"If I wanted America to Fail"

Kevin Probst - Teaches History, Government and Apologetics at the high school level in Columbus Georgia.

America's Watchmen on the Wall

Ezekiel was 30 years old and living among the Israelites in Tel Aviv during the Babylonian captivity.  God called him to preach, to be a prophet, to share a message.  "Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with My words to them." - Ez. 3:4 

God was telling Ezekiel, "This isn't going to be easy."  "…the house of Israel will not listen to you, because they will not listen to Me; for all the house of Israel are impudent and hard-hearted."  (Ez. 3:7)  Ezekiel was so overwhelmed at the calling of God he went to Tel Aviv and sat among his people for seven days (Ez 3:15), trying to comprehend what had just happened to him.

During those seven days, Ezekiel was bitter and in much turmoil.  He was being asked to share an unpopular message with an unreceptive people.  He was feeling trepidation, but God's callings are without repentance.  (Romans 11:29)  So, he set out to obey God. 

"At the end of seven days the word of the Lord came to me:  “Son of man, I have made  you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me.  When I say to a wicked man, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn him or speak out to dissuade him from his evil ways in order to save his life, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood.  But if you do warn the wicked man and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his evil ways, he will die for his sin; but you will have saved yourself."   (Ezekiel 3:16-19)

What did it mean to be a "watchman"?  A watchman was a sentry, someone who would stand on the wall of the city, looking for any danger or threat.  If the watchman saw an invading army on the horizon or if he observed a riot or a fire within the city, his job was to sound the alarm, to warn the people.

We have an awesome responsibility to be watchmen for America.  We have an unpopular message that God wants us to deliver to an unreceptive people.  For those whom deny the existence of God, we declare the reality of a living God.  To those who would deny that Christ is the Son of God, we declare him to be not just the Son of God, he is the great 'I am', he is one with God Almighty.  For those who want to live in their sin and reject the salvation of God, we declare to them that he sacrificed his very son that we might be saved to the uttermost. 

As servants of the living God, as watchmen on the wall, what message does God want us to share with America today?

We as watchmen on the wall need to fight for the soul of America.

America auctioned its soul in back in the 1960's. 

Napoleon said, "In order to establish the revolution you have to destroy the past."

Bob Dylan wrote a song that captured the sense of revolution:  The Times They Are A  Changin'

"Come Senators, Congressman,

Please head the call.

Don't block the doorway,

Don't block up the hall.

Come mothers and fathers

Throughout the land

Don't criticize what you can't understand

Your sons and your daughters are beyond your command

Your old road is rapidly agin'

Please get out of the new one,

If you can't lend a hand

For your times, they are a changin'.

The cultural or sexual revolution of the '60's changed our lives forever. 

Those still traveling the old road are despised and rejected.  The rebels have built a new road thereby attempting to change America's destiny:

·        It is no longer about us, it is now about 'me'.

·        We are no longer citizens of America, we are citizens of the world

·        Sex is no longer pro-creational, it is now simply recreational.

·        Marriage has been replaced by cohabitation

·        Faithfulness in marriage is scorned and divorce is expected

·        We hand our children condoms rather than teach them abstinence.

·        Woman as bread-winners are admired while women as mothers are scorned.

·        Gay marriage is morally accepted while sodomy is not longer a moral outrage.

·        The people no longer determine their own government, the courts now decide how we are governed.

·        Free speech is now replaced by politically correct speech and self-appointed speech police enforce their unwritten laws.

·        The irrational has replaced common sense.

·        Animals are given more rights than humans, especially the unborn.

·        Eastern religion is replacing western spirituality

·        The true and only God is replaced by the Force.

·        "I am the way" has been replaced by "There are many ways to heaven"

·        Easter has been replaced by Earth Day

·        Merry Christmas has been replaced by Happy Holidays

·    

It took 2,000 years to mold the building blocks that would be used to establish a great country like America.  It only took one generation for those blocks to crumble to dust.

As watchmen on a crumbling wall we must rise up like our forefathers and with similar courage and boldness we must declare that God is still sovereign, he still hears the voices of millions of Christians living in a pagan culture.  His power has not been diminished one iota!  We are blessed if he chooses to smile on us and we are cursed if he chooses to frown on our rebellion.

Kevin Probst - Teaches History, Government and Apologetics at the high school level in Columbus Georgia.

