Going to Hell?

When it’s heard as mild profanity, few care. When the Bible speaks of Hell as a wretched place of torment, detractors mock it as outmoded superstition. But if a prominent political figure applies it to the economic waywardness of America, perhaps some will take serious note. That is exactly what happened on March 29 as reported by an Associated Press article.

European socialism has long been suggested as a pattern for America, perhaps to better align western nations for a global cooperation and one world government. But when former Communist regimes express dismay over America’s debauched economy, it is indeed time to pay heed.

Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolaneck, the current European Council president, chastised the United States, telling the European Parliament that President Barack Obama’s massive stimulus package and banking bailout "will undermine the stability of the global financial market." According to Topolaneck, "the United States did not take the right path," and he criticized the widening budget deficit and protectionist trade measures by adding that "all of these steps, these combinations and permanency is the way to hell."

He’s not far off. Psalm 9:17 says, "The wicked shall be turned into hell, And all the nations that forget God." That’s a sobering warning to America since we have an abundance of "wicked" people. The word means "morally wrong," or "an actively bad person." Investment brokers like Bernie Madoff, greedy executives who forced hundreds of thousands into unemployment by mismanagement and politicians who forced banks to make impossible loans to unworthy mortgagees are "wicked" by the Bible definition.

Forgetting God seems to be routine these days. Endless hours are spent in discussion and debate, but prayer or any mention of it is avoided like the plague. "In God We Trust" is printed and stamped on U.S. currency and coin, but it’s an empty slogan consciously observed by almost no one.

Shame on us. George Washington prayed in his tent throughout the Revolutionary War Abraham Lincoln fled to God because he had nowhere else to go. Franklin D. Roosevelt led our troops in prayer as they headed for the D-Day invasion. They would all be stunned by the prayerless attitude of our leaders as we face times that can bankrupt our nation and have made us financial slaves of at least 15 nations, among them China, Japan, Venezuela, Russia and Iraq.

James 5:15-18 contrasts wisdom from earth and heaven saying, "This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace."

While ignoring God’s wisdom is costly and can lead to Hell, accepting it is a free trip to success as James 1:5-8 says "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways."

The greatest wisdom for all of us is to heed God’s gracious invitation to receive Christ as Savior since in Him "are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Colossians 2:3). There is still time for nations and individuals to turn from Hell to Heaven, but time is running short.

Dave Virkler