Everyone who knows me or has read the things I write knows that I openly declare my belief in God and that I am a Christian.  You also know that I am a veteran, a proud American, and a constitutional conservative who believes in interpreting the constitution from an originalist view.  Therefore, as I address the statement in my title know that I will include my biblical perspective in what I say.

I have lived on this planet a long time, in the view of some, and having grown up in the 50’s and 60’s witnessed some incredible changes in our world.  However, someone having grown up in the 80’s and 90’s could say the same thing because the transition has become so rapid it is difficult to stay abreast of what is happening.  The forces at work to “fundamentally transform” or “totally destroy” our republic and “transform” the world into one that embraces their anti-God, anti-capitalism and anti-national sovereignty have become incredibly bold and active.  I have often wondered about this phenomenon and how they are able to advance their agenda so easily and rapidly.  I have even asked God why?  As a result of musing on the matter, talking to scores of people, reading extensively, and praying earnestly I have come to a singular conclusion that, I believe, is at the top of the list of WHY.  What I am going to advance will resonate with some and receive the scorn of others, but it is what I believe.  My prayer and hope are that what I say will cause you to look inward and outward and realize the need as well as the opportunity.

My title should have suggested what I believe to be at the top of the list of causes for the conditions in our nation and world.  I am convinced that one of the major reasons we are in the condition we are in is APATHY or SLUMBER.  I see that on more than one front and would say that “We Have Been Asleep” and while we slept the enemy crept in and has sown tares in our wheat, robbed our chicken coops, and stolen our republic.  For too long, we (Americans) have taken a “live and let live” attitude toward government.  It seems that so long as the “entitlement checks” keep coming, and the politicians do not do anything that “directly” affects us we have been blasé in our attitude which has allowed the fox to raid the hen house without detection or resistance.

There were some significant shifts in political attitude in Washington back in the late 40’s that manifested itself in a much more significant manner in the 60’s and at the turn of this century that train was barreling down the track almost unstoppable.  I don’t know if the strain of WWII moved us to a more individualistic attitude and one where we wanted to just be left alone or if there was more, but that surfaced in a noticeable way in the late 40’s.  In the 60’s the Baby Boomer Generation had become so adamantly “anti-establishment” and determined to throw off restraints that we ignored government and pursued our personal interests which were sometimes simply to get stoned and party.  Without the watchful eye of the public and because many were focused on what the Baby Boomers were doing they ignored the politicians and those who sought to “transform” and “revise” the American republic saw and seized their opportunity.  America was, in a great sense in a deep sleep trying to sleep it off hoping that tomorrow would return us to normal or restore our founding moral moorings.  Tomorrow didn’t come but we slept on.

However, there is an even larger problem, in my view, and that is the Church has been ASLEEP and when the church sleeps evil gains ground.  When evil gains ground it affects every aspect of life especially the political.  In Matthew 25, Jesus followed His discussion of the Last Days in Matthew 24 with the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins.  The Jewish wedding was not like our Western weddings.  The groom had to build a honeymoon place at his home or father’s home and once it was completed would go get his bride and take her to his house for the ceremony.  That might occur anytime in a seven day period and could occur in the middle of the night.  Jesus spoke of the 10 virgins and described 5 as wise who took the lamps and extra oil and 5 who only had their lamps with the oil in them.  In the middle of the night, the cry or call came, “The Bridegroom is coming!”  All the virgins arose from sleep and went out.  The 5 foolish realized they were not prepared and asked the prepared ones to share their oil, but that was not possible because the oil represent the Spirit of God and I cannot give you my portion of the Spirit you have to receive it directly.  The issue was, they were sleeping and half of them were unprepared and in a real sense caught unaware.  They could have prepared and been ready but they underestimated the need.  I believe the Church, has largely been in a state of slumber, and not been on the job as lights shining in the darkness.  Too many churches have ceased seeking the oil of the Spirit of God and since they lived in relative peace and were doing well financially and numerically they stopped warning and watching.  When the Church or Christians are silent evil expands and grows bold.  When Churches and Christians fall asleep during their watch the enemy sneaks by the sentry post and entrenches itself within the city.  That has happened in America and the result is incredibly bad politically, socially, morally, relationally, and even economically.

The problem or a significant problem that occurs when the Church is silent regarding the evils of government, government moves toward the tyrannical.  When they Church is willingly or forcibly rendered silent, bad government expands and the moral moorings of the nation drift away from those basic principles upon which America was established and have kept us strong for almost two and one-half centuries.  I remember traveling once and another person took the wheel to drive while I caught a few winks.  I woke up an hour later and we were 50 miles off course and headed in the wrong direction.  We missed a critical turn because I was sleeping not navigating.  We have some troubled waters to navigate today, in America, and if we continue to SLEEP THROUGH IT we will wake up and find our nation no longer our nation and our freedom no longer freedom.  GOD HELP US!

What I believe is about to happen is two-fold.  I believe God is about to send the Midnight Cry and many are going to awaken.  The result of that will be a revival and move of God like we have never witnessed.  It will be the End Time Harvest the Bible predicts.  Sadly, if this Parable is reflective of what will happen at least half the Church will be unprepared and that is tragic.  The other thing I believe is that simultaneously there is going to be such a catastrophic event(s) launched from hell that is going to rock the world and make 9/11 look like a small thing.  Evil is going to be loosed on such a scale the world will tremble and at the same time the Church is going to wake up.  Had we not been sleeping we could have prevented much of what has transpired but we know, from the Bible that the Last Days are going to be both treacherous and tremendous.  We are in the condition in America we face today because WE SLEPT and were MUTE when we should have been SOUNDING THE ALARM!

That which is coming, the good and the evil, will not be something we can sleep through and remain disinterested.  It will destroy the idea that embodied in “Separation of Church and State”.  Americans, Christians, Patriots, and lovers of Freedom if we do not awaken now, we may find that our lamps are lacking enough oil and suffer unnecessary consequences and subject others to undue suffering.  The time is now to AWAKEN OUT OF SLEEP!  We need to do that spiritually, politically, morally, socially, and relationally.

REMEMEMBER NOVEMBER!  God bless you and God bless America.  I know and believe that as the last chapter of the book reveals – WE WIN in the END as followers of Christ!  WE CAN SALVAGE THE REPUBLIC if we Wake Up, Stand Up, Speak Up, and Step Up involving ourselves in the process and battle for Freedom!