How to Make the World Great Again

You'll recall that President Donald Trump has famously voiced to the country and around the world that he will make America great again. I don't think there's anybody in the whole world that hasn't heard that that's caught on. He's caught quite a bit of criticism, of course, for saying that. But actually, I believe all countries would like to be great. It's not just the United States.

Every national leader should do his or her best to make their country great, right? Who doesn't want their nation to be successful, prosperous and great? Unquestionably, at this time, the United States is the most powerful nation militarily on earth at the moment, and the most affluent economically that the world has ever seen.

And so many immigrants push through the country's borders for a chance at a better life in this great country. And in general, most of the English-speaking nations are like this. Most of the English-speaking nations are better off than the average human population. There have been many blessings showered upon the United States, Canada, Australia, where I'm from, which is very similar to here in its economic God Blessings, New Zealand, Great Britain, South Africa.

But we're also starting or are seeing a continuing moral decline. And so our nations are actually at great risk of losing all that they've been given by God, because of disobedience to God and for pushing God out of the public arena. So discounting the English-speaking people. When we look at the rest of humanity in general, we see great poverty, hunger, violence, hatred, war. We see real famine and plagues and disease. And unlike the United States, who those people would say is already great, those nations say, what can we do to make our nation great again?

Those people that are living in abject poverty would say that America's great, and they'd like to make their nation great. So the question I have here today is, how can we make the world great again? Not just the United States. How can we make the world great again? Maybe social media can do it for us, you think? There's a Facebook page called Make the World Great Again. Its mission is to unite as one big happy family in hopes of making our lives meaningful again. That's the mission of that Facebook page, which is called Make the World Great Again. Well, actually, as you know, it's going to take a lot more than a social media posting or a Facebook page or a media campaign.

But the solution is actually quite straightforward and not all that complicated. And so here in the sermon, we're going to look at how to make the world great again. Since President Trump's bold proclamation a year or two ago, a lot of people have jumped on the bandwagon and have used the phrase towards making their own lives great. And entire nations and countries are doing the same. Because after all, who doesn't want their life to be better? Who doesn't want their nation to be prosperous? You want to have a great life, don't you?

Here's a story from the Associated Press from January 26 of this year. And it's titled Hungary leader, Orban, says it's time to take Trump seriously. So here it is from the AP, who I am in Budapest, Hungary. Hungary's Prime Minister says there's an opportunity for the European Union to adopt reforms that will make Europe great again. The Prime Minister Victor Orban said at a conference in Brussels on Thursday that the EU should abandon its Federalist aims because only strong member states can guarantee the bloc's success.

Orban says the continent has gone from a global to a local player and has struggled even with that diminished role. So it's become quite a catchphrase, hasn't it? Let's make Europe great again, says Hungary's Prime Minister.

Everyone wants their country to be great. And I find it interesting that they often add, like Donald Trump does, again. So that presupposes that at one time things were better than they are now. So he must ask, can we go back to a period in history when the world was great? When all was good? When all was prosperous? When there was no war?

Has there been a time when there was no war, I guess so? When there was plenty of food for all? When the whole earth was peaceful? In covering this, I've divided the message into three main sections. And it's kind of a past, present, and future analysis. And so we have to begin with the past and look for a time when the world was great. If it's going to be made great again. And it's the past, the distant past. And so this first section I've called simply the Garden of Eden. What was God's original intent for our planet? Well, He said it was created very good. Everything was perfect and worked together in harmony.

Even the trees were pleasant to the side and good for food, we're told. Do you ever wonder what the Garden of Eden was like? We've seen artwork and pictures and go back to the old Bible correspondence course maybe, or the Bible story and artist representations of what the Garden of Eden might have looked like. It's always an interesting topic of conversation when we imagine Adam and Eve living in such an idyllic setting with a perfect climate to the point that not even clothes were necessary for humankind to be comfortably warm.

And how about all those magnificent animals dwelling in perfect peace with Adam? And God even paraded them all past Adam and told him to name them all, give them all names. And not one attacked him or bit off his head or clawed his face open. It was paradise. What became of it? Eden has come to represent a kind of paradise to people.

