Watchman on the Wall

Southwest Radio Ministries: Welcome to Watchman on the Wall, a daily outreach of Southwest Radio Ministries and swrc.com. God is still on the throne, and prayer changes things. Today, we have a special panel assembled to share some unique thoughts on America and its meaning today.

Ladies, are you looking for solid biblical teaching that speaks directly to the challenges Christian women face today? Then don't miss Living on the Front Lines, the inspiring new weekly program from Southwest Radio Ministries, hosted by Bible teacher Susan Butler.

Each episode is designed to encourage women in their walk with Christ, strengthen their understanding of God's word, and equip them to stand firm in a culture that often challenges biblical truth. Whether you're a wife, mother, grandmother, or simply a woman seeking to grow deeper in your faith, Living on the Front Lines offers practical biblical wisdom, spiritual encouragement, and timeless truths for everyday living. Join Susan Butler on the front lines of faith and discover how God's word can transform your life and strengthen your witness. Watch new episodes and learn more today at swrc.com. Here's today's panel, sharing some special thoughts on America the Beautiful.

Josh Davis: Greetings, friends. We continue our American reflections, and today I'm joined by two wonderful guests: Liz Cutshall, she's the editor of our Prophecy in the News magazine and the director of communications for Southwest Radio Ministries. Liz, welcome to the program.

Liz Cutshall: Thank you, Josh.

Josh Davis: Thank you. And we also have Susan Butler in the studio with us today. She's the host of a new program through Southwest Radio Ministries called Living on the Front Lines. Susan, great to be with you again today.

Susan Butler: Thank you, Josh. It's great to be with you both.

Josh Davis: We're reflecting on America this month with all kinds of special episodes and thinking about America past, present, and future. We're going to be covering some of those things today, especially looking at America's role in Bible prophecy. Susan, we want to begin with this question: why do you think that God has blessed America over these 250 years? Is it some of the biblical foundations of our nation? Is it support of global missions like the United States has done over its 250 years? Is it friendship with Israel? What do you think it is, or what are some of the other factors that you would add to that?

Susan Butler: One of the things that I know in Acts chapter 17, verse 26, we are told that God has set the appointed times and the boundaries of our habitation as a nation. We know that God formed us as a nation, he had already set our boundaries as a nation, and he has the amount of time that we remain as a nation in the global sense of leadership. Why are we blessed? We're blessed from our founding fathers, for one thing, because they came over and all throughout our documents, we have all kinds of mention of God. You can search that out and you can find it everywhere. We were blessed because God began this nation and was our God in the beginning of this nation with our founding fathers.

Also, we have sent out the gospel across the world. We have also sent out Bibles; missionaries have taken it everywhere. I even personally know someone who took Bibles to Russia. We have been a country that has had marvelous missionaries. What I'm understanding from today, currently, is more missionaries are coming to us from other parts of the world, and that's concerning if you really stop and think about that.

Also, our support of Israel is paramount. As Israel goes, so goes the nation who supports Israel or does not support Israel. I just want to share very briefly with you back in 1973, the Yom Kippur War. Prime Minister Golda Meir called President Nixon at that time and asked for his support because they had run out of munitions. They were having all kinds of issues and she called him in the middle of the night. President Nixon went against his cabinet and against Henry Kissinger and went ahead and helped her because they were saying don't.

I want you to know what his mother told him when he was raised in California. He said when Golda Meir's call came in, he remembered his mother's words. She would tell me stories and read to me from the Old Testament, the heroes of the Bible. One afternoon she said, "Richard, someday you're going to be in a position where you can save the Jewish people, and when that day comes, you must do everything in your power." That is amazing. President Nixon did, and America is attributed to saving the Jewish people in the 1973 Yom Kippur War. We sent all kinds of munitions and stuff. So yes, supporting Israel is very important as a country.

Liz Cutshall: That's something that in recent months, let's say, has come to the fore again, and we are again supporting Israel in many ways as opposed to supporting Israel's foes or opponents. So there's hope.

Susan Butler: Yes, there's always hope.

Liz Cutshall: I have a question for you, Miss Susan. I am wondering, in that you and I and Josh are all parents, things are a little crazy in America these days in many ways for Christians. Sometimes we're puzzled and sometimes we're distraught. How can we parent young people to grow up to be Christians and Christian leaders in our country at a time like this?

Susan Butler: This certainly is a more challenging time that we live in as we're getting closer and closer to the end of days, so to speak, or last days before the rapture happens. I would say the first thing, first and all, is always your own walk with the Lord. You need to be in a firm foundation in prayer and Bible study yourself so that you can better raise your children.

