One Nation Under gods

By: Jim Josephsen

The United States of American prides itself as a nation promising liberty and freedom. The Constitution’s Bill of Rights guarantees, in principle, freedom of speech. Consequently, freedom for one to pursue and practice a religious belief of ones own choosing. Since its inception, America has grown to become a nation rife with religious organizations, denominations, sects and faiths. What a blessing to those who, in spirit and in truth seek to worship God. What a relief to those seeking refuge from religious persecution and bigotry. What a goldmine for the savvy, religious entrepreneur set on making money selling books, filling auditoriums and preying on the Biblical illiterate of America. What an opportunity for religious militants to fund their cause. The American religious tapestry is woven with the strands of every imaginable religious persuasion. From common Christianity, with all its nuances and denominations to the ever-increasing multitude of imported middle-eastern, oriental religions, to the new age, non-traditional, mystical and macabre - in America none can be denied.

And therein lies the problem! America is one nation, one world-class, unique, prosperous super power. However, the United States of America has among its many difficulties one mighty fatal flaw, which is propelling it to its ultimate demise. America serves many gods and is a nation bent on disobeying the only True God, the God who is well aware of its every move, its every sunrise and sunset and all behaviors that occur in between.

The Great God Almighty, creator of this earth and the one who blessed the United States of America to become the prosperous nation it was, is well aware of the behavior of the inhabitants of this land. Of a truth, He is well aware of the behavior of the inhabitants of the earth, but more importantly, He is concerned with the goings on of the United States of America and the other brother nations of the descendants of Israel. God will provide an end-time warning to the inhabitants of this earth and the United States of America in particular. God has chosen the means by which His warning will go out.

Jesus Christ, as God, is watching this great country becoming increasingly subject to its polytheistic practices and the idols of its own devising.  Jesus Christ will soon intercede and show His absolute disapproval of this disobedient, hedonistic nation. Shortly after He displaces the United States of America for a short time, He will intervene to save the world from its doom’s day insanity. Ironically, America is among the leading nations to have laid the groundwork for a world to execute its total destruction. Before America’s tribulation commences, the end-time work of the Watchman will issue a stern warning to this nation to either repent or accept its punishment. As the prophets of Israel proclaimed, God will punish Israel for its disobedience to Him, its worship of other gods and in summation, of its life style and way of life, which is in complete opposition to everything that God has established as being good.

The Intercontinental Church of God as founded by Garner Ted Armstrong continues the work of the Watchman that both Garner Ted and Hebert W. Armstrong, his father before him, engaged in. As they understood, God Almighty would provide an opportunity for modern-day Israel to hear the witness and warning, just as Jesus Christ promised His Church would give just prior to His return. The gospel message of Jesus Christ is a message corresponding to the Watchman warning message of repentance to modern day Israel.

The warning messages of the prophets portrayed a time of calamity and self-induced destruction, of cataclysmic natural events as well as nuclear-bomb warfare,  to occur on the earth and in particular to modern day Israel. So devastating and cruel is man’s inhumanity to his fellow man, that unless God intervenes and shorten those days, there will be no one left alive. 

Today you are witnessing the beginning of those prophetic events unfold before your eyes. Moreover, you still have time to make the one right choice: repentance, and a return to worshipping the one and only True God, the only true and Real Jesus Christ.

Today the warning goes out as we continue to announce the realities facing this great country. When it comes to every day events and the headlines of which you read in your paper and on the internet, the work of the Watchman continues to analyze these events with a perspective of Biblical prophecy fully in mind and bringing these events to a common logical understanding. You could look at what is happening to our country and dismiss it all as simply being history in the making; as just the way things are, as simple, natural time and chance.  On the other hand, you can take a good hard look at the realities facing this nation and realize that the God of creation, the God of the Bible, the One who has blessed this nation, is now ready to take this nation to task because of its corruption, disobedience and polytheism.

When this country’s worse hurricane in modern times devastated the Gulf coast, a question was raised by this work: was this an act of God or mere coincidence?

The prophecies of your Bible inform us that God will allow destruction to His people because of their evils and their disobedience to Him and His laws. We also learn that God will allow mankind to come to the brink of self- annihilation, the result of their godless and self-centered behavior. In the end-time, God will not only allow destruction, He will also allow the consequences of man’s immoral lifestyle, of man’s economic policies, of man’s lust for power and ego, to fully and absolutely come to fruition.

