Th e Tru m pet Da i ly Ser i e s

A rt ic l e n u m be r R 8 016

THE BIGGEST THREAT TO

AMERICA’S NATIONAL SECURITY
By Joel Hilliker
Reprinted from theTrumpet.com, June 15, 2011

Admiral Mullen is on to something.

H ere’s a statement with prophetic reverberations. 
It was uttered by America’s top military officer, Adm. 
Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, 
to students at Fort Bliss in March, 2011:
“I actually think the biggest threat to our national security 
right tools. Having earned his hard-power stripes as cia director, 
he may be able to reassure Congress that particular cuts won’t 
harm the nation’s defense posture” (April 28, 2011).
But even if he can convince Congress of that, would it be 
true? Admiral Mullens says no. Secretary Gates—who has duti-
is our national debt” (emphasis mine). fully saluted and carried out previous ordered cutbacks—is now 
Militaries cost money, and none more than America’s. The  openly concerned. At a speech in May 2011, he warned that the 
U.S. has spent more on defense than any nation in history: close  latest proposed reductions would result in “a smaller military” 
to a billion dollars a day, every day, for over six decades—more  that could “go to fewer places and … do fewer things.”
than the rest of the world combined. Nevertheless, this is reality. Even as the world grows more 
But the times they are a changin’. America is getting crushed  volatile, more explosive, less predictable—even as other major 
by debt, and such spending is simply no longer sustainable. And  nations deliberately, substantially boost their defense spending—
while this reality has hardly slowed the current U.S. administra- America has passed the apex of its power militarily.
tion from continuing to spend itself sick virtually everywhere else,  And economic constraints are certain to accelerate its descent. 
the one area it seems eager to make cutbacks is within the military. In fact, the armed forces are getting dragged down by the same 
As a result, the nation’s best war leaders are being forced to  millstone that is pulling the nation under: entitlements. Even if 
divert more and more of their energies into “boosting efficiency”  the defense budget remained level, rapidly rising personnel and 
and cutting costs. health-care  costs  are  swallowing  an  ever  larger  percentage  of 
What will be the effect on history’s most powerful military?  defense-allocated  dollars.  As  Secretary  Gates  pointed  out,  the 
Admiral Mullen is one of many observers who fear the possibili- military’s health-care costs alone have soared from $19 billion 
ties. But biblical prophecy gives us the answer. just a decade ago to $52.5 billion today.
The truth is that the defense budget getting squashed by a  “The whole thing is being driven by the U.S. defense budget 
bloated debt is only a symptom of a far greater problem. and the deficiencies in the American budget as a whole,” said 
Since 2009, more than 30 defense-related programs have been  defense  analyst  Charles  Heyman.  As  politicians  and  military 
“canceled,  capped  or  ended,”  Defense  Secretary  Robert  Gates  commanders face off, he said, “The politicians are always going 
acknowledged.  Among  them:  plans  for  a  long-range  bomber;  to be right because they hold the purse strings. … At some stage 
the f-22 program; the Joint Forces Command in Norfolk; two  in the next 18 months to two years we’re going to see a real ax 
Pentagon  agencies.  The  nation’s  nuclear  stockpiles  are  to  be  taken to the American defense budget.”
reduced by 30 percent; the missiles, subs and bombers used to  A real ax? Already, the 18 combat divisions the Army had 
deliver them, halved. The ranks of admirals and generals have  in the 1980s now stand at 10. The Navy’s 600 ships have been 
been thinned. Hundreds of military bases have closed. reduced to less than half that—fewer than at any time since the 
Earlier in 2011, Secretary Gates announced $78 billion more  First World War. The Air Force’s tactical air wings have dropped 
in long-term military spending cuts and an additional $100 bil- from 37 to 20. Its planes are now fewer and older than at any time 
lion in reallocations. The Navy axed the U.S. Second Fleet, which  in its history. “The useful life of the tanks, artillery, planes, ships 
trains all strike groups before deployment. The Army canceled  and missiles that date to the Reagan buildup is ending, and the 
a missile system. The Air Force consolidated three numbered  cost of replacing them is now far greater than it was back then,” 
Air Force staffs. The Marine Corps got rid of its expeditionary  wrote  former  Army  officer  Jeff  Lukens.  “Many  of  the  Army’s 
fighting vehicle. The Army and Marines agreed to shrink their  weapons have already missed several rounds of modernization. 
numbers. Many of its soldiers are on their fourth or fifth tour of duty in Iraq 
Then in April 2011, President Obama set a target to slash an or Afghanistan. And the Army Reserves have been on repeated 
additional $400 billion in defense spending over the next 12 years  deployments overseas since 9/11 as well.”
on top of the cuts already planned. And to replace Gates as defense  Being  a  superpower  is  incredibly  expensive.  Just  ask 
secretary, he chose Leon Panetta—the man who oversaw the last  Britain.  During  its  glory  days  of  empire,  it  was  ridiculously 
major round of defense cuts during the Clinton administration. It  wealthy, the master of global trade. The picture dramatically 
appears the president made this choice because he needs a good  changed with World Wars i and ii, which bled Britain of its 
pitchman for further cuts. As National Public Radio reported it,  finest men and the lion’s share of its treasure. These wars left 
“The White House believes that Panetta’s sales kit contains the  Britain  bankrupt,  unable  to  sustain  the  operating  costs  of 

