In this video, the speaker discusses the topic of Christian persecution around the world and criticizes the lack of attention given to it. The speaker also mentions the Supreme Court's decision in 2013 to strike down a provision of the Defense of Marriage Act, which opened the way for the legalization of gay marriage across the country. The video includes a section from a United Nations video promoting LGBT rights as human rights. The speaker then introduces Ken Ham's message titled "The Great Delusion, The Spiritual State of Our Nation," where he encourages Christians to stand upon the authority of the Word of God and not compromise with secularism.

Welcome to From the Pulpit in Classic Sermons. Each week we bring you a different message from some of history's greatest speakers in the Christian faith and powerful sermons from modern preachers too. This week we have Ken Ham with his message The Great Delusion, The Spiritual State of Our Nation. Good evening. Well it's great to have you all here at the Answers Genesis megaconference 2013. I'd be interested to know how many of you have been to the Creation Museum? Wow, how many of you have not been to the Creation Museum? Hmm, all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. I trust you will repent this week and make sure you get to the Creation Museum. Well as we kick off the Answers Genesis megaconference I'm sure like myself you're looking at this nation and realize something catastrophic has happened in regard to the world view of people in this nation. We're on catastrophic spiritual decline. The first verse of scripture I want to bring our attention to 2 Thessalonians 2.11 For this reason God will send them a strong delusion that they should believe the lie. A great delusion, a great lie has crept across this nation and has had evil consequences. As I read Romans 1 and passages from Romans 1 I'm thinking about this nation of the USA in fact our whole western world. Romans 1.18 For the wrath of God, God's judgment is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. Because his invisible attributes are clearly seen. People without excuse. Verse 21 They did not glorify him as God. Verse 23 Change the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. Verse 24 So God gave them up. He gives them over to judgment. Withdraws the restraining influence of the Holy Spirit. These people dishonor their bodies. They exchange the truth of God for the lie. And worshiped and served the creature rather than the creator who is blessed forever. Verse 26 God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use of what is against nature. Likewise also the men leaving the natural use of the woman burned in their lust for one another. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge. Verse 28 God gave them over to a debased mind. Being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness, they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful, who knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them. Verse 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. My assertion in this presentation is that as you read Romans 1, I believe you're reading a description of the culture in America in 2013. I believe you're reading a description of our western world in particular. In fact, the wrath of God, God's judgment is revealed from heaven. And God judged, He turned them over. He turned them over to their vile passions. It is my assertion in this presentation that America is under judgment. You know, I want you to think about the founding of this nation. Many of the founders of this nation were Christians who built their thinking on the authority of the Word of God and as a result we've seen Christian morality permeate this nation, a Christian worldview permeate this nation in many ways. In fact, this nation has had an incredible Christian heritage in many ways. And America has been, I believe, the greatest Christianized nation on earth in our modern era of history. It has more churches and seminaries and Christian colleges, Christian bookshops, resources, Christian radio, Christian TV. In fact, America has more Christian resources right now in 2013 than it's ever had in its history. But for all of that, we see the Christian worldview collapsing in this country. We see catastrophic spiritual decline. In fact, in many ways, as I look at America, as I watch Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, whatever it is, it seems to me I'm almost reading what the days of Noah must have been like with the wickedness that we see in this nation, with the moral relativism that pervades this nation. This nation is no longer what it used to be. You know, when he was still Senator Obama back in 2006, now President Obama spoke at a conference called Building a Covenant for a New America. I don't believe many people understood what he meant by a new America, but I believe if you look at America in 2013, you start to see what he did mean by a new America when he said this. Remember where we once were, we are no longer a Christian nation, at least not just. We are also a Jewish nation, a Muslim nation, and a Buddhist nation, and a Hindu nation, and a nation of non-believers. Whatever we once were, we are no longer. It was in his book, The Audacity of Hope. It was published in 2006. We're no longer just a Christian nation. In fact, it's interesting, the American Humanist Association put an ad in the Washington Post on January 20, and this was on the first inauguration of President Obama, and they quoted from the book, The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama, and they quoted this section, I was not raised in a religious household without the help of religious texts and outside authorities. And then it goes on, given the increasing diversity of America's population and so on, whatever we once were, we are no longer just a Christian nation, and there's that quote. It's interesting to note, the first inauguration address on January 20, President Obama said this. