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CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

THE STAGE SET FOR SUCCESS

“The LORD will grant you abundant prosperity — in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your ground — in the land he swore to your forefathers to give you,” Deuteronomy 28:11.

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD,” Psalms 33:12.

We have noticed that the Pilgrims and Puritans came to America with the express purpose of religious freedom and the spreading of Christianity. Thus, we see that these “Founding Fathers” of America laid a great foundation.

In the early 1700’s, a great revival broke out across America. Out of a population of just 300,000, nearly 50,000 people (six percent) gave their lives to God in just two years. This revival was instrumental in changing the entire moral tone of New England and stirring early America to its very foundation.¹¹⁴ ⁽¹¹⁴The Rebirth Of America, The Arthurs S.DeMoss Foundation, 1986, p. 53f.) In the early 1800’s, another revival swept across the country. Between 1800 and 1803, there were more than 10,000 converts in the state of Kentucky alone. In 1857, Jeremiah Lanphier started a prayer meeting. The number attending went from six to literally thousands in a few weeks. The prayer meetings resulted in still another national revival that swept the nation.

In 1905, another great revival shook the nation. In 1917, it was reported that two million people gave their lives to Christ.

Since great revivals have always come shortly after the turn of the century in America, it would appear that we are ripe for one now.

DID GOD KEEP HIS FANTASTIC PROMISE OF DEUTERONOMY 28:12?

“The LORD will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands.”

HAS AMERICA BEEN BLESSED BECAUSE OF HER CHRISTIAN POPULATION?

God blessed America by making her the richest country on earth.

Let’s make a comparison between the greatness of America and the poverty of godless nations.

· If we were to take 100 American infants and 100 Asian infants, there would be more Americans alive at age 65 than Asians at age five. In Guatemala, 75 percent of the children die before they are five years old. Their death rate is so high that children under the age of five are not counted in the national statistics. Many children aren’t even named until they have had their fifth birthday. A nursing mother in Guatemala will often abandon a newborn child and allow it to die in favor of a child closer to the age of five because the older child has a greater chance of survival.¹¹⁵ (¹¹⁵Magazine, Pulpit Helps, February, 1982.) In Afghanistan, one out of every four children die before the age of five and one out of three are orphans.^{116
(116}Fox News October, 12 2002.)

· An Egyptian peasant, from the day he is born until the day he dies, does not know what it is like to have a full stomach. In Bangladesh, during times of poor crops, peasant children sift through the manure of farm animals to reclaim undigested oats.^{117 (117}Magazine, Pulpit Helps, February, 1982.)

· The life expectancy of a father in Mali is 45.7. In Zimbabwe, life expectancy is expected to drop to 39.^118
(118Health raising life expectancy strains health budgets, Report by Commerce Department’s Census Bureau, news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/health/newsid_221000/221695.stm p. 1.) In America, the life expectancy of a father is 79.¹¹⁹ (¹¹⁹The Secrets of Aging, Department of Health and Human Services, 1996, www.originalghr15.com/secrets.htm. p. 1.) A disease that will disable a healthy American for no longer than a week, will kill or cripple people in many parts of the world simply because they do not have access to what we would call routine medical treatment.^120
(120Magazine, Pulpit Helps, February 1982.)

· Contrast the greatness of America to the poverty in godless countries like Russia and China. Contrast our fantastic achievements to theirs. China has been a godless nation for many years. In the days when the American Constitution was signed, 95 percent of our citizens were required to work on farms to produce the needed food for our nation.^{121
(121}Colliers Encyclopedia, 1976, Vol. 1, pp. 292, 294.) Today, it only takes two percent of the American public to feed ourselves, plus 25 percent of the rest of the world.¹²² ⁽¹²²Dr. and Mrs. J.C. Wilkey, Handbook On Abortion, Hayes Publishing Co. INC., Cincinnati, OH, p. 69.) Never before in the history of man have so few fed so many for so little. We spend only 16 percent of our income for food, while the rest of the world spends 50 percent. Ninety-seven percent of all Americans are set free to use their time and talents in developing and maintaining conveniences. In godless China, nearly half of the citizens are required to work on farms to produce food for their starving people.¹²³ (¹²³Time Almanac 2000, Boston, MS, p. 194. Fifty-three percent of the labor force work on farms and in forestry.)

1998

gross domestic product (GDP):^{124 (124}The World Almanac & Book of Facts, 2001, Mahwah, N.J. p. 32.)

U.S. $8,511 billion

The country that comes the closest to America is China.

China $4,420 billion (Note: The Times Almanac 2000, p. 194, says that this
figure may be overstated as much as 25 percent).

Japan $1,903 billion

Thus, America still leads the entire world by nearly twice the GDP as any other country. It is easy to see, however, that we are losing our margin of superiority.