COPYRIGHT © 2011 PHILADELPHIA CHURCH OF GOD
 The Biggest Threat to America’s National Security •  the Trumpet Daily Reprint Series 

empire—particularly maintaining a military that could protect  As the U.S. struggles to determine the best uses for its dwin-
resource-supplying countries. The United States then took over  dling resources, one area it is scrutinizing intensely is Europe. For 
as the world’s greatest power, and today Britain languishes in  decades it has committed itself to helping defend the Continent 
irrelevance. and devote resources to the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance. In 
Now, though, it is America’s turn to find itself priced out of  recent years, though, America has grown insistent that Europe 
the superpower market. step up and take responsibility for its own defense. It has been 
Just as with Britain, though, the nation’s economic woes are  taking steps to draw down its forces there; base closures on the 
not the cause of its problems. They are a symptom that points to  Continent have saved the Army $8.6 billion since 2003. Of the 
the cause. They themselves have a far greater cause that must be  213,000 U.S. troops stationed in Europe in 1989, only about 42,000 
understood. remain. Plans are to shrink that number to 37,000 by 2015—and 
Herbert  W.  Armstrong  explained  the  reason  for  Britain’s  many  wonder  whether  that  reduced  force  will  survive  future 
and America’s rapid decline in his landmark book The United trimming. Even as Robert Gates has been overseeing America’s 
States and Britain in Prophecy. “There is a reason!” he wrote. “It is  defense  cuts,  he  has  been  vigorously  lecturing  Europe  about 
bound up with history and divine promises pertaining to Israel.” how it needs to boost its military spending and upgrade its war-
America’s massive and growing problems—epic indebted- making capability.
ness,  impossibly  expensive  entitlement  programs,  unwinnable  For students of biblical prophecy, this is bitterly ironic. Why? 
nation-building-type military projects—all stem from the nation’s  Because of what Scripture reveals to be, in fact, the biggest threat
having turned its back on the Source of its prosperity and broken  to America’s national security!
His immutable laws. That  is,  a  militarily  dominant,  unified  European  super-
Just  as  Herbert  Armstrong  warned,  America’s  financial  state!
predominance is disappearing—and with it, its military predomi- Read the stunning future awaiting America in The United
nance. Now, he continued, “the American nation is slated to go  States and Britain in Prophecy. Learn about how Europe is pre-
down even more suddenly [than Great Britain] to utter ignominy  paring  to  fulfill  its  central  role  in  future  events  in  The Rising
and loss of all national wealth, greatness and power!” Beast—Germany’s Conquest of the Balkans.
the Trumpet Daily Reprint Series  •  The Biggest Threat to America’s National Security 

DEBTTHE MORAL ISSUE

By Ron Fraser
Reprinted from theTrumpet.com, June 20, 2011

At the heart of the global debt crisis is a deep-seated moral issue.

