Point of No Return

It is possible for a nation in rebellion to reach a point of no return, securing an inevitable transition from God’s discipline to destruction. When this point is reached, the nation cannot be spared the severity of God’s judgment, even by the intercessory prayers of the righteous (Jer. 15:1–4). Ezekiel prophesies:

The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, when a land sins against me by acting faithlessly, and I stretch out my hand against it and break its supply of bread and send famine upon it, and cut off from it man and beast, … If I cause wild beasts to pass through the land, and they ravage it, and it be made desolate, so that no one may pass through because of the beasts, … Or if I bring a sword upon that land and say, Let a sword pass through the land, and I cut off from it man and beast, … Or if I send a pestilence into that land and pour out my wrath upon it with blood, to cut off from it man and beast, even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I live, declares the Lord God, they would deliver neither son nor daughter. They would deliver but their own lives by their righteousness” (Eze. 14:12–20).

We find an example of this in Nahum’s prophecy against Nineveh, the capitol of the Assyrian empire. Because of Nineveh’s wickedness, judgment would come, and there would be no easing the nation’s hurt (Nah. 3:1–19). Likewise, the prophet Jeremiah makes similar declarations against Judah and Israel (Jer. 10:18–19; 30:11–12).

The prophet Nahum questions Nineveh, “Why are you scheming against the LORD? He will destroy you with one blow; he won’t need to strike twice! His enemies tangled like thornbushes and staggering like drunks, will be burned up like dry stubble in a field. Who is this wicked counselor of yours who plots evil against the LORD?” (Nah. 1:9–11). It is not possible to know the extent of God’s patience in the face of evil, but it appears the point of no return may occur when a nation’s waywardness is transformed into a persistent opposition of Him—into an outright war against God (Isa. 59:11–14; Jer. 11:9–11).

It seems there is a difference between ignoring God’s instruction and actively opposing it. This should give us pause, considering that America is enshrining its rebellion within its laws—permitting and encouraging its citizens to celebrate and champion evil. Increasingly, America is flaunting its disregard for God—aggressively parading it as a declaration of war against God Himself.

This article comes from Heart of a Forerunner: How to Be a Relevant and Influential Voice in a Wayward Nation

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