By Van Yandell
Matthew 22:36-38 “Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.”
Lately we’ve heard several currently existing conditions described as the “greatest threat to America.”
The open southern border is one of those. We have no idea what or whom is crossing into this country. Fentanyl has been found among the possessions of some of the illegals as well as other drugs that can lead to death.
Diseases such as diphtheria, typhoid, whooping cough and measles are among those that have once again emerged. Polio and tuberculosis are airborne diseases and are showing up in several states where migrants are being placed.
Another stated threat is the possibility of terrorism. With the Israel-Hamas war raging, the country and world is being divided on yet another front.
Whichever side one happens to be on, the possibility for violence is very high and many are only waiting for the starting gun to fire to pursue such actions. “Trigger happy” might describe the attitude of many in America eager to get in the fight.
The economy has also been described as the greatest threat to America. It appears, when making a trip to the local grocery or hardware store, the inflation rate is totally out of control and shows no sign of easing.
While inflation and price gouging are close akin, regardless of what it is, our dollars are quickly becoming worth less. Products are not better or more valuable but our buying power is lessened.
Shortages are predicted in the food supply. If this happens one result would be an increase in crime. When people are hungry, their actions to procure food are untethered. We have seen these actions in Gaza in recent days where food supplies have been limited or totally non-existent.
Threats by several of America’s enemies present a technological disaster. Threats to the power grid controlled by computers, is only one virus away from a total shutdown. The introduction of an electromotive pulse which impedes the flow of electricity could stop the function of anything that operates on computers/electricity.
While safeguards are in place to prevent such an action, we have witnessed, the perpetrators of such crimes are very resourceful and ingenious.
Any of these can and may in the future cause a state of disaster like we have never before seen in America. Add to these the increase in crime, a non-functioning government and the extreme political division among the citizenry and we most certainly have a recipe for an impending disaster that would make all the hurricanes, floods, wild fires and tornadoes look like a gentle breeze.
While these do pose threats to the people and the integrity of the nation, there is another that would be much more devastating than any of the above.
America is rapidly losing its Christian base. Church attendance is declining at an exponential rate and less than half of Americans now claim Christianity as a faith.
Matthew 24:9-10 “Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.” Those are words of Jesus stated nearly 2000 years ago and we are seeing this happen not only in the U.S., but in all the world.
With the selection of Mike Johnson, a Christian, of Louisiana, as the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the onslaught of jokes and insults to the Christian community has increased. The hatred Jesus spoke of is happening before our eyes and will only increase simply because the teachings of Judeo-Christianity interfere with the lifestyle of so many.
Isaiah 5:20 “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!”
It is my contention that those that claim to disbelieve the Holy Bible as being the Word of the one Creator God, have not read it and considered the uniqueness and supernatural nature of it.
The Bible tells us of many situations and conditions in prophesy and science that no one could have known except the Creator of it all. The Bible is proven by the finding and carbon dating of the Dead Sea Scrolls to be a text written over 1900 years ago. Bible history goes back nearly 4000 years in the study of the patriarchs and 6000 years in the creation of mankind (Genesis 1:26-31).
By evidence generated by other writers of those periods and archaeological finds, Biblical authenticity is further reinforced.
The Bible sets a standard of behavior for humanity that no other text can even begin to claim. Without the teachings of the Holy Bible the fabric of civilization is being shredded into dust.
The Holy Bible and the words of Jesus offer mankind the only eternal salvation. A faith based belief in Christ Jesus crucified for the remission of sin and resurrected is the only eternal salvation (John 14:6).
If Christians do not tell the world about Jesus, no one will and this degradation of society will continue.
Van Yandell is a retired Industrial Arts teacher, an ordained gospel evangelist and commissioned missionary, from Fredonia, Kentucky. This is part of the Bible Connection series.
