We are NOT a Christian nation no matter what we were. Our foundations were Christian but those have been ripped out over the past 60 years. Thus our nation is ripe for ultimate punishment above and beyond what we have already received. you might think a nation can not be judged or that the only judgment is destruction so we have not been receiving judgment yet but keep in mind that yes nations are judged and have been throughout history and that there are different types of judgment. The same is true for people. While the ultimate judgment has been paid by Jesus and all true Christians, not CINO’s, have that payment marked on their judgment sheet all people still receive lesser judgments for various sins.
Think of it as civil and criminal judgments.
For Christians the criminal judgment has been paid for us by Jesus. When our case is before the Judge we plead guilty, the penalty is announced and Jesus says he has paid the penalty on our behalf this is accepted and we go to heaven. For non-christians the refuse to plead guilty by refusing to accept they have sinned and refusing to repent and because they refuse Jesus’ sacrifice on their behalf they act as their own attorneys and wish to stand on their own merits. They are found guilty and sentenced but since they won’t let Jesus pay the price for them the only thing left is for THEM to pay the price for themselves and they are off to hell.
But during their life and ours there are plenty of lesser judgments given daily or more than once a day. These are the civil judgments. Like on earth where are life is not at stake in civil court in these judgments our souls are not at stake yet we still are being judged. These judgments are not as much a punishment as much as they are a corrective measure but still are a judgment. The purpose of these judgments is to make us more Christ like to make us move closer to Christ. They sting a little but are far better to receive than a criminal judgment. These take a long part of ones life as God is long suffering wanting all flesh to be save. But even God has his limits.
First you start with a sort of small claims judgment where the judgments are small not too hard to endure and yet are meant to bring you to Christ or bring you back to Christ depending on whether you are Christian or not. These mostly will cause personal embarrassment and might cost something small financially. For some christians these are enough to put you back on the right path for others these judgments don’t sting enough to get you back on track.
Next is a higher level, but still civil, judgment where more is at stake making them a bit harder to endure but still completely possible to endure. These may cause a bit of public embarrassment and make cost you a job or a few friends but over all still are small and completely endurable.
Sometimes a more major judgment is needed, though still civil, which can be endured but can be trying on you and test your limits of endurance. Think of these as class action judgment. These can be life changing events but handled properly can bring even greater blessings on you. For some this level of civil judgment is so hard to bear they do not bear it but choose to take their life and while that action will not affect their soul it will prevent blessings for being given that you would have had if you endured. Some might question why God would give such a civil judgment if some can not endure it but remember it can be endured but it is difficult to endure. God never gives us more than we can endure we just underestimate ourselves too much.
This type of Judgment would be for one of too things: the greatly backslidden Christian who is in great danger of leaving the faith due to the amount and breadth of his sins or for the non christian who has almost reached the point of hardening his heart. If this doesn’t turn him to Christ nothing will he is lost. Finally if none of these judgments has worked you are referred to the criminal court system of judgment. This is done by God giving a person over to their desires. Then all that remains is the criminal judgment however this may be delayed for some time as the body still lives but you would be essentially the walking dead – a live body but a dead soul.
Nations too go through civil and criminal judgments. The civil ones come first and take a large amount of time so that a nation might be brought to repentance but eventually criminal judgment is necessary. This happed in the bible with Israel and Judah. They both received many civil judgments before the final criminal judgment destruction of the nation. Throughout history you can find nations that had many civil judgments before their criminal judgment. Eventually God turns a nation over to the desires of those leading it and populating it and then they are destroyed.
America I believe is at this point. While we may say the majority of people in the US are Christian if that were so there would not be the abominations we see here happening daily. The ones in charge and the ones making up the majority in this nation are not Christians some are CINO’s most are just anti God in whatever form they take. Like the person who has a living body and a dead soul America is living but on borrowed time. With a rotten soul she can not continue too much longer. Civil Judgment did not bring her back so now she will face criminal judgment. There will be people who survive, there always are, and they will have the opportunity to create new nations with in the shell of what was the USA and dedicate those new nations to God. But also they will have the opportunity to create even more ungodly nations in that same shell. I imagine it will be a mix of both. The ones dedicated to God will survive the coming apocalyptic judgment while those even more ungodly ones will face the wrath of God head on in the coming world judgment.
The worse thing that can happen for a person is for their case to me moved from civil to criminal court. The same is true for nations. Too many christians know very little about judgment because we only get taught “God is love” ad infinitum and while love is an aspect of God justice and holiness are as well and we tend to forget that to our detriment. Too many Christians I’m afraid don’t even read the bible having been told that it takes years of study to understand and that you have to be learned to get the real meanings of scripture beyond just the text. THAT is straight out of Gnosticism. The Gnostics believed they are was the plain reading of scripture with a surface knowledge and then there was the hidden knowledge only the learned could find and explain. (and many time contradicted the plain reading of scripture) They wanted to keep the bible from the public so only they would read it and tell the public what it meant. How many today only open a bible in church during bible readings to follow along and then close it?? The bible is a easy read it isn’t complicated and there isn’t a bunch of hidden knowledge. Yes some passages are prophetic, some allusions to a principle (parables) but it is obvious where those passages are.
Too often christians talk the talk but don’t walk the walk. They say all the right Christian words and phrases and have all the appearance of a Christian yet are void inside spiritually empty because theirs is a superficial Christianity one pleasing to the eye yet is lacking in depth. There is a quote I would like to give those the situation it was used it was not about christians it seems apt. “You say the words but you hearts are empty, your ears closed to the truth, you stand for nothing but your own petty interests!” How many out there in the church fit this. Oh they work on social programs to help the needy and the poor, they work for social justice, they recycle and reduce their carbon footprint. But if you take away the façade what do you see?? Too often not much. It would be like building shells of buildings and using them to prove your economy is booming when there is nothing inside the buildings but emptiness. Or building tank shells to show you have a formidable military when they are really just hollow and worthless. It is all about appearances.
Better to be a Christian that while he might not have all the right Christian phrases, words and buzzwords he does what is right by God and works hard to do what is right. Better to have a house that is plain to slightly unattractive outside and beautiful on the inside than a beautiful house façade with a ugly or no interior. The former can be comfortably lived in for generations while the latter should, and will be, condemned.
Paul
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