Forgotten Lessons!

For many people, the Old Testament is just that—old, outdated and of little or no relevance to our present world. Because of this misguided and misinformed perspective, vital lessons recorded in the Scriptures and verified by the facts of history are being overlooked, ignored and forgotten! In the days just ahead, the tragic consequences of our modern social and historical amnesia will shock and surprise the United States and other modern Israelite nations, as ancient biblical prophecies continue to come alive!

The Big Lesson

One of the most important themes that runs through the Old Testament is that obedience to God's laws will bring blessings, and that disobedience will bring serious consequences. The God of the Bible promised that Abraham would be blessed if he obeyed God's instructions (Genesis 17:1–8). When God brought the children of Israel out of Egypt, He promised to make them His chosen people, "if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant" (Exodus 19:5–6). In sealing the covenant with Moses and the Israelites, God promised blessings for obedience to His laws—and curses if they would disobey His commandments and "despise" His statutes (Leviticus 26:3, 14–15). God warned the twelve tribes of Israel that, because of their disobedience, He would "break the pride of your power" and bring curses including terror, wasting disease, plagues, defeat by enemies and captivity in foreign lands (see Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 28).

When Joshua succeeded Moses as Israel's leader, God told him to "be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you… that you may prosper wherever you go" (Joshua 1:5–9). Regrettably, after Joshua's death, Israel "forsook the Lord… they followed other gods… and they provoked the Lord to anger" and their enemies rose up against them (Judges 2:7–15). When David turned the kingdom of Israel over to Solomon, David told his son to "be strong… keep the charge of the Lord your God… walk in His ways… keep His statutes, His commandments… that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn" (1 Kings 2:1–4). However, when Solomon prospered, he turned away from God and followed pagan gods. As a result, he incurred God's anger—and his son Rehoboam lost most of his father's kingdom (1 Kings 11:1–13).

The book of 2 Kings records the gradual demise of the nations of Israel and Judah, and their drift into moral decay and idolatry—as they forgot God, rejected His laws and adopted the immoral and perverted lifestyles of their pagan neighbors. As a result, God removed these "chosen people" from His sight, and sent them into captivity in Assyria and Babylon after they had suffered crushing defeats at the hands of their enemies (2 Kings 17:5–11; 25:1–12). The tragic lesson that runs through the Old Testament is that when God's chosen people obeyed Him they were blessed, but when they forgot God and disobeyed His laws, they suffered—from disease, environmental calamities, military defeat—and, eventually, captivity. The record is there for all to read—in the Bible and in the annals of history! Considering this record, it is hardly surprising that Jesus said, "If you love Me, keep My commandments" (John 14:15) and emphasized that breaking the laws of God is sin (1 John 3:4)!

Dangerous Parallels!

But what does this ancient history have to do with the modern inhabitants of the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa—and other locations, such as Scandinavia and Western Europe, where the modern descendants of the Israelites dwell today? Are these Old Testament lessons still relevant for Christians today? According to the Bible, they still apply! Many professing Christians overlook that the Apostle Paul wrote, "Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come" (1 Corinthians 10:1–11). According to Paul, these Old Testament events are recorded so we can avoid making the same mistakes that our forefathers made and suffering the same consequences that they experienced!

Sadly, these vital lessons are being ignored and forgotten in our modern (and supposedly enlightened) world! Today, we live in an age where belief in God is becoming a subject of ridicule. Loud voices claim that the laws of God are not only outdated, but evil, discriminatory and even "homophobic"! Paganism is making a comeback in the so-called "Western, Christian" world and the numbers of witches and Satan-worshipers are growing. In fact, many so-called "Christian traditions" such as Christmas, Easter and various saints' days can be clearly traced to pagan, pre-Christian origins—that the Bible prohibits and condemns (Deuteronomy 12:29–32; Jeremiah 10:1–5).

Although Scripture forbids homosexual conduct, same-sex "marriage" is now legal in many Western nations, and many once-forbidden sexual activities (e.g. homosexuality, transvestitism, cohabitation, prostitution and abortion) are now promoted as normal in school classrooms—and even blessed by some churches, even though the Bible condemns them as perversions and abominations (Leviticus 18:22; Romans 1:25–28). Many nations that once claimed to be Christian have not only lost their moral compass, they have absolutely rejected fundamental values that have set "Western Christendom" apart from the "non-Christian" world. And this has all happened within the last 40 years or so!

Troubles Ahead!

What will the consequences be for nations that once claimed to be "Christian" but are now turning away from fundamental Christian teachings? Students of history know that if nations do not learn from the lessons of history, they are bound to repeat past mistakes! Long ago, Moses warned the children of Israel, "I know that after my death you will become utterly corrupt, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you. And evil will befall you in the latter days, because you will do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him to anger through the work of your hands" (Deuteronomy 31:29). Moses told the Israelites that because of their disobedience, aliens within their midst would become more assertive and the Israelites would wind up borrowing from foreign nations—who would then begin to dictate policy to them (Deuteronomy 28:43–44). These prophecies accurately describe the very situations that are confronting the "so-called Christian" nations of the Western world today. The prophet Jeremiah also foresaw an end-time period that he referred to as "the time of Jacob's trouble" when God would punish the Israelite nations for their sinful ways—stating, "In the latter days [the end-times] you will consider it" (Jeremiah 30:5–24).

The sobering lesson of Scripture and history is that when nations turn away from the laws of God and despise His instructions, there will be serious consequences! The God of the Bible clearly warns, "Have you not brought this on yourself, in that you have forsaken the Lord your God… Your own wickedness will correct you, and your backslidings will reprove you" (Jeremiah 2:17–19). Yet, this same God mercifully states, "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 forsake you nor destroy you" (Deuteronomy 4:30–31). These are powerful lessons of history that no nation can afford to forget!