And wouldn't we all like to live in paradise? Adam and Eve were placed in a luxuriant garden. And in the beginning, humans were at peace with nature. Like I said, not fearing bad weather or wild animals. This was a perfect setting for God to place humans for their ultimate destiny in becoming part of the family of God. However, something happened in that garden that forever changed the course of human history. And it wasn't pretty.

It was ugly. Let's look at Genesis 2, verse 9. Genesis 2, verse 9. For the tier that we read, that out of the ground, the Lord God made every tree grow, that is, pleasant to the side and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. So we say, ah, yes, the two trees.

Many of us remember a time in the church in years past when a huge emphasis was placed on the message behind the two trees. Don't we? In fact, this understanding is critical in figuring out how to make the world great again. Like the Garden of Eden again, how do we get back to paradise? And you know what? It all has to do with the story of the two trees.

And so we see how everything went horribly wrong. Adam and Eve disobeyed their God, and they decided they would figure out for themselves what was right from wrong. And so they shunned God's instructions and took for themselves the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. So if we go to Genesis chapter 3, notice verse 22. Genesis 3 verse 22.

So he drove out the man, and he placed caribim at the east of the Garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life. As we understand today from these scriptures, Adam and Eve allowed sin to enter their lives by taking from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. And this cycle of disobedience became embedded in their children, their grandchildren, and their great-grandchildren, all the way down to you and me today. And the gravity of humanity's sin led to the needed sacrifice of our Lord and Savior in order for us all to regain any hope of the original intent of the Garden of Eden, which was eternal life in the family of God.

And now, ever since that fateful time, 6,000 plus years ago, our world has been cut off from a full knowledge of God and His plan for us, with the exception of a few first fruits that are called in this current age of the church. And so a flaming sword held by caribim guards the tree of life. And humankind, in general, does not have direct access to God or to that tree. And we can see the results of that now all around us.

The tree of life is introduced into the biblical narrative in these first few chapters of Genesis. And then it's left out of the story until the very end in the book of Revelation.

And what we see in between, which is like 99% of the rest of the Bible, is the result of life without those two trees. Genesis is, I mean, a few of life at the very beginning and then at the very end. In between, we see the story of what happened, good and bad.

And as we look around the world today, we'd say, boy, does it show.

So that's what the world used to be like at one time, back in the Garden of Eden.

So that leads us into part two, which is our world today. And what's happened now because of mankind's sin and taking from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. That's our world today. Let's move from the past to the present. What is our current situation? Well, we do see the results of humankind taking from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and deciding for oneself what is right and what is wrong, instead of having access to the tree of life. The majority of humanity, the majority, lives in poverty, is ravaged by war, is hungry, is poorly clothed, and does not have access to pure, clean drinking water.

Our nation here, and the English-speaking nations in general, are the exception, not the rule. We have our own problems and we have the poor, yes, but not like in much of the rest of the world. In those places, corrupt governments and political officials keep their subjects pushed to the limits of abject poverty.

You look at the leadership of some of the African nations, some of the Asian nations, that just take it all for themselves and cling to power and cycle the mighty way in their own bank accounts in Swiss bank accounts or something. Their people don't get it. Jesus Christ actually told us it would be like this. Look at Matthew 24, starting in verse 3.

In fact, He said that without God, we would all eventually destroy ourselves and this planet, if He were not to intervene, that is. That's in 24, verse 3.

Jesus Christ sat on the Mount of Olives and the disciples came to Him privately, it says, asking, Tell us, Jesus, when will these things be? What will be the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age? So here in verse 4, Jesus answered them and said, Be careful that no one deceives you. Verse 5, For in the end time, many will come in my name, saying, I am the Christ and will deceive many. So Christ gives a prediction of false religion. We look around today and say, how many religions are there? There's really only one way to the Kingdom, one line of truth, one Saviour, and yet look at the multitude and confusion of religion on our planet.

