[Steve Myers] One of the little ones came up to me earlier today and said, "Mr. Myers, I got a joke for you." I said, "All right, what is it?" They said, "What do you get when you cross a patriot with a little curly-haired dog?" I said, "I don't know, what you get when you cross a patriot with a curly-haired dog?" They said, "A Yankee Poodle." So I had to tell a little joke as well, then. I said, "What do you call a cartoonist in the Continental Army? A Yankee Doodler."

Of course, I did hear the story about the teacher who was at the daycare center and she was trying to teach her children, you know, these little ones about patriotism and how wonderful our country is and the blessings of the United States of America. And so she was telling them, you know, one of the things we all need to be very, very thankful about is that in this country, we are free." And so she just adamantly made that point. She got done making her patriotic statement and this one little guy was just not happy with her. He marched up to her and just had this frown on his face, was aggravated with her and he said, "Listen, teacher, I'm not free. I'm four."

There is no doubt the 4th of July is a unique holiday in the world. And it brings many things to mind for different people, different thoughts, different emotions, different concepts of what it means to each one of us. And certainly, it makes you wonder, "What about America? Why is it that we're so different among the nations? Why? Why are we a superpower in this world? And how long will that status really last?” Well, it all has to do with a prophetic biblical worldview and how that prophecy is playing out today. In fact, it's playing out right before our very eyes.

America's story began a very long time, not 1776, but America's story actually began thousands of years ago. But before we talk about that, think about where we're at right now, America. We're still number one in the world. We are a world superpower, some would argue the only superpower in the world. And yet at the same time, our ancestors recognize where that superpower status would come from. There was this little-known man named Abraham Lincoln. Anybody ever heard of him? Okay, well, we've heard of him. He got it right. Many today would disagree with him, but he said, "We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven."

Well, was Abraham Lincoln right? Was he right in saying that? Because many today would say, "Well, it's our greatness. We're an ingenious people. We're smarter than everyone else. We're more talented than everyone else. That must be where it's come from." And yet what did we do to earn or deserve the things that we have? We have some of the world's richest farmlands. We have more arable land under cultivation than any other nation in the entire world, and yet, only one-fifth of the population of, let's say, of China or in India. In fact, all four of the world's most productive agricultural climates are found right here in the United States of America. We have unimaginable things that others just wish they had. We have rivers that you can navigate. We have lakes. We have vast thousands of miles of coastlands with natural harbors that all were a part of what we received.

And so, to imagine that we earned these things somehow seems to miss the point. We have natural resources, we have our own natural resources. And, in fact, it doesn't end with just those types of blessings. If you look at the news, big item in the news this past week. Did you catch what they were talking about? They were talking about jobs. Talking about the American economy. Our economy in the United States of America is the largest in the world in terms of nominal G.D.P., that's domestic product. The largest, the largest. And yet, we only have one-quarter of what people would consider what would be valuable. One of those things, if you added it all up together, our economy is over 25% of the world's economy. How many countries are there in the world? A whole lot more than just three or four, aren't there? Now, you start thinking of the economy, the dollars that are involved in there. Someone once said, "A trillion here, a trillion there, and pretty soon, you're talking about real money." But that's what we have. We have that. The New York Stock Exchange. Talk about the stock market for a minute. Do you know the value they place as far as market capitalization on the New York Stock Exchange? 18.5 trillion dollars. Trillion dollars. That's over 40% of all of the stock markets in the entire world. Right here, the value is.

And, of course, think about the population. Of course, we have the largest population… Oh, no, we don't. Do you know what the population of the United States is when you compare it to the world? We have a little over 4% of the world's population. Little over 4%, but we consume over 24% of the world's energy. We create more than half of the global solid waste that's just done away within the world. Can you imagine that? Now you can Google all these statistics, they're all over the web from multiple sources that are out there. But it is just absolutely astounding when you start adding all of these things up. You think about the defense of the United States. Do you know what we spent this last year on defense? Six hundred and ten billion dollars. That's with a B, billion. And that's the size of the next seven largest countries' expense added up together. So we're still spending monstrous amounts of money when it comes to our own defense, and so there becomes no doubt that we are a fortunate country. We have a high standard of living, one of the highest in the entire world. In fact, we are at the top when it comes to material possessions, the things that we own. Anybody deny that? Statistics show we have more T.V.’s, we have more cars, we have more products per person than any other country in the world. I mean, think about your house. How many items do you have in your house? You know they've done surveys of this kind of thing?

