“These are the times that try men’s souls.” In 1776 Thomas Paine wrote those now famous words as he contemplated the situation he and his freedom-hungry compatriots had created for themselves. Payne realized that in order for the fledgling colonies to win their independence from mighty England the war-weary people would need something to lift their spirits and spur them on, something that would encourage them in their darkest hour. Their physical lives and the very land on which they fought were under all-out attack and about to be overrun by the mightiest fighting force of that era. With that in mind Paine wrote Common Sense, a book that became so popular that the majority of colonial families owned at least one copy.
During the Revolutionary War the people of the colonies were few in number, with even fewer willing to fight for freedom. In 1776 few men were willing to risk their lives and possessions to take on the military machine coming against them intent on taking from them not only their tiny piece of earth, but to also subject them and their descendants to the whims of a distant king.
Not only were the warriors facing the English military, they were also dealing with resistance from many of their fellow colonists who remained loyal to the king of England. Then there were those who wanted freedom but were unwilling to fight for it. In the final analysis, some 80% of the colonists chose not to take up arms against their oppressors. But when God wants a thing to be done, the odds do not matter. As Gideon’s 300 had defeated the combined power of the Malekites and Midianites in ancient times (Jud. 7), the courage and resolve of only 20% of the colonists enabled 13 tiny, disjointed, independent East Coast colonies to eventually become the United States of America–the mightiest nation in the history of mankind. Only the Biblical God could have made such a transformation come to pass.
Today we have another war taking place in these United States, only in a different realm and with much higher stakes. As was the case in 1776, the United States is once again in a life and death struggle against oppression and enslavement.
The difference between the two struggles–one at the nation’s beginning, the another at her ending–cannot be more different. During the Revolutionary War the colonists’ physical lives were in jeopardy as they decided whether to serve themselves or the English crown. In the current war Americans’ eternities are at stake as they decide whether to serve the God of the Holy Scriptures or Satan. In reality, this has been mankind’s choice beginning in the Garden of Eden. Many generations after Adam and Eve’s horrendous choice, the Children of Israel were called upon to make known their allegiance as they prepared to enter the Promised Land. Hear the words of Joshua as he addressed the nation: “Choose you this day whom you will serve”–either God or the devil (Josh. 24:15). Today that same command rings loud and clear from on high as Americans prepare to step into the unending future. The question at hand is as it was in Joshua’s day: WHOM WILL WE SERVE? Nothing has changed, nor will it ever. As was the case with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and the Israelites at the Jordan River–THERE IS NO MIDDLE GROUND; ONE SERVES GOD OR SATAN, not, as we are told by 2,000,000,000 “Blame it on Adam” churchites, God AND Satan. As the era of mankind’s self-rule comes to an end and the Great Tribulation looms on the not-too-distant horizon, Americans will be forced to publicly proclaim THE ONE WHOM THEY WILL SERVE, HONOR AND OBEY. Their words will determine whether they live or die. The groundwork for modern day Americans’ life or death decision was laid on the Day of Pentecost, A.D. 31 when the Lord called “whosoever will” to follow Him. To be continued. L.J.
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