A merica lost its battle with debt when it lost its 
sense of the moral issue that underpins financial probity. 
The same goes for Europe. Both are currently caught in 
a looming crisis of unimaginable proportions that will literally 
shatter whole national economies and soon cause a system failure 
very soon be technically broke and at the beck and call of the foreign 
interests that largely own its debt—foreign interests whose national 
goals are at complete odds with those of America.
Since the founding of the Trumpet magazine, we have warned 
of  this  looming  crisis  being  but  a  recipe  for  national  disaster. 
of global proportions. At its heart, the problem is a moral one. Our  earlier  editions  contain  many  an  article  by  the  late  Tim 
With  the  United  States  being  the  world’s  largest  single  Thompson on this theme, as have more recent issues conveyed 
economy and the world’s now largest debtor nation, Christian and  the accelerating risk of America defaulting on its debts in articles 
capitalist by culture and ideology, peddler of U.S.-style democracy  by columnist Robert Morley.
to the rest of the world, one could naively think that its leaders  As Paul Johnson stated (op. cit.),
would logically desire to strive for the moral high ground when  “There is nothing wrong with borrowing money. It’s a natural 
it comes to handling national debt. part of the capitalist system …. But if you borrow, three conditions 
To the contrary, it is the godless Communist nation of China  need to be in place for your actions to be righteous:
that, as British historian Paul Johnson correctly observes, being  “- The money borrowed should be of reasonable size com-
“officially  atheist,  is  currently  setting  a  better  moral  example  mensurate with your resources and prospects.
regarding  debt  than  an  openly  religious,  capitalist  America”  “- From the outset a program of repayment should be in place.
(Forbes.com, June 6, 2011). “- The repayment plan should have priority over any other 
Johnson points to the historic beginning of America’s current  commitment, especially any personal spending plans.”
debt woes. As has been the case, sadly, throughout history, it had  These  obligations  on  the  borrower  are  based  on  biblical 
its genesis in war, the American Civil War, which created a debt  truths. But, what about the righteous obligations of the lender?
of $2.2 billion, raised to $22 billion in the wake of World War i,  Your Bible spells them out very clearly in respect of those who 
and blowing out to $260 billion in World War ii. would lend to their fellow countrymen within the nations of Israel 
The sheer nature and extent of the current U.S. debt, exceed- (read our book The United States and Britain in Prophecy for the 
ing $14 trillion and rising by the second, is a grand testimony to  truth on the identity of those nations today).
the total lack of any inkling of moral authority in the U.S. admin- The conditions to lending to one’s own ethnic kin within the 
istration when it comes to handling the country’s financial affairs. nations of Israel are clearly stated in such scriptures as Exodus 
Paul Johnson points back to a more moral generation of U.S.  22:25;  Deuteronomy  23:19;  24:10-13  and  15:1.  The  application  of 
leadership, that of President Andrew Jackson, who “succeeded in  usury is forbidden. Psalm 15:5 states the reward for abiding by 
paying off the U.S. public debt—an amazing achievement, unique  these conditions.
in the history of Western nations” (ibid.). In respect of lending to foreign nations, whereas God forbids 
So what happened between Jackson’s great achievement of  the charging of interest on loans within the community of Israelite 
1835—balancing the books, achieving complete solvency for the  nations, He permits those nations to charge interest on loans to 
United  States,  having  paid  down  its  national  debt  securing  a  foreign nations and enterprises (Deuteronomy 15:3, 6).
surplus of federal funds in the Treasury, thus enabling America  Had the nations of Israel followed these conditions from the 
to become a truly free and independent nation, owing no nation  inception of their sovereign economies, we would have had no 
anything—and today’s uncontrollable national financial disaster? subprime mortgage fiasco, would not be indebted to alien nations, 
It has largely to do with the degree of fiscal morality dem- and would be facing no global financial and economic crisis. God 
onstrated (or not) by those leaders who followed him, especially  would simply have seen to it that all nations, globally, would have 
in peace time. continued to benefit from the blessings bestowed upon Abraham’s 
Johnson quotes Robert V. Remini, Andrew Jackson’s biogra- progeny through Isaac, Jacob and Joseph (Genesis 18:18).
pher, as stating that the elimination of America’s national debt at  But  the  nations  of  Israel  refused  to  obey  their  God.  They 
the time happened for the singular reason that President Jackson  allowed  self-will  to  dominate  their  economies,  and  self-will 
“was determined to make it happen, and he did everything within  brings with it a self-seeking “reward,” at another’s expense. As 
his constitutional power to bring it about” (The Life of Andrew Paul Johnson wrote, “greed dulls the senses.” Hence the Ponzi 
Jackson). schemes, the grand corruption, fraud and corporate crime at the 
Does this not beg the question as to what has been lacking  highest levels of America’s deeply corrupted system of politics, 
in postwar American leadership? Simply put, it has lacked the  commerce, banking and industry.
moral fortitude to exert the willing determination to meet the  The results will be profoundly prophetic.
country’s obligations to pay its debts. Since the American Civil  What could have been, if only we had really meant and prac-
War, debt has become a way of life for America. ticed that which we so hypocritically print on our banknotes—“In 
The American dream of the 20th century has been built on a  God we trust”—is prophesied in Deuteronomy 28:12: “The Lord 
foundation of sand—the unstable foundation of debt accumula- shall open unto thee his good treasure … to bless all the work 
tion—to the point that some time in the very near future the nation’s  of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou 
debt will begin to exceed its gross national product. America will  shalt not borrow.”
 The Biggest Threat to America’s National Security •  the Trumpet Daily Reprint Series 