The Los Angeles Times says, "The average American house…" Guess how many items are in the average American house? Over 300,000. Three hundred thousand. No wonder I don't want to move. Three hundred thousand items in the… That's average. That's average in America. And, of course, then you could look at the statistics for two-car garages. That's an interesting one. Two-car garages. How many two-car garages actually have two cars? Seventy-eight percent of people with two-car garages do not have two cars in their garage. Guess what's in it? Other stuff. All their junk is in there. And yet here we have an economy that is booming right now. Unemployment at the lowest, one of the lowest unemployment rates in the world. And so, we've got money to spend. And not only do we adults have money to spend, kids, you got money to spend, as well. Do you know what the average amount of money that a child in America has to spend each year? Now, this would be children from age 4 to age 14. So here's your chance to figure out, "How do I fit in with my allowance?" Well, if you were to look this up, U.C.L.A. did a study on this and they found that the average child, in a year, receives over $450 to spend in a year. Four hundred and fifty dollars. Now, you might say, "Ah, that's not that much money." How much more money is that than other people in the world? You want to do a little comparison? How many people in this world make less than $450 a year? 1.4 billion people make less than our children in America. And, of course, the number of children, we only have 3.1% of the world's children, which isn't very many, but they own over 40% of the toys in the world. I mean, no wonder people envy America.

Would you say that America's freedom and its prosperity are what the world is jealous about? In many ways, it is. We have been given so much and not even to talk about, we have freedom of speech. We have a democratic form of government. We have the right to pursue happiness. That's the American way. We can make choices and we can receive blessings that come from freedom. And we have, no doubt, been blessed with the best. But why? Why? How did that happen? Abraham Lincoln knew why. And it wasn't what most people think today. He said this, in fact, he said it when he was proclaiming a fast in petitioning God for America's behalf. And here's what he said, "We have vainly imagined that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own." Which, of course, is ridiculous.

So if we didn't do it on our own, and Abraham Lincoln knew this, where do you find the answer? Where do you find the answer? Well, it's in Bible prophecy. The proof of Bible prophecy holds the key. When we look back in time, more than 4,000 years ago, America's story began. And that's when God began working with a man named Abram, the one who became Abraham. God made astounding promises to him that continue to impact not only his descendants but the entire world. He began those promises all the way back in Genesis 12 if you'd like to turn there with me. Notice Genesis 12, where God begins to work with Abraham and wants to bless him and promises him certain things. Genesis 12, right at the very beginning of that chapter, notice what God tells Abraham. He gives him some instructions, to begin with. He tells him to get out, to leave his country. So that was His first instructions to Abraham to see if he would obey.

So, in Genesis 12:1, God said, "Leave your country, your people, and your father's household and go to the land I will show you." A promised land, the Promised Land. He said, "I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." So out of Mesopotamia and the city of Ur, Abraham moved and followed God's directions to the Promised Land. And, in fact, that promise went along with him. And God later passed those promises onto Abraham's son, Isaac and then to his grandson, Jacob.

In fact, if we fast forward to Genesis 35, we can notice this. Genesis 35:11. Here, we'll notice this promise is passed on to Abraham's grandsons. Genesis 35:11 [10], God said to him, “'Your name is Jacob; your name shall not be called Jacob anymore, but Israel shall be your name.’ So He called his name Israel. And God also said to him: ‘I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall proceed from you, and kings shall come from your body. The land which I gave Abraham and Isaac I give to you; and to your descendants after you I give this land.’"

So God looks far down the line into the future and gives these promises then from Abraham to Isaac, to Jacob, and his sons. So Abraham's grandson, Jacob, who now has a new name… What's his new name? Israel. He gives Israel the promise. Something very specific here. If you noticed in verse 11, you have “a nation and a company of nations” that would proceed from him. And so, that's a powerful promise. And when we understand this promise, when we understand Israel's inheritance, Jacob's inheritance, then we can begin to understand what Bible prophecy is really all about and how it impacts us today, the identity of what God is beginning to talk about all the way back here, the identity of modern Israelite nations. There would be a nation and a company of nations. Well, who are they? Where are they? God promised that they would come. He promised Abraham, Isaac, and then Jacob both of these things.

