be 200 million dollars at the time of his death in 1980. And apparently, Yoko Ono, whose net worth exceeds 700 million, co-wrote Imagine. Neither were hardly “without possessions”!
While others dream about a world without God, thinking individuals might well ask, “Is our world getting better or worse as we cast aside our Creator?” The answer is all around us. Crime is skyrocketing in major cities, freedoms are being infringed upon, there is a major war in continental Europe—one that some fear could once again engulf the continent and the world. China and the West are increasingly at odds, Iran is working on a nuclear weapon. Governments are falling.
Economies are in shambles. Inflation, broken supply chains, empty store shelves, and electrical blackouts are becoming a way of life in some parts of the world. Do you feel safer and more prosperous today than you did five years ago?
We’ll look at the answer to that question in a moment, but first I want to tell you about a resource that can be yours free for the asking—Acts of God: Why Natural Disasters? Much of the western United States has suffered multiple years of exceptional drought, Europe saw record high temperatures this past summer, and parts of America and Australia have suffered record breaking floods. Is this the result of manmade climate change? Or is there something else at work?
Disastrous Consequences for Marriages and Families
Malachi, the last book in the Old Testament of the Bible, is an interesting study in self-deception. When confronted about their behaviors, the people responded cynically. For example, He charged them with despising His name.
And their response?
“In what way have we despised Your name?” (Malachi 1:6).
God’s answer is direct. They were not showing Him proper honor and respect—kind of like today where people go to church services “just as they are.” Even in dress, they show less respect for God than they do in the presence of human dignitaries and celebrities.
Just as in Malachi’s day, people today worship God half-heartedly.
God also indicted them for covering His altar with tears and sorrow, but they responded,
For what reason? (Malachi 2:14).
God’s answer?
Because the Lord has been witness between you and the wife of your youth, with whom you have dealt treacherously…. For the Lord God of Israel says that He hates divorce (Malachi 2:14, 16).
God commanded them to return to Him, but they responded…
In what way shall we return? (Malachi 3:7).
His answer was in a simple question and an explanation:
Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, “In what way have we robbed You?” In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed Me, even this whole nation (Malachi 3:8–9).
Tragically, our Western so-called Christian nations are no different.
Rather than “man up” for forgetting our Creator, we reject His existence. Even those who profess to know Him have ready excuses why they don’t need to obey Him. As it was in Jesus’ day, so it is today.
But why do you call Me “Lord, Lord,” and do not do the things which I say? (Luke 6:46).
Let’s forget the excuses and take a hard look at our Western nations.
We can start with the indictment God gave through Malachi—treachery against one’s married partner. The state of marriage today is disgraceful.
Whether it’s the United States, Canada, the U.K., or other British descended nations, the overall picture of marriage is one of betrayal.
According to Finances Online, the three leading causes of divorce in the United States are:
Lack of commitment 75%
Infidelity/extramarital affairs 59.6%
Too much conflict or arguing 57.5%
(“106 Divorce Statistics You Can’t Ignore: 2022 Divorce Rates and Impact on Children,” FinancesOnline.com).
According to usafacts.org, the following behaviors also play into the demise of marriages.
Almost 50% of couples with one alcoholic partner end up divorcing (McDowell, 2020).
Couples who have been living together prior to marriage face a 40% increase in the likelihood of divorce (GillespieShields, 2020).
and
56% of couples cited addiction to pornography as a contributor to divorce (Wilkinson & Finkbeiner, 2020).
What is the common denominator in all these causes for failure? The violation of God’s laws. And what’s the effect?
Pain, heartache, confused and hurting children.
The American and British descended peoples have come to prominence in the last two centuries, and there is far more to this story than most realize. But here’s the point. Consider where we were 150 years ago and where we are today. Our nations have come to enjoy unparalleled prosperity.
We once were nations that professed belief in God, the God of the Bible—not that we were ever truly righteous nations, but we at least had a consciousness of God. Whatever our relationship was before with Him, it has fallen dramatically. In this light, is not the warning God gave ancient Israel appropriate for the American and the British descended people?
When you have eaten and are full…. Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His statutes which I command you today, lest—when you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them; and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied; when your heart is lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage (Deuteronomy 8:10–14).
Godlessness Leading to More Confusion and Immorality
America, Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand were once considered Christian nations; not that they ever truly followed the God of the Bible, but there was at least a token effort on the part of most, and there were, and still are, many very sincere people, even if deceived, who strive to live in harmony with God.
But our world has changed dramatically in the last several years. What a sad state of affairs when a nominee to the United States Supreme Court could not answer a simple question during her confirmation hearing. Here’s the short exchange between Senator [Marsha] Blackburn and Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. Blackburn asked:
Can you provide a definition for the word “woman”?
After a short back-and-forth, Jackson ultimately said: “No, I can’t.”
“You can’t?” Blackburn asked.