But,  because  we  have  rebelled  against  our  Maker  and  His  Yet as we continually point out to our readers, the looming 
immutable laws—laws which if we had only obeyed them would  global disorder that will result from the imminent collapse of the 
have guaranteed perpetuation of the prosperity of our nations—we  global financial system, possibly triggered by America’s impending 
are rapidly reaping the great curses on our economic and social  default on its debts in the wake of a contagion of default currently 
order  that  God  proclaimed  from  the  beginning:  “The  stranger  threatening Europe, is but a great harbinger of hope to all humankind!
that  is  within  thee  shall  get  up  above  thee  very  high;  and  thou  As Mr. Armstrong observed fully 27 years ago, it seems this 
shalt come down very low. He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt  will be the very event that will set in train a domino effect of 
not lend to him: he shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail”  rapidly fulfilled Bible prophecy leading to the realization of the 
(Deuteronomy 28:43-44). only hope available to man to rescue him from global annihila-
Andrew  Jackson  understood  the  moral  obligation  that  a  tion—the return of the Savior of mankind to this Earth to bring 
borrower has to place a premium on the payment of debt as a  everlasting peace, prosperity and the opportunity for all to choose 
priority over any other commitment, especially any pet political  to fulfill their incredible human potential!
projects. That is a principle, underpinned by the statutes of God,  You need to read our book The Incredible Human Potential,
to which the current U.S. administration seems innately blind.  without delay. It will turn your mind to this awesome future that 
The results are proving catastrophic for America and will prove  will so soon overtake us all! It will give you a vision that will enable 
devastating in terms of the global order and system of economy. you to survive the tough times ahead, maintaining a real hope in 
As Herbert Armstrong once declared, “I believe that some  the future that will be possessed by few amid the great crisis of 
event is going to happen suddenly, just like out of a blue sky, that is  confidence this accelerating global collapse is bringing in its wake.
going to shock the whole world, and is going to cause the nations  That book will also show you how to become part of the grand 
in Europe to realize they must unite! … I think I can see what  solution to not only the saving of humankind from total disaster, 
may be the very event that is going to trigger it, and that is the  but its perpetuation on into a far more wondrous universe than 
economic situation in the world” (public address, July 7, 1984). one can ever imagine!
the Trumpet Daily Reprint Series  •  The Biggest Threat to America’s National Security 

BLESSINGS AND CURSINGS

By Stephen Flurry
Reprinted from the Philadelphia Trumpet, November 2001

Why politicians, theologians and commentators cannot explain September 11.

