Gradually, Then Suddenly

Within the annals of world history, the United States of America stands alone as a nation whose foundation began not with military conquest, but as an idea. This radical idea, building upon previous movements such as Magna Carta (1215), and the Reformation (1517), was the concept of religious liberty. In 1620, the Puritans risked everything to cross an unforgiving ocean to start afresh in a strange new world to live out that freedom. One hundred and sixty years later, this idea of liberty was enshrined by the Founder's ink into a Declaration of Independence and formal Constitution and was stained into history by the crimson blood of its patriots. It was here that the colonies became a nation who then defied a superpower and won their independence.

Over the next century, through both the crucible of war and the solace of peace, the American narrative unfurled—complex and vibrant, like an epic poem still in its infancy. The story of America, rich with the colors of ambition and the shades of perseverance, remained both ancient in its ideals and optimistic in its continual quest for a more perfect union. As the age of empires goes, America is young compared to her much older siblings across the Atlantic. However, by the dawn of the 20th century, America's youthfulness, once brimming with promise and untouched by the harshness of time, would soon be aged beyond her years.

As the old saying goes, it ain't the years it's the miles and the 20th century would quickly transform this youthful nation into veteran adulthood. Through the furnace of two world wars and the relentless march of exponential innovations that leaped through the Second, Third, and Fourth Industrial Revolutions, the 20th century witnessed more death, carnage, and change than the previous twenty centuries combined. By mid-century, the world began to experience what would later be known as Pax Americana, indisputably marking the coming era of America's burgeoning influence by a complex political dance of economics, political power, and technological progress.

The Beginning of the End

At the least, we can credit the pre-1950s American political leadership with a more robust understanding of history. Before VE-Day (May 1945) or the atomic bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima (August 1945), before the post-World War II victory parades and the surge of economic prosperity, the strategic leadership of both the Roosevelt and Truman Administrations had the political foresight to lay the groundwork that would attempt to ensure America's status as the preeminent superpower for the foreseeable future. Consider the remarkably strategic developments that would emerge from the ashes of the Second World War:

• The Manhattan Project= technological and military supremacy

• The Marshall Plan= economic leverage, military franchisement

• Japanese Reconstruction= economic leverage, military franchisement

• The Bretton Woods Agreement= financial supremacy

• The United Nations= political leverage

• NATO= military leverage, military franchisement

• Creation of the FBI and CIA= intelligence dominance

• The Military Industrial Complex= military longevity and dominance

In the wake of the post-war economic boom, American corporate and banking sectors fostered a deeply ingrained belief that the "American way of life" would endure indefinitely. This era, spanning from the 1950s to the 1990s, saw promises (the American Dream) of prosperity where diligent work and investment in financial markets assured lifelong medical care and comfortable retirements. Instruments like long-term mortgages, lifetime warranties, pensions, and mutual funds symbolized the era's optimistic outlook.

Concurrent with this economic confidence was a belief in the manageability of America's potential decline. Bolstered by expanding military power, the Federal Reserve, the banking industry, and government think tanks, the narrative was that any decline would be gradual and manageable. The media, increasingly acting as a supportive arm (fifth column) rather than a critical watchdog (fourth pillar of democracy), reinforced this perspective, predicting a slow and steady decline rather than a sudden collapse.

This vision led to widespread acceptance of temporary measures such as social security, the abandonment of the gold standard (the end of Brettonwoods), and the ushering in of a debt-based, free-floating, fiat currency system. To ensure the US Dollar would remain the world's reserve currency, the US worked out a deal with the head of OPEC (Saudi Arabia) to provide military aid to them (the seven kingdoms) so long as they sold all of their petroleum in US Dollars. Trust in the financial system was solid, with significant investments in real estate, pensions, and various securities, mirroring a belief in the enduring power of the 'almighty dollar'. However, this faith blinded the nation to the cultural instabilities simmering beneath the surface.

With financial systems secured both domestically and internationally, American politicians, intelligence agencies, and military planners pursued global dominance, convinced they could anticipate and counter any future challenges. Yet, this reasoning, based on perceived omnipotence, ignored the underlying cultural and social fissures, leading to a fragile foundation that could not sustain the weight of unchecked ambition.