Verse 6, and then He said, You'll hear of wars and rumours of wars. Let's see that you're not troubled, for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet, He says. So Jesus gives a prediction of terrible war in the end time. And we today see false religion and terrible war. Verse 7, He says, For the nation will rise against the nation, kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines. From Revelation, this is known as the third horse of the apocalypse, which was famine. Pestilences, which is the fourth horse of the apocalypse, and earthquakes in various places. So what Jesus outlines here with the false religion and the war and the famine and the pestilence is the full horseman of Revelation, is what He's talking about.

But He verse 8, He says, This is just the beginning of sorrows. We're told that pestilence, war, hunger, and false religion will permeate our society until Jesus finally returns. And He says, what we're seeing in our world today is just the beginning of a much greater problem, a much greater sorrow. He says, it will get a whole lot worse before it gets a lot better. Now, the first and absolutely essential task of any government is to establish a public order based on the rule of law that enables a nation to live in peace and security. And we call failed states those who cannot do this, those who cannot establish order, those who cannot establish the rule of law. I have here a list of countries by order of appearance in the Funds for Peace's Fragile States Index for 2016, the Fragile States Index. It used to be called the Failed States Index, but just last year they changed the name to Fragile States Index, which I think was maybe a more politically correct name or something. Rather than telling a nation that they had failed. You're in a fragile state now. Anyway, I'll just call it the Failed States Index. The Fund outlines that a failed state has several attributes. A state whose central government is so weak or ineffective that it has little practical control over much of its territory. Secondly, non-provision of public services, widespread corruption and criminality, refugees, involuntary movement of populations, and sharp economic decline. Here's the top five, list right now, failed states. Somalia. None of these are any surprise, really. South Sudan, Central African Republic, Sudan, and Yemen. Six through ten, Syria, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Afghanistan, and Haiti. Eleven through fifteen, Iraq, Guinea, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Burundi. And then sixteen through twenty, Zimbabwe, Guinea-Bissau, Eritrea, Niger, and Ethiopia. They're all considered failed states. There's corruption, there can't control the population, there's refugees, there's no food, no public services. And this represents a huge swath of our world's population. So it's quite clear that while many of the western nations of our world are considered comparatively great, there are billions of others who definitely do not live in great circumstances.

In fact, they live in subhuman conditions, we would say. It's not fit for human habitation, which is a far cry from the original intent of the Garden of Eden, isn't it?

Look at Revelation 6. As we look at our current world situation, note the parallel account that I mentioned to Jesus' prophecies of Matthew 24. Here in Revelation 6. Let's pick it up with the third horse. The first two are false religion and widespread war. The next two begin Revelation 6, verse 5. Revelation 6, verse 5. We had opened the third seal, heard the third living creature say, Come and see. So I looked and behold a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the oil and wine. So this is the third horse of famine that Jesus mentioned in Matthew. Nearly opened the fourth seal, verse 7. I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, Come and see. So I looked and behold a pale horse. The name of him who sat on it was Death, and the grave followed him. A power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, a fourth of the earth to kill with the sword, and with hunger, with death and by the beasts of the earth. So this is the fourth horse of pestilence, of the four horses of Revelation, the four horses of the apocalypse.

So as Jesus said, there's a tight coming when sorrows will increase, and these horses will ride with even greater fury.

As we then approach the fifth seal, which is then termed the Great Tribulation.

We really are living with these four horses right now, at some level, on our planet. Not so much in the United States or Australia, but much of the world has these four horses riding right now. But it's going to get worse until it finally leads into what is called the Great Tribulation. War and satanic religion will permeate our globe. And so the nations of the world will truly be looking for just then the basics of human survival, let alone being made great again.

And kind of a side note, someone comes along and says, I can fix it for you.

Just give me the power and the control.

Let me just take over one world government and I'll fix it. And everyone says, yes! We're living in terrible conditions. Let's fix this. And they give their power to the beast. Seems good at first, I guess. But the Bible calls him actually a beast. And then things go horribly wrong, as you know.

And in fact, what we see with these four horsemen, eventually the Great Tribulation, is something that eventually the United States will succumb to as well. We don't see it so much in our country now, but it's called the time of Jacob's trouble. Eventually the United States will succumb, and it's because God will take away his blessings because of our sin and disobedience.

So, will paradise ever be restored?