I n the weeks that followed September 11, 2001, God was 
everywhere: on signs, in song, at school and sporting events, 
in government. But where was God on September 11? And for 
all His popularity since that date, why was God so unpopular 
before September 11?
Americans are now well familiar with these realities.
Notice verse 17: “And I will set my face against you, and ye 
shall be slain before your enemies: they that hate you shall reign 
over you; and ye shall flee when none pursueth you.” Think about 
the anthrax scare in the wake of the terrorist strikes in September 
It  might  have  been  more  fashionable  to  talk  about  God  2001. There have been a few scattered incidents, and yet politicians, 
after September 11 than it was a few months before, but mere  news agencies and civilians were frightened to open their mail! 
talk is the shallowest form of religion. Jesus scolded the seem- Look at what a handful of enemies can do to terrorize the masses.
ingly religious of His day by saying, “[W]hy call ye me, Lord,  “And if ye will not yet for all this hearken unto me, then I 
Lord, and do not the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46). He  will punish you seven times more for your sins” (verse 18). God 
likened mere talk about God to a house without a foundation  says it will just keep intensifying unless we hearken unto Him. 
that washes away in the first storm that comes along. That word hearken means to hear, give heed and obey. God wants 
True  religion,  Jesus  said,  is  hearing  what  God  says  and  true religion.
doing it! That is religion with substance. That is a “house” built  “And I will break the pride of your power; and I will make 
on stone. your  heaven  as  iron,  and  your  earth  as  brass”  (verse  19).  The 
Trumpet  has  referred  to  this  scripture  a  number  of  times. 
America’s military power is unprecedented, but it lacks the will 
Blessings and Curses to use it. Look at what it took for us to finally do something! And 
Say what you will about God, but know this: He was fully capable  even America’s show of retaliation has been a cautious, coalition-
of preventing what happened on September 11. conscious strike against a tiny group of Muslim extremists known 
But He didn’t. as the Taliban—a governing body the rest of the world does not 
The  question  is,  why?  This  is  the  question  our  foremost  even recognize.
religious leaders have not been able to answer. The reason they  But  what  about  the  string  of  terrorist  acts  that  led  up  to 
have no answer is because they cannot conceive of a God who September 11—those we did nothing about? The first World Trade 
actually sends curses. Center  bombing,  the  American  base  in  Saudi  Arabia,  Khobar 
Doesn’t  it  seem  ironic  that,  after  something  as  tragic  as  Towers, the embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, the u.s.s. Cole. 
September 11, we sang “God Bless America”? Obviously, God is  Terrorists  have  been  emboldened  by  America’s  broken  will  in 
capable of blessing our land and our peoples. In fact, He has! There’s these instances. Years of skittishness over losing single soldier 
no denying it. But isn’t He just as capable of cursing our peoples? in combat created a climate that ended up costing nearly 3,000 
He is if we believe Leviticus 26. What few people realize is  civilian lives in a single day.
that this remarkable prophecy actually pertains more to our time  Now, after the most inconceivably brutal terrorist act imagin-
today than it did for the people of Israel in Moses’s day. (Write  able, Americans seem unified in the fact that we had to respond 
for The United States and Britain in Prophecy to understand the  militarily.  What  does  God  have  to  say  about  this?  “[Y]our 
duality of this prophecy more fully.) strength shall be spent in vain ….” (verse 20). God does not 
Leviticus  26  is  the  fundamental  prophecy  of  the  Old  give us all the details of how this will play out. Prophecy does 
Testament. In this central prophecy, God tells His people that  indicate,  however,  that  in  the  end,  America  will  not  eradicate 
He will bless us with rain in due season, fruitful crops, peaceful  terrorism from this Earth.
living, protection from enemies and much, much more if—and  Why? Because we have forsaken God! “And if ye walk 
this is a mighty big if—we will keep His sabbaths, reverence His  contrary unto me, and will not hearken unto me; I will bring seven 
sanctuary, walk in His statutes, keep His commandments, “and  times more plagues upon you according to your sins” (verse 21). 
do them” (Leviticus 26:2-3). That is a frightening thing—to be punished according to our sins.
And  what  if  we  disobey?  God  answers:  “But  if  ye  will  not Why is it so difficult for us to conceive of a Father who blesses
