THE UNITED STATES IS NOT ISRAEL Curtis Pugh Poteau, Oklahoma It is a fact that unregenerate people cannot understand

the Bible in a spiritually profitable way. This is clearly stated in 2 Corinthians 2 !" But the natural man receiveth not the things of the S irit of !o"# for the$ are foolishness unto him# neither can he %no& them' (ecause the$ are s irituall$ "iscerne")* Therefore it is to be e#pected that people who ha$e not had an e#perience of grace will ha$e $iews foreign to the Bible e$en though they are religious in some fashion or another. %a$ing the %oly &pirit as guide, e$en the true children of 'od do not come to a correct understanding of the Bible automatically. 'od(s thoughts are not somehow supernaturally in)ected into the minds and hearts of born again people. The Preacher wrote much stu"$ is a &eariness of the flesh'*

*+cclesiastes !2 !2, and e$ery faithful student of 'od(s -ord knows that to be so. The %oly 'host through Paul instructed a younger preacher named Timothy thus Stu"$ to she& th$self a rove" unto !o"' a &or%man that nee"eth not to (e ashame"' rightl$

"ivi"ing the &or" of truth'* *2 Timothy 2 !.,. Country people who were raised on a diet of /ing 0ames +nglish in the mountains of &outheastern Oklahoma used to admonish us children to e#ercise diligence in performing a task by saying, 1you study to do it.2 They

meant that we were to pay attention and e#pend effort or 1elbow grease,2 as we called it, in getting something done. They meant we should de$ote all our faculties both mental and physical to see that the assigned task was properly completed. That is Paul(s meaning in his counsel to Timothy. 3 mere intellectual apprehension of the bare facts of the Bible is not what is meant here. 4urthermore Timothy was to rightly di$ide the -ord. Carelessness and a hapha5ard approach were not to be allowed. %e was not to ha$e a cra5y67uilt e#egesis of the -ord and neither should we. 8id you e$er play 1pick up sticks2 or 10ack &traws92 &ome people play a kind of 10ack &traws2 with the Bible. The ob)ect in 0ack &traws was to

selecti$ely lift indi$idual sticks out of a pile without disturbing the others. &ome people seem to select Bible $erses that suit their ideas without considering all the $erses which bear upon a sub)ect. Or they may 7uote only part of a $erse and by doing so gi$e a distorted meaning to the Bible. :iles Co$erdale *c. !";; < !.=>, made use of -illiam Tyndale(s translation of the Bible and produced the first complete Bible in the +nglish language. The importance of this to us is that more than se$enty6fi$e percent of our /ing 0ames Bibles is taken $erbatim from Tyndale(s translation. 3nyone who will bother to compare the two will see this. Co$erdale ga$e what we think is the best brief ad$ice to readers of the Bible who wish to really understand it. %ere is his ad$ice 1It shall greatly help you to understand &cripture if you mark not only what is spoken or written, but of whom, and by whom, with what words, where, at what time, to what intent, with what circumstances, considering what goes before and what follows.? %ow good it would be if all who study the Bible followed this wise and thoughtful ad$ice@ 4ollowing this ad$ice has made many persons sound Baptists@ Today it seems that some Baptists ha$e adopted the idea that the Anited &tates has somehow replaced Israel. Others seem to think that the unscriptural and mystical

1something2 that they call 1the church2 has replaced Israel. &ome ha$e called this last $iew 1replacement theology.2 They think that Christians in the A. &. can claim the promises of 'od made to Israel. This is not 1rightly di$iding the word of truth.2 The Bord 0esus said %e would build %is congregation and %e did so. This was something new. -hat Christ built was not and is not 1Israel warmed o$er.2 It is neither legal, logical or biblical to say that an agreement or promise made to a specific entity is an obligation to another and different entity. But this kind of promise6mangling takes place far too often among professing Christians. Before we look at some e#amples of this kind of misappropriation of Bible $erses, perhaps we need to consider how people tend to look at the past since the two are intertwined in some regard.

