These are increasingly treacherous last days, and as we navigate them, it is important to clearly understand God’s call to us as Christians in America.  Patriotism is a Biblical virtue, and America is worth fighting for! 

Current news in the US is dominated by the aftermath of last week’s FBI raid on former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago mansion.  It is simply the latest salvo in an attempt to destroy American values and take down those who stand in the way of a radical, globalist agenda. 

That sounds ugly, so as believers, why should it matter?  Shouldn’t we just focus on Jesus and stay out of politics?

Of course our focus should be on Jesus (Hebrews 12:1-2), and our purpose should indeed be to share the gospel (Mark 16:15) and stir up one another to love and good works (Hebrews 10:24).  That is Biblical.  But does that Biblical principle excuse us from engagement in civic responsibility as citizens of a free country?  Are we to sit back, throw up our hands and say, “There is nothing I can do,” or perhaps, “I don’t want to be in the middle of that!”  Of course not!  Our Constitutional Republic was established on the “We the people” principle, meaning we the people have civic responsibility.

Beyond civic responsibility, on Friday, it was suggested God has given Israel and America unique callings.  That implies Biblical responsibility as well!  So, over the next few days, we’ll consider these things.

There is little debate among Christians that God called Israel into existence and gave her a unique calling as the vehicle of world redemption.  After all, Israel gave us Jesus, the Jewish Messiah and our Lord and Savior, the Old Testament prophets, and the Word of God.  Their mission is best described in the last phrase of Genesis 12:3:  And in you [Israel] all the families of the earth shall be blessed.  How can we begin to dispute the great blessings that have come from Israel?

Do Christians have a unique calling as well? Is there a connection between the unique callings of Israel and the church (Christians)?  Does the unique calling apply to American Christians?  I think so.  Follow carefully…

Israel and Christians are unique in that both were given responsibility for furthering the gospel!  The very Word of God, including the gospel message, was given in Israel; and Christians carried it across Europe and into America, where something very significant took place. 

America became the only nation on earth, beyond Israel, to be founded on Biblical principles.  Our Christian founding and heritage prompted deployment of missionaries around the globe to share the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Not to say other countries had no hand in that, but none were as bold or as extensive in their outreach.  Why?  Because it was baked into America’s DNA.

Interestingly, in Numbers 10, God commanded Moses to craft two silver trumpets, and that helps us understand the connection between the unique callings of Israel and Christians. 

Why silver?  Why trumpets?  Why two?  Silver is precious metal, but not perfect.  God calls not the perfect, but the willing and useful.  In biblical times, trumpets were used to sound the alarm or to gather the people, and there is no more important time to sound the alarm than today!  Why two?  Could it be reference to Israel and the church (Christians) as His two witnesses?

Of these two groups, God says, “You are My witnesses!”  (Israel: Isaiah 43:10-12, Christians: Acts 1:8)  That makes Israel and Christians unique and united.

To be clear, not all Americans are Christians (obviously!), and not all Christians are Americans.  However, America is one of only two nations founded on Biblical principles (Israel is the other), and our forefathers were very intentional in doing so.  We’ll touch on that in more depth tomorrow, so check back

Back to our original question: Why must American Christians fight?  Because America is worth it, and the world is dependent upon it!  Because of our Biblical foundation, America has always been a shining city on a bill, a guiding light to the rest of the world.  When the only nation with Biblical foundation collapses, the world will be an incredibly chaotic place.  We are fighting for righteousness and the sake of His Name.  Will we be found faithfully exulting His Name when He appears? Finally, we owe it to our founding fathers who risked it all in order to freely worship God and spread the gospel.  Without a fight, our nation will be fully and completely handed over to evil, we will have betrayed our founding, and hope will be gone. 

God, in His sovereignty, will not put up with the world’s rebellion forever.  Soon, He will remove the restraining power of the Holy Spirit by rapturing believers from this earth.  (According to 1 Corinthians 6:19, the Holy Spirit lives within us, so His power will depart this earth when we are taken from it.)

But here is the irony:  Only since 1948, when Israel was reborn as a nation, have both Israel and the church (Christians worldwide) co-existed!  First it was Israel.  Then the Messiah came and Christians were born!  But, Israel was trampled and the Jews were scattered in 70AD, leaving only the church.  But now, since 1948, the two witnesses share the task of blowing trumpets, warning the world of coming destruction, and gathering those who will hear to the foot of the cross! 

As a nation called to blow the trumpet loud and clear, American Christians must fight for our nation! It is our responsibility to sound the alarm!  Tomorrow, we will turn our sights more toward America and what we can do as Christians to fight the battle that is before us.  See you then!