In His Olivet sermon Jesus Christ enumerated the events to take place on this earth, just prior to His return. In conclusion He said, “Watch you therefore and pray always that you may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and to stand before the Son of Man (Luke 21:36).

Christ’s admonition was not only a warning of what will happen; it was also words of encouragement, promising personal protection and salvation to those willing to worship Jesus Christ and be accountable to Him. Yes, accountable to Jesus Christ, the Savior. Now we are faced with a dilemma. Now we are faced with an additional problem. On top of the many gods worshipped within this country, the question must be addressed, just which Jesus Christ are we accountable to?

America proclaims to be a Christian nation, obedient to the Son of God, Jesus Christ.  America is not recognized as an Islamic nation nor is it a Hindu nation or Buddhist nation. No, it is acknowledged as a Christian nation. Yet in predominately Protestant Christian America, there are many Jesus’, many Christs, many denominations and many interpretations of Jesus; as a result, many jesus-gods. Not only are there many heathen gods, there are many jesus-gods and as a result, the integrity of the message and the integrity of the truth Jesus Christ taught is lost and disrespected.

Consider within this “Christian” nation, over the past 30 years, (even if the nation as a whole did worship one Jesus Christ) Jesus Christ has become just another god among the many. Jesus Christ has been relegated to common, every day banal status. Politically, Jesus is offered no greater honor than Allah or Buddha. Religiously, those who promote Jesus, do so with the intention of money to be gained. Jesus is a promotional talisman, used to season the message of self-promotion, of feel good about yourself religion, of living your best life now, with a self-inspired mystical purpose and an emphasis that you were born to win or conquer. The vast majority of Americans do not know, let alone respect, the Real Jesus of your Bible, the Jesus Christ who has been preached by those who understand and are faithful to the modern-day work of the Watchman.

Let us own up to the fact that there are over 400 different denominations within the Christian religion. Which one is right, which one is better? Well of course, the one I belong to, you say. However, in America, you cannot voice that opinion without being taken to task as being insensitive, prejudiced and non-inclusive. In this One Nation Under gods, you must be politically correct and compassionate. In this country, just one religion, one faith, one common worship will not be accepted, allowed or tolerated. One of anything is not politically correct.

Supported by our own nation’s laws, citizens of the United States are given the freedom to worship the gods of their own choosing. Lost in this insanity is the fact that the One True God is not “the only God” worshipped! Consequently, He will take to task each individual, and this Nation as a whole, for its unfaithfulness and disobedience to Him.

As a result of having many gods from which to choose, there is no integrity in religion, no integrity in this country. The more the blending of false worship figures, the less respected is the authority of the One True God. When the appeal, which is promoted by government and the educational institutes is “why can’t we all get along, after all your god is just as good as mine” is accepted and believed, then the integrity of worshipping One God is ruined and the blessings and national protection provided by that One True God will not be realized. And that is where this country stands today – without the protection of God any longer. His favor has been removed from this beloved nation.

Jesus Christ challenged the people of His day when He, as quoting the prophet Isaiah said, “you hypocrites, you honor God with your lips, but your heart is far from Me, In vain you worship Me teaching for commandments the doctrines of men” (Mark 7:6-7). That same admonition and challenge is extended to you today. The doctrines of men, the doctrines of political correctness, the doctrines of godly homogeneity, the doctrines of tolerance and acceptance are rampant within this United States of America.  When viewed from the Bible, we see Christianity is playing the harlot with other gods, other philosophies, and other moral and (un)ethical doctrines. An example of this practice is found in the tenets of one well-known Christian denomination, which is manifest through its media ad campaign. Used as a sales pitch, seen on TV, this denomination promotes its opens doors policy for all sexual orientations, insuring the believer that Jesus does not discriminate. Once again, we see another Jesus, another god created in man’s image, as America continues to practice polytheism.

The desire of the Real Jesus Christ is to save sinners, to bring them to understand repentance. Whether it be - the immoral fornicator, pedophiles, sexual predators, the homosexual, the woman given to abortion, the thief, the murderer, the embezzler, the godless judges across our land, the Sabbath-breakers, the commandment-breakers, the sinners - the gospel message of Jesus Christ and the Watchman warning is clear: Repent! Stop the behavior that will kill you and that is leading this nation to destruction.

