Has our chance come and gone?
September 2, 1945, on the deck of the USS Missouri anchored in Tokyo Bay, General Douglas MacArthur spoke after the signing of the unconditional surrender of the Japanese:
"Today the guns are silent [. . .] the skies no longer rain death [. . .[ the seas bear only commerce [. . .]men everywhere walk upright in the sunlight. The entire world is quietly at peace. [. . .]
"A new era is upon us. Even the lesson of victory itself brings with it profound concern both for our future security and the survival of civilization. The destructiveness of the war potential, through progressive advances in scientific discovery, has in fact now reached a pont which revises the traditional concept of war. [. . .]
"Men since the beginning of time have sought peace, [but] military alliances, balance of power, leagues of nations, all in turn failed, leaving the only path to be by way of the crucible of war.
"We have had our last chance. If we do not now devise some greater and more equitable system, Armageddon will be at our door. The problem is basically theological and involves a spiritual recrudescence and improvement of human character. It must be of the spirit if we are to save the flesh."
MacArthur's caution brings to mind the dangers of speaking prophetically: Matthew 13:57: But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house."
We let that warning go by and now our nation is clearly under the judgment of almighty God. Our leaders (present and prospective) are foolish and devoid of spiritual understanding.