How can the world be made great again? Because at present, our world is a hotbed of strife, war, religious confusion, violence, and unhappiness. And a warped sense of who and what God is, too.

So that leads us into number three, how to make the world great again. Here's how to do it.

And I ask in our world today, let alone in just North America, what would it take to make the world great again?

So here's an idea.

Do you think that if Mr. Trump and Mr. Putin would work together and cooperated on world affairs, that the world would be made great again? Let me tell you that some people think so. They think that would solve everything. In November 2016, so just a few months ago, a photograph made its rounds on the Internet and in newspapers showing a billboard featuring images of President Donald Trump and Russia's President Vladimir Putin above the words, Let's make the world great again together.

It was widely circulated, of course, on social media. You probably can't see it from there, but I actually have it in my notes. A picture of the billboard that I just kept in my notes. There's Trump and Putin, and it's in Russian words at the top, and it's in English at the bottom. These were billboards in Eastern Europe. So let's make the world great again together. The billboard was indeed real. This wasn't a hoax. You can check the notes on it. Getting images published it on November 16th showing a billboard in the town of Danilograd in Montenegro. And Raubers also published another image of the billboard. The billboard is genuine. But it's actually not in Russia. It's in the Balkan country of Montenegro. So how do we really make the world great again? Is it by combining forces with Russia?

Is that how Eden will be restored? Is that how paradise will be brought back?

There's a marketing website called Make Our World Great Again. It's at the internet address, makeourworldgreatagain.trumpify.com. So it's a retail website. And on it, you can purchase a baseball cap with any country on it you wish. And say, Make Italy Great Again. Make Australia Great Again. And this website is making a lot of money. And you just tell them the country you want on the baseball cap and they'll send it to you. You can wear it around your town and your country. Make Sri Lanka Great Again. Make, you know, Syria Great Again. Anything you want. Is that how it will take an online baseball cap store? No. How do we really make the world great again? Alexis de Tocqueville was a French diplomat, a political scientist and historian. And he's well known for his work from 1835 and 1840, titled Democracy in America. So he traveled to America from France in the 1830s to discover the reasons for the incredible success of what was then mostly a new nation. And he stated the following in his book in 1835. He says, upon my arrival in the United States, the religious aspect of the country was the first thing that struck my attention. And the longer I stayed there, the more I perceived the great political consequences resulting from this new state of things. Later on, he says, not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness, that I understand the secret of her genius and power. Then he says, the safeguard of morality is religion. Of course, he's talking about the Christian religion here. And morality is the best security of law, as well as the surest pledge of freedom. So Tocqueville saw the connection between religion and security and morality, freedom and law. And here's where it leads us, and it's quite simple.

All nations must follow the Creator's instruction manual, and then have offered to them the Tree of Life.

So let's turn to Revelation 2. Revelation 5 there. Let's go back to Revelation 2. Revelation 2, verse 7.

Revelation 2, verse 7. He who has an ear, he who will listen, letting he hear what the Spirit says to the churches, to him who overcomes, I will give to him from the Tree of Life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God. And so, it's the Tree of Life that brings us back to Paradise. But notice that it says to him who overcomes.

He requires overcoming. So we'd say, well, overcoming what?

Now let's go to Revelation chapter 22. Notice some of the final words printed here in our Bible. Revelation 22, verse 2.

It's at the time of the New Heaven and New Earth. And the Holy City, New Jerusalem, allows God the Father then to dwell with us.

In Revelation 22, verse 2, we read, "...in the middle of its streets of this magnificent city, on either side of the river, was the Tree of Life, which bore twelve fruits, each yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations." So the Tree of Life is what will lead to humanity being healed. And our world turned into Paradise again.

