James Russell, Elder:
Dear Brethren and Co-workers;
Today the modern House of Israel [U.S.A] has failed to keep the commandments, statutes and judgments
of the Law of the Lord, multiplying sins of commission and omission. Foreseeing this, Isaiah was led to exclaim:
“Thus saith the Lord, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the Lord thy God which teach thee to profit,
which lead thee, by the way that thou should go. O that thou had hearkened to My commandments! Then had
thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea.” (Isa. 48:17-18.)
Our nation has not known genuine peace for many decades. At the present time, the threat of national and
international terrorism, by fanatical guerrilla groups, constitutes a menace to the tranquillity of all peoples.
Meanwhile, violence, mayhem and murder stalk the streets of our cities and the blessings of prosperity are
proving to be a mirage. All of this lends emphasis to Isaiah's condemnation, “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy
voice like a trumpet, and shew My people their transgressions” (Isa 58:1).What is the transgression, and what
are the sins, of the nations of God's people today? Their-transgression is their failure to keep the covenant God
made with their-forefathers when they were organized into the great nation of the United States of America!
Consider the conditions of immorality rampant in our midst. Sordid books' and theater productions, vile
motion pictures and debased TV programs all cater to abnormal human behavior while glorifying the sins of the
flesh. It is a sad commentary on the morality of the people as a whole, when the crowds that indulge in all these
forms of so-called "entertainment" indicate, by their approval and financial support, that they love to have it-so.
As the day approaches that will be marked by fear and trembling — for it is certainly coming — these
words come to mind: “When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when
distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they call upon Me, but I will not answer; they shall seek Me
early, but they shall not find Me: for that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord: they
would none of My counsel; they despised all My reproof. Therefore, shall they eat of the fruit of their own way,
and be filled with their own devices. For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of
fools shall destroy them. But whoso hearkens, unto Me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil”
(Prov:1:27-33).
The Apostle Paul speaking to the Galatians, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man
sows, that shall he also reap. For he that sows to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that sows to
the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting” (Gal 6:7-8). This also applies to the United States! Whatever
a nation sows, that nation will reap!
According to the National Review: “America is unraveling at a stunning speed and to a staggering
degree. This decline is breathtaking, and the prognosis is dim.” Listening and reading the daily news, brings
God’s word of over 2000 years ago, right up to date! In 2011, Nile Gardiner, Ph.D. of the Heritage Foundation,
expressed concern that “the present administration lacks a coherent long term vision for maintaining America’s
place as the world’s superpower.” And at present, “The United States faces a world that is ever more
dangerous, with the looming specter of a nuclear armed Iran, mounting turmoil in North Africa, a resurgent and
aggressive Russia, a rising and authoritarian China, and a malevolent and rogue state in North Korea,” And
now we have a new war firing up in Iraq and Syria.
Why? Is all this happening to the United States? In the 1960's we started taking God out of the national
government and the lives of the people. We have let the court system tell us how we should live. We let the
abortion activist tell us that abortion is a woman’s right to choose. Today, we let the courts tell us that gay
marriage is government protected. God who created all things has said His laws, statutes and judgments are the
guide to life! But God is no longer accepted in this country!
The Covenant of Nationhood that God entered into with His people at Mount Sinai, where the foundation
of the Kingdom of God on earth, was laid, and, was very specific in its requirements. The righteousness of the
people was to be based upon the Law of the Lord and, among the accruing benefits of Governmental
administration were to be general well-being, prosperity and peace. The National Covenant contains what we
commonly call, “If” and “But” clauses. The following is a brief quotation: "If ye walk in My statutes, and keep
My commandments, and do them; then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase,
and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. And your threshing shall reach unto the vintage, and, the vintage
shalt reach unto the sowing time: and ye shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely. And I will
give peace in the land. ..neither shall the sword go through your land. And ye shall chase your enemies, and they
shall fall before you by the sword....For I will have respect unto you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you,
and establish My covenant with you" (Lev. 26: 3-9.)
While the National Covenant states the Lord will grant peace to His obedient people, it does not guarantee
the absence of war, for the covenant presupposed the fact that God's people would have enemies. But there would
always be victory in war: “Five of you shall chase an hundred, and an hundred of you shall put ten thousand to
flight and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword” (Lev. 26:8).
On the other hand, disobedience on the part of the people which would constitute a lapse into
unrighteousness, would bring the "But" clauses under the National Covenant into operation. Notice the following
summation: “But if ye will not hearken unto Me and will not do all these commandments; and if ye shall despise
My statutes, or if your soul abhor My judgments, so that ye will not do all My commandments, but that ye break
My covenant. I will set My face against you, and ye shall be slain before your enemies: they that hate you shall
reign over you. And I will break the pride of your power. And I will bring a sword upon you, that shall avenge
the quarrel of My covenant and ye shall have no power to stand before your enemies." (Lev. 26: 14-37.)
While these are stipulations in the covenant God made with our forefathers at Mount Sinai many
generations ago, they read more like a summary of transpiring events contained in today's newspapers!
In the National Covenant, ample provision was made for national defense against all aggressors as long
as the people were in right relationship with their God. Remember, during World War 1 and World War 2, God
was on our side, because we were still a nation that trusted and believed God was our protections from evil!
Perhaps, the USA’s decline is due to its declining dependence upon the Creator and Sustainer of the country.
Could it be that as we have retreated from dependence upon Him that our situation at home and the world stage
has diminished? In 1778, James Madison reminded the country that “We have staked the whole future of the
American civilization, not upon the power of the government....but upon our capacity to sustain ourselves
according to the Ten Commandments of God.”
No longer can prayer be heard in schools, our National buildings and in the Military! God’s Word cannot
be taught. We are warned: “If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him: if we deny Him, He also will deny us”
(2 Tim 2:12). “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For
he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit
reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not” (Gal
6:7-9).
CHURCH OF GOD, IN TRUTH
P.O. Box 1120 Kimberling City, MO 65686: Tel: 417-338-0033 Fax: 417-338-0031
James Russell, Elder Tel: 417-338-0033 E-mail: cogit@flash.net
Pete Fleming, Elder Tel: 830-885-5502 E-mail: pmf06@gvtc.com
Puerto Rico Martin Martinez, Deacon Tel: 787-786-5856 E-mail: marty@ucsint.com
Phillippines Romeo Samudio Tel: 090-8536-4415 E-mail: romesamudio@yahoo.co