&ometimes mere anti7uity produces romantic notions about things. -e talk about the 1good old days,2 but really they were the days so long ago that we ha$e forgotten how bad they really were. The Bible says, Sa$ not thou' +hat is the cause that the former "a$s &ere (etter than these, for thou "ost not en-uire &isel$ concerning this* *+cclesiastes C !D,. The plain meaning is that the 1former days2 were not 1better than these@2 &ome folk seem to want us to belie$e that at one time < 1back in the good old days2 6 these Anited &tates was a morally upright, Christian nation and therefore blessed by 'od. This preacher is not lacking in appreciation for the biblical principles upon which the legal system of the Anited &tates was founded. But < and here is where the rub comes in < most of the Anited &tates go$ernment officials and most of her citi5ens are now what they always ha$e been reprobates. 'od(s remnant is )ust that a remnant@ The officials of the Anited &tates ha$e ne$er li$ed up to the laws and principles upon which this nation was founded, let alone to the -ord of 'od. &pace forbids going into the histories of the many and $aried groups who suffered un)ustly at the hand of this nation. &uffice it to say that I know the history of some of my own ancestors. They were Choctaw 1Indians.2 3nyone who knows e$en a little about the treatment meted out by the A. &. go$ernment to 1Indians2 will not dare say these things were the actions of a righteous or Christian nation. Eeither ha$e we space to deal with the lies, corruption, crooked dealings, etc., etc., that this country(s go$ernment has perpetuated from her beginning. &o why do we ha$e romantic notions about how this nation was once a godly one9 Or that it was founded by godly men9 Or that the promises of 'od to Israel are ours because we once were or are now a godly people9 -e grant that the founding fathers of this nation were smart men. -e re)oice that they founded this nation on Bible principles@ But this nation cannot be called 'od(s people anymore than any other gentile nation can. 'od chose the twel$e tribes of Israel to be %is people@ 3nd 'od said to them .ou onl$ have I %no&n of all the families of the earth# therefore I &ill unish $ou

for all $our ini-uities* *3mos F 2,. 8id you get that9 'od s aid 1you only@2 The 0ews are the only nation 'od knows in this way@ They are the only nation with which 'od has made a co$enant@ 'od said so@ In spite of the many e$ils perpetuated by the A. &. go$ernment some people seem to think that 'od has blessed these Anited &tates because the people ha$e been Christian or good, or Bible belie$ing. 4olks, it )ust ain(t so@ &ome people 7uote 2 Chronicles C !" as if it applies to the Anited &tates. That $erse says If m$ name' shall hum(le themselves' an" eo le' &hich are calle" ($ m$

ra$' an" see% m$ face' an" turn from their

&ic%e" &a$s/ then &ill I hear from heaven' an" &ill forgive their sin' an" &ill heal their lan")* This preacher belie$es e$ery word of that $erse, but it is not a promise to these Anited &tates@ It is not a promise to her Christian citi5ens@ In Isaiah =. ! 'od said these words I sai"' Behol" me' (ehol" me' unto a nation that &as not calle" ($ m$ name)* This $erse speaks of a gentile nation. 'od said that gentile nations were 1not called by my name.2 It is the 0ews who were and are called by 'od(s name. 4urthermore, the conte#t pro$es that this promise of healing of the land is to and for Israel. %ere is this $erse in its conte#t An" the LORD a eare" to Solomon ($ night' an" sai" unto him' I have hear" th$ ra$er' an" lace to m$self for an house of sacrifice) If I shut u heaven that

have chosen this

there (e no rain' or if I comman" the locusts to "evour the lan"' or if I sen" estilence among m$ eo le/ If m$ eo le' &hich are calle" ($ m$ name' shall hum(le

themselves' an" ra$' an" see% m$ face' an" turn from their &ic%e" &a$s/ then &ill I hear from heaven' an" &ill forgive their sin' an" &ill heal their lan") shall (e o en' an" mine ears attent unto the No& mine e$es lace* *2

ra$er that is made in this

Chronicles C !26!.,. 3ny candid reader of that passage must say that it pertains to Israel@ The Anited &tates is not Israel and that promise is to 'od(s elect nation, Israel. The promise is not to Christians. Christians were not promised land or prosperity. In fact, Christians do

not ha$e a land. They are not a national people. Often they ha$e wandered about from country to country fleeing persecution. 0esus said to %is disciples In the &orl" $e shall have tri(ulation* *0ohn != FF,. Paul wrote That no man shoul" (e move" ($ these afflictions# for $ourselves %no& that &e are a ointe" thereunto) 0or veril$' &hen &e

&ere &ith $ou' &e tol" $ou (efore that &e shoul" suffer tri(ulation/ even as it came to ass' an" $e %no&* *! Thessalonians F F6",. 3gain Paul wrote .ea' an" all that &ill live go"l$ in 1hrist 2esus shall suffer ersecution* *2 Timothy F !2,. 3nd yet many in 3merica are thinking and saying that 'od wants to bless this nation with ease, prosperity, safety and comforts in their natural li$es when 'od says %is children are to suffer in this life. The Bible says we are 1appointed thereunto@2 The $erse that says Blesse" is the nation &hose !o" is the LORD* is often only partially 7uoted, in an effort to apply it in some way as a conditional promise to Christians in the Anited &tates. 3 partial 7uote is often a misleading 7uote. The rest of that $erse says, an" the eo le &hom he hath chosen for his o&n inheritance* *Psalm FF !2,. The