hearken unto me, and will not do all these commandments; And if  His children when they are obedient—and who lovingly cor-
ye shall despise my statutes, or if your soul abhor my judgments, so  rects them when they go astray? God is a God of blessings—and 
that ye will not do all my commandments [remember what Jesus said  curses. And after an unthinkable curse like September 11, before 
about true religion?], but that ye break my covenant: I also will do  singing “God Bless America,” we should ask, why would God allow
this unto you; I will even appoint over you terror ….” (verses 14-16). this curse in America?
What a frightening scenario! The God of love actually bring-
ing terror? That’s what the Bible says. (In the New Testament, 
in case you are one of the many who reject the Old Testament  According to Our Sins
as being too harsh or outdated, James 4:12 says, “There is one  For as popular as it is to talk about God now, it remains decidedly 
lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy ….”) The Hebrew  unpopular to discuss the subject of sin. Jerry Falwell brought the 
word  for  terror  in  Leviticus  26:16  means  sudden  destruction,  subject up immediately following the attack and was lambasted 
alarm, dismay and fear. with a firestorm of rebuke! Beef up airport security—lock down
6 The Biggest Threat to America’s National Security  •  the Trumpet Daily Reprint Series
borders—bomb terrorist camps—sacrifice the lives of marines if
you have to—but don’t talk to us about our sins! we say.
Shame on us. After suffering such a curse, can we not take
an honest look at ourselves? Shame on our religious “leaders”
for failing to help us look deep within ourselves for answers to
why September 11. (Falwell quickly apologized for his remarks,
saying he was merely making a “theological point” that had been
misunderstood.)
If we are now turning to God for help in these trying times,
we had better be prepared to look into this subject of sin. God,
in the New Testament, defines sin as the transgression of His
law and says the wages we receive for committing sin is death
(1 John 3:4; Romans 6:23).
This is a serious subject.
There is nothing wrong with paying tribute to those slain in
the attacks or applauding the heroic acts of rescue workers and
passengers who gave their lives to save others.
But this does not make New York or the rest of America
righteous before God. Isolated acts of human goodness cannot
mask the fact that America has forsaken God. And New York,
in particular, has come to represent the decadent, godless, sinful
lifestyle we Americans revel in.
Jesus likened these latter days to the days of Noah, before
the Flood, and the days of Lot, before he fled Sodom (Luke 17:26-
30). In both cases, those “days” were noted for their material
excess—drunkenness and revelry, crime and violence, extreme
sexual perversion and upside-down families. These are the sins
most prevalent in Western nations today—especially America.
Why didn’t Jesus say the end time would be noted for its
Muslim fundamentalism, the evils of fanatical regimes, the
oppressive abuse of women and children, the senseless acts of
suicidal terrorism? Aren’t these sins too? Of course they are.
Will these evil acts go unpunished by God? Not at all. God is no
respecter of persons (Romans 2:11). He will deal with the sins of
our enemies in due time.
But right now, He is chiefly concerned about our sins.
Jesus focused on the sins that persist in our society because
we are the peoples who should be setting an example for the
rest of the world.
Abraham Lincoln once said, “We find ourselves in the
peaceful possession of the fairest portion of the Earth.” God
has blessed America—and Britain—above all other nations
on Earth. To understand why, we again refer you to The United
States and Britain in Prophecy. It’s a must read. God gave us
these blessings, because of Abraham’s obedience (Genesis
22:16-18), so that we might be a model society—to show, as
Lincoln noted, “that those nations only are blessed whose God
is the Lord.”
But we, as a people, have forsaken God. Lincoln continued,
“We have grown in numbers, wealth and power as no other nation
ever has grown; but we have forgotten God! We have forgotten the
gracious Hand which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and
enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in
the deceitfulness of our hearts, that these blessings were produced
by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own.”
Imagine what Lincoln would say today about the many sins
our people declare openly before the whole world.
Dirty Nation
According to one federal study, in 1971, the total retail value of
hard-core pornography in America was around $10 million annu-
ally. Today, just one popular pornographic website can bring that
in on its own. Another study says the number of people visiting
porn websites doubled from 2000 to 2001—which even outpaced
