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PDFIt had been contentious and often heated as our Founders worked to create a Constitution for the ages. George Washington, the convention president, worked hard to guide the discussion toward a successful conclusion---a ratified Constitution.
After the Convention, James Madison reported this:
"Whilst the last members were signing [the Constitution], Doctor Franklin, looking towards the Presidents chair, at the back of which a rising sun happened to be painted, observed to a few members near him, that painters had found it difficult to distinguish in their art, a rising, from a setting, sun. I have, said he, often and often, in the course of the session, and the vicissitudes of my hopes and fears as to its issue, looked at that behind the President, without being able to tell whether it was rising or setting; but now at length, I have the happiness to know, that it is a rising, and not a setting sun. Franklin, Benjamin"
Source: BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, debates in the Constitutional Convention, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, September 17, 1787.James Madison, Journal of the Federal Convention, ed. E. H. Scott, p. 763 .
This is a link to a picture of the chair.
And the sun indeed rose on America, and we became the most free, most prosperous, most powerful and most generous nation in the history of the world.
But what about now?
Is the sun still rising on America?
If not, can our destiny be changed or altered?
And why is America not mentioned in Scripture that speaks to the end times when other nations are referenced?
Is the sun setting or rising on America in 2013?
Freedom is fragile, and Ronald Reagan knew it. He said:
"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free."
Reagan also said, "If we forget that we are a nation under God, we will be a nation gone under."
John Hawkins has written an article for Town Hall titled, "20 Signs America Is In Decline."
I have linked his list of 20 things and his argument that we are in decline above.
The list is primarily focused on the fiscal and economic issues in our country. Three or four of his 20 deal with moral issues.
What he says makes sense, however, Forbes published an article last month addressing the same question.
The Forbes article is titled, "America In Decline? That's Still Just A Myth."
They say, "One of the most wide spread media narratives of the 21st Century does not hold up to inspection."
The Forbes article gives 5 reasons why America is not in decline and why China, Russia or any other country cannot overtake America in global strength.
These are the 5 reasons why they say America's decline is a myth. You can read the link for more detail.
1. We must adjust for size. Deals with land mass.
2. Today's trajectory is not tomorrow's destiny.
3. America's culture uniquely nurtures innovation and disruption.
4. America's competitors face internal ambivalence about Americanization and globalization.
5. It's easier to see our own flaws than to see others flaws.
I agree that today's trajectory is not necessarily tomorrow's destiny. Neither for a country or an individual.
The gospel, the good news of redemption and restoration provides the opportunity for renewal---for both an individual or a nation.
So, why isn't America mentioned in Scripture that speaks to the end times?
It's true that most biblical scholars agree there is little to no mention of America in the end times.
But why? There are three possibilities.
I am talking about this on my radio program today, live at 9 AM, PDT and rebroadcast at 7:30 PM, PDT. You may listen on one of the ACN stations throughout the State of Washington, on your computer or with a free app for your phone.
Be Vigilant. Be Strong. Be Discerning. Be Informed. Be Active. Be Prayerful. Be Blessed.