To be sure, Jesus Christ does not discriminate. In complete opposition to the doctrines of modern-Christianity, He commands and expects all to repent. If one does, He will forgive that person of their sins. If one does not, then they have chosen to die in their sins. Jesus does not discriminate and His practice and purpose is the same for all. His doctrines do not change. He expects sinners to repent, not to stay in their condition of sin. Of most importance and acceptable behavior in the sight of Jesus Christ is to worship Him and Him only. In so doing you will (spiritually speaking) be removed from living in One Nation Under gods and having to suffer the consequences destined to this nation.

Stop and consider! What is your denomination; what Christian nomenclature do you label yourself? Of what faith do you attest? As already known, this nation is not Allah’s nor Buddha’s nor any other of the pagan deities. The United Stated of America is not a nation founded on Islam or Hindu or any other heathenish religion. As much as the current generations of Americans are being brainwashed into accepting imported religious beliefs, in learning revisionist history, the overwhelming fact is this nation’s heritage was founded in part on a Christian doctrine. As skewed as it was even back then, never the less, America’s religion is founded on belief in Jesus Christ. Although most professing Christians are ignorant of the fact, the truth is Jesus Christ is the very God of ancient Israel, the Eternal God who became flesh to be your Savior and by the power of the resurrection is now very God and Lord again and is the God watching over America. He, sitting on the right hand of His Father, God Almighty, is well aware of the faithlessness of this so-called Christian nation. Jesus Christ sees and will return to take care of business. Jesus Christ is aware that this nation’s people are polytheistic, unfaithful to Him and are hypocrites. But before He returns He will allow one more powerful and stern Watchman warning to this country and ultimately to this world.

Jesus Christ warned anyone who claims to be His servants, to be careful what they speak and how they act. Notice, “and why do you call Me, Lord, Lord and do not what I say?” (Luke 6:46)  “Not everyone who says unto Me, Lord, Lord will enter into the Kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, Lord, Lord did we not prophesy in your name and in your name cast out demons and in your name done many wonderful works? And then I will declare to them, I never knew you; depart from Me you who practice lawlessness (workers of iniquity)” (Matthew 7:21-23).  “Jesus is Lord,” a phrase that is professed and confessed by those within the Christian community. However, what are the fruit of those professing, “Jesus is Lord?”  Jesus called them sinners. Why? Because their heart is far from obedience to God and His Laws. In reality today, those who call Jesus Lord, Lord are worshipping the jesus-god of their own creation. They are not willing to be faithful to the Real Jesus Christ.

Notice the warning Ezekiel laid to the children of Israel, a prophecy meant for the end-time nations of Israel. “For I will lay the land most desolate and the pomp of her strength shall cease … then shall they know that I am the Eternal, when I have laid the land most desolate because of all their abominations which they have committed. … And they come to thee as people cometh and they sit before thee as my people and they hear thy words but they will not do them; for with their mouth they show much love but their heart goes after their covetousness. And lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice and can play well on an instrument; for they hear thy words, but they do not do them. And when this cometh to pass, (lo, it will come), then shall they know that a prophet hath been among them” (Ezekiel 33:28-33).

Sound familiar? Think about it. In America, among all the Christian denominations, the people gather around the Bible, every Sunday (the first day of the week, by the way) to sing and dance and rejoice to hear the Word of the Lord. All this excitement and praise! "Jesus is Lord," they shout and with their lips, they show much love. Yes, that is what is manifest every week in this country. In each different denomination, each jesus-god is worshipped a little differently. Yet all these people love to listen to the Word of the Lord; they hear the words of Jesus Christ. However … they will not so much as do what He commands, what God requires in order to be secure within the salvation process. They hear God’s words but will not do them. They have chosen to worship another god and to disregard the only True God. And beyond the Christian religion, America has allowed the worship of imported religious faiths. What confusion. What sorrow to follow!

One Nation Under God is what the American ethos teaches. Such a slogan is a travesty, a joke! America is One Nation Under gods and for being such, Jesus Christ will take this nation to task. You are living in the time when the work of the Watchman will witness to this nation and speak the message Jesus Christ brought - it is time to repent. As Peter said, Repent and save yourself from this untoward generation. The time is now for you to humble yourself. Repent and begin to worship the one and only True God, the Real Jesus.