The Truth About America (Part 3) America Has Changed

America Has Changed

America has changed. Many are very disturbed about the change. Some fail to realize that all change isn't good. Ellen Glasgow said, "All change is not growth, as all movement is not forward." The change we envisioned that was promised to us several years ago is not the change that we actually perceive. The truth about America is that we seem unwilling to endure the necessary pain to make beneficial changes that will save us and even cause us to prosper. I find this quote from Euripides to be quite profound, "Do not consider painful what is good for you."

Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford starred in a Romantic film in 1973 entitled "The Way We Were". Two people involved in a wonderful relationship but as the years passed by they allowed their political views and persuasions to drive them apart. Many Americans are longing for the way we were, before we were so polarized politically, socially and economically.

Our leaders from an earlier age were men who believed that God 'governed in the affairs of men.' Consider the faces on Mt. Rushmore:

George Washington strongly declared, “I believe it is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible.
Thomas Jefferson, though he claimed to be skeptical proclaimed, “I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man.”
Teddy Roosevelt spoke sincerely when he said, “After a week of perplexing problems…it does so rest my soul to come into the house of The Lord and to sing and mean it, “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty… (It is my) great joy and glory that in occupying an exalted position in the nation, I am enabled, to preach the practical moralities of the Bible to my fellow-countrymen and to hold up Christ as the hope and Savior of the world.”
Abraham Lincoln certainly was overwhelmed trying to hold a divided country together. In one of his more desperate moments he solemnly acknowledged, “Unless the great God who assisted (Washington) shall be with me and aid me, I must fail; but if the same Omniscient Mind and Mighty Arm that directed and protected him shall guide and support me, I shall not fail…Let us all pray that the God of our fathers may not forsake us now.”
This part of history can never be rewritten. Our fathers believed in God, the great Creator of the universe. Their strong beliefs are plastered on our public buildings in the nation's capital. Our early documents are saturated with their proclamations of a Divine Protector and Provider.

Not only did they believe in a Sovereign God, they believe in the Bible and expressed often their need to draw comfort from its pages.
Abe Lincoln said, “I believe the Bible is the best gift God has ever given to man. All the good from the Savior of the world is communicated to us through this book.”
Robert E. Lee was very concerned for the souls of men. He might rather win men to Christ than win battles. He made sure every man in his army had a Bible. “In all my perplexities and distresses, the Bible has never failed to give me light and strength.”
Stonewall Jackson gave his men three books: a dictionary, a book of Napoleon Bonaparte and a Bible. “I have given you a dictionary so you will learn how to talk. I have given you a book of Napoleon Bonaparte so you’ll learn how to fight. I have given you a Bible so you will learn how to live.”
These great men considered the Bible “a most remarkable book. It has outlived all of its critics, survived centuries of prohibition and has changed countless lives for the better. It has a power that no other book has. It has made thieves to be honest, cheaters faithful and drunkards sober. It has transformed warring savages into upright and peace-loving people. No wonder it continues to be the best seller of all time, in spite of numerous authorities and governments who have tried to ban it and the godless people who have burned and destroyed it. Many Christians have given their lives to protect and preserve it. Why has this ancient book had such an impact on the world, because the Bible is the very World of God.” – Shawn Boonstra, The Sword of the Spirit.
We should thank God every day for our founders who laid a strong and firm foundation for a God-fearing country. But people are sensing something wrong. There are cracks forming. There is a shift taking place. These very foundations have been shaken.
Some in our government are attempting to remove all restrictions on same-sex marriages and abortion. They have consciously refused to protect our borders from illegal immigration. They have foolishly spent tomorrow’s money today and enslaved our children and grandchildren with trillions of dollars in debt. Having been cuffed with political correctness they have become powerless.
The queasy felling Americans are feeling about their country is causing them to as questions: Is America in decline? Will America collapse?
This question is such a sensitive and important question I want to answer it from the Word of God.
“The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.” (1 John 2:17) I want to declare with certainty to you that not only is the United States going to be destroyed, the world is going to be destroyed.
“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.” (2 Peter 3:10)
Please don't feel despair. If you are a child of God you will live forever in a " new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away…” (Revelation 21:1)
God is going to destroy it along with all its corruption and he is going to replace it with something our small, depraved minds cannot even comprehend.



Kevin Probst - Teaches History, Government and Apologetics at the high school level in Columbus Georgia.

