Jeff Kinley - The End of America?: Bible Prophecy and a Country in Crisis

Look back over the past, with its changing empires that rose and fell, and you can foresee the future too.

M ARCUS A URELIUS , Meditations

D id you feel it?

It was just after 7:00 a.m. last fall when I was abruptly awoken by a strange noise. An intruder was trying to break into my bedroomor at least thats what it sounded like. The door was rattling back and forth as if someone on the other side desperately wanted in. I called out in my half-awake state, wondering if perhaps my wife had gotten up and accidentally locked herself out. The rattling grew louder and then, unexpectedly, my bed began to shake as well. Struggling to make sense of this bizarre phenomenon, I reasoned that our upstairs air conditioning unit had malfunctioned and was vibrating through the wall and floor.

Then, just like that, everything went silent. The door no longer rattled. The bed stopped shaking. The whole episode lasted only 30 seconds or so. Now fully awake, I went downstairs to look for my wife, start the coffee, and try and get to the bottom of what had just happened. Opening my laptop, I immediately found what I was looking for, in of all places, Facebook. Posts filling my feed all were asking the same, repeated question:

Did you feel it?

What I soon discovered was that, according to the US Geological Survey, a 5.8 magnitude earthquake had occurred moments earlier near Pawnee, Oklahoma. The tremors from this moderately strong quake were felt as far away as Kansas, Texas, Illinois, Missouri, and here in Arkansass Ozark Mountains. Several aftershocks followed. Granted, this wasnt the kind of earthquake that levels skyscrapers and devastates entire communities, prompting the dispatch of disaster relief. It didnt turn cities into rubble or create mass panic. But it was the kind that definitely got your attention and woke you up.

Earthquakes are actually not all that uncommon. And America has suffered her share of them. But perhaps none so memorable as the quakes of 1811-12 along the New Madrid fault. This fault line, running through parts of Missouri, Tennessee, and Arkansas, also threatens many other nearby states. Between December 1811 and March 1812, a series of violent earthquakes and tremors shook this region, not far from where I live. The first of these occurred at 2:00 a.m. on December 11, 1811. A few hours later, a stronger quake erupted. Estimated to have had a magnitude of 8.6, the earthquake knocked people off their feet, destroying small towns, buckled the earth like carpet, and caused huge landslides. Hundred-foot-long fissures appeared in the countryside. Trees were snapped in half like twigs. Sulfur spewed out of the ground and massive flooding occurred due to the collapse of protective riverbanks. But the crisis wasnt over.

One month later, another earthquake hit the same area, this one so intense that it woke the presidents wife, Dolly Madison, approximately 1000 miles away in Washington, DC. However, the strongest of them all happened on February 7. Experts believe it registered 8.8 on the Richter scale, making it one of the most powerful quakes in human history. This one rang church bells in Boston and crumbled brick walls in Cincinnati. Islands in the Mississippi River disappeared, and boats sank. But perhaps more amazing than all this was that this event produced a fluvial tsunami, causing the mighty Mississippi River to flow backward for several hours! Witnesses say lights flashed out of the ground, thunder and explosions were heard, and black smoke filled the sky. It is also recorded that animals exhibited strange behavior leading up to this catastrophic series of events.

All told, more than 2000 earthquakes hit this region in a three-month period. The New Madrid Fault is six times larger than Californias San Andreas fault zone. Experts say a similar future event even greater than the 1812 catastrophe is very possible. With no prior warning, a gargantuan quake like this would likely wipe Memphis off the map.

Americas Fault

In what would be one of His last conversations with His disciples, Jesus Christ prophesied numerous earthquakes as a telltale sign of the end of the age and His soon return. Whether or not a cataclysmic earthquake in the United States is included in that prophecy is unknown. We only know the potential for such earthquakes is , in fact, a reality.

But these days, its more than just earthquakes that are shaking and threatening our land. Millions across our country now sense that America is experiencing what can be described as culture quakes. Far from the geophysical disruptions shaking the physical ground, these upheavals weaken and undermine the very bedrock of our nation. The tremors from these seismic strains extend across state lines, reverberating and rippling into cities, towns, and rural communities.

Yours included.

They produce deep fissures, swallowing up Americas character. And they are threatening to rip us apart from sea to shining sea.

While many good people valiantly strive to restore our country to the principles and values upon which she was founded, we still seem to be losing this war. Like rising floodwaters, evil continues to surge while virtue and decency are slandered and silenced. It feels like were losing ground in an uphill battle. And the stakes continue to rise as the window of opportunity for victory diminishes.

Can you feel it?

The result of this cultural shift is that we now have a series of active fault lines crisscrossing the country. And with tremors being felt daily, its only a matter of time before the big one hits. Odds are youre one of those who senses the hour is late, and that historys clock is close to striking midnight. Despite skeptics objections to the contrary, Bible prophecys foreshocks are proving to be true after all.

Can you believe it?

Do you find yourself wondering how long we have before our country collapses? Have you felt the moral ground beneath you eroding away whats left of our national character and identity? Has it become clear to you that a basic Judeo-Christian worldview, along with common-sense decency, are now becoming obsolete and unwanted? Are the words of the prophet Isaiah more specifically applicable to us now than at any time in our nations existence?

Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;

Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness;

Who substitute bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

Can you see it?

Not long ago, my wife and I were enjoying a casual dinner out with friends, and the conversation turned to Bible prophecy. The discussion took on a more serious tone when my friend asked, Tell us, Jeff. How close are we? And whats going to happen to America? What does the Bible actually say?

These are questions I hear with increasing regularity these days. And its no longer just prophecy enthusiasts who inquire about such things. Presently, there is a growing concern regarding the last days among those who previously never gave the subject much thought. This is reflected in recent research that revealed 4 out of 10 adult Americans now believe we are living in the end times as described by Bible prophecy. And among evangelicals, the numbers reach 77 percent. But why? Why the sudden uptick? Why now ?

I believe one compelling reason is because the signs of the times have simply become too obvious to ignore. Overwhelming evidence suggests we have entered the final stages of last days prophetic fulfillment. Even the casual observer is forced to admit that we are living in an unprecedented moment in human history. Revelation unveils the fulfillment of key apocalyptic prophecies, many of which are being prepared and foreshadowed in our day. This leads many prophecy experts to believe that Revelations day is dawning on the horizon.

But what does all this have to do with the United States? We will discuss Americas future role in Bible prophecy in chapter 6, but for the time being, lets address what is happening right now in our country. I believe there is evidence to suggest that our current condition shows symptoms of a nation on the brink of chaos and collapse. America is not merely slipping on a downward path. Were landsliding toward destruction. And fast. Were in a free fall without a parachute. And like the rest of Americans, followers of Jesus Christ are dead center in the thick of it. We are caught in a dense, gravitational pull downward.