The End of an Era

America made history achieving that goal, and "the others, too." On July 20, 1969, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) landed the Apollo 11 lunar module on the Moon, and astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin became the first men to walk on the moon. Their accomplishment ignited public interest in space exploration, which fueled a decades-long era of NASA achievements that President Kennedy could scarcely have imagined—an era that came to an end on July 22, 2011 when the space shuttle Atlantis touched down at the Kennedy Space Center, ending shuttle mission STS-135 and bringing the 30-year-old space shuttle program to its end.

With the end of the space shuttle program, many in America are lamenting the loss of America’s prestige. In a time of national budget debt and amid partisan political wrangling, debate continues as to the best plan (if any) for future American exploration of space.

Meanwhile, on Earth, the United States Congress on August 1, 2011 voted to increase the nation’s debt ceiling. Yet even this vote is only a temporary fix, lasting perhaps through 2012 when the same problem will likely present itself again. What programs will the U.S. feel able to cut then? And how will those cuts further affect America’s position as a world-leading nation?

Why do we see the continuing downfall of what many have called "the greatest nation on earth?" Why does the U.S. government feel the need to severely cut what was once the world’s greatest space program, when observers continue to point to other ways they could balance the nation’s budget?

A key part of the answer is found in the pages of your Bible, where God made a promise to the patriarch Abraham. "I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing" (Genesis 12:2). As long-time Tomorrow’s World viewers and readers know, the U.S. has greatly benefitted from that promise made so long ago to Abraham. But with that promise came certain conditions: "If you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments, and perform them, then I will give you rain in its season, the land shall yield its produce, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit" (Leviticus 26:3–4).

The U.S., like Britain and the other Israelite-descended nations, has been immensely blessed as a result of that promise. There are not enough words to describe the blessings the U.S. nation has enjoyed. But notice what God warns will take place if His words are not heeded: "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 26:19–20).

Whether or not the people of America understand, there is a direct relationship between the breaking of God’s laws and the decline of America’s prosperity, power and prestige. Sadly, unless the nation reverses course and repents, it can expect to continue to fall behind other nations in areas where, as with the space shuttle program, it was once the world’s leader.

To learn more about God’s promises to Abraham, and what they mean to Christians today, please read our free booklet, The United States and Great Britain in Prophecy. Or watch our Tomorrow’s World telecast, "What Will Save America?"