♪♪♪
Gerald Weston: Western culture is changing
radically and rapidly.
Collective belief in the God of the Bible is
clearly waning, as shown in numerous surveys.
Don Feder in a March 29, 2022, "Washington Times" opinion piece
wrote, "The study by the prestigious American Enterprise
Institute titled 'Generation Z and the future of faith in
America,' which was released on March the 24th, shows a steady
erosion of religious affiliation and the corresponding
rise of atheism and agnosticism."
Some may question whether this trend is harmful to our modern
nations, but Feder warned this "just-published
survey of the decline of religion in America
should set off alarm bells in our heads.
The growth of secularism is one more cause
for anxiety about the future of our republic."
What happens when nations forget God?
I'll explore that question on today's "Tomorrow's World"
program, and I'll also be offering you an absolutely free
resource, "Acts of God: Why Natural Disasters?"
There have always been what we call natural
disasters, but it seems that in the last few years
we have experienced more than normal.
The western United States has been in what is called
exceptional drought for several years.
The town of Lytton, British Columbia, in Canada saw an
unbelievably high temperature of 49.6 degree Celsius.
That's 121.3 degrees Fahrenheit in June of 2021,
and that's in Canada.
And Australia has suffered through alternating
droughts and floods for several years.
Is this all a matter of coincidence,
or is there more to it?
Is God perhaps trying to get our attention?
"Acts of God: Why Natural Disasters?"
brings clarity to this question,
and it can be yours free of charge.
The decline of Christianity in the United States, Britain,
Canada, Australia, Europe, and elsewhere should,
as Feder warned, set off alarm bells, and
I'll show you why, so stay with me.
♪♪♪
Gerald Weston: A warm welcome to all of you from
"Tomorrow's World," where today I'm discussing
what happens when nations forget God.
That our Western nations have become less religious
and more secular is without doubt.
As Don Feder pointed out in "The Washington Times,"
"Generation Z, those born between 1997 and
2012, is the least religious in our history."
And it's not only the United States.
The United Kingdom has been on a
long slide away from God for decades.
A Religious Media Centre online briefing discussed
the early findings of the 2021 census.
"In the UK, the panelists expected that the results of the
2021 Census, which are due to be published in the spring, would
show 'significant changes.'"
Those significant changes include a
decline in religious interest, but panelists pointed
out that the decline is not even across the board.
According to Bishop Mike Royal, "In many communities," he said,
"religion was more important than ever.
Sixty per cent of people in church in London,
on any given Sunday, were black.
There was a 'huge explosion' of black-majority black-led
churches and the Nigerian-led Redeemed Christian Church of God
was the fastest growing denomination in the UK."
According to this same source, the census is expected to show
the following changes over the last decade.
"In 2011, the census showed 59 per cent said they were
Christian, 25 per cent no religion, and 5 per cent
Muslim," but in 2021, "it is widely expected that the number
identifying as Christian may dip below 50 per cent and the number
ticking the non-religious box will rise."
Overall, whether the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia,
Canada, or the United States, secularism
is on the rise, and religious, especially
organized Christian religion, is in decline.
Some think this is a good thing, and the idea is not new.
Remember "Imagine," the popular John Lennon song,
which is now more than 50 years old?
Lists vary, but according to rateyourmusic.com
"Imagine" was the number one song of the 20th century.
"Imagine there's no heaven.
It's easy if you try.
No hell below us.
Above us only sky.
Imagine all the people living for today."
Well, we hardly have to imagine anymore, as each generation
seems to outdo the last when it comes to casting
off belief in God and living only for today.
"Imagine there's no countries.
It isn't hard to do.
Nothing to kill or die for and no religion too.
Imagine all the people living life in peace."
Again, it's not hard to imagine because this is becoming more
the normal, except for the part about living life in peace.
There's more sentimental foolishness in John Lennon and
Yoko Ono's "Imagine," but I think we get the point.
While dreamers imagine no religion, the ultimate target of
many is the God of the Bible, no God, no
afterlife, no hope beyond the grave.
Just live for today and somehow that will bring peace and
happiness to all, and don't you just love that line in the song
about "Imagine no possessions," coming from one whose net worth,
according to celebritynetworth.com,
was estimated to be $200 million
at the time of his death in 1980?
And apparently, Yoko Ono, whose net worth exceeds
$700 million, co-wrote "Imagine."
Neither were hardly without possessions.
While others dream about a world without God, thinking
individuals might well ask, "Is our world getting better or
worse as we cast aside our Creator?"
The answer is all around us.
Crime is skyrocketing in major cities.
Freedoms are being infringed upon.
