At this point in time, the third chapter of Isaiah seems to be an accurate description of the current state of affairs in America. But why?
And is there help for us? Is there a solution?
Where We Are Now
“Listen carefully, the Lord God of hosts is removing from Jerusalem and from Judah both supply and support …”—Isaiah 3:1 (AMP)
This passage was originally written about the people of Israel, but as one leader wisely observed, “Similar sins require similar judgments.” By studying this passage, we Americans can discover what will happen to us if we follow the same path.
This verse tells us first of all, that what we are experiencing is not by chance. What we are experiencing is from the Lord God of Hosts. Later, in verses 8 and 9, we find out that these conditions in our nation are the consequences of our actions.
What is happening in our nation? What can we expect?
Supply Chain Issues
The first verse tells us that God is removing “both supply and support.” This may explain the supply chain issues that we have experienced. We have seen shortages of toilet paper, baby formula, and other items because of supply chain issues.
We may be hoping for relief soon, thinking that these issues will soon be resolved, but that is not what we read here in Isaiah.
“Listen carefully, the Lord God of hosts is removing … the whole supply of bread and the whole supply of water.”—Isaiah 3:1 (AMP)
Virtually every credible prophetic voice has been telling us for years that we in America will experience some kind of food shortage, and that we need to prepare and take precautions. I have personally heard this message from Bob Jones, Bonnie Jones, Rick Joyner, John Paul Jackson, Chris Reed, and others.
Now the shortage is so imminent that we don’t even need prophetic voices to warn us of these things. Farmers themselves are warning us. Those who are on the front lines are seeing the conditions and telling us that we need to prepare for food shortages in the coming months.
“Despair, all you farmers! Wail, all you vine growers! Weep, because the wheat and barley—all the crops of the field—are ruined.”—Joel 1:11 (NLT)
“Our food disappears before our very eyes. No joyful celebrations are held in the house of our God. The seeds die in the parched ground, and the grain crops fail. The barns stand empty, and granaries are abandoned. How the animals moan with hunger! The herds of cattle wander about confused, because they have no pasture. The flocks of sheep and goats bleat in misery.”—Joel 1:16-18 (NLT)
Water shortages have already come to various locales, and rationing of water is already happening in California and other parts of our country.
Void of Leadership
“He will take away all the heroes and great soldiers.”—Isaiah 3:2 (ICB)
One of the most glaring consequences that we see in our country today is a void of real, competent leadership that can be trusted to serve the best interests of the citizens of our nation.
As a consequence of our actions, there is a void of leadership at every level and seemingly in every area of society.
In the debacle of the Afghanistan withdrawal, we saw incompetent military leadership that unnecessarily cost the lives of Americans and Afghan allies and their family members and turned over the country to a violent, oppressive regime. In the process, trust was broken, and allies were betrayed.
“For, behold, the Lord, the Lord of hosts, doth take away … the judge, and the prophet, and the prudent, and the ancient, … ”—Isaiah 3:1-2 (KJV)
Leaders that offer wise guidance without prejudice or ulterior motives seem to be few and far between.
In the last few years, the American Church has lost some highly respected spiritual and prophetic leaders like Billy Graham, David Wilkerson, Paul Cain, Bob Jones, and John Paul Jackson. In their absence, we experienced a crisis of prophetic failures after the 2020 election when prophetic voices across our nation were called to account for themselves after falsely assuring the Church that President Trump would continue as our president.
“He will take away the military leaders and government leaders …”—Isaiah 3:3 (ICB)
“… and the counsellor, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator.”—Isaiah 3:3 (KJV)
The same political party that produced the eloquence and inspiration of John F. Kennedy has now given us leaders that can’t seem to put two coherent sentences together. Those in leadership positions in the highest levels of our government have become a laughingstock. We now have national leaders that are parodied around the world.
God wants to make it very clear to us that this is no accident. This is not by chance. We brought this upon ourselves. This is a consequence of our sinful actions.
“The Lord says, ‘I will cause young boys to be your leaders. Foolish children will rule over you’“—Isaiah 3:4 (ICB)
The Amplified Version puts it this way:
“And I will make mere boys their princes, And capricious (impulsive, unpredictable) children will rule over them.”