I go back to Deuteronomy 6:7 where God said that they were to teach their children. They were to teach them how: when they just talked, when they sat down, when they walked, when they lied down, and when they rose up. That covers about everything in our life, doesn't it? God said, "My words should be on your heart and then you share those all the time with your children."

We definitely need to do that. Another thing I think is 2 Chronicles chapter 20. When Jehoshaphat's enemies were coming against him, he sought the Lord. All of Judah sought the Lord, including the children. They all came together and they put their eyes on the Lord. The battle was the Lord's and all they were told to do was to station themselves, stand, and see the salvation of the Lord. We need to teach our children in this day to be firmly committed to the Lord Jesus Christ. We need to tell them the gospel. Pray, pray, pray, pray. That's one of the most important things we can do. Have them see the example in your life to stand firm for your belief. We don't need to shrink back. We can very lovingly stand firm, but they need to see us station ourselves, stand, and see the work of the Lord in our life as well as in the lives of the family. You've got to spend time with your children in the word of God and you need to pray on your knees all the time.

Liz Cutshall: And God will take care of the rest. It's not up to us to fix it.

Susan Butler: No, we can't fix a thing. But we can approach the loving God that can do anything and everything beyond our wildest dreams or anything. He is capable of all things.

Josh Davis: Friends, we're visiting with Susan Butler. She's the host of Living on the Front Lines. You can check out the episodes every single Thursday at the Southwest Radio Ministries YouTube channel. Just go to YouTube and search "My SWRC." Every single Thursday you'll see a brand new episode of Living on the Front Lines, hosted by Susan Butler.

Susan, I know that on Living on the Front Lines you talk so much about Bible prophecy. There's a lot of American students of Bible prophecy that wonder what is this nation's role during the biblical end times. What have you discovered in your study of God's word related to America and Bible prophecy?

Susan Butler: To date, as I continue the study of God's word, we are not mentioned specifically. You cannot find the United States of America in the word of God. You need to be very careful about that. We're not mentioned. You know that in Ezekiel 38 and 39, which is the prophetic Gog-Magog war, countries are mentioned. But also coming alongside those present-day countries are many peoples. Could America be part of the many peoples? We don't know for sure.

The other thing is I know that America is mentioned in the fact that it's mentioned grouped with nations. We are a nation. Therefore, anytime that you read about the nations, you can think about your nation as well. We know that in Matthew 25, when Jesus comes back the second time, he gathers the nations to judge them. I believe America, if America is still here, will be one of those nations that is judged.

Also, in Joel chapter 3, verses 1 through 3, we see that at that same time that the sheep-goat judgment, we call it in Matthew 25, happens when Jesus comes back the second time. We have the nations gathered in the Valley of Jehoshaphat. The nations are gathered. Why are the nations gathered? They're gathered again during this judgment. How are they judged? They're judged because they scattered the Jews among the nations and because they divided the land. I'll say right now, dividing the land is not good. You're going to be judged for that as a nation. If we support dividing the land of Israel, we are doomed for judgment, God's wrath, and God's judgment.

Also, when you look at that, when God brings Israel back, which he has now, and when Jesus comes back and everything's set up, the Lord tells us it's so that all the nations will know that I am the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. That's in scripture. People, we just need to understand. America is not mentioned anywhere specifically, but America is part of the nations. We need to understand that all the nations will turn against Israel one day. The Bible's very clear about that. The Jews are told that they'll be hated by all. We need to know prophecy so therefore you can discern the times you live in and you can know how to stand in these questions that arise.

Josh Davis: Absolutely. And of course, there in Ezekiel 38 and 39 that you mentioned, there's no nation that rushes to help Israel. She stands alone in that battle, which I believe will happen soon after the rapture of the church. I think that that could be a component in why America doesn't rush to help Israel: the raptured saints are not here anymore from the United States of America.

Friends, we are visiting with Susan Butler. She's the host of Living on the Front Lines. We are reflecting on America during this month. Several special episodes of Watchman on the Wall are dedicated to that. Plus, we have a lot of great resources available this month to help you reflect on these things. Another great book, America at 250, written by Pastor Doug Stauffer. Another wonderful resource, How Americans Can Buy American. Two great video projects, DVDs are available: American Destiny: 400 Years by Michael Samuel Smith and America in Bible Prophecy by Bible prophecy teacher Don Perkins. All of these are available at swrc.com or you can give us a call: 1-800-652-1144.

Liz Cutshall: Thanks, Josh, for covering all those great resources. They're going to be in our Timely Tools catalog this month, so folks can also get those products through the Timely Tools, which comes along with the Prophetic Observer now.