There's a major war in continental Europe,
one that some fear could once again
engulf the continent and the world.
China and the West are increasingly at odds.
Iran is working on a nuclear weapon.
Governments are failing.
Economies are in shambles.
Inflation, broken supply chains, empty store shelves, and
electrical blackouts are becoming a way
of life in some parts of the world.
Do you, my friends, feel safer and more prosperous
today than you did five years ago?
We'll look at the answer to that question in a moment, but first,
I wanna tell you about a resource that can be yours free
for the asking, "Acts of God: Why Natural Disaster?"
Much of the Western United States has suffered
multiple years of exceptional drought.
Europe saw a record-high temperature this past summer,
and parts of America and Australia have
suffered record-breaking floods.
Is this the result of man-made climate change,
or is there something else at work?
The Bible long ago predicted what would happen to nations who
forsake the only true God, embrace heathen ideas, and
forget the source of their blessings.
So if you'd like to know more about what the Bible says
about your future, order your free copy of
"Acts of God: Why Natural Disaster?"
And when I come back after this short break, we'll look at what
happens when nations forget their Creator.
male announcer: For today's free offer, call...
or go to TWTV.org/Disasters.
This clear and straightforward resource will
help you understand this vital truth
straight from the pages of the Bible.
If you're calling for the first time, you will also receive a
free annual subscription to "Tomorrow's World" magazine.
Ten inspiring issues discussing news, science and
modern culture will help you make sense of
your world from a biblical perspective.
Call today and join millions around the world who are turning
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and hope in these confusing times.
Call now, or go to TWTV.org/Disasters.
Gerald Weston: Today we're exploring the question of what
happens when nations forget and reject their Creator.
Malachi, the last book in the Old Testament of the Bible, is
an interesting study in self-deception.
When confronted about their behaviors,
the people responded cynically.
For example, he charged them with despising his name, and
their response, "In what way have we despised Your name?"
God's answer is direct.
They were not showing him proper honor and respect.
Kind of like today where people go to
church services just as they are.
Even in dress, they show less respect for God than they do in
the presence of human dignitaries and celebrities.
Just as in Malachi's day, people
today worship God half-heartedly.
God also indicted them for covering his altar with tears
and sorrow, but they responded, "For what reason?"
God's answer, "Because the LORD has been witness
between you and the wife of your youth,
with whom you have dealt treacherously.
For the LORD God of Israel says that He hates divorce."
God commanded them to return to him, but they responded,
"In what way shall we return?"
His answer came with a simple question and an explanation.
"Will a man rob God?
Yet you have robbed Me!
But you say, 'In what way have we robbed you?'"
And God's answer, "In tithes and offerings.
You are cursed with a curse, for you have
robbed Me, even this whole nation."
Tragically, our Western so-called
Christian nations are no different.
Rather than man up for forgetting our
Creator, we reject his very existence.
Even those who profess to know him have ready
excuses why they don't need to obey him.
As it was in Jesus's day, so it is today.
"But why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord,' and
do not do the things which I say?"
That's from Luke the 6th chapter and verse 46.
Let's forget the excuses and take
a hard look at our Western nations.
We can start with the indictment God gave through Malachi,
treachery against one's married partner.
The state of marriage today is disgraceful.
Whether it's the United States, Canada, the
United Kingdom, or other British-descended nations,
the overall picture of marriage is one of betrayal.
According to FinancesOnline, the three leading causes of divorce
in the United States are lack of commitment, 75%; infidelity or
extramarital affairs, 59.6%; too much conflict or arguing, 57.5%.
The following behaviors also play
into the demise of marriages.
Almost 50% of couples with one
alcoholic partner end up divorcing.
Couples who have been living together prior to marriage face
a 40% increase in the likelihood of divorce, and 56% of couples
cited addiction to pornography as a contributor to divorce.
What is the common denominator in
all these causes for failure?
The violation of God's laws.
And what's the effect?
Pain, heartache, and confused and hurting children.
The American and British-descended peoples have
come to prominence in the last two centuries.
There's far more to this story than
most realize, but here's the point.
Consider where we were 150 years ago and where we are today.
Our nations have come to enjoy unparalleled prosperity.
We once were nations that professed belief in God, the God
of the Bible, not that we were ever truly righteous nations,
but we at least had a consciousness of God.
Whatever our relationship was before
with him, it has fallen dramatically.
In this light, is not the warning God gave ancient Israel
appropriate for the American and British-descended peoples?