Sadly, many of those in positions of power and influence now at every level of government are not highly respected, experienced leaders who have been tried and tested. These leaders do not have proven track records of successful leadership. These are not wise leaders who demonstrate integrity and character. Many of them are young people who have no significant leadership experience in business, in civic organizations, or even in their own families. Because of this, many of these inexperienced “leaders” do not understand basic principles of cause and effect that govern the very sectors of society over which they exert influence.
Not understanding basic economic principles, the reckless and excessive spending of leaders in our American federal government has plunged the entire world into a cost-of-living crisis with inflation that has been catastrophic for many families around the world, especially for those who were already struggling.
Leaders in our federal government have also seemingly declared war on petroleum products, apparently not realizing that a vast array of every-day products are made from petroleum, like medicines, cosmetics, plastics, synthetic rubber, cleaning products, asphalt, and thousands of other products.
Declaring war on fossil fuels also causes great difficulties for our farmers, who use fossils fuels to run their equipment for plowing, planting, and harvesting the crops that produce our food. So, our governmental leaders have, in effect, foolishly declared war on our own food supply without seeming to be aware of the consequences of their decisions.
Citizens seem to be desperate for real leaders who can be trusted and relied on to provide effective guidance in these critical times, but leaders do not seem to be stepping up to fill these vacancies in leadership positions. Many may seem to be qualified—at least, more qualified than what we have now—but they are unwilling to serve.
“In those days a man will say to his brother, ‘Since you have a coat, you be our leader! Take charge of this heap of ruins!’
“But he will reply, ‘No! I can’t help. I don’t have any extra food or clothes. Don’t put me in charge!’”— Isaiah 3:6-7 (NLT)
Oppression of Citizens
“People will oppress each other—man against man, neighbor against neighbor. Young people will insult their elders, and vulgar people will sneer at the honorable.”—Isaiah 3:5 (NLT)
Because of our sinful actions against God, we have brought upon us a culture in which respectable citizens are oppressed because of their respectability and because of the conservative, godly values that they hold.
It seems that we now live in a culture in which freedoms guaranteed by law are being suppressed in order to impose the will of the ungodly minority upon the citizenry.
Citizens no longer seem to have rights to free speech or freedom of expression unless they agree with the values and objectives of the ungodly minority in our country.
This oppression seems to be sanctioned by those in positions of leadership, and it is enforced by our own neighbors. People in our own communities who are in agreement with the ungodly minority are taking it upon themselves to enforce oppression upon those who disagree with them.
Society is topsy-turvy. Criminals are given freedom to engage in criminal activities, and law enforcement officials are punished and defunded.
Immature and inexperienced young people are in positions of authority, influence, and control, and there is little or no respect or value given to honorable, experienced elders in our society who have succeeded in life with integrity and godly values.
“O My people! Children are their oppressors, And women rule over them. O My people! Your leaders lead you astray And confuse (destroy, swallow up) the direction of your paths.”—Isaiah 3:12 (AMP)
We are being led down the wrong path. Our country is going in the wrong direction. At the same time, there are movements in our country, backed by our nation’s leaders, that seem to be determined to destroy the *right *paths that were founded upon godly, Biblical principles. There are also forces within our country that are actively trying to erase any historical evidence that might prove that America was founded upon Biblical principles and beliefs, along with any evidence that might show that America was guided by godly, Christian principles in the past.
Why is This Happening in America?
Isaiah originally wrote this prophecy to God’s people in Judah, but as Paul wrote, “The things that happened to those people are examples. They were written to be warnings for us” (1 Corinthians 10:11 ERV). If we will apply these warnings to us (the Church in America) then we can see why all of this is happening here in America. God makes it very clear to us through the words of Isaiah.
“For Jerusalem has stumbled and Judah has fallen, Because their words and their actions are against the Lord, To rebel against His glorious presence and defiantly provoke Him. Their partiality testifies against them, They display their sin like Sodom; They do not even hide it. Woe (judgment is coming) to them! For they have brought evil on themselves [as a reward].”—Isaiah 3:8-9 (AMP)
Our Response
So far, our response primarily has been to complain and to blame our leaders and others in our nation for the deteriorating conditions.
