Ominous Trends in Israelite Nations

Ominous Weather Factors

In the last several years, the Gulf Coast and eastern seaboard of the United States have been devastated by major hurricanes. The same period saw severe flooding and extensive damage to property along the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. Currently, more than 60 percent of the central U.S. is struggling with extreme drought conditions that have depleted cattle herds and seriously reduced crop yields. Dropping water levels in the Mississippi River now threaten to stop barge traffic along this vital waterway. During this same period, the United Kingdom experienced extreme weather conditions: high winds, heavy rainstorms and serious flooding that ravaged parts of the country. Over the last several years, Australasia has seen major flooding, raging firestorms, earthquakes and a prolonged, record-breaking drought. These are not isolated events!

Ominous Moral Factors

Over the last few decades, the influence of biblical values has faded from the public scene in the English-speaking nations as well as the nations of northwestern Europe. Church attendance has declined, public prayers have been discouraged or banned, and behaviors once branded as sins are now promoted and praised. Politicians and theologians now support and condone—and in some cases practice—not only cohabitation between unmarried partners, but homosexual conduct and same-sex marriage. Recently, the National Cathedral in Washington, DC announced that same-sex marriages would be conducted in this most prominent of places. In January, in his second inaugural address, U.S. President Barack Obama said he considered homosexual relationships “equal” to the marital love between a man and a woman. Meanwhile, Australia has become known as a “gay-friendly” country renowned for Sydney’s “Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.” Similar trends can be seen in the United Kingdom. Pornography and prostitution are widely available, and now spread around the world via the Internet—with much of it produced in the United States. Statistics, unsurprisingly, show that the English-speaking nations lead the world in divorce and in children born out of wedlock. These are not isolated facts—they are part of a bigger picture.

Ominous Geopolitical Factors

The United States and Britain, two nations that have dominated the world for the last several centuries, are both facing serious financial problems. To reduce deficits, they are making major cuts in defense spending, at a time when adversarial nations are increasing their military expenditures. America’s fiscal mismanagement is also threatening the future of the dollar. As the world becomes a more dangerous place, America and Britain—once the world’s policemen—find themselves less able to play a stabilizing role or defend vulnerable allies like Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Other nations now act in defiance of America and its Anglo-Saxon allies. Argentina is again clamoring to gain control of the Falkland Islands. In the Middle East, Israel has had to deal with rocket attacks, threats of invasion and ongoing uprisings that threaten to tear the country apart. Leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt—echoing statements from Iran—have stated that “Israel will cease to exist by the end of the decade.”

Prophecies Coming Alive

Why are so many ominous trends coming together for these nations? The answers are found in Bible prophecy. Few today realize that the Anglo-Saxon peoples of northwest European descent have deep links to the Israelites of the Bible. God gave His laws to the Israelites—not because they were better than anybody else, but so they could be a light to the world and an example to other nations. God said they would be blessed if they obeyed His laws—laws that define marriage as a sacred relationship between a man and a woman (Genesis 2:24), and reveal that He hates divorce (Malachi 2:16). God plainly states that homosexuality is an abomination (Leviticus 18:22) and that fornication—sex outside of marriage—is a serious sin (1 Corinthians 6:9–11, 15–18).

Sadly, the political and religious leaders of the modern nations descended from Israel have largely ignored—or forgotten—these biblical laws from God. In a recent interview, the Dean of Washington’s National Cathedral stated, regarding the recent sanctioning of same-sex marriages, “I have studied the Scriptures and I believe this is the right thing to do.”

What most have forgotten is that God warned of serious consequences that would befall those who disobey His laws and turn away from Him. We read, “if you do not obey Me, and do not observe all these commandments, and if you despise My statutes… I also will do this to you… Those who hate you shall reign over you… I will break the pride of your power; I will make your heavens like iron and your earth like bronze [drought]… I will lay your cities waste… I will bring the land to desolation” (Leviticus 26:14–15, 17, 19, 31–32). Also: “if you do not obey the voice of the Lord… The alien who is among you shall rise higher and higher above you, and you shall come down 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 28:15, 43–44). This is what is coming to pass today, yet few are making the connection between the ancient prophecies and the modern trends.

God’s prophetic messages to the ancient Israelites certainly have relevance to modern Israelite nations today. Jeremiah proclaimed, “My people are foolish, they have not known Me… They are wise to do evil… The prophets prophesy falsely… and my people love to have it so” (4:22; 5:31). Isaiah warned, “Those who lead you cause you to err” (Isaiah 3:12). Hosea delivers the charge, “The prophet is a fool, the spiritual man is insane, because of the greatness of your iniquity… They are deeply corrupted… They sow the wind, and reap the whirlwind… because they have transgressed My covenant and rebelled against My law” (Hosea 9:7–9; 8:7, 1).

Numerous prophecies warn that “evil will befall” the Israelite nations in the last days (Deuteronomy 31:29) and that the demise and downfall of the Israelite nations will come suddenly (Deuteronomy 28:20; Isaiah 9:14; 29:5; 30:13). Hosea also foretold “The pride of Israel testifies to his face; therefore Israel and Ephraim [today the British-descended nations and the U.S.] stumble; in their iniquity; Judah [the Middle Eastern nation of Israel] also stumbles with them” (Hosea 5:5). This will be the outcome of the ominous trends developing in the modern Israelite nations today—unless their peoples, individually and nationally, recognize their sin and repent! For more information on this vital subject, read our booklet on The United States and Great Britain in Prophecy.