"When you have eaten and are full, beware that you do not
forget the LORD your God by not keeping His commandments, His
judgments, and His statutes which I command you today,
lest--when you have eaten and are full and have built
beautiful houses and dwell in them; and when your herds and
your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold are
multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied; when your
heart is lifted up, and you forget the LORD
your God who brought you out of the land of
Egypt from the house of bondage."
God has much more to say about those who forget him, and in the
next portion of the program, we'll see why God would use
unprecedented natural disasters to gain our attention, and
that's why we're offering you our free resource,
"Acts of God: Why Natural Disasters?"
God sometimes uses weather, volcanoes, and other natural
means to humble us and bring us back to reality.
This resource mentions past disasters such as the Noachian
flood, the destructions of Sodom and Gomorrah, and other plagues
and famines to deal with rebellious mankind.
"Acts of God: Why Natural Disasters?"
also shows what the Bible says about our future,
and it can be yours free for the asking.
So pick up the phone and call the number on your screen, or go
to TWTV.org/Disasters, and when I come back in 15 seconds, I'll
show you why God will use unprecedented natural disasters
to gain our attention because we have forgotten him.
announcer: This clear and straightforward resource
will help you understand this vital truth
straight from the pages of the Bible.
Call now, or go to TWTV.org/Disasters.
Gerald Weston: On today's "Tomorrow's World" program, I'm
showing you what the Bible reveals about
the future for those who forget their God.
America, Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand were
once considered Christian nations, not that they ever
truly followed the God of the Bible, but there was at least a
token effort on the part of most, and there were and still
are many very sincere people, even if deceived, who strive to
live in harmony with God, but our world has changed
dramatically in the last several years.
What a sad state of affairs when a nominee to the United States
Supreme Court could not answer a simple
question during her confirmation hearing.
Here's the short exchange between Senator Blackburn
and Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson.
Marsha Blackburn: Can you provide a definition
for the word "woman"?
Ketanji Jackson: Can I provide a definition?
No, I can't.
Marsha Blackburn: You can't?
Ketanji Jackson: Not in this context, no.
I'm not a biologist.
Marsha Blackburn: The meaning of the world "woman" is so
unclear and controversial that you can't give me a definition?
Gerald Weston: That, dear friends, is how
far we have strayed from reality.
Why?
Many fail to realize that it is biblical values that are under
attack, and I must agree with outspoken Piers Morgan, who
called Judge Jackson's response ridiculous.
How can you have women's rights when
you cannot determine what is a woman?
I'm personally at a loss for words to describe
the insanity afflicting our nations.
Women, whatever they are, must compete in sports against men,
whatever they are, who think they're, well, I think you get
the point, and they use the same locker rooms.
Mothers take their toddlers to libraries where
drag queens read stories to them.
Man, woman, mother, father, husband, wife--
all these terms are under attack.
Universities and businesses require students and employees
to refer to others by a list of preferred pronouns,
the length of which is so long that only a
memory expert could remember them all.
Cancel culture is reserved for any who refuse to enter a
person's delusions and fantasy world.
The insensitive are sometimes required to go to
the corporate gulags for sensitivity training.
This is America, Canada, and Australia, countries
whose citizens are increasingly rejecting
the God who created them.
The degree to which biblical norms of male and female are
being rejected is shocking, but this was predicted long ago.
Jesus tells us in Luke the 17th chapter, beginning in verse 26,
"And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will
be also in the days of the Son of Man.
Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they
drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on
the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and
brimstone form heaven and destroyed them all.
Even so will it be in the day
when the Son of Man is revealed."
The days of Noah are summed up in Genesis the 6th chapter.
Notice what it says in verse 5.
"Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in
the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts
of his heart was only evil continually."
We read in verse 11 the result of man's wickedness,
"And the earth was filled with violence."
The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were
known for gross sexual immortality.
God inspired the apostle Paul to record for all time the
consequences of man rejecting his creator.
After explaining this rejection, the suppression of truth, he
explains, "And even as they did not like to retain God in their
knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those
things which are not fitting; being filled with all
unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness,
covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy,
murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness."
Paul also warns those who "Approve of those who practice
them," that is, these ungodly behaviors that he mentioned.
These are the one who cowardly go along with this foolishness.
Sadly, corporations and individuals are only too eager
to jump on the bandwagon, but the consequences of our
forgetting our Creator will be catastrophic.
Jesus warned that the world would come to the brink of
universal destruction, noted in Matthew the
24th chapter, beginning in verse 21.
"For then there will be great tribulation, such
as has not been since the beginning of the
world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.
And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be
saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened."
We've read this passage many times on
this program, but do we really get it?
Do we understand what it is saying?
Do we understand the consequences of our behaviors?