The news media encourages this response and social media reinforces it, rarely offering solutions, but instead promoting targets for blame and complaints.
Paul warned us not to respond in this way because that caused an entire generation of God’s people to lose the land that God had prepared for them.
“And don’t complain as some of them did. Because they complained, they were killed by the angel that destroys.
“The things that happened to those people are examples. They were written to be warnings for us. We live in the time that all those past histories were pointing to.”—1 Corinthians 10:10-11 (ERV)
So what should be our response?
We have a wonderful example in the book of Jonah with the people of Ninevah.
“On the day Jonah entered the city, he shouted to the crowds: ‘Forty days from now Nineveh will be destroyed!’ The people of Nineveh believed God’s message, and from the greatest to the least, they declared a fast and put on burlap to show their sorrow.
“When the king of Nineveh heard what Jonah was saying, he stepped down from his throne and took off his royal robes. He dressed himself in burlap and sat on a heap of ashes. Then the king and his nobles sent this decree throughout the city:
‘No one, not even the animals from your herds and flocks, may eat or drink anything at all.** People and animals alike must wear garments of mourning, and everyone must pray earnestly to God. They must turn from their evil ways and stop all their violence. **Who can tell? Perhaps even yet God will change his mind and hold back his fierce anger from destroying us.’
“When God saw what they had done and how they had put a stop to their evil ways, he changed his mind and did not carry out the destruction he had threatened.”—Jonah 3:4-10 (NLT)
God makes it very clear in Scripture that He holds His own people responsible for the conditions of the nations in which He places them.
“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste (its strength, its quality), how can its saltness be restored? It is not good for anything any longer but to be thrown out and trodden underfoot by men.”—Matthew 5:13 (AMPC)
Salt has a variety of uses outside of cooking. Salt is a preservative. Salt can help protect from pest infestations. Salt can remove stains. Salt can clean and sanitize. Salt can deodorize and disinfect. Salt has restorative properties.
This is what the Church called to be in our society. If we are no longer functioning in these roles, what good are we?
In order to save America, the Church in America must repent of our own wicked ways and live consistently with clear consciences toward God and people, as Paul strove to do.
“On account of this, I have committed myself to maintaining a clear conscience before God and with all people.”—Acts 24:16 (CEB)
God is waiting on you and me to repent.
“If **My people, who are called by My name, **shall humble themselves, pray, seek, crave, and require of necessity My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.”—2 Chronicles 7:14 (AMPC)
While the Church seems to be casting blame on our governmental leaders and demanding repentance from them, God is waiting on the Church—His people, who are called by His name—to repent and to turn from *our *wicked ways. Otherwise, we will lose our country.
When Isaiah and Joel originally wrote their prophecies to the people of Judah, there was still time to turn things around. They still had a chance if they responded with sincere repentance.
But they failed to repent. Just like the Church in America today, they went on about their day-to-day business, more interested in being entertained than in living before God with clear consciences.
And so they lost their nation.
They were invaded, taken captive, and forced into slavery in a foreign land.
Finally, in the depths of their enslavement to a foreign power, Daniel prayed the prayer that could have saved the nation if they had only prayed it with sincerity when God first sent His warnings to them through the voices of the prophets.
“I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed:
‘O Lord, you are a great and awesome God! You always fulfill your covenant and keep your promises of unfailing love to those who love you and obey your commands. But we have sinned and done wrong. We have rebelled against you and scorned your commands and regulations. We have refused to listen to your servants the prophets, who spoke on your authority to our kings and princes and ancestors and to all the people of the land.
‘Lord, you are in the right; but as you see, our faces are covered with shame. This is true of all of us, including the people of Judah and Jerusalem and all Israel, scattered near and far, wherever you have driven us because of our disloyalty to you. O Lord, we and our kings, princes, and ancestors are covered with shame because we have sinned against you. But the Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him. We have not obeyed the Lord our God, for we have not followed the instructions he gave us through his servants the prophets. All Israel has disobeyed your instruction and turned away, refusing to listen to your voice.