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus, and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture. It was certainly a reference to the same basic statement. And then in 2009, President Obama speaking in Turkey to the President of Turkey, April 6, 2009, said this. It's something that's very important to me. I've said before that one of the great strengths of the United States is, although as I mentioned, we have a very large Christian population, we do not consider ourselves a Christian nation or a Jewish nation or a Muslim nation. We consider ourselves a nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values. And by the way, as you hear that, bound by ideals and a set of values. Whose values? Who determines those values? Who determines what's right and what's wrong? Because if they're just mans, in the book of Judges, when they had no king, no absolute authority to tell them what to do, they all did what was right in their own eyes. And people, that's really what's happened to this nation. We really have changed. Whatever we once were, a nation that in many ways was founded on the word of God and therefore the morality, the worldview of this nation. And not all, of course, had that worldview and morality. But nonetheless, it was predominant in this nation because most of the founding fathers started with the word of God and absolute authority who determined right and wrong. But if we no longer build our thinking on God's word, there is only one other foundation. Go back to Genesis 3. If you don't trust God, then you become your own God. And really the battle right from the beginning, right from Genesis 3, has been a battle between God's word and man's word. Between building our thinking on the authority of the word of God and saying that we determine truth. And really right back there in Genesis 3, Adam and Eve decided to determine truth for themselves instead of building their thinking on the word of God and listening to the word of God. And people, that's the change that's really occurred. It's a foundational change. It's a change of religion. See, people think there are hundreds of religions. There really aren't. There's, in essence, only two religions. You either start with God's word or you start with man's word. Back in 2008, let me share a video clip with you and then a series of quotes and video clips to help us understand what progressively has been occurring in this nation. In 2008, while Barack Obama and John McCain were campaigning for the presidency, Obama was interviewed by Rick Warren. And listen to what he said. And, by the way, listen to what he doesn't say. I believe that marriage is the union between a man and a woman. Now, for me as a Christian, for me, for me as a Christian, it's also a sacred union. You know, God's in the mix. I'm not sure what he means by God's in the mix. What does that mean? But I think it was said in a way to make people who are listening think that what he was saying was that marriage is between a man and a woman. That's it. That was in 2008, before the election, in August 17. But then again, June 1, 2009, what do we read on the White House website? President Obama says, I am proud to be the first president to appoint openly LGBT candidates to the Senate-confirmed positions. And then in regard to the fiscal year, federal budget, which ran from 2009, October 2009 to September 2010, we read from the White House website, President Obama's fiscal budget for that year, the federal budget defunded all abstinence-based education. And then, on October 11, 2009, at a human rights campaign dinner, we read where President Obama said, I've called on Congress to repeal the so-called Defense of Marriage Act. And then at the same human rights campaign dinner, he said this, When you look back, my expectation is, when you look back on these years, you will see a time in which we as a nation finally recognize relationships between two men and two women as just as real and admirable as relationships between a man and a woman. And then, January 27, 2010, in his State of the Union address, he said, This year I will work with Congress and our military to finally repeal the law that denies gay Americans the right to serve the country. And then, in 2012, ABC News showed a video here, showed an interview by Robin Roberts, where President Obama talks about gay marriage. I have to tell you, as I said, I've been going through an evolution on this issue. It is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married. And, by the way, I suggest, when you look at the evidence, that he's always had that belief. That what he said back in 2008 wasn't that he didn't believe that. And, in fact, I believe there's been a deliberate agenda, a deliberate agenda, to push the gay marriage issue across this nation and to condone homosexual behavior. It's interesting. Many of you might remember, on January 10, 2013, Pastor Louis Giglio withdrew from Obama's inaugural ceremony over remarks he made against homosexual behavior that went back to