National Blindness Prophesied!

What happens to nations when their leaders pursue disastrous policies against their own national interest? Popular historian Barbara Tuchman wrote about this phenomenon in her classic 1984 treatise, The March of Folly. Today, we see that the United States, Great Britain, France and other nations descended from the tribes of ancient Israel are marching down the dangerous path noted by Tuchman. A few perceptive critics recognize the impending consequences of their nations' blunders, but without the insight of Bible prophecy they fail to understand why their nations are blundering.

God prophesied long ago in the Bible that the modern Israelite nations would blindly pursue wrong paths as we approach the end of the age. The Bible also reveals why this is happening, through prophecies that are coming alive today.

Short-Sighted, Misguided Policies

Tuchman wrote about what she identified as America's self-defeating policies that led up to its mismanagement of the Vietnam War. Since then, the U.S. (often along with Britain and other largely Anglo-Saxon allies) has initiated a series of military actions that have robbed the nation of financial, military and human resources. Wars in the Middle East and Central Asia have caused the U.S. to run up huge trade deficits, and to become financially indebted to nations like China that are potential adversaries. Ironically, money the West sends to China and the Arab nations is often then used by those nations to buy up real estate and other resources in the West. In effect, the Western nations are selling off their assets to foreign owners.

Britain's leaders, in their attempts to pull their nation into the European Union, have traded away much of the British gold reserve to Europe, have given up sovereignty over British fishing waters, and have agreed to allow EU laws and courts to override British laws.

The nations descended from ancient Israel—including the U.S., Britain, Canada, Australia, France, Holland and Scandinavia—have opened their borders to allow a massive influx of immigration that has begun to threaten national health care and welfare systems. Unlike earlier generations of immigrants that generally sought to assimilate into their host nations, these more recent immigrants have tended to hold on to their native languages, customs, values and religions—leading to social strain as they assert their "rights" in their new homes, and as they seek to change the very nature of the countries they have entered.

One observer perceptively noted, "In ten years, England will no longer be England." Similarly, immigrants to the U.S. border states of California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas often speak openly of a reconquista (re-conquest), as they seek to reshape the culture of these states to resemble their native Mexico. Some immigrants even hope for a political realignment. In Europe, violence involving immigrants has already disrupted once-peaceful communities in England, France and Holland—and will surely continue as long as both immigrants and their hosts feel threatened. Even though "multiculturalism" is visibly failing in these nations, misguided politicians continue to promote this self-defeating policy, turning a blind eye to its destructive effects.

For decades, secular social scientists in the Western world have been preaching that religion is irrelevant, and that people need to be "liberated" from the shackles and oppressive restraints of biblical moral values. So-called "progressive" teachers commonly assert that sexual pleasures are to be sought and enjoyed by anyone, anytime, anywhere, with little or no restraint. "Enlightened" thinkers seek to redefine "marriage" as any arrangement acceptable to the parties who seek to be involved.

What is the consequence of such "liberation"? The sobering statistics of broken homes, drug abuse, juvenile crime, sexually transmitted diseases, youth suicide and poverty in single-parent households tell the sad story. Rather than liberate society, a society that has cast off all biblical restraints finds itself undermining its own stability—yet countless modern Western leaders continue to promote these society-destroying ideas. At a time when our nations would benefit from a return to biblical values, the best-seller lists feature books by aggressive atheists who ridicule belief in God and the Bible.

Thankfully, there are a handful of thoughtful people who do realize that certain moral values—which happen to be the Bible-based moral values long embraced by those who practice true biblical religion—can provide a sound foundation for any society that embraces them. But the majority, even in the so-called "Christian" nations, reject those values—and fail to understand that God Himself predicted that this rejection would occur, just before the end of the age!

Ancient Prophetic Warnings

The God of the Bible says He can predict the future and bring it to pass (Isaiah 46:9–10). In dual prophecies, fulfilled initially by ancient Israel but ultimately to be fulfilled by the modern descendants of the twelve ancient tribes of Israel, God warns that "those who lead you cause you to err" (Isaiah 3:12; 9:16).

Regarding Israel's leaders, God said, "His watchman are blind, they are all ignorant.… they are shepherds who cannot understand" (Isaiah 56:10–11). These prophecies are addressed to a sick and sinful nation, where "strangers devour your land in your presence" (Isaiah 1:3–4, 7)—just as is happening today. God also warned the Israelites of a time when "the alien who is among you shall rise higher and higher above you, and you shall come down lower and lower. He shall lend to you, but you shall not lend to him; he shall be the head, and you shall be the tail" (Deuteronomy 28:43–44)—just as is happening today. God warned that a time would come when the leaders of Israelite nations would "call evil good, and good evil" (Isaiah 5:20), when the prophets would prophesy falsely "and My people love to have it so" (Jeremiah 5:31);

Scripture describes a time when leaders would speak of "'Peace, peace!' when there is no peace" (Jeremiah 6:14). The world's political leaders today do not know the way to peace (Isaiah 59:8), because they do not see and do not understand that the Bible reveals the way to peace (Psalm 119:165).

God foresaw a time of difficulties and declining influence for the descendants of ancient Israel, when people would be blinded to the consequences of their own actions (Hosea 7:8–10). They would pursue folly, engaging in policies against their own national interest, much as Tuchman described. But why are the modern Israelite nations—their leaders and their people—blinded, unable to see their own problems?

The Cause of Blindness

The Scriptures reveal that, "the Lord has poured out on you [Israelite nations] the spirit of deep sleep, and has closed your eyes, namely, the prophets; and He has covered your heads, namely, the seers… for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hidden" (Isaiah 29:10, 14). The reason why God has allowed this spirit of blindness to descend on the leaders and people of Israelite nations is "because they have ceased obeying the Lord" (Hosea 4:10), "because they have transgressed My covenant and rebelled against My law" (Hosea 8:1). God lamented, "I have written for him [Israel] the great things of My law, but they were considered a strange thing… for Israel has forgotten his Maker" (Hosea 8:12–14). The Apostle Paul warned the Israelites of his day that because they refused to believe God and His word, "God has given them a spirit of stupor, eyes that they should not see" (Romans 11:8). Paul cautions that when people reject God and His ways, He will give them over to a "debased mind"—a mind that does not reason correctly and does not see its error (Romans 1:18–28). Throughout the Bible, prophecies reveal that the modern Israelite nations will need to learn some hard lessons because they have closed their eyes to God and His ways. But even if your nation remains blinded, you individually can open your eyes to act on the truths you are learning. Will you do so?