1. Collectively speaking, human knowledge is constrained by the limitations of their own time (i.e., the tyranny of the present)

2. Collectively speaking, humans are naturally selfish, prioritizing their own interests over those of future generations or of mankind in general

3. Humans cannot foresee future discoveries, advancements, or disasters, nor can they consistently or accurately forecast the consequences of their present actions on the future

4. Humans are not the sole intelligent beings acting and reacting in this reality; other entities with their own agendas also interact with our world

By the 1980s, American cultural influence (via Hollywood and music) had become so pervasive worldwide, that it created a false sense that this cultural dominance would last indefinitely. During this time, the American way of life was also seen as divinely favored, an idea subtly endorsed by both the Amillennial and Post-Millennial positions held by both Protestant and Roman Catholic churches.

Ironically, at the peak of its cultural dominance, the U.S. began drifting from its Judeo-Christian roots towards humanism, which came disguised as academia, scientism, materialism, and hedonism. These ideals soon dominated public discourse, leading the nation increasingly further away from its foundational faith and into the murky waters of post-modernism and cultural relativism. As she drifted, America increasingly forgot the sacrifices made for its freedoms.

Perhaps you and I have lived too long with this miracle to properly be appreciative. Freedom is a fragile thing and it's never more than one generation away from extinction. It is not ours by way of inheritance; it must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation, for it comes only once to a people. And those in world history who have known freedom and then lost it have never known it again. California Governor Ronald Reagan, January 5, 1967

As many have noted, personal liberty is not the normal condition in world history, rather it is the exception (hence American Exceptionalism). Nevertheless, freedom must not be the thing in and of itself that we fight to maintain, because man is fallen and will pervert the meaning of freedom to do the very worst of things. We can see that in our day by the tolerance and normalization of the ritual killing of the unborn and the mutilation of children's bodies, all in the name of freedom. The truth is, apart from Christ, there is no true freedom, only varying shades of barbarism.

The nation's spiritual departure gradually stifled the Holy Spirit's influence, leading to complacency and the slow erosion of its moral foundations causing the whole structure to sink. Sin, like mold or rust, flourishes were neglected, and the US had long neglected the soft underbelly of American culture embracing paganism, occultism, eastern mysticism, and new age theology. When one generation tolerates a particular sin, the next is almost guaranteed to embrace it, and the following celebrates them as God-given rights. This moral decline set the stage for the inevitable coming cultural collapse.

Stages of Decline:

• Tolerate: Initially, morally depraved acts are tolerated, facing little condemnation or punishment. Enforcement weakens, and these behaviors are allowed to occur.

• Normalize: These behaviors become common, losing their stigma and becoming depicted as ordinary in media and daily life. Society becomes desensitized, viewing them as typical.

• Lionize: Once morally depraved behaviors are celebrated and glorified. Individuals engaging in them are seen as bold or progressive, and society admires and emulates these behaviors.

• Legalize: Finally, these behaviors are legalized, gaining formal acceptance and protection under the law. Legislation decriminalizes these acts, cementing them as legitimate aspects of societal conduct.

This process of the decline of American civilization would increasingly lead to the compounding of the political, economic, and cultural troubles that would begin to fill our news cycles with each subsequent decade. In the meantime, the United States began to sink into the same cyclical complacency that had ensnared almost every empire before it. According to the noted Scottish scholar Alexander Fraser Tytler, “The average age of the world’s greatest civilizations has been 200 years. These nations have progressed through this sequence:

From bondage to spiritual faith;

From spiritual faith to great courage;

From courage to liberty;

From liberty to abundance;

From abundance to selfishness;

From selfishness to apathy;

From apathy to dependence;

From dependence back into bondage.”

Although the transition from liberty to apathy rarely happens suddenly, the transition from dependency to bondage moves swiftly and surely. In fact, it is almost a guarantee that after reaching apathy, the path to bondage is almost certain. Thus, the first sign that things are amiss is almost always during abundance when a society begins drifting away from God. This transition is almost never obvious to the casual observer, but to the careful one, it is shocking. First, they would notice that the unraveling begins at the spiritual level with the departure from the Bible to some watered-down version of Christianity focused more on traditions and moral relativism than on true orthodoxy. All this does is open the door for all manners of doctrines of devils to come in and fill the void.

The Past is Prologue

For a time, America stood tall, like a shining city on a hill with a destiny woven into its very fabric. She embodied the cherished virtues of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, all of which were deeply rooted in its Judeo-Christian foundation. This American dream, bathed in the light of virtue and honor, seemed destined for greatness. But even as it gleamed with promise, a quiet, creeping corruption began to take hold. Progressives, Marxists, and their ilk sought to undermine the nation from within, employing strategies like the Hegelian Dialectic and the Cloward and Piven Strategy. They transformed the noble pursuit of happiness into a false promise of guaranteed contentment, creating an unsustainable system of dependence on a bloated federal Leviathan.

