In 2011, I wrote a book titled I Never Thought I’d See the Day. In that book I discussed the changes occurring in America that, in my younger days, I never dreamed possible. Throughout the first half or more of my life, the principles of Christianity provided the underpinnings of our culture. That foundation was laid two centuries earlier, and most of us thought it was too solid and enduring ever to crack.
But crack it did. As I wrote in that book, I never thought I’d see the day when marriage would be obsolete, morality would be in free fall, and the church would become irrelevant to society.
But now, only five years later, I almost think I wrote that book too soon. The changes that shocked me then were soon to grow even more appalling. In the ensuing half-decade since that book, those cracks that riddled America’s foundation have spread into gaping fissures, and many more have appeared. Morality in the United States is no longer in free fall; it has hit bottom. In today’s America, anything goes. Christianity is no longer merely pushed aside; American Christians are now experiencing overt repression and even persecution. Civility in politics and tolerance of opposing ideas has disappeared. Corruption and dishonesty in government is rampant and open. Race relations are deteriorating, earnings are declining, civic disorder is accelerating, and the national debt is beyond control.
We no longer feel safe in our world. Our national borders are being overrun. We have turned our back on our greatest ally; our other allies no longer trust us; our enemies no longer fear us; and the world no longer respects us. Our national leaders seem impotent in the face of a reconstituted, ambitious Russia; nuclear proliferation in rogue states; and the rise of militant terrorism.
Instability now plagues our world both nationally and internationally in ways we have not before witnessed in our lifetimes, creating a nationwide wave of anxiety and insecurity. According to Brookings Institution polls, 49 percent of Americans think our country’s best days are in the past.(1)
So as you can see, many in our nation share my perception that our culture, security, morality, religion, economics, and civility are in the process of serious deterioration. In my conversations with people of all ages, races, and professions, I find deepening anxiety and even fear that things cannot go on as they are for long. It is clear to many people that ominous clouds are darkening our future and events are coming to a head. Many are asking, “Is this the end?”
These are questions I will address in Is This the End? But to avoid the possible accusation that I am promising more than I can deliver, let me be quick to say that some of the answers we seek are hidden in the mind of God. Only He knows whether the flickering ember of America’s flame can be fanned back to life. And only He knows the timetable for Christ’s return.
But the question “Is there hope?” I can answer with an unqualified and resounding yes! You must, however, take care that your hope is accurately placed.
The one right response is to look beyond the gathering storm to the one solid and certain source of hope—to God Himself. Hope in the future of America and the stability of the world is little more than wishful thinking. It is not reliable. The hope God offers is the only realistic, absolute hope that carries the promise of a certain outcome.
In Is This The End?, I will show you how to find that hope. It is a hope that is not dependent on whether America falls or recovers or whether world order stabilizes or disintegrates. It is a hope that rises above trouble and chaos, enabling you to keep your focus on your future reward and endure whatever comes, whether good or evil, with grace and equanimity.
The added benefit of this hope is that those who exercise it before others set an example that may just make a difference in the outcome. Enough Christians exhibiting faith in God just might be the salt that saves America.
—Dr. David Jeremiah, Is This the End?: Signs of God’s Providence in a Disturbing New World
San Diego, California
June 2016
Source: 1. Elizabeth Thom, “New Survey Reveals an Anxious and Nostalgic America Going into the 2016 Election,” Brookings, November 18, 2015, http://www .brookings.edu/blogs/fixgov/posts/2015/11/18-american-values-survey-release-thom.
How to Use This Book
Is This The End? is split into two sections, each covering an important question, which the people you lead are asking:
- Is this the end for America?
- Is this the end for the world?
Detailed chapters cover the topics that people are most anxious about, from a Biblical perspective: terrorism, the bleeding of our borders, the “Anything Goes” society, polarization and divisiveness and signs of the coming of Christ. With biblically based commentary, Dr. Jeremiah points back to scripture for our hope as this book is meant to inspire hope, not fear. The question to address is not whether America and the world will regain their footing, but rather how you will respond whether they do or not. There is also a Study Guide available with 10 lessons which include an outline, an overview, an application and Did You Know? section for robust discussion. This is a tool to help those you lead make sense of our changing, confusing, and anxious time.