And so, it's so critical in understanding this impact on history and how it affects the plan of God. And so to remember that the backdrop of history is found in Bible prophecy. Now, if we look at a few chapters further, notice Genesis 48. We have this promise now passed on again, passed on again. This time, very specifically. Notice something while we stay in the book of Genesis. In Genesis 48, God's promise is passed down again from Jacob who was Israel. Remember Israel is Jacob. And now, notice how it's going to be passed on. Genesis 48, we'll begin in verse 14. Verse 14, Joseph takes his two sons to Israel, to Jacob. Verse 14, "Israel stretched out his right hand" now, this is to bless, to pass on these promises, to bless these two boys. It says he laid his right hand “on Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh's head, guiding his hands knowingly, for Manasseh was the firstborn." So, he basically crossed his hands as he blessed these boys and got them a little bit out of order according to tradition. It says, verse 15, "He blessed Joseph, and said: 'God, whom before my fathers, Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has fed me all my life long to this day, the Angel who's redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; let my name be named upon them, in the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.'"

There's that blessing. There's those promises again. Of course, Joseph was watching this. Notice what he says in verse 17, "When Joseph saw his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him;” you see, he wasn't the firstborn, “so he took hold of his father's hand to remove it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head.” Manasseh was the firstborn. “Joseph said to his father, ‘Not so, my father, for this one's the firstborn; so put your right hand on his head.’" But Jacob, Israel said, verse 19, "Nope." “His father refused and said, ‘I know, my son, I know. He shall also become a people, and he shall also be great; but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations."

So, once again, we see the promise. We see the remarkable promise that Israel's descendants, Jacob's descendants, specifically those that would spring from Ephraim and Manasseh would grow into a nation and a multitude of nations. And so, this is key. This is absolutely key when it comes to Bible prophecy. When you see Jacob, when you see Israel, especially in the prophetic books of the Bible, they are referring to the branches of Jacob's descendants. Joseph's descendants. Those branches are Ephraim and Manasseh. Don't think of modern Israel when you see Israel in the prophetic books, modern Israel today is not from Joseph. They are Jews. They are from Judah, not from Ephraim and Manasseh, and so that's important. And sometimes it can be a little bit confusing because we think of Israel today as being Israel, but they're not. They're basically the Jews. And so, it's an interesting story when you look into the historical facts of what happened.

Now, of course, these two Ephraim, Manasseh, they weren't the only offspring. Joseph had other brothers. He had other brothers, 12 brothers in all, and those 12 brothers grew into the 12 tribes that ultimately left Egypt and came into the Promised Land. Hopefully, we remember a little bit of that story, and, of course, what happened when they got to the Promised Land? Well, they didn't follow God. They didn't do what He said. They couldn't get along with each other, so they divided. The one nation of all of Israel divided up into Israel in the north and Judah in the south. Ten tribes in the north, basically two tribes in the south, Judah.

So, Israel in the north rejects God probably more thoroughly and a little bit more quickly than Judah did. So what happened to them? They were taken off into captivity. Assyria came and deported them, removed them from the land. And it set forth into motion one of the greatest intrigues in all of history. What happened to those people? Where do they go? What about these promises to Ephraim and Manasseh? God said they'd be “a nation and a multitude of nations.” Now, what's going to happen? They just got deported. They're all everywhere. What's going on? Of course, it didn't take too long before the same thing happened to Judah. Judah disobeyed God. They then were also held captive, but not in Assyria. They were held captive in Babylon. Interesting thing about Judah, though, is later, after the Persians took over, they were released and were able to come back to Jerusalem. So, Israel today, is basically the Jews, the tribe of Judah, a little bit of Levi, a little bit of Benjamin thrown in as well. So, they were in a different situation.

So what happened to the others, especially the ones we focus on, Ephraim and Manasseh? What happened to them? Well, Amos 9 gives us some information so we can begin to follow their whereabouts. Amos 9:9, we turn to the minor prophets and we find some interesting information here that God gives through the prophet Amos. If you get to Obadiah or Micah, Malachi, a little too far, Ezekiel, not far enough, you know, where I am? Yeah, here's Amos right before Obadiah. So, Amos, 9:9, kind of an interesting perspective here. Notice what God says. Amos 9:9, "For surely I will command,” and what's God going to do? "I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, as grain is sifted in a sieve; yet not the smallest grain shall fall to the ground." So here, God says they're going to be dispersed. The family of Israel, family of Jacob, the one who became Israel, is going to be sifted, sifted, just like grain throughout all the nations. So how would that happen? Well, they were deported. There was going to be a migration. And other ethnic groups as well, we're going to migrate throughout the land and they were going to be divinely placed in a more permanent home. Well, where would that be? Where would they be sifted?