The Founders, in their wisdom, crafted a governance system blending Greco-Roman philosophy with Judeo-Christian ethics to limit federal power and protect individual rights. Yet, post-World War II, America traded its moral high ground for military and economic supremacy, a shift starkly warned against by President Eisenhower in his farewell address about the Military-Industrial Complex. Today, the nation is ensnared in perpetual conflict, relentless propaganda, and control by technological oligarchs, big pharma, and corporate overlords, all moving towards a one-world system.

Although America's decline mirrors the fates of past empires like Rome, the Ottoman Empire, the Qing Dynasty, and the Soviet Union, it rhymes not in their collapse but in their slide into bondage. The present-day oscillations today are swinging wildly between nostalgic visions of past greatness (MAGA) and future utopic fantasies (Great Reset), both are riding a nation hurdling towards geopolitical doom. Consider Rome.

The Fall of the Roman Republic and Rise of Imperialism Under Caesar (49-27BC)

Political corruption and social inequality gnawed at the foundations of the Roman Republic, while military reforms and the ambitions of powerful generals stirred the waters of political instability and civil war. The rise of Julius Caesar signaled the twilight of the Republic and the dawn of the Roman Empire. The Senate's corruption and the concentration of wealth among the elite created a deceptive sense of stability, blinding many to the widening social and economic rifts. Reforms that forged professional soldiers loyal to their generals went unnoticed, hiding the growing influence of military might in politics. This blend of corruption, inequality, and military ambition unraveled the Republic, leading to Caesar's assassination on the Ides of March, and the ensuing chaos paved the way for Octavian, soon Augustus, to usher in the era of the Roman Empire.

Summary of the Decline of the United States (1945- Present)

Moreover, it's not that we can't make America great again if we really tried (i.e., civil war, purging corruption, controlling our national debt, etc.) it's that God appoints our times and boundaries, not political movements (Acts 17:26). Consider our woes:

1. Erosion of Ethical Standards: From the 1800s onward, universities and sciences shifted from objective truth to moral relativism, influenced by deism, existentialism, Darwinism, Marxism, Nihilism, materialism, consumerism, etc.

2. Decline of Family and Community: The collapse of the nuclear family began with the easing of divorce laws, the rise of feminist movements, the emasculation of men, the normalization of sexual deviancy, and exponential rise of drug use weakened traditional values, leading to social instability and increased government dependency.

3. Secularization: The diminishing influence of Christianity began to create a spiritual vacuum, allowing for things like Human Secularism, Eastern Mysticism, Paganism, and occultism to erode Judeo-Christian values in the culture.

4. Consumerism: Focus on material wealth and consumerism overshadowed spiritual and moral considerations, leading to a culture of excess and entitlement.

5. Economic Disparities: The increasing gap between the wealthy and the poor fostered social unrest and undermined fairness and justice.

6. Corporate Corruption: The pursuit of profit at the expense of ethics led to widespread corporate corruption, negatively influencing politics and society.

7. Political Polarization: Increased partisanship, fueled by cultural collapse, forced citizens to choose sides further removed from each other solidifying the polarization and undermining governance and unity.

8. Debt Crisis: Maintaining the role of global policeman, as well as expansive domestic programs, forced the nation off the gold standard and onto a debt-based fiat currency. This created the unsustainable national debt problem due to fiscal irresponsibility which is intentionally creating financial instability, paving the way for a surveillance-based digital currency via universal basic income.

9. Erosion of Democratic Norms: Weakening democratic institutions and norms, combined with post-modernism and cultural Marxism, is leading younger generations to ignorantly embrace more authoritarian governance.

10. Climate Change: While there is a marked increase in natural disasters and resource shortages, these 'crises' are not being dealt with, but rather, are politicized and monetized, with the intent of implementing increasingly authoritarian control measures.

11. Global Hegemony Decline: The loss of American influence creates a vacuum for competitors like BRICS, the UN, WHO, and the WEF, to impose their own geopolitical will, as US-based legacy systems from the WWII era become outdated.