I'm going to take a short break to give you an opportunity to
take down our contact information to order our free
resource "Acts of God: Why Natural Disasters?"
before giving you more specifics from the Bible of what is ahead
because our nations are rejecting our Creator.
Some of the consequences involve weather, earthquakes,
volcanic eruptions, and other natural disasters on a scale
and frequency never known by man.
All of this is recorded in the Bible for the end of the age.
The warnings have been there for anyone
willing to open the Bible and read it.
"Acts of God: Why Natural Disasters?"
brings clarity to what we see, what we see now, and what is in
our future, and it can be yours free of charge.
It has already been paid for by members of the
Living Church of God and our co-workers.
So pick up the phone or go to our website TWTV.org/Disasters
and order your free copy today, and when I come back, I'll give
you more specifics of what to expect in the very near future.
announcer: For today's free offer, call...
or go to TWTV.org/Disasters.
This clear and straightforward resource will
help you understand this vital truth
straight from the pages of the Bible.
If you're calling for the first time, you will also receive a
free annual subscription to "Tomorrow's World" magazine.
Ten inspiring issues discussing news, science and
modern culture will help you make sense of
your world from a biblical perspective.
Call today and join millions around the world
who are turning to "Tomorrow's World" for truth,
prophecy, and hope in these confusing times.
Call now, or go to TWTV.org/Disasters.
Gerald Weston: What happens when people
forget God and reject his commands?
I've touched on this question in the previous
portions of this program, but let's look at more
specifics as recorded in the Bible.
When people no longer understand the difference between male and
female and when every intent of the thoughts of their hearts are
only evil continually, disaster is on the way.
Life for those of us living today in Western nations is
better physically than at any time in the history of man, but
God gave this warning to ancient Israel when
they would experience a similar time.
"Beware that you do not forget the LORD your God by not keeping
His commandments, lest--when you have eaten and are full, and
have built beautiful houses and dwell in them; and when your
herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold
are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied; when your
heart is lifted up, and you forget the LORD
your God who brought you out of the land of
Egypt from the house of bondage."
He goes on to warn against thinking we have all these
blessings because of our own doing.
"When you say in your heart, 'My power and the might of my hand
have gained me this wealth.'
And you shall remember the LORD your
God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth,
that He may establish His covenant which
He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.
Then it shall be, if you by any means forget the LORD your God,
and follow other gods, and serve them and worship them, I testify
against you this day that you shall surely perish."
God promises people good weather, power against enemies,
the fruitful womb, and so much more if they would
obey him, but notice the flip side to this
in Leviticus 26, beginning in verse 19.
"I will break the pride of your power; I will make your heavens
like iron and your earth like bronze.
And your strength shall be spent in vain; for your
land shall not yield its produce, nor shall
the trees of the land yield their fruit."
Yes, among other consequences, natural disasters such as
severe, exceptional drought would be the result, and as the
prophet Amos explained in how God dealt with his people at an
earlier time, rainfall would not be equal--just as
we see some areas today suffering massive
flooding, while other areas have no rain.
"I also withheld rain from you, when there
were still three months to the harvest.
I made it rain on one city, I withheld rain from another city.
One part was rained upon, and where
it did not rain the part withered."
God gives us a choice, and we will live
by the consequences of our choices.
Sadly, only after we suffer the results of
our bad choices will we turn to God.
This is spelled out in Deuteronomy the 4th chapter, but
notice that it's not for ancient Israel alone but for the nations
God has blessed in the latter day at the end of the age.
Begin with verse 26.
"I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day,
that you will soon utterly perish from the land which you
cross over the Jordan to possess; you will not prolong
your days in it, but will be utterly destroyed.
But from there you will seek the LORD your God,
and you will find Him if you seek Him with
all your heart and with all your soul.
When you are in distress, and all these things come upon you
in the latter days, when you turn to the LORD
your God and obey His voice, He will not
utterly forsake you nor destroy you."
Be sure to order your free copy of "Acts
of God: Why Natural Disasters?"
And if the line is busy, wait five
or ten minutes and try again.
This eye-opening resource explains from the pages of the
Bible what to expect in the years ahead, and be sure to come
back next week when Richard Ames, Wallace Smith, Rod McNair
and I will share with you the revelation of Jesus Christ, the
good news of the coming kingdom of God, and the exciting
end-time prophecies and their meaning.
announcer: For today's free offer, call...
or go to TWTV.org/Disasters.
Call today and join millions around the world who are turning
to "Tomorrow's World" for truth, prophecy,
and hope in these confusing times.
announcer: The preceding program is
produced by the Living Church of God.