Well, if we turn to the book of Isaiah, we find another clue. Isaiah 49. Isaiah 49, God is prophesying through Isaiah. A couple of interesting things that give us information about how this sifting, how this migration would begin to take place. And so Isaiah says a couple of interesting things in chapter 49. Chapter 49, as Isaiah prophesies, he begins in verse 1 saying, "Listen, O coastlands, to Me, and take heed, you peoples from afar!” Well, this isn't talking to ancient Israel. This isn't talking to ancient Judah. This is talking to those who were being sifted. "Listen, O coastlands…” If we skip down a little bit further, verse 12. Verse 12. It says, "Surely these shall come from afar;” sounds like verse 1 a little bit. It says, “Look! Those from the north and the west, and these from the land of Sinim." So what we find here is He's describing a people who are… Well, where are they located? They're to the north and to the west of the Promised Land, from Jerusalem. Well, where is north and west from Jerusalem? Begin to think about that for a… There's really not an expression in Hebrew that says northwest like we have in English. But these people, of Israel, were now located north and west of the Promised Land. And there are many passages throughout the Bible that talk about this sifting of God's people that placed them in a different location from the ancient promised land to a new place.

If you turn over to Hosea… Maybe I should've had you hold your place in the minor prophets. We'll come back to the minor prophets a few times this afternoon. But take a look at the book of Hosea. We could just, before the book of Joel, Hosea, near the end of Hosea. Hosea 12, we find a comment made here that certainly reflects on these promises originally made to Abraham through Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and then to his sons. It says something interesting. Hosea 12:1. It says, "Ephraim feeds on the wind, and pursues the east wind;” which, of course, that implies moving to the west. Moving to the west, these peoples were moving to the west. The west from Jerusalem, from Jerusalem. That's where these people were being sifted and moved. And, in fact, if you read through the book of Jeremiah, it talks a lot about these people who were sifted and moved, moved to the north, moved to the west.

Jeremiah, you might just write down chapter 3 verse 11 and verse 12. Jeremiah is told to “Go and proclaim these words to the north… to the north and say…” Interesting what Jeremiah is told to say, "Return, O backsliding Israel." You see, they weren't in the Promised Land. They were long gone. And that he's talking to them. Where are they? Well, they're to the north. Isaiah gives us a little more information, north, and west of Jerusalem. And many passages, like we read in Isaiah 49:1, many passages refer to a coastland, to islands, an island location, whether it be Jeremiah 31. Isaiah 24 refers to that, as well. Psalm 89, all point to islands and coastlands. So what does that tell us? When you look north and west from Jerusalem to coastlands and island, where would that be? Where would that be? Where we have the British Isles. The British Isles.

And when we follow this sifting, certainly, some of the people went to Central Europe and were lost. They kind of lost their identity. But there were many that migrated to Western Europe. And they were basically intact. They kind of hung together. And they were the peoples that became the nations of Western Europe and Scandinavia. And, of course, then as we follow Bible prophecy, we see they went to the coastlands, to the British Isles, as well. And so, as we follow these things, it helps us to zero in then on the modern identity of who Israel really is. It's not Judah, it's not Israel today. It's not the Jewish people because they're in physical Israel right now. But that's the tribe of Judah mostly, but we're talking about Israel. We're talking about Ephraim and Manasseh. Now, we begin to see that they're in the coastlands. They've gone through Western Europe. They formed nations and begun to fulfill those prophecies that God originally gave to Abraham. And so when you think about that, fast forward to today, well, what nations fulfill those amazing blessings and promises that were originally spoken to Abraham? Who has grown into a multitude of nations and who has grown into a single, great nation?