And it requires this connection to God. His Spirit dwelling with our Spirit, as we heard during the sermon. But there is a major requirement that we read in verse 7, that is, overcoming. You can't just live anywhere you want if you want to be in this kingdom, part of this city. Go to Revelation 22, verse 14. "...bless are those then who do His commandments." Oh, so there is a requirement. "...that they may have right to the Tree of Life, and may enter through the gates into the city." We want to be in the city of God, the Holy City, part of the new heaven and new earth. You have to do something. You have to do His commandments in order to have that right, that opportunity. So here we see that it requires a means to the commandments of God. It requires putting sin out of one's life and overcoming our own selfish desires. And the Tree of Life enables God to have a relationship with us and join His Spirit with our human spirit, leading eventually to our own eternal life, as spirit beings ourselves, resurrected immortal. So here we see, as I mentioned earlier, the Bible bookended with the Tree of Life at the beginning in Genesis and in Revelation at the end. And it's not mentioned in between. In the interim books there, show what happens without mankind living by the Word of God. And in between we see a lot of bad and a little bit of good.

Now let's further solidify this point, which is how to make the world great again. And ask, then, what makes a nation great? For being given a hint, the commandments are involved, right? Let's go back to Deuteronomy chapter 4. Deuteronomy chapter 4.

Because here we read the words which Moses spoke to all Israel, on the side of the Jordan in the wilderness, in the plain opposite suit, we're told in the chapter before.

Deuteronomy 3 says Moses was speaking in the plain opposite suit between Peran, Tofel, Laban, Hazorot and Dzihab, wherever that is. I guess you can pull out your bio-map and try to figure out where exactly he was saying this. Deuteronomy 4 verse 1. Now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the judgments which I teach you to observe, says Moses. Why? That you may live and go in and possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers has given you. So back then it was the Promised Land, you know, pretty much where the modern state of Israel is today. But for us, that land is the kingdom of God, right? The promises for us are internally inheritance. So if we want to enter that land, we follow the same instructions. Verse 2.

This says you've got to observe things, you've got to keep these commandments. Verse 5.

Verse 7.

Verse 7 there, we see that a great nation has God near to it. Verse 8.

The third time it said great nation. You want to be great? Had you ever wanted to be great again? And what great nation is there that has such statutes and righteous judgments as are in all this law, which I set before you this day? So Moses says it's necessary to have God's statutes and judgments and commandments and laws if you want to be a great nation, if you want to be a great people again.

Following God is what makes a nation great. He's what Moses is telling the people. Keeping his statutes and righteous judgment is what makes a great nation. And a nation that has God so near to it, we read, will be awesome.

And by extension, not just Israel, this is how to make the world great again. Following God is what will make the world great again. And God's kingdom will not be a failed state or a fragile state. It will be the most powerful and successful government ever seen on planet Earth. It will be strong and effective. It will control its territory. It will provide the best of public services. There will be no government corruption.

Refugees will no longer flee its borders, and the economy will virgin. For every nation.

And the future city of God will be established forever. It will never pass away.

But it takes much more than mere knowledge to produce lasting peace and cooperation.

A spiritual change in people is necessary.

It will be that spiritual change that will inspire every nation to want to emulate it. And it's a change of spirit. It's a change of heart.

It's having God near, Moses said, to be a great nation. It's having access to the tree of life.

And not deciding for oneself, not deciding for yourself what is right and wrong, but believing what God says is right and wrong. But now notice verse 9 here, which you do not know to be kept before, because it's a warning for you and me.

Moses says, but be careful. Take heed to yourself, to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, unless they depart from your heart or the days of your life.

Since the day of Pentecost, when the New Testament Church of God began, a small group of what have been called first fruits have been given access to the tree of life, have been given access to the Holy Spirit of God. You and I, we're the ones, we're the first fruits, that now, as a small group, have access to the tree of life. So Moses reminds us, be careful, be diligent. Take heed to yourself, lest you depart from the truth you've learned. That's what he says there in verse 9. He says, don't forget what you've seen, what you've been given.

And Christ would say, don't forget what you've been given as a church today, as begotten sons and daughters in God's family. We're reminded ourselves, don't depart from the truth of God all the days of your life. But Moses said, there's a warning for us too today, not just to ancient Israel.

We have already been given the tools necessary to become part of God's family, you and I have.

We've received the promise of the gift of eternal life already.

Spiritually, we're already rich, no matter our own economic, social, or health circumstances. Those things will pass away. Spiritually, we are not in poverty, even if we go 100 from time to time. Spiritually, we're not in confusion. Spiritually, we're not unhappy or in strife. And one day, this will extend to everyone who has ever lived.