“Not in this context. I’m not a biologist,” Jackson said.
(“Judge Jackson declines to define ‘woman,’ says she’s ‘not a biologist,’” New York Post, March 23, 2022)
That, dear friends, is how far we have strayed from reality. Why? Many fail to realize that it is biblical values that are under attack. I must agree with the outspoken Piers Morgan who called Judge Jackson’s response, “ridiculous.” How can you have “women’s rights” when you cannot determine what is a woman? I’m personally at a loss for words to describe the insanity afflicting our nations. Women (whatever they are) must compete in sports against men (whatever they are) who think they are …well I think you get the point) and they use the same locker rooms.
Mothers take their toddlers to libraries where drag queens read stories to them. Man, woman, mother, father, husband, wife—all these terms are under attack. Universities and businesses require students and employees to refer to others by a list of preferred pronouns, the length of which is so long that only a memory expert could remember them all.
Cancel culture is reserved for any who refuse to enter a person’s delusions and fantasy world. The insensitive are sometimes required to go to the corporate gulags for sensitivity training. This is America, Canada, and Australia—countries whose citizens are increasingly rejecting the God who created them.
The degree to which biblical norms of male and female are being rejected is shocking, but this was predicted long ago. Jesus tells us in Luke 17, beginning in verse 26:
And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed (Luke 17:26–30).
The days of Noah are summed up in Genesis 6. Notice what it says in verse 5:
Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually (Genesis 6:5).
We read in verse 11 the result of man’s wickedness;
… and the earth was filled with violence (Genesis 6:11).
The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were known for gross sexual immorality. God inspired the Apostle Paul to record for all time the consequences of man rejecting his Creator.
After explaining this rejection and the suppression of truth, he explains.
And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness (Romans 1:28–29).
Paul also warns [pf] those who
… approve of those who practice them [that is, these ungodly behaviors] (Romans 1:32).
These are the ones who cowardly go along with this foolishness.
Sadly, corporations and individuals are only too eager to “jump on the bandwagon,” but the consequences of forgetting our Creator will be catastrophic. Jesus warned that the world would come to the brink of universal destruction. Note it in Matthew 24:21–22:
For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.
We’ve read this passage many times on this program, but do we really get it? Do we understand what it is saying? Do we understand the consequences of our behaviors?
I’m going to take a short break to give you an opportunity to take down our contact information to order our free resource, Acts of God: Why Natural Disasters?, before giving you more specifics from the Bible of what is ahead because our nations are rejecting our Creator. Some of those consequences involve weather, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and other natural disasters on a scale and frequency never known by man. All of this is recorded in the Bible for the end of the age.
The warnings have been there for anyone willing to open the Bible and read it.
Biblical Warnings for Our Time
When people no longer understand the difference between male and female, and when every intent of the thoughts of their hearts are only evil continually, disaster is on the way.
Life for those of us living today in Western nations is better physically than at any time in the history of man, but God gave this warning to ancient Israel when they would experience a similar time.
Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments, lest—when you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them; and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied; when your heart is lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage (Deuteronomy 8:11–14).
He goes on to warn against thinking we have all these blessings because of our own doing.
[When] you say in your heart, “My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.” And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day. Then it shall be, if you by any means forget the Lord your God, and follow other gods, and serve them and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish (Deuteronomy 8:17–19).
God promised His people good weather, power against their enemies, the fruitful womb, and so much more if they would obey Him; but notice the flip side to this in Leviticus 26, beginning in verse 19:
I will break the pride of your power; I will make your heavens like iron and your earth like bronze. And your strength shall be spent in vain; for your land shall not yield its produce, nor shall the trees of the land yield their fruit (Leviticus 26:19–21).
Yes, among other consequences, natural disasters such as severe, exceptional drought would be the result. And as the prophet Amos explained in how God dealt with His people at an earlier time, rainfall would not be equal, just as we see some areas today suffering massive flooding while other areas have no rain.
I also withheld rain from you, when there were still three months to the harvest. I made it rain on one city, I withheld rain from another city. One part was rained upon, and where it did not rain the part withered (Amos 4:7).
God gives us a choice, and we will live by the consequences of our choices. Sadly, only after we suffer the results of our bad choices, will we turn to God. This is spelled out in Deuteronomy 4, but notice that it is not for ancient Israel alone, but for the nations God has blessed “in the latter days”—at the end of the age. Begin with verse 26:
I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that you will soon utterly perish from the land which you cross over the Jordan to possess; you will not prolong your days in it, but will be utterly destroyed…. But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul. When you are in distress, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, when you turn to the Lord your God and obey His voice… He will not [utterly] forsake you nor destroy you… (Deuteronomy 4:26, 29–31).
If you found this video helpful and want to learn more, be sure to get your free copy of our study guide Acts of God: Why Natural Disasters? Just click the link in the description to order. It’s that easy.
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See you next time.
