New Covenant Prophecy (11) United States

I sense that the United States is close to a turning point.

Many prophets are prophesying that revival is close. That is certainly what God wants, but the outcome depends on whether his people do what he needs to be done to achieve his purposes. The outcome depends on the response of his people. Will they take his call seriously? Most American prophets assume that revival will come, but that outcome is not automatic. It depends on how God’s people respond to his call.

Thirty years ago, the situation in New Zealand was similar to that in America today. The Billy Graham crusades and the Jesus movement had increased the number of serious Christians. The bible was taught in most state primary schools. The Prime Minister carried a copy of the ten commandments in his briefcase. Numerous prophecies announced that revival was coming to New Zealand. We all believed it would happen. But it didn’t.

I believe that God wanted revival, but it seems that his people were not ready to take up the challenge. The revival prophesied has not come yet.

It has amazed me how quickly a nation with a Christian worldview can turn secular if it does not fulfil God's calling. The news and entertainment media in New Zealand are now openly hostile to Christianity. There are no Christian politicians in the cabinet and very few in Parliament. This is sad, but it confirms that revival is not automatic, just because Christians want it and prophesy it. They also have to obey the call and do what God requires.

There is still a strong Christian influence in the United States, but it is waning. The nation might turn back to God, but it could just as easily go the other way. The prophecies about revival and the Holy Spirit moving describe what God wants to achieve, but the fulfilment depends on whether the people respond to his call. The faith of previous generations does not guarantee it.

If the people of God listen to his Spirit and obey his word, there could be a mighty revival that turns the nation back to God and brings great blessing to the earth. But that outcome is no automatic. God does not force people to change.

People could just as easily harden their hearts to the gospel and reject the calling of the Holy Spirit. The influence of the spiritual powers of evil seems to be growing. The spirits of political and military power seem to be throwing their weight around to expand the American empire. In the worst-case scenario, America has the potential to become the Beast described in the Book of Revelation. It certainly has sufficient economic and military power to take on this role.

The American nation faces two very different futures.

• Revival leading to blessing and reconciliation.
• Rejection of God leading to political, economic and military power.

Looking from the outside, the outcome is not obvious.

In this situation, the role of prophets to the nation is incredibly important. They should be explaining the situation to the nation and warning of the consequence of the choices that are being made. Speaking only of reconciliation is misleading, because it might not happen. People need to understand the other possibilities, too.

Instead of giving a clear trumpet call, prophetic people in America seem to be obsessed with Donald Trump. Most seem to blind supporters, but a few are really hostile. This is a serious distraction, because a political leader cannot bring in the Kingdom of God. Donald Trump can wreck a few things, but he cannot build the Kingdom of God. Nor can a conservative Supreme Court. Salvation comes from grace, not law-keeping.

God explained to Samuel the prophet that when the people of God seek a human ruler, they are rejecting God as king. That is not changed by giving the ruler a different name.

They have rejected me as their king (1 Sam 8:7).

When the Kingdom of God comes, God will be king, not a powerful human ruler.

The United States urgently needs prophets to give a clear message to the nation. They will

• Describe to the nation the different outcomes that lie before it.
• Explain to the nation the consequences of the choices being made.
• Warn what the powers of evil are planning to do.
• Describe what will happen if the nation continues on its currents path.
• Tell the people of God what they must do to bring the nation back under God.
• Tell political and business leaders what the need to do to bring the nation back on to God’s path.
• Tell the people of God how to be a remnant that he can use, if the nation continues to go in the wrong way.

Irony
The irony is that if revival does come to America, the nation will not become great again in the way that many people expect. God does not work through political domains. He works through local communities that trust him. So if the revival comes, the nation might break up into smaller kingdom communities, as human political power and military force become redundant. This is a vision that American prophets should be proclaiming.