the mid-1990s. And, because there were some negative remarks about homosexual behavior, he had to withdraw from giving the inaugural prayer. And, in a news item about what happened, we read this. Obama's inaugural planners have put an emphasis on reflecting diversity in the festivities, including the participation of conservative Christians and gay Americans. Obama personally selected Richard Blanco, whose work explores his experience as a Cuban-American gay man, as the inaugural poet. And the Lesbian and Gay Band Association of St. Louis was one of the first selections to march in the inaugural parade. People, it's a deliberate agenda. It's been an agenda ever since he became president. And then Newsweek cover, January 18, 2013, seems to equate Obama with the second coming of Christ. And then in the second inauguration address, January 21, 2013, we heard this. Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law. For if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well. In his 2013 State of the Union address, we heard this. This was February 13, 2013. We will ensure equal treatment for all service members and equal benefits for their families, gay and straight. And then February 21, 2013, Fox News reported that Obama was considering intervening in the gay marriage case. This was over California's Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage. Well, Obama filed that brief to oppose Proposition 8 later in the month. You realize that the President of the United States is also the honorary head of the Boy Scouts. And we know that the gay issue has been really pushed in the Boy Scouts. And first of all, allowing gays into the scouting movement. But the next step, as they've already said, is for leaders to be allowed in as gays. In a pre-game interview, a pre-Super Bowl game interview, February 3, 2013, President Obama was interviewed about the Boy Scouts issue. Next week, the board of the Boy Scouts of America is going to vote on whether to end their national ban on gays in scouting. Should scouting be open to gays? Yes. This was on CBS. But I want you to listen to how he then followed up. Listen carefully. Why so? Well, because I think that, you know, my attitude is that gays and lesbians should have access and opportunity the same way everybody else does, in every institution and walk of life. Did you hear that? In every institution and walk of life. People in England, the Prime Minister, wanted to have laws passed that churches had to marry gay couples. That's coming in America, I believe. Because, you see, one of the things that has been very clear from the White House is that they have tried to make out that the gay marriage issue is a civil rights issue. It is not a civil rights issue. It is a behavioral issue. It is a moral issue. You can't change the shade of your skin, but you can change your behavior and your morals. There was a very sad event that occurred in 2012 when a number of dear children were killed by a gunman in Connecticut. And President Obama was at the prayer vigil held on December 16th. And it's interesting. What he did was he quoted from 2 Corinthians 4. In fact, he read 2 Corinthians 4, verse 16 right through to 2 Corinthians 5, verse 1. I'll just play you a little bit of that. Scripture tells us, do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, inwardly we are being renewed day by day. Now I've got the whole passage there that he quoted. But I want you to hear that, just so you know that that's what he did. He quoted from 2 Corinthians 4, verse 16 to 2 Corinthians 5, verse 1. Now we know that all of the Bible is God's Word. All Scripture is inspired by God. But we also know that God moved people by His Spirit to write down what He wanted written for us that we have today in the revealed Word of God. Paul wrote that section. It's interesting that President Obama will quote from Paul in Corinthians, but would he vote from Paul in Ephesians? Ephesians 5.1 For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and two will become one flesh. In fact, that's the very same passage that Jesus referred to in Matthew 19 when He was asked about marriage. And His answer, Have you not read the authority of the Word of God? That He which made them at the beginning made them male and female. Not male and male. Not female and female. Male and female. He quotes from Genesis 1, verse 27 and said, For this reason shall a man leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall be one flesh. He quotes from Genesis 2.24 where God had made Adam from dust and put him to sleep because he was alone. There was no one that was like Him. And out of His side He made the first woman. You become one. You're one in marriage based on the one flesh because the woman came from the man. The first marriage, the marriage that God invented, was a man and a woman. People, what Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who's the truth and the Word is saying, is marriage is a man and a woman. Not a man and a man. Not a woman and a woman. It's a man and a woman. God is the one who invented marriage. But I know, President Obama will only quote from the passages that he wants. Not ones that contradict his false view of marriage. His incorrect view of marriage. By the way, not just marriage. Ultimately, every single biblical doctrine is founded in Genesis 1-11. Why did Jesus die on a cross? Genesis 1-11. Why is there sin in the world? Genesis 1-11. Why do you wear clothes? Genesis 1-11. Why is Jesus called the last Adam? Genesis 1-