The Truth About America (Part 1) Who Is Weeping For America?

The Truth About America (Part 1)
Who Is Weeping For America?
By Kevin P. Probst
One man said the “truth hurts, not the searching after, the running from.” I see so many who are running away from the truth about America. I understand that coming face to face with the painful truth about a country one loves can be extremely painful but I also know that solutions to our problems can’t be found until we stop running from the truth. For those who are followers of Christ, he taught us: “the truth will set you free.”
So, what is the truth about America? You’ll not find that truth in the voices you hear on talk radio and network television. Many listen to Rush Limbaugh, Anderson Cooper or Glen Beck, as if they were infallible sources of truth. The real and only source of truth is the divinely inspired Word of God. It is God conversing with the hearts of men through his own Spirit.
My in-laws came to visit a couple months ago. In fact, my wife’s father had come to help me put in a new hot water heater. We worked well together. I don’t have a mechanical bone in my body so he turned screw drivers and twisted wrenches and I held the flash light for him. But as I stood there watching things I didn’t understand I began to feel something was not right. My head felt light. My stomach felt queasy. My wife had grilled steaks and baked potatoes but I had no appetite. I finally dismissed myself and went to bed. Later that night a gut-wrenching sickness gripped me.
Americans are feeling like something isn’t right. There is a queasiness deep within. There is a gut feeling that things are not as they should be. According to a recent poll conducted by The Hill Newspaper, 69% of Americans believe our country is in decline. 83% are worried about America’s future. So, what is wrong with America?
We see a strange group of people Occupying Wall Street. We observe copycat demonstrations going on all over the country. Angry, violent flash mobs are robbing convenience stores and beating patrons. Rage seems to be reaching a boiling point. We are more politically polarized than ever. The promise to unify us seems to have morphed into a determination to divide us.
I see a vast number of Americans who desire to see but they cannot. They want to know but they can’t. Jesus said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.” (Matt. 13:13) The multitudes are crying, “What’s wrong with our society? What’s wrong with our country?” Isaiah said, “You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this peoples' heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes.” Jesus quoted that verse to his disciples and then he said to them, “blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.” – (Matt. 13:16) A clear perspective of this problem cannot be achieved unless it is viewed through the lenses of truth found in the Word of God. Any other perspective muddies one’s view of what is really happening.
This is the truth about America. We have exalted our government to be our god. It has become our idol. The American people keep voting for more and bigger government. The poor no longer look to God. They look to the government for more welfare. The ignorant no longer look to God. They expect the government to educate the masses. We no longer look for wisdom in the Word of God. Instead, we have removed that book from our schools. We presume that government can solve the problem of alcoholism. We pretend that Government is winning the war on drugs and eliminating poverty. We expect government to integrate us and teach us to live together in love and harmony.
People are angry because their god has failed them. The pain of disappointment and disillusionment is causing them to hate their government. They hate Bush. They hate Obama. They hate Republicans and Democrats. They have no confidence in the Congress. Only 9% are pleased with the job Congress is doing. (CBS, NY Times poll) The corruption in their government has reached unprecedented levels. Something has gone terribly wrong but an unrepentant people can’t perceive what it is.
As a history teacher I teach my students that the one thing we learn from history is that we don’t learn from history. History certainly does repeat itself. America is not suffering from a new and mysterious ailment. America suffers from the same things that affected previous nations and empires of the past. We have eyes but we fail to see. Isn’t this affirmed by the fact we have seen a multitude of nations try socialism and communism and everyone without fail plunged into societal darkness and experienced economic failure. Russia, China and numerous eastern European countries are fleeing a failed system. Who can explain the mysterious and incomprehensible fact that our country (America) is moving toward socialism and big government? Why are we abandoning what brought us success and embracing what has brought failure to other nations? It is because we have eyes but we cannot see.
One day Jesus stood on a hill overlooking the city of Jerusalem. He opened his heart and revealed the great compassion he had for his people, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!” (Matt. 23:37)
Who is weeping for America?

What More Could He Have Done?

Isaiah tells the story of a man who planted a vineyard (Chapter 5) He chose some very fertile land in which to plant. Israel and the Jordan River Valley is home to some of the most productive land in the world. He worked extremely hard to build his vineyard.