the yearly number of new Internet users.
God bless America? We’re known the world over for being
the runaway leader in pornography production.
John Patterson commented for the Guardian in London, “For
U.S. pornographers, the Clinton era represented eight years of
expansion. The Justice Department adopted a hands-off role ….
Day after day, revelation by revelation, it seemed the U.S. steadily
became a dirtier nation. Porn statistics confirm this. There are
now 25,000 adult bookstores in the U.S.; 10,000 new hardcore
video titles are released every year, up from 300 in 1980. Last year
saw 711 million porn rentals, and the industry’s annual turnover
is now close to $10 billion a year” (March 9, 2001).
God bless America? When you consider these staggering
statistics, you have to ask, why should He?
Timothy Egan, in a New York Times piece, attributed part
of the increasing popularity of porn to the ease at which it can
now be obtained. It’s no longer necessary to get in your car,
go to the shady side of town and pay money to enter an adult
theater. Today, pornography is easier to order than pizza—on
the Internet, cable, pay-per-view, satellite TV, video rentals—all
of it can be brought right into the comfort and privacy of your
own home.
But we can’t blame technology for our sins. Egan noted that
court decisions in the last few decades have helped give porn
“broad legal protection.” The Supreme Court’s 1973 decision in
Miller v. California set the precedent, saying that pornography
was illegal only when considered obscene to the “average person,
applying contemporary community standards.” Of course, as
societal moral standards drop, the “average person” becomes
more and more evil, which is why pornography has become
increasingly more vile and widespread.
Egan also blamed the greed of large corporations that want
a piece of the financial pie. “Whatever the phenomenon may say
about the nature of American society, the financial rewards are
so great that some of the biggest distributors of explicit sex on
film and online include the country’s most recognizable corporate
names” (Oct. 23, 2000). General Motors, at&t, Time Warner,
Marriott International, Hilton, News Corporation—these, Egan
wrote, are “all companies that have a big financial stake in adult
films and that are held by millions of shareholders.”
And, of course, these trends keep getting worse because of the
“average” person’s increasing appetite for perverted entertainment.
This is the ugly side of our human nature—the underbelly
of U.S. society that politicians won’t confront.
Immediately after the terrorist attack on September 11,
you might remember President Bush saying that America was
targeted because it was a “beacon of freedom.” And we are. No
other nation offers such widespread opportunity and freedom
as the United States.
But this is not why Islamic extremists hate us. They hate us,
in large part, because of the sins and perversions these freedoms
have given birth to.
What God Wants
In the weeks following the September 11 attack, leaders in society
encouraged American citizens to go about their normal routines—
to not change a thing. Any alteration in the way we lived, they
said, would be the surest sign of a terrorist victory.
But hold on—forget about the terrorists for a minute. God is
the one who allowed September 11 to happen. And if He allowed
it to happen because of our sins, shouldn’t we all want to change
our ways?
the Trumpet Daily Reprint Series  •  The Biggest Threat to America’s National Security 
God gets no satisfaction from seeing people suffer. He’s just  societies is that sin leads to destruction. Individual sin leads to 
trying to get our attention so that we will turn to Him. “Say unto  individual destruction. National sin leads to national destruction. 
them,  As  I  live,  saith  the  Lord  God,  I  have  no  pleasure  in  the  Worldwide sin leads to worldwide destruction.
death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and  “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the 
live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O  earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was 
house of Israel?” (Ezekiel 33:11). only evil continually. And it repented the Lord that he had made 
What’s so bad about turning from our own sins after an act  man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart” (Genesis 6:5-6). 
like what happened on September 11—even if it was carried out  Consider this from God’s perspective. He had created humans to 
by evil men? But that has not happened. Where have you heard  eventually be born spirit in His own image and likeness (Genesis 
anyone talking about real, sincere, life-changing repentance? 1:26)—perfect in righteous character.
God says we have all sinned. We have all taken God’s abundant  But in surveying the landscape of human society less than 