You see if you go to Genesis 49, not Isaiah this time, but Genesis, go to Genesis 49, right at the beginning of verse 1, beginning of that chapter, something important to notice here about these blessings and promises as Jacob was passing them onto his sons. There's something interesting that he mentions here that that is critical. Something important. Genesis 49:1, notice what Jacob does. It says he calls his sons and he said, “Gather together, that I may tell you what shall befall you in the last days: Gather together and hear, you sons of Jacob, and listen to Israel your father." Now, okay, who's Israel again? Okay, that's Jacob. These are his sons and he's going to tell them what's going to happen when…  We're not talking anciently, we're not talking about the 12 tribes in the Promised Land, we're talking about today. We're talking about toward the end, the last days, the end time. "I may tell you what shall befall you in the last days:” which is interesting because that tells us a few things. In the last days, toward the end time… This prophecy tells us something. It's indicating these 12 will exist in the last days. They're going to be around. And God doesn't lie, He tells us the way it is, and we can trust Him to keep these promises. They will be around in the last days.

So, did He keep His promises? Okay. Who can claim the economic stature, national prominence, even superpower status that was promised to Joseph's sons, to Ephraim, and to Manasseh in the last days? What fits? What fits? You know, who can claim to match that puzzle piece? Really, there's only two. There's really only two that meet that criteria of these prophecies. United States of America as the one great nation, and the British Commonwealth of Nations. Just look at the greatness of the British Empire. Sometimes we forget this because it's a while ago. It's a while ago that this happened, but when you look at the historical evidence, it is overwhelming in God's favor and it fulfills those promises and that prophecy that God had given to Abraham and his sons. I mean, look how much… If you Google the British Commonwealth of Nations, Google it, look at a map.

We forget how much England ruled the world. The Commonwealth was everywhere and the nations that the Commonwealth became. Don't forget about Australia. Don't forget about New Zealand. In the 19th century, they burst onto the scene and suddenly they were the world power. The only… You couldn't even see second place compared to England in the 19th century. They weren't even anywhere on the map. You think of the places, India, they ruled India, what we would call Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa, Rhodesia, now changed, Nigeria. All of those. Egypt. Egypt was part of what England controlled at that time, let alone Trinidad and Tobago, and Guyana, these places. Canada. Huge areas of the world that we forget somehow that we think, "Well, we as Americans, we're the greatest ever." No, in that day, they were the greatest and controlled more of the world than we even do today. But we forget that.

And so, history shows the greatness of the British Empire and the economy, the amazing statistics when you look at that. And so, you have to ask, "Did God fulfill His promise of a company of nations, a multitude?” Absolutely. No doubt. And, of course, looking at Manasseh becoming that single nation, well, they kind of dwelt with the Ephraimites for awhile, right? They dwelt. Where did the Americans come from? Well, they originally came from those Ephraimites. And then the American Revolution took place, that became the formation of the United States of America. But that greatness is undeniable. And even there's biblical prophecy that speaks to the fact that Israel would control the gates of their enemies. And when you look at a world map of the control that the United States and the British Commonwealth had, it is amazing to see the power. And don't let the history and the revisionist history, those historians out there that wanted to have you look at it differently. They'll tell you, "Oh, well, the American forefathers, they really didn't know what was going on. They didn't understand that they were given these things by God. They really didn't get it at all." That is revisionist. That is not the facts. You can look up the writings of Thomas Jefferson and he believed that the liberties that were possible in America were, "A gift of God." That's a quote. "A gift of God." That God gave these gifts. You look at President John Adams, he understood these things very well, as well. He said, "The principles on which the fathers achieved independence were the general principles of Christianity." He understood those things.

And so no doubt it points to that fact that America inherited the promises, Great Britain and the British Commonwealth inherited those promises. And with those promises, there came an expectation. And long before the movie Spider-Man, with great power came great responsibility, right? What was expected of the British Commonwealth? What did God expect of America? Well, remember what He told Abraham. That's where it began. God said He was going to establish Israel for the purpose of bringing blessings to the world, bringing blessings to other nations. God expected us to be an example to the world.

In fact, that's what ancient Israel was supposed to be. They were supposed to be the model nation to the world to see how God's ways surely would work best. They failed. They went into captivity. What about Britain? What about America? You see, these blessings came and God expected us to be that example. And when we worship, and follow, and obey God, blessings follow. And, in fact, if you look through the book of Acts, it reiterates those promises. That promise to Abraham is reiterated in Acts 3:24. You could just write that down. We're told there God made this covenant with our fathers that your seed… “In your seed, Abraham, all the families of the earth would be blessed." And yes, that ultimately pointed to Jesus Christ, but it also meant there was a personal responsibility for each one of us and a collective responsibility as a nation that God has blessed to follow through. And like our forefathers, we've had the opportunity to be a holy people.

