(OPINION) Harvest Christian Fellowship Pastor Greg Laurie offered a few possible reasons why the United States is not mentioned in the New Testament book of Revelation.
In a sermon preached last Sunday titled “Antichrist, America and Armageddon,” the California megachurch pastor examined a few passages from Revelation, including the battle at Armageddon.
After noting that the “two superpowers” mentioned as fighting at Armageddon are “the kings of the east and the forces of the Antichrist,” Laurie asked, “where is the United States of America in all of this?”
“It is a glaring omission,” he said. “Now, some people will say they know Scriptures that identify America in the End Times scenario. I don’t find anything of the kind. You can guess, but I don’t think there’s anything that’s certain.”
Laurie then listed a few possible reasons why the U.S. goes unmentioned, the first of which was that “maybe we’re not mentioned because our country is decimated in a nuclear attack.”
Laurie then read from 2 Peter 3, which says in part that “the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.”
“Horrible,” said Laurie. “We think of these Maui wildfires and how quickly they spread. To go from paradise to horror in just moments. Terrifying, horrible thing.”
“Is [2 Peter 3] a description of nuclear war? It could be, because you look at the mass devastation that happens in the book of Revelation. In many ways, it matches what is called a ‘nuclear winter.’”
The second possibility, according to Laurie, is that “we simply decline as a world power,” explaining that “every nation has a shelf life, every nation has a beginning, a middle, and an end.”
“The glory of Greece was eclipsed after 268 years. Mighty Rome ruled for nine centuries. America is 247 years old and counting,” continued Laurie. “So, maybe we just come to the end of our reign as a superpower, and we fade from the scene.”
The third possibility outlined by Laurie, which he described as his “favorite option,” was that maybe the United States might not be present “because a great revival takes place.”
“If we had a spiritual awakening or a series of spiritual awakenings, and thousands and thousands, and millions and millions of Americans came to Christ and were all following Christ and then the rapture happens, that would explain a lot,” he said.
“Even without a revival, when the rapture happens, people are going to disappear. Think about this, people in the military, people in law enforcement, people in the medical field, people in every field you can think of.”
Laurie said that since “a lot of people disappear,” this situation “could shut the nation down overnight,” adding that he prayed that “we do have an awakening” in the U.S.
Laurie’s remarks were part of a sermon series he has been doing over the past couple of weeks titled “Is Jesus Coming Back Again?” that’s centered on topics related to the End Times, with it primarily focused on Revelation.
In an earlier sermon preached last month, Laurie talked about the Second Coming, noting that there were “signs of the times” in the modern day that indicated Jesus’ return was imminent.
Examples he gave included “the emergence of China as a superpower,” “the lessening of the United States as a superpower,” “the repeated threats against Israel spoken of in the Bible,” and “statements from our world leaders about a potential Armageddon” due to the war in Ukraine. (READ MORE)
