Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s campaign slogan for 2016 is, “Make America Great Again.” This slogan takes aim at the steep decline of American power both at home and abroad over the past 7½ years. Certainly America’s influence and stature in the world has diminished greatly under President Obama.
America is in dire need of effective leadership and the prospect of such leadership over the next 4 years is not good. Soon, Americans will choose between two of the most unqualified candidates to ever seek the office of President in America’s history. Regardless of accomplishments and experience, Mr. Trump and Mrs. Clinton do not possess the moral character and intellectual capacity to be President of the United States of America.
Both have publically proven their inability to tell the truth. Mr. Trump is an admitted adulterer and Mrs. Clinton has enabled adultery within her own marriage. Both candidates support homosexuality and the murder of unborn children. Their confiscatory economic policies cut deeply into the fruits of one’s labor, so it can be re-distributed through government to support their ability to stay in power. Each candidate shows no regard for governing within the principles of the Constitution. Neither demonstrates a respect for God and His Law. Mr. Trump publicly admits he has never considered the need to ask for God’s forgiveness (Matt. 12:34-35).
Mr. Trump’s slogan and this election should cause one to ponder, “Will America ever be great, again?”
America’s Founding Father of Education, Noah Webster, explained how important it was for the American people to select leaders of good character to preserve the nation’s government.
“When you become entitled to exercise the right of voting for public officers, let it be impressed on your mind that God commands you to choose for rulers, “just men who will rule in the fear of God.” The preservation of a republican government depends on the faithful discharge of this duty; if the citizens neglect their duty and place unprincipled men in office, the government will soon be corrupted; laws will be made, not for the public good so much as for selfish or local purposes; corrupt or incompetent men will be appointed to execute the laws; the public revenues will be squandered on unworthy men; and the rights of the citizen will be violated or disregarded. If a republican government fails to secure public prosperity and happiness, it must be because the citizens neglect the Divine Commands, and elect bad men to make and administer the laws.”
Mr. Webster’s observations were based on the instruction Moses received from his father-in-law concerning the selection of good leaders for Israel.
“Moreover you shall select from all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens” (Exod. 18:21).
Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton lack these qualities of leadership, but sadly, their nominations reflect the lack of moral character in the American people.
American Greatness
Where did America’s greatness come from? National talk-show host Rush Limbaugh says American greatness is found in America’s DNA. Again, “Rush is right!!!” But he has yet to articulate the real reason why.
American greatness was prophesied to occur nearly 4,000 years ago. This promise of greatness was based on Abraham’s obedience to God (Gen. 22:15-18). God’s promise became a birthright promise conferred to Abraham’s son Isaac (Gen. 26:3-5) and later his grandson Jacob (Gen 28:13-15, 35:10-12).
Jacob in turn conferred this promise on Joseph through his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim (Gen. 48:15-16). Jacob took Joseph’s sons as his own and placed his name “Israel” upon them. Jacob prophesied Ephraim’s descendants would become a “multitude of nations” while the descendants of his older brother Manasseh would become a “great” nation (Gen. 48:19-20, 35:11).
Ephraim’s descendants became the peoples of Great Britain and her commonwealth countries, an Empire on which the sun never set. Manasseh’s descendants became the United States, the world’s single most powerful nation ever. History proves the veracity of Jacob’s blessing as Great Britain came to power and influence throughout the world before the United States (Gen. 48:20).
It should be noted the name Manasseh means “forgetful” and unfortunately, America has lived up to its ancestral name. This forgetfulness was also prophesied about following ancient Israel’s defeat to the Assyrians (II Ki 17:6). God directs this prophecy at the leadership of the nation, but its impact has disastrous consequences on the people being governed.
“Now the word of the Lord came to me saying: Son of man, set your face toward the mountains (governments) of Israel, and prophesy against them, and say, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God! Thus says the Lord God to the mountains, to the hills, to the ravines, and to the valleys: Indeed I, even I, will bring a sword against you, I will destroy your high places (places of false worship).” “And I will lay the corpses of the children of Israel before their idols, and I will scatter your bones all around your altars.” “The slain shall fall in your midst, and you shall know that I am the Lord” (Ezek. 6:1-2, 5, 7).
Of those who will survive and be carried captive to foreign nations, God explains the reason for their punishment.
“Then those of you who escape will remember Me among the nations where they are carried captive, because I was crushed by their adulterous heart which has departed from Me, and by their eyes which have played the harlot after their idols:” (Ezek. 6:9a).
The people of America will be punished for forgetting God and violating His Law as spelled out by the Ten Commandments. During this punishment, those who survive will come to acknowledge their forgetfulness and repent.
“they will loathe themselves for the evils which they committed in all their abominations. And they will know that I am the Lord; I have not said in vain that I would bring this calamity upon them" (Ezek. 6:9b-10).
A Modern Day Warning
This prophetic warning to the United States is not new. It is a message that went out for 52 years through God’s servant, Herbert W. Armstrong (Matt. 24:14). In 1980, Mr. Armstrong explained this warning in an article titled, “America the Beautiful--America the Condemned!” His closing lines should sober anyone looking at the spiritual state of America today.
“Now WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN?”
“I suppose the average reader will pass it over totally unheeded. Woe to you who do. No one else is sounding this warning. If I were warning the ancient city of Nineveh, THEY WOULD HEED, and save themselves alive!”
“We have never yet come to a time when men will clutch at their stomach and loins, in fright and fear and in pain as a woman in childbirth! Such a time is now JUST AROUND THE CORNER! THIS WARNING IS DIRECT FROM THE WORD OF GOD-not my imagination. You can read it yourself in the Bible!”
“I have not overestimated the SERIOUSNESS of this! The time has now come for this SERIOUS WARNING to go forth in mighty POWER!”
“Millions will see this warning in The Plain Truth!”
And millions did. America’s warning went out in mighty power through Mr. Armstrong!!!
In accepting her party’s nomination, Hillary Clinton said, “America is Great, because America is Good!” God does not share this view of America today (Isa. 1:4). Let it be clearly stated, America today, is the opposite of good!!!
Unlike America’s 3rd President, Thomas Jefferson, Mrs. Clinton fails to realize God holds people accountable for their actions.
“God who gave us life gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the Gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever.”
During her acceptance speech, Mrs. Clinton stated, “Now, America is once again at a moment of reckoning. We are clear-eyed about what our country is up against, but we are not afraid.” America should be afraid when the magnitude of God's “reckoning” is understood (Matt. 24:21-22).
Mr. Armstrong’s warning that America’s punishment is “JUST AROUND THE CORNER!” should make every American "tremble" at the thought of God’s justice being executed on this nation (Heb. 10:31). Mrs. Clinton’s words are a stark example of how this warning has gone “totally unheeded.”
Like America, God holds His Church accountable too (Rev. 3:15-18). Christ’s instruction in verse 19 is the only way God’s Church can correct its spiritual direction before God’s punishment comes.
“As many as I love I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be[come] zealous and repent.”
Sadly, America’s best days are behind her. Neither Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton can “Make America Great Again.” The American people will only be great again when Jesus Christ establishes God’s Kingdom on the earth, SOON!!! (Ezek. 28:25-26).
“He who has an ear to hear, let him hear!!!”