How have we done? Like our forefathers, we have an opportunity. We continue to have an opportunity to be an example of righteousness to the world. And like our forefathers, we've had the opportunity to spread ethical, godly civilization to the entire world. And so, when you think about these promises, it's really phenomenal when you see how God has worked through history, the identity of modern Israel, Ephraim, and Manasseh, the promises to Abraham. You see, this isn't just a nice idea. This isn't just a theory, and it's not racism. It has nothing to do with racism. It has nothing to do with ethnocentrism. It's not a hypothesis. It's not a hunch. It's not just people put it off as conjecture. Not that at all. It's true. It's Bible prophecy.

God's Word identifies the peoples of this world. And when we honestly look at the facts, we look at history, we look at ancient history, we look at modern history. No other people have inherited the promises the way that we have. And so it's not just dreaming these things up, this is real and prophecy is continuing to unfold right before our very eyes. Scripture reveals it, history confirms it. In fact, when we talk about the promises of Abraham, the promises that were given to him, this is the teaching of the Church. This is one of our fundamental beliefs, the promises to Abraham. Get out your booklet. It's number 15. It's right there in the book.

So, understanding the identity of modern Israelite nations is key. It is crucial to understanding history and then ultimately, what is God doing? What is His plan? What is His purpose? And so, when we consider this, it is absolutely vital. Absolutely vital. So we step back a little bit, especially here around the 4th of July. We think, "Well, how have we done with our independence? How have we done? How have we responded to the blessings that God has bestowed upon us?" Not very good, have we? We've crossed over the line. We don't acknowledge God anymore. In fact, you better not say God in the schools today.

We've crossed over. We don't acknowledge God's blessings. "This didn't come from God, this came from our American ingenuity. It's the good old American way. We're smarter. We're better. We're more intellectual." Yeah, we're more arrogant. That's what we are. We have intellectual and spiritual arrogance. That describes America. We've chosen false religion over the truth. We are biblical illiterates, moral illiterates here in America. That's where we are at. We've accepted false religion, the false religion of, what? Evolution? That's like a religion. We've accepted that. "It must be fact." That's what. That's what America says today. We deny the existence of our Creator God. We deny prayer. We promote same-sex marriage. We promote the LGBTQ agenda in this world, and it is an abhorrence to God. God hates it.

And so, in our universities and in our media, this is what we promote. And we see this key prophesied trend over and over again. The moral, spiritual, and physical decline of not only America but all of the Israelite nations, specifically those of Joseph, so whether it be Canada or whether it be Australia or New Zealand, U.K. Yeah, all of us, we have been disobedient and we are arrogant. And we ignore God. When you think about that for a second, does history repeat itself? Oh, yeah. That's what happened to ancient Israel. They did the same thing. And now we're repeating history. Just like ancient Israel and ancient Judah, we're falling into the same trap of our own making. And so God says, "Don't ignore the warnings. Don't ignore the warnings." God's warning us individually, as well as collectively as a nation.

In the book of Micah, the minor prophet, Micah says some powerful things, says some amazing things that are a part of that promise that Ephraim and Manasseh received. Micah 5, notice verse 9. Micah 5:9. We're challenged today, finding all the books in the minor prophets a little bit. But it is astounding, the messages that the minor prophets have for us for today. And in Micah 5:9, we see part of the good news, some of the amazing blessings that were given to us. Notice what it says in Micah 5:9, this amazing prophecy. It says, "Your hand shall be lifted against your adversaries, and all your enemies shall be cut off." It’s like “Yeah, I like that one.” We are superior. We are over… And is that true? Did it happen? Has it happened? Yeah, we took care of World War II pretty good. We did well. We basically overcame all the obstacles and our hand was lifted against our adversaries. They were cut off and America basically was able to win that war. Yeah, and today? Well, we still got a powerful military.