Josh Davis: Friends, if you do not receive that in your mailbox for free every single month from Southwest Radio Ministries, please reach out to us and request your free welcome packet. That'll get you on our mailing list and you'll start receiving that Prophetic Observer newsletter along with the Timely Tools that includes a lot of these great resources from our ministry. Give us a call today and request your free welcome packet: 1-800-652-1144.

Liz Cutshall: Susan, I wanted to ask you one more thing before my time is up, and I'm sure Josh has other questions. Many people say that they are praying for revival. As I read the Bible, I'm not sure that the Bible says there's going to be a revival until the very last times. What do you see in scripture about revival, and how should we be praying, in your mind?

Susan Butler: Thank you, Liz. One of the first things I want to share is scripture, and then I will tell you how I see America today. That's in Jeremiah chapter 18, starting at verse 7. You hear all the time the scripture that's used, "I know the plans I have for you to give you hope and a future." That scripture is specifically to the nation of Israel. "I'll hear my people, I'll heal their land." We use that so often, and for some reason we miss a scripture that does apply to us, and it's Jeremiah chapter 18.

In Jeremiah chapter 18, verse 7, God says, "At one moment I might speak concerning a nation," so that's any nation, "or concerning a kingdom, to uproot, to pull down, or to destroy it. If that nation against which I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent concerning the calamity I planned to bring on it." Verse 9 says, "Or at another moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to build it up or to plant it," which I think is exactly what God did in our foundation. Verse 10: "If it does evil in my sight by not obeying my voice, then I will think better of the good with which I had promised to bless it."

So there we see, there we are, there's the nation, and that's the scripture we should be using instead of the other one that pertains to Israel in the context. Now, the principle is still there. As far as revival, as I read the last days that I believe we're in, I do not see revival in America. I know that sounds negative, but I don't. If you open your eyes and see what's going on around our country, the culture that we live in, if you think of 1 Timothy chapter 4, which outlines the conduct and the character of people during the last days, we see it growing in America.

We have churches who are silent to what's happening. Not all churches, there's some churches, but for the most part, we have churches that are silent and just bringing in the world instead of going out with the truth of God's word to the world. We know that during the Great Tribulation, scripture's very clear in Revelation chapter 7 about a great number of people coming out of the Great Tribulation, which is the last three and a half years. The Tribulation is the whole seven years, but this great number of people are being saved, but they're coming out because they're martyred for their belief in Jesus Christ. The church is gone then. So there's a great revival then because there's a great number of people who are martyred for their faith.

As far as America as a whole, we are headstrong running into the last days. There's too much going on in the world in technology and everything: the one-world government that's being talked about more and more and forming, and the way the languages are all able to understand and come together, your robots, your technology. There's all these experiments with the DNA of humans, and a lot of America is using that and embracing that. No, I don't see a great revival in America.

However, what I do see is some of the stronger churches, the true believers, standing up. I just want to share with you, I meant to do it earlier, but it's in Nehemiah, and it's when Nehemiah was rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem. The enemies were coming against him, and the people were very afraid. But they turned their attention to the Lord. Again, the Old Testament has so much to share with us about how to deal with the things in our life today. Nehemiah chapter 4, verse 14, Nehemiah said, "When I saw the fear, the fear of the people," he said, "I rose and spoke to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people. He said, 'Do not be afraid of them, the enemies. Remember the Lord who is great and awesome and fight. Remember the Lord, great and awesome, but fight. Fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses.'"

So they went to build the wall, and they had one hand on a weapon, one hand building their wall. In verse 20 it says, "Our God will fight for us." Dear friend, where is your faith? What is your faith grounded in? Who is it grounded in? Are you standing firm? Do you know God's word? Do you perceive what's going on in our world today? Do you have a biblical worldview? This ministry wants you to understand prophecy and understand where you're living, the times you're living in, so you know what to do so you're able to stand. As far as revival, God will save people, yes. But as far as a mass revival like the past, I don't see it. God is God. He'll do whatever, so I trust him. I could be wrong, yes. But that's as I read the word of God, I don't see that happening in our country today.

Josh Davis: Friends, we're visiting with Susan Butler. She's the host of a brand new program through Southwest Radio Ministries called Living on the Front Lines. You can watch every episode, new episodes are released every single Thursday over at the Southwest Radio Ministries YouTube channel. Go to YouTube, type in "My SWRC." Every single Thursday you can watch new episodes of Living on the Front Lines with our host, Susan Butler. Watchman on the Wall is available right there as well. Several of our friends are listening to Watchman on the Wall through our Southwest Radio Ministries YouTube channel.