blessings for granted. We have all rejected His ways. We all live for  3700  years  after  He  created  the  first  man,  God  was  actually 
self, instead of God. Jerry Falwell only drew attention to a few spe- sorry that He ever created human beings! “And the Lord said, 
cific sins in our society, and we, as a nation, would have none of it. I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the 
What will you, individually, do about it? earth;  both  man,  and  beast,  and  the  creeping  thing,  and  the 
If you haven’t received a copy, we urge you to request our free  fowls  of  the  air;  for  it  repenteth  me  that  I  have  made  them” 
booklet, Repentance Toward God. This booklet will dramatically  (verse 7). This ancient worldwide cataclysm makes the World 
change your life—if you will let it. Trade Center disaster look like child’s play! And notice, God 
brought it all about!
Of course, the intellectual elite of our “religious” society today 
A God of Justice would reject without discussion any talk of a worldwide flood ever 
To those who might consider this message unfair, God responds,  having occurred. But it happened—as is confirmed by the Bible 
“Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ Hear now, O house  account, Assyrian and Babylonian manuscripts and numerous 
of Israel, is it not My way which is fair, and your ways which are  other traditions from ancient civilizations.
not  fair?”  (Ezekiel  18:25,  New  King  James).  There  is  nothing  God wants us to learn the lesson from the Flood. Worldwide 
unfair  about  God’s  system  of  justice:  “When  a  righteous  man  sin will precipitate worldwide destruction, unless we repent.
turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity,  Notice  verse  8:  “But  Noah  found  grace  in  the  eyes  of  the 
and dieth in them; for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die.  Lord.”  Noah’s  family  of  eight  was  spared  because  of  Noah’s 
Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness  righteousness. Civilization got a fresh start with Noah’s family. 
that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right,  But it quickly headed in the same cataclysmic direction as the 
he shall save his soul alive” (verses 26-27). pre-Flood generations.
This theme runs clear through the Bible! God is a God of  This brings us to where we are today. Jesus said that prior 
blessings and curses, depending upon how we live. God says  to  His  return  to  this  Earth,  it  would  get  so  bad  that  the  vast 
if we live according to His ways, we will not only be spared from  majority of mankind would end up dead. “For then shall be great 
tragedy, we will be rewarded with abundant blessings. tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to 
“Therefore  I  will  judge  you,  O  house  of  Israel,  every one this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be 
according to his ways,  saith  the  Lord  God.  Repent,  and  turn  shortened, there should no flesh [no ‘human being,’ as it says 
yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be  in another translation] be saved [alive]: but for the elect’s sake 
your ruin. Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby  those days shall be shortened” (Matthew 24:21-22).
ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit:  In the end, you see, it goes far beyond the sins of America 
for why will ye die, O house of Israel?” (verses 30-31). or Britain. God will eventually bring judgment upon the whole 
The  burden  of  responsibility  falls  on  our  own  shoulders.  world for its sins—the immoral, the suicidal, the God-rejecting—
When we find ourselves face-to-face with violence, bloodshed,  all of them.
misery and suffering, God wants us to stop blaming others for  And were it not for a tiny group of “elect” people—just as in 
these curses and to look deep within ourselves. The reason He  Noah’s day—all of mankind would be erased from off the face 
allows these types of problems to come upon us is so that He  of the Earth.
might get our attention. He wants us to realize that we must  With  this  small  group,  however,  Jesus  Christ  will  set  up 
turn from our evil ways. a  new  civilization  that,  finally,  will  not  turn  away  from 
Can we recognize the love in God’s actions? How can we be  God’s ways.
so critical of a message as hopeful as this? Never again, from that point forward, will God allow a ter-
rorist act like we witnessed on September 11, 2001. That’s because 
all people, in every nation, will be faithfully abiding by God’s 
The Coming Judgment Word—striving to live His way. God will remove the curses that 
We have already noted that Jesus likened our end-time society  have  afflicted  everyone,  in  every  nation,  throughout  human 
to the days of Noah and Lot. The lesson from these two ancient  history, and shower blessings unmeasured upon all mankind!