So, for the moment, we have this mark of military success and predominance. But don't let that fool you. Don't let that fool you. There's a dramatic change coming. And just like ancient times, we see the results of disobedience to God. Just go down to verse 10. “'It shall be in that day,’ says the Lord." Okay, that's like what Jacob said to his sons, "In that day, the end times." “'In that day,’ says the Lord," what's going to happen? Well, He says, "I will cut off your horses from your midst and destroy your chariots. I'll cut off the cities of your land and throw down all your strongholds." Okay, we're not talking about horses today or chariots, but talk about planes, and tanks, and missiles, and bombs. God says, “That's going to be over. Your cities are going to be thrown down.” God, in other words, is saying, "Those blessings that were originally given to Abraham are going to be revoked. They're going to be taken away." God's going to remove His blessing and His protection from America. And the United States will suffer defeat. It's Bible prophecy. Unprecedented defeat, perhaps even captivity at the hands of its enemies. In fact, if you look down to verse 14, it says, "Thus I will destroy your cities. I will destroy your cities." You see, we don't think about national security being a blessing from God, but it is. And that blessing is upheld when we obey, but we don't obey. And what happens when we disobey? Same as what happened to ancient Israel.

Prophecies show the defeat of even God's own people. And sometimes, we forget that even the smallest of sins, the tiniest individual sins, can contribute to the overall catastrophe. And so, when you consider these things, we know that just as God punished ancient Israel for its sins, prophecy shows He plans to punish their modern descendants for our own persistent disobedience. That's what the Word of God says. God doesn't change. He responds consistently. He responds impartially to our actions. He blesses obedience and he punishes for disobedience.

In fact, just nearby here, back in Hosea, we read past this a moment ago but notice what else Hosea talks about and how it specifically points to this time. How it points to today. Notice what it says. Hosea 5:5. Hosea 5:5, "The pride of Israel testifies to his face;” and this isn't the kind of testimony you want to have in court. Somebody's looking at you straight on and they're talking about pride and arrogance. That's the kind of attitude we're talking about. Israel, does that fit us today? Does that fit America today? "The pride of Israel testifies to his face;” so as a result, “therefore Israel and Ephraim stumble in their iniquity;” in their lawlessness, and their sins. “Judah also stumbles with them."

Now, that's kind of interesting because that didn't fit back then. This prophecy didn't fit back then. It wasn't fulfilled back then. A whole different scenario at that time. Judah and Israel and Ephraim will stumble together all at once. All at once. Verse 7, "They've dealt treacherously with the Lord, they've begotten pagan children. Now a New Moon shall devour them and their heritage." See, it seems to point to a New Moon, a month, the time in a month that that would be all it would take. Of course, with modern warfare, how long would it take to suffer defeat? Prophecy seems to point to not very long, a month is all it might take.

And this prophecy was not fulfilled in ancient times. When we consider that, Judah fell more than 100 years after Israel, yet here they are all together so it couldn't have applied back then. And so what we begin to see is how this comes about. It points to the real problem. And the real problem is sin. That's the real problem. And God points the way to the solution. The solution is repentance. Acts 3:19 is a wonderful reminder of that. Acts 3:19. As the Church was beginning, God made this point very strongly. We're told to repent and be converted.

Acts 3:19, "Repent and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may appear… or may come from the presence of the Lord,” so to repent, repent of sins. Turn to God, turn to God, seek Him. If America would do that, what would happen? Can you imagine? What if we fulfilled what Abraham Lincoln wanted? For America to repent and petition God for His mercy and His grace to be upon us? What if we were to do that? What would happen to America today? Well, think of what happened to Nineveh. Here we had a pagan people back in ancient times and they repented and… Were they blessed? Yeah, yeah. In fact, Jonah wasn't too happy about it. But they were blessed. They were blessed. Well, the same thing could happen to America. If America were to repent and turn to God, God would remember His promises and He would look at that obedience and there would follow blessings, but it's pretty unlikely, pretty unlikely.

But nevertheless, it's part of the job of the Church because we've been given this information. God's opened our minds to His truth to understand prophecy, to understand the identity of modern Israel today. Because we understand this, it's our responsibility as God's Church to deliver this warning message to Israel, to modern Israel. That's part of our duty. Yes, there's good news in the salvation that we have in our Savior, Jesus Christ. We have to preach that message, but there's also a warning message that disobedience is going to bring destruction. And that message must go out, and it's our responsibility to give that warning message. And that message of, "How can we overcome? How can we be safe? How is it possible to seek forgiveness?" You know, that's part of the message and that's something, I think, we all need to think about because we live in this culture. We live in this culture. And does that impact us individually? Because we can say, "Well, I'm not like that. I'm not like the rest of America. I'm not like Great Britain. I'm not like that…"