“He dug it all around and removed its stones.” (v. 2) Wheel barrow after wheel barrow of rocks had to be removed. He worked for days to extract all the stones. There is a old saying that when God was spreading rocks about the earth in accidently spilled a great number in the area we call Israel. The owner of the vineyard had to hire a crew to remove all the rocks. He cut terraces in the land and used the rocks to fortify them.

“He then planted the choicest vine.” (v.2) He dug deep into his pockets and bought a very expensive, top-of-the-line vine stock. It was a vine known to produce the very best grape.

“He built a tower in the middle of it.” His vineyard was nearly complete and it covered many fertile acres. He was the envy of his neighbors. The tower was a two-tier affair. A watchman stood guard at the top of the tower to guard against thieves and wild animals and the bottom of the tower was used to store tools and implements to work in the vineyard.

“He then hewed out a wine vat.”(v.2)Tremendous effort was required to build this vineyard. The owner was very pleased with his finished product. He was anticipating filling his vat with bushels of grapes and dropping the rock on them to crush from them juices that would make the best wine in the area. He had risked a lot of money. He had contributed a great amount of time and effort and now it was time to sit back and enjoy the fruits of his labor.

“He looked for it to yield grapes.” (v.2) But a tragic thing happened, instead, “it yielded wild grapes.” The fruit of this vine was weak. It produced tasteless berries that would provide a worthless wine. The owner was disappointed but also perplexed: “What more was there to do for my vineyard that I have not done in it?” he asked.

Isaiah’s song is tragic. It is the story of the country he loved so much. God chose the most fertile land in the world and gave it for the people he had chosen. He removed the rocks, the pagan peoples who were intent on destroying his people. He built a watch tower to protect his people from invaders. He did everything that could possibly have been done to plant a people who would produce spiritual fruit and glorify him.

What does a farmer do with a fruitless vineyard that produces worthless berries? He curses his vineyard. He vacates the watchtower. He removes the hedge about it and ceases to prune the branches and hoe the rows. Briars and thorns eventually overtake it. It is trampled by wild animals and vagrants. Finally, the rains cease and the vineyard is wasted and produces nothing of any value.
This vineyard (Israel) was planted at the crossroads of the world to bear witness of the glory of God. Their failure was miserable and they were worthy to be judged of God. So, famine overtook the land and God rose up an enemy (Babylon) to take them into exile. Their homes were emptied, their streets quiet and lonely.

This prophecy was for the people of Israel but I can’t help but see parallels for my own country. Several hundred years ago our forefathers came here (America) with intentions of building a society that would grant them freedom to worship as they pleased and in which they could bring glory to the God they loved. God honored the desire of their hearts by leading them to a very fertile land with abundant resources. They had been afforded a great opportunity to become that “city upon a hill” which would be a light to show the way to a darkened world. The blessings God showered upon the American people were phenomenal.

But, America, much like Israel, began a slow descent into disobedience and unbelief. What started as a slow, gradual process is now a very slippery slope. Like a water slide at Six Flags, we are plummeting into rebellion and defiance against the God who blessed us.

The briars and thorns are now overtaking the vineyard. The judgment of God rests upon America. Our economic system is in shambles, our politicians habitually lie to us, our citizens are addicted to pleasure and leisure, our families are fragmented, our judicial system is filled with weak-minded judges who are far more interested in promoting personal agendas rather than uphold foundational laws.

I think Jesus was weeping when he looked down upon the city of Jerusalem and said, “"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!” (Luke 13:34) He foresaw the judgment that would come upon the city forty years hence.

O America, America. You despise the prophets sent to you and you ignore the message of truth. I think God must shed tears as he looks upon a once godly nation. “My eyes shed streams of tears, because people do not keep your law.” (Psalm 119:136)

Isaiah gives the reason the vineyard was cursed in verse 24. “They have rejected the law of the Lord Almighty and spurned the word of the Holy One of Israel.” Many Americans have a twisted perception of God. They correctly see him as a caring Father whose love is longsuffering and patient and his mercy is incomprehensible. Many believe this perception gives them license to reject the laws of God. But his love for his children will not cause him to compromise his perfect justice. If God is not just God he is not God at all. His sorrow will finally turn to anger and his justice will be fearful and terrible.

He is now asking us, “What more was there to do for my vineyard that I have not done in it?”
Kevin Probst - Teaches History, Government and Apologetics at the high school level in Columbus Georgia.