12. Healthcare Failures: Costly healthcare infrastructure, inflated medical school costs, malpractice insurance due to frivolous lawsuits, as well as maintaining the lucrative market of keeping people sick by both the food industry and big pharma continue to lead to neverending public health crises.

13. Technological Displacement: Automation and AI are replacing jobs faster than new industries can absorb displaced workers which will lead to a universal basic income (UBI) with a form of central bank digital currency (CBDC) that will be used to control the masses.

14. Social Fragmentation: The purposeful exacerbation of cultural, religious, economic, and ethnic divisions is leading to tribalism, increased violence, and societal breakdown.

15. Infrastructure Decay: Billions are spent every year on foreign aid while neglecting the domestic infrastructure of the nation, which is failing to support modern needs, and economic growth is designed to create desperation and apathy.

Consider the numerous challenges our nation currently faces—challenges so formidable that they would have overwhelmed any other country or empire. By all reasonable estimates, the US should have collapsed decades ago, yet somehow we remain sovereign. How long have we been waiting for the other shoe to drop? How long have the experts predicted this crash or that war, and yet, somehow, time keeps moving along?

Thirty years ago, the idea of the U.S. collapsing seemed preposterous. Although the factors leading to the decline were present, they hadn't yet become monumental problems. However, after September 11, 2001, the U.S. began an exponential decline, shifting the critical question from whether if the U.S. could collapse to when it would collapse.

Many have asked what will America look like when it collapses. Well, the truth is, I believe it will look a lot more like Rome 27BC rather than 476AD. But America is a big place, and perhaps both will be at play simultaneously, where on one front, the barbarians are storming the gate, and on the other, a dictator rises. Regardless of how it plays out, these challenges are laying the groundwork for the rise of a global government led by the Antichrist himself.

Conclusion

To understand why the world is in its current state, one must acknowledge that we live in a fallen world, unsustainable despite our best efforts. Various naturalistic or humanistic explanations are offered for our troubles, each failing to address the deeper issue. Moreover, many Christians in the West today ignore the reality of our spiritual warfare, dismissing the presence of a true enemy intent on our total destruction.

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12

Our enemy, as the Bible recounts, once waged war against God and was defeated. Cast out of heaven along with a third of the angels, they now target humanity. They have been disturbingly successful in sowing chaos among us. I am uncertain about the timing of the following passage, but I believe it refers both to an ancient conflict that occurred before creation and a future conflict where the satanic forces are bound to earth.

And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. Revelation 12:7-9

Satan and his forces do not rest. They are immune to hunger and fatigue, having spent millennia studying humanity they understand our weaknesses and how to manipulate us. With countless agents working tirelessly, their sole aim is to destroy what God cherishes and thwart His prophetic plans. Daily, Satan devises ways to undermine your faith, ruin your testimony, and harm your family.

 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 1 Peter 5:8

Many Christians have succumbed to the illusion that we must mimic the world to fit in. Blending in is easier than standing apart. Sadly, I was among them, engrossed in my happiness, career, and lifestyle, failing to see that this world is a passing memory that will be eclipsed by the enormity of eternity. Fussing over present details is akin to rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic just before midnight.

And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. 1 John 2:17

We are too busy trying to live “our best life now” or “finding happiness” to realize that our lives are but a fleeting shadow, an elusive moment that is second by second, minute by minute, slipping through our fingers and never returning.

…whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. James 4:14

If happiness is your goal, it remains elusive, changing like the weather. Remember, the enemy works tirelessly in your life, aiming for your destruction, and will use fleeting happiness to lull you into complacency rather than true contentment. Happiness is not a goal but a consequence of a life well-lived. True happiness is found in fulfilling the life God has called us to through Jesus Christ.

Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. Psalm 37:3-5

As my good friend Lee often says, we have one short life to be a good soldier and one long eternity to be a fulfilled human being. No matter how long we live, this life is just a brief introduction to immortality. While our bodies are mortal and temporary, our souls are immortal and will reside in one of two destinations: either with God through Jesus Christ, or apart from God in outer darkness for eternity.

This life is merely the prelude to immortality. Imagine being invited to a grand, lavish party: we prepare meticulously, don our finest attire, and make all necessary arrangements before arriving at the magnificent entrance. Without Jesus Christ, we lack the invitation and are left outside in the cold, dark night. But with Jesus, we are welcomed with open arms, ready to bask in eternal splendor and luxuriate in the boundless riches our Creator has lovingly prepared for us from before the foundation of the world.

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:4-10