Well, how much are we impacted by the thinking of this world, the entertainment of this world, the thoughts that go through the lack of morality in our world? We are impacted by these things. And we can't allow ourselves, you know, to be taken in by the ways of this world, by the god of this age. We have to do all we can individually, collectively as God's Church to avoid all of those things. And so, He tells us, "Look out, heed the warnings, remember, remember the promises." When Israel was entering the Promised Land in ancient times, Deuteronomy 11:26 spelled it out really, really specifically. You just write that one down. That's where God said, "There will be blessings and there will be curses. Blessings for obedience, curses for disobedience." And that hasn't changed today.

And so, you look a little farther in the book of Acts. Acts 17 reminds us, God commands men everywhere to repent. Everywhere. And if we don't change, there's going to be a storm. There's going to be a big storm. And Christ said the same thing. Christ said the same thing. "Always be on watch. Watch and pray always that you may be able to escape what's about to happen." You find that in Luke 21, Matthew 24. He talks about those things. And what a blessing that God doesn't leave us in the dark. God tells us what's going to happen. And there is hope. There is hope for all if we stay close to God.

And so, when we look at history, we understand and it becomes so clear that God has been completely faithful in fulfilling His promises, faithful in fulfilling the physical promises, faithful in fulfilling those spiritual promises, as well. And so, the preeminence of the United States and the British Commonwealth, it is a sign, it is a testimony that God will continue to fulfill His spiritual promises to the nations and to the peoples. And when we look at history and the rise and fall of nations, we recognize all of those things fit into the plan of God. They fit into God's overall plan of bringing salvation to all people. And when we look at fulfilled prophecy, we look at history, it wasn't left to chance. It wasn't just happenstance, it didn't just happen all on its own. God was there. God was working in it and through it.

And it's also a reminder, God's not done yet. God's not done yet. He's not finished with America. He's not finished with Great… He's not finished with any nation as far as that goes because beyond today, there is that Kingdom that Britain and America were supposed to be modeling, the Kingdom of God. That's just on the horizon. It will become a reality on this earth. And it won't come through human efforts, it won't be a political solution, it will be a godly solution because prophecy shows God will intervene in world affairs at the most dire time, the time of great trouble, and trial, and tribulation. He must intervene just to save human life. And then we're told in Bible prophecy, He's going to bring Israel back. He's going to bring them back to the land that He originally intended them to have. He's going to teach them His law and His way. He's going to pour out His Spirit so they can understand, so they can live by His way and His law. And He says, "You will be My people and I will be your God."

And so, we look forward to that amazing, glorious Kingdom that will be a reality, that ultimately will be the greatest time of peace, the greatest time of security, the greatest time of abundance. And so, it's critical as we understand the message of the Bible and how it applies to the world that we live in today. We believe that God has fulfilled and that He's continuing to fulfill the physical promise made to Abraham and his offspring. And not only that, more importantly, He's fulfilling the spiritual promises made through Jesus Christ. Because when you consider Bible prophecy and God working through history, we recognize the fact the Bible is the story of God. It is the proof of prophecy. It's the story of God and the story of the family of Israel. The family of Israel.

In fact, when you think of the Kingdom of God and the family of God, it ultimately will be the family of Israel, spiritual Israel in the Kingdom, God's family in glory for eternity. And salvation comes through being a part of spiritual Israel through Jesus Christ. So, we must look at ourselves then and recognize, "What is my perspective? Am I striving to continue to live by God's way and not be taken in by this society and this culture around me?" Our worldview… My worldview, my perspective must be aligned with that of God, the God of the Bible and not aligned with the worldview and the ways of thinking and the values of the god of this age.

So, why is America a superpower? It's because of God's plan. And no doubt the 4th of July, it is a unique holiday in the world. The 4th of July marks a day of, in a way, a physical deliverance for a new country to spring up. But ultimately, God's Kingdom will bring something so much more greater, spiritual deliverance to everyone. The people of America, the people of Britain will finally be dependent on God as He intended, and there'll be free, true liberty, true freedom from sin. That's the proof of prophecy. That's the trail of history. That's what Bible prophecy predicts. So, just imagine. Imagine the wonderful celebrations that this future independence day will bring to the entire world.