America at a Crossroads: Which Path Will It Take? What’s driving so much division and chaos in American society today? Why are there such starkly different visions of the nation’s future? What does this mean for you? by Scott Ashley
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eath to America! Death to America! Death to America!” The chants and shouts of hundreds of marchers echoed off the walls of the buildings and down the streets. Their sentiments were plain to see. Yet the streets in this scene weren’t those of a Middle Eastern city, and the marchers weren’t people in Iran calling for the downfall of the United States. No, the streets were in a major California city, and the protestors calling for the end of their country were American. And to make their message perfectly clear, the crowd, many among them declaring support for Black Lives Matter, broke windows, smashed cars, vandalized businesses and attacked police officers. Perhaps what is most surprising about this scene is that it wasn’t surprising at all. It was only a matter of time before crowds that toppled statues of major American historical figures (including some who played key roles in the nation’s struggle to end slavery), that burned and vandalized hundreds of businesses and that called for the murder of police would at some point end the charade and make their intentions plain for the world to see. Their goals have been made clear in other chants as well. In addition to the common “No justice, no peace,” marchers have called for the burning of police stations (“Every city, every town, burn the precincts to the ground!”), support of criminals (“Who do we protect? Black felons!”) and overthrow of elected governments (“You can’t stop the revolution!”).
The Bible contains many prophecies about conditions in the time leading up to the return of Jesus Christ, and we explain world conditions in the light of Bible prophecy. If you don’t care what God thinks, you might as well stop reading now. But if you want to really understand what’s going on in our world and forces at work to transform America into something very different, read on. Will we destroy ourselves?
The United States has faced and survived a number of great national crises—World War I, the Spanish flu pandemic, the Great Depression, World War II, the Cuban Missile Crisis and the 9/11 terror attacks. But the crisis the nation now faces is different. Now it’s a self-inflicted crisis of our own making. There are now many at work within the country trying to bring it down. The recent rioting gives us a striking example, especially as we examine the underlying aims of many of the agitators (see “The Destructive Black Lives Matter Agenda” on page 12.) One of America’s most beloved presidents, Abraham Lincoln, was a student of history and understood the danger that can come from within. Long before the opening volleys of the Civil War, he spoke these prophetic words: “At what point shall we expect the approach of danger? . . . If it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us . . . If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide.” Lincoln was also a student of the Bible. He knew what would Two very different agendas happen to a nation that has known God but then rejects Him. A few will stop reading this article at this point and accuse He was familiar with passages such as Jeremiah 15:6-7 and Beyond Today of being “too political” and a tool for right-wing feared the consequences that might fall on such a nation: interests. This happens every time we discuss social issues. But “‘You have abandoned me and turned your back on me,’ says our only agenda is God’s agenda. Our Master isn’t a politician, the Lord. ‘Therefore, I will raise my fist to destroy you. I am but the coming King of the world, Jesus Christ. And make no tired of always giving you another chance . . . I will destroy my mistake: There is a godly, biblical perspective on social issues, own people, because they refuse to change their evil ways . . . and there is an ungodly, anti-biblical perspective on social issues. I will cause anguish and terror to come upon them suddenly’” Our reason for producing the Beyond Today magazine and (New Living Translation). television program is to present God’s perspective on what’s Has the nation rejected God? happening in the world and to explain it from His Word, the Holy Bible. We need only look at America’s popular culture and B Tm a g a z i n e . o r g
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November-December 2020
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