‘So now the solemn curses and judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured down on us because of our sin. You have kept your word and done to us and our rulers exactly as you warned. Never has there been such a disaster as happened in Jerusalem. Every curse written against us in the Law of Moses has come true. Yet we have refused to seek mercy from the Lord our God by turning from our sins and recognizing his truth. Therefore, the Lord has brought upon us the disaster he prepared. The Lord our God was right to do all of these things, for we did not obey him.
‘O Lord our God, you brought lasting honor to your name by rescuing your people from Egypt in a great display of power. But we have sinned and are full of wickedness. In view of all your faithful mercies, Lord, please turn your furious anger away from your city Jerusalem, your holy mountain. All the neighboring nations mock Jerusalem and your people because of our sins and the sins of our ancestors.
‘O our God, hear your servant’s prayer! Listen as I plead. For your own sake, Lord, smile again on your desolate sanctuary.
‘O my God, lean down and listen to me. Open your eyes and see our despair. See how your city—the city that bears your name—lies in ruins. We make this plea, not because we deserve help, but because of your mercy.
‘’O Lord, hear. O Lord, forgive. O Lord, listen and act! For your own sake, do not delay, O my God, for your people and your city bear your name.’”—Daniel 9:4-19 (NLT)
If we do not pray this or similar prayers of repentance now, on behalf of America—and follow through with real changes—we may find ourselves praying under the cruel enslavement of a foreign power.
Losing Our Nation
As someone once said, “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”
The example of the nation of Israel is clear for all to see. The people of God continued in their sin until they were invaded, taken captive, and their nation was lost.
This is the future of America if the people of God in America (the Christians) do not repent, dedicate their lives to God and strive to live with clear consciences toward God and man, as Paul did.
IF WE BELIEVERS IN AMERICA DO NOT REPENT, WE WILL LOSE OUR COUNTRY. That is our future. That is the course we are on. That will be our experience unless we drastically change course. You don’t have to be a prophet to understand this. You just have to read the Bible.
P.S.
I usually write between 5:00 am and 6:00 am. Yesterday, as I was writing the section titled “Our Response,” it occurred to me to include the example of the story of Jonah and the repentance of Ninevah. After I finished my time of writing, I went to the fitness center in the community where I live to do my morning exercises.
While I was exercising, I decided to listen to Rick Joyner’s audio book, “The Call,” which I had never read or heard before. I had just downloaded it the previous day. As I listened to the 2nd chapter, Rick Joyner described an encounter that he had in a heavenly place in which he met the prophet, Jonah.
I have never heard of anyone having an encounter with the prophet Jonah, and to hear it on this particular morning, just minutes after I had the idea to include the example of Jonah in the article I was writing, shook me. I was riveted as Rick Joyner relayed the words that Jonah had spoken to him. It felt as if he was speaking directly to me.
“The judgment of God is about to be revealed on the earth. Even so, ‘Mercy triumphs over judgment.’ The Lord always extends mercy before judgment. If you will warn the people that His judgments are near, His mercy will save many.”
It is one thing to read Jonah’s words in the Bible, as a voice from the past exhorting people of his time to repent. It is a much weightier thing to hear his words, as if he has suddenly entered the room where you are and is speaking directly to you, telling you the warn the people living today of God’s impending judgments.
This shook me.
References:
Jackson, J. P. (2016, July 27). The Coming Perfect Storm (Full). YouTube. Retrieved January 7, 2023, from https://youtu.be/kzPJjOzZorg
Jones, B. (2022, January 30). 2022-01H - Stockpile Non-Perishable Foods Now! by Bonnie Jones. YouTube. Retrieved January 7, 2023, from https://youtu.be/cx0A38q5dqw
Joyner, Rick. The Call (The Final Quest Series Book 2). MorningStar Publications, a division of MorningStar Fellowship Church. Kindle Edition.
Joyner, R. (2021, February 11). Rick Joyner: Warning on what I see coming NEXT: Prepare with Food and Water. YouTube. Retrieved January 7, 2023, from https://youtu.be/LvFvpLm_2Hg
Reed, C. (2022, April 1). Chris Reed shares the most important dream he’s received from Lord about the times ahead. YouTube. Retrieved January 7, 2023, from https://youtu.be/llN7yyhurek