I've got a couple of thoughts here as I start to wrap it up.

It seems that every nation, every people, and every person wants to be great. Wants to be great again. But they're struggling to find the answers of how to do it. I mentioned the Prime Minister of Hungary calling for Europe to be great again. But it's not just there. You can do an internet search, a Google search, or a Yahoo search, whatever your favourite search engine is, for almost any country, and see there which to be great again. I simply typed in, make India great again. Sure enough, a whole bunch of stuff about India wanting to be great again came up. But it's not what you'd think. The top result was from Fox News, and the article was called, Make India Great Again, which was from December the 8th, just two months ago, by a fellow named Cody Derispina. It was called, Make India Great Again. The subtitle was, Fyherjet Giants Look to Move Production to India.

Donald Trump made me his match, it says, when he goes toe to toe with another world leader, who's showing proud, strong-arming American companies into helping make his country, that's India, great again. Lockheed Martin and Boeing are the two major companies involved in discussions to build fighter aircraft production plants in India, as part of that company's Make in India initiative. The Make in India program is the brainchild of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Okay, so I guess if a nation gets a contract with the US to make fighter jets in their nation, will that make them great again? Well, Prime Minister of India thinks that will help to make India great again. Economic advantages. How about in Nigeria, which is a failed state? Has huge economic problems, social problems, terrorism.

Well, here's an article from the Nigerian Tribune from November. Last year, by Dr Ben Ajayi, he said, let's join hands together to make Nigeria great again. At the very end of his article in the newspaper, he says, of course, President-elect Donald Trump has sounded the trumpet. So this catchphrase has got, you know, everybody has heard of this phrase around the whole world. His mission is to make America great again. But Nigerians and all those who stand in his way will be sent back to their countries. He has challenged Nigerians abroad and at home. He has challenged the politicians and the government. Using DT's slogan, let us join hands together to make Nigeria great again. Then we shall earn respect in international circles.

No. It's not going to come from getting fighter jet contracts. Nor is Nigeria going to be saved by joining hands with the Make Nigeria Great Again slogan. It's a lot more than a slogan. It's a lot more than a baseball cap. It's a lot more than a social media website or a Facebook page. It has to come from God and by obedience to his commandments and laws. That's how we read, Deuteronomy 4.6, This great nation is a wise and understanding people. And I like the way that's put there in Deuteronomy 4. Three times it says, This great nation, this great nation, this great nation. And every time it says, Here's how you do it, here's how you do it, here's how you do it. And it's by having God in your life and doing what he says.

And so to summarize, the world at one time was created perfectly with the Tree of Life and the Garden of Eden.

But because of the sins of Adam and Eve and every person's sins, our world today is barred from access to that tree. And humankind has decided to figure out for himself or herself what is right and what is wrong. It's called the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. We see some good around. People are trying to help. You've got your soup kitchens. You've got people trying to make a difference in life. Yes, there's some good. But there's confusion as well.

Just look at some of the big Supreme Court decisions made in this country in the last 30 years. 1960s was, let's get prayer out of schools. 1970s was Roe v. Wade, let's kill all the babies. And then the latest Supreme Court decision was, gay marriage is okay. So we're just pushing God further and further out at the highest levels of our nation.

The tree is the knowledge of good and evil.

But very soon, Jesus Christ will return and give access to the tree of life once again to everyone. Not just to His Church. And that will truly allow all nations, all peoples, to be great again. But it will require that change of government. It will require overcoming sin and giving obedience to the law of God.

Yes, there is a definite plan for the ideals of Eden to be brought back. To restore the world, as we read in the book of Acts. The restoration of all things, and for the world to be made great again.

Humanity has been on a tragic ride these past 6,000 or so years. A tragic ride. Ever since Adam and Eve first came. And we've all followed suit. That's why Jesus Christ's sacrifice was for all of us. We're all to blame.

But it's time for a true, godly paradise to be restored. And that's what we pray for. Like kingdom come, no way.

Our dream of a utopian, almost impossibly ideal world will come.

And that's how the world will be made great again. And it all begins with the story of the two trees.