God blessed America with individual equality

The idea of all people being equal did not originate with the women’s liberation movement but with the Bible. The Bible lifted women from the roles of playthings and servants to a position of dignity. Even today, equality of the sexes does not exist beyond the influence of the Bible. For instance, Hinduism classifies women with cows, camels, and goats. A Hindu proverb says, “A cow is sanctified, but a woman is deprived.” In ancient Rome, a man could put his wife to death without a trial. Before the views of the Bible spread throughout the Roman world, Roman fathers also held the right to life and death over their children. Plato and Aristotle agreed that if a child became a bother to his parents, the child should be taken to a desert place and abandoned, or more simply, put to death. This view is widely practiced even today in non-Christian areas of the world. When Christianity became the religion of the Roman Empire, the Emperor, Constantine, decreed in 315 AD, that parents must no longer kill their children.¹²⁵ (¹²⁵James C. Hefley, What’s So Great About The Bible, David C.Cook Publishing Co., Elgin, IL., pp. 59-62.)

Notice what the Bible says about this popular subject of today. “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus,” Galatians 3:28-29.

God blessed America by preparing the way for humane treatment.

· The first orphanages were operated by Christians.^{126
(126}James C. Hefley, What’s So Great About The Bible, David C. Cook Publishing Co., Elgin, IL., p. 60.)

· The first charity hospital on record was founded near Rome in 380 AD by a devout Christian.^{127
(127}James C. Hefley, What’s So Great About The Bible, David C. Cook Publishing Co., Elgin, IL., p. 60.)

· The first asylums for the insane were opened in Spain under Christian guidance.¹²⁸ ⁽¹²⁸James C. Hefley, What’s So Great About The Bible, David C. Cook Publishing Co., Elgin, IL., p. 60.)

· The first female nurses were Christians. Florence Nightingale, a devout Bible believer, transformed nursing care and pioneered in this profession for women.^{129
(129}James C. Hefley, What’s So Great About The Bible, David C. Cook Publishing Co., Elgin, IL., p. 61.)

· John Howard led in the fight against brutality in prisons. He found that it was a common practice to chop the ears of prisoners, to brutally beat and even brand, inmates with hot irons. The character of this man is shown in his prayer, “Oh Lord, visit the prisoners and captives and make known your strength in my weakness.”^{130
(130}James C. Hefley, What’s So Great About The Bible, David C. Cook Publishing Co., Elgin, IL., p. 61.)

· In Cambridge, Massachusetts, Dorothy Dix went into the prisons to teach the Bible. There, she found many to be mentally deranged. The insane were locked in closets, cellars, and cages. Some were chained naked and beaten with rods. This frail school teacher demanded that the state legislators put the insane in hospitals.¹³¹ (¹³¹James C. Hefley, What’s So Great About The Bible, David C. Cook Publishing Co., Elgin, IL., p. 63.)

· Sheldon Jackson, a Christian missionary, personally brought the reindeer from Siberia to Alaska by ship in 1891 and saved thousands of Alaskans from starvation.^{132
(132}James C. Hefley, What’s So Great About The Bible, David C. Cook Publishing Co., Elgin, IL., p. 60.)

Our Lord’s influence on Americans has made them the most generous people on earth.

“You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none,” Deuteronomy 28:12.

· Germany, Japan, and to a lesser extent, Britain and Italy, were lifted out of the

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR

SUMMARY

Notice the providence of God.

During the First World War, God providentially guided Alvin York to a great victory.

· God providentially protected Alvin York when the machine guns mowed off the brush just above his head and filled the canteen by his side with 18 bullet holes.

· God providentially helped Alvin to shoot all six German soldiers who were trying to ambush him.

· God providentially protected Alvin from the German officer’s pistol as he fired at point blank range at Alvin, unloading his pistol but missing every time.

· God providentially caused the German officer to order his men to surrender.

· God providentially caused the grenade that was thrown at Alvin to explode before it got to him.

· God providentially caused the German soldier that shot at Alvin to miss.

· God providentially allowed Alvin and seven others to capture and lead the132 German soldiers to the American lines.

Before the Desert Storm war, prayer meetings and revival services broke out all over the army, and attendance in American churches reached its all time high. God heard our prayers and began to intervene.

· God intervened by allowing the Task Force to reach the second day’s objective at the close of the first day.

· God intervened by allowing our men to capture 2,000 prisoners the first day.

· God intervened by preventing any of the Task Force Rangers from being killed on the first day.

· God intervened by causing the Iraqi Air Force to flee to Iran.

· God intervened by allowing America to capture air superiority very quickly.

· God intervened by causing a strong wind to blow north so the Iraqi Army could not use chemical warfare.

· God intervened by causing the wind to expose the land mines.

· God intervened by allowing the American Army to capture 7,000 Iraqi soldiers.

· God intervened by allowing the American army to advance 180 miles in only 3 days.

· God intervened by causing the Iraqi soldiers to kiss the hands of the American soldiers.

· God intervened by showing the Iraqi soldiers that our God was with us.

· God intervened by allowing America to win the war in only 100 hours.