complete statement makes it ob$ious that it is speaking of Israel@ Israel is the people whom 'od chose for his own inheritance@ That $erse is a statement of fact about Israel. It is not conditional in any way whatsoe$er. It does not say that if a nation will make 'od their Bord they will be blessed. It does not say that at all@ It has absolutely nothing to do with any nation or people other than those 1whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance2 6 the 0ews@ *Psalm !"" !. says substantially the same thing and the conte#t has to do with 8a$id, king of Israel, and his sons and daughters,. Bea$e it to the Goman Church and her Protestant daughters to take Old Testament promises that were made to Israel and apply them to other than the nation Israel. It is neither Baptist nor Biblical to think that way. &earch the Bible@ 3mericans are not 'od(s chosen people@ They ne$er were and ne$er shall be@ 3nd it is contrary to consistent and honest Bible interpretation to make the Bible speak to Christian 3mericans. It

is also contrary to old Co$erdale(s sound ad$ice to do such things. :ore importantly it is not rightly di$iding the -ord@ It results in confusion@ -hen this hapha5ard, willy6nilly practice of interpretation is used, the authority of the &cripture is broken. +ach man may chose what $erses he will apply to whate$er group or situation he chooses thus man become the authority and not 'od(s Book. &ome would ha$e us belie$e that the reason the Anited &tates has prospered is because 'od has blessed the obedience and goodness of her citi5ens and go$ernment. In other words, A. &. citi5ens ha$e earned or somehow 7ualified for 'od(s fa$or. That stinks of 3rminianism@ 3re we to think that 'od looked down from eternity and saw that A. &. citi5ens would be good and so planned to bless them9 Or shall we say that 'od waited until %e saw that the A. &. citi5ens were good and so %e decided then to bless them9 8o we not

understand the impossibility of mingling law6keeping *works, and grace9 *see Gomans !! =,. The Bible teaches that 'od has decreed all things that shall be from eternity. %is plan is not sub)ect to the actions of men either good or bad. 3no&n unto !o" are all his &or%s from the (eginning of the &orl"* are the words of 3cts !. !;. 0or the LORD of hosts hath ur ose"' an" &ho shall "isannul it, an" his han" is stretche" out' an" &ho shall turn it (ac%,* are the words of Isaiah !" 2C. 'od has a purpose according to +phesians ! !! that $erse says that the children of 'od were predestinated accor"ing to the ur ose of him &ho &or%eth all things after the counsel of his o&n &ill)* 'od has blessed the Anited &tates for a purpose and that purpose is )ust about fulfilled if this preacher is thinking right. It is about o$er and done. That purpose was twofold. One purpose was to be a friend to little Israel and our national go$ernment is about to throw her under the bus. In addition, the Anited &tates was once a great repository of truth. &ound Baptists were here. &ound preachers went as missionaries spreading the truth. O$erall, that is no longer true most Baptists are apostate@ 3nd so we must ask what purpose does the Anited &tates of 3merica

ser$e now9 4ew preachers know and preach the truth and few of them are going abroad as missionaries. &tep by step our go$ernment is mo$ing away from being a blessing and a help to Israel *see 'enesis !2 F,. %ow can we e#pect 'od(s blessing upon such a nation that sanctions and openly appro$es of baby6murderers, sodomites, blasphemers, apostates, adulterers, fornicators, Bible6deniers and such like9 :ay 'od bless 3merican by blessing 3mericans with go"l$ sorro&#* the godly sorrow that &or%eth re entance unto salvation not to (e re ente" of* *2 Corinthians C !D,. In closing we must ask this 7uestion why is the Anited &tates not mentioned in end6 time prophecies9 Other nations are mentioned some by name. 4rom the silence of

&cripture on this sub)ect are we able to arri$e at any probable conclusion9 Probably the reason the Anited &tates is not mentioned in the Bible as a player in end6time e$ents is this she will not ha$e a significant place in those things that are to come to pass. Can it be that this go$ernment will either cease to e#ist or shall be reduced to the status of a third6rate nation with little or no power and no significant role in end time e$ents9 That seems likely. One thing is sure the Bible, as always, is true and 'od says, The &ic%e" shall (e turne" into hell' and all the nations that forget !o"* *Psalm > !C,. The Anited &tates is not Israel@ But it seems she fits into the category as a nation that has forgotten 'od < willfully and purposely@ -e as Christians can rightly say this may 'od be pleased to continue to do what %e has been doing among the gentiles since apostolic days may %e continue to $isit our friends, neighbors and relati$es the people of the A. &. to ta%e ta%e out of them a eo le for his name* *3cts !. !",.