America's End (part 3 of 4)

America -- Blessed?  or Privileged?

Ask any Mr. Churchman in America and he will tell you that America is the most blessed nation ever. Come on, now.  Think about it.  Is that really true?  Yes, we are the wealthiest nation ever.  We are the most powerful nation ever.  We have it easier and more comfortable than anyone at any time in any place in the history of the world.  But is that blessing?

Blessing has to do with Shalom.  Shalom is the Hebrew word for peace and prosperity.  God’s peace, God’s prosperity, God’s benevolence. And those who live in God’s blessing live in a humble, deliberate, heart-felt response to God, giving praise and honor to Him and seeking to extend His blessing to those who are in need.  Blessing has everything to do with God’s favor to man, and very little to do with man’s determined self-will.

Privilege, on the other hand, is man-made prosperity. It comes by being in the right place at the right time, by capitalizing on the opportunity, by holding on to the upper hand at all costs.  It comes by power-mongering, by stepping on others, by controlling.  And it leads to selfishly wanting more and more, disregard for the poor, and contempt for the unemployed and the displaced. Most Americans actually only live in the trickle-down effect of the wealth and power of the great spirit of Babylon (Rev 17).  We ignorantly celebrate as God’s blessing the very thing that God deplores.

America is the seventh beast in God’s great timetable of world-controlling nations.  The beast of Revelation 13 is not the antichrist as so many have been led to believe.  The seven heads represent seven nations, five of which had already been in power, one of which was in power at the time of John’s writing, and one which was yet to come (Rev 17:10, see it for yourself). So look at it this way.  Would you consider Egypt blessed by God?  Would you consider Assyria blessed, or privileged, the nation that ruthlessly conquered, slaughtered, and displaced so many people. Or how about Babylon, the empire that conquered and pillaged the wealth of every nation round about it.  Blessed or privileged?  How about Persia?  And what of Greece and Rome, world powers that conquered and dominated with little regard for the well-being of its subjects. We consider their culture and civil law as foundational to civilization, but would you consider them blessed by God, or privileged?  So then, how would you consider America -- blessed or privileged?

This should bring you up just a bit short if you look at America through the eyes of God rather than feeling “blessed” because you have it so well off.  It makes me feel very uneasy when I pledge allegiance to America, knowing that it is the Beast of Revelation 13. And each time I sing the national anthem I cannot help but think of the 9 million people we have killed around the globe in our many police-keeping wars since WWII. The reason I cringe is not that I hate America, but because I know that so many think we will never fall, we will never be judged. They think that we are not only blessed but we are a blessing to the world.