Susan, you're speaking about revival, you're speaking about what is to come. I've got school-age children that are growing up in America today. It's becoming increasingly secularized and we see the direction that our nation is headed. What hope do we have for our young people today who will be here in the leadership of our country tomorrow if the rapture delays or if the Lord doesn't call us home to be with him? Of course, his timeline is not delayed. He knows exactly when those things are happening. But from our perspective, what is the hope that we have for our young people growing up in this America today?

Susan Butler: For one thing, there's always hope. God is a God of hope. There always is. I would say to your precious children, my precious grandchildren, if you follow the Lord Jesus Christ, he gifts you by the Holy Spirit. The gifting he gives you enables you to serve his purpose in your generation. In Acts, it says that David, King David, served his purpose, God's purpose, not his, God's purpose in his generation. You are born exactly when God said you would be born. He has you here to represent him, but first to know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.

If you fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of your faith, if you run the race set before you, every single one of us has the race and we need to run that race set before us to finish it well. God has you to serve him here. This is the country you were born in. But when you become a believer in Jesus Christ, your home is heaven. You are now an alien on this land. During these days as it gets rougher, more and more rough, you have the living word, 66 books. You can have the Spirit of God within you to share with you what you need to do, how to live. It's current; there's nothing obsolete in the word of God. How to live, how to move forward, how to serve God day by day.

We don't know how God is bringing everything together, but we see it by studying God's word. We see the convergence of everything that God said would be at the last days. You live in incredible days. These are exciting days. Even as a child, even as a teenager, these days are exciting. There's great hope. Yes, God could call you to serve in a government position. Then you listen to that call and you do it. But you always stand firm to the truth of God's word. He will bless you. Now, will hard times come? Absolutely, because we live in the world. But your foundation, your hope, is in Jesus Christ. Your hope is in him. He's the one who formed you in your mother's womb. He's God. God formed you in your mother's womb. God set the number of your days before there was yet one. You have great purpose here. There is great hope for your life, and the hope is to bring more people into the kingdom of God by the gospel of God into the spiritual kingdom because one day Jesus is coming back and he'll set up his kingdom.

Listen, he is coming for the church. Precious one, he is going to call us out in a rapture, in a catching up. The Bible says catching up, but rapture is the Latin word for being caught up, and caught up is in the Bible. We are going to be caught up to be with Jesus forever, and we have an awesome eternity. The Bible even gives you glimpses of that eternity. You're born at a specific time that God had for you to be born. The first thing that he wants is for your heart to be totally given to him, that you would surrender your life, your heart, to Jesus Christ and the death on the cross that he paid for the sins that you've done. Sins separate you from God. God wants you back to him. Jesus died for those sins and paid a price for those sins that you owed God because you went against him. Jesus was raised the third day, and the third day his resurrection, we live. He's eternal life. You're going to live with Jesus. That is the most wonderful, wonderful thing, the most wonderful opportunity you have right now to give your life to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Parent, I would say to you: fill your children full of the word of God. Pray fervently for them. Fight for them. I am a proponent of homeschool, but if you cannot homeschool and you have these children in elementary school, be involved. Know what they're being taught and you give them truth. Don't give them stories; give them the accounts of the word of God. God will bless you in his timing and his way for his purpose and his glory.

Josh Davis: Amen. Thank you so much, Susan, for joining us as we're reflecting on America past, present, and future. Some sound biblical advice for us all. Liz, thank you so much for joining us on the episode today as well.

Liz Cutshall: I'm blessed by being here and listening to Susan tell us the things that are on her heart right now. Thank you.

Southwest Radio Ministries: Friends, as America celebrates 250 years of freedom, now is the perfect time to rediscover the faith and principles that shaped our nation. Southwest Radio Ministries invites you to explore four powerful resources: Learn America's Christian heritage with historian Bill Federer in the book America's God and Country; Discover the faith-filled legacy of our first president in Scott Eisch's book George Washington: A Life Lived for God and Country; Trace four centuries of God's providential hand on our nation with Michael Samuel Smith's DVD American Destiny: 400 Years; and examine America's possible role in the last days through Donald Perkins' eye-opening DVD America in Bible Prophecy. These timely resources will deepen your understanding of America's past and help you view its future through a biblical lens. Order these outstanding resources today at swrc.com or call 1-800-652-1144. That's swrc.com or 1-800-652-1144. Tomorrow, Josh Davis will share the latest headlines from the end times, so be sure to tune in by downloading our free SWRC mobile app or by subscribing to our daily Watchman on the Wall podcast. Watchman on the Wall is a production of Southwest Radio Ministries and is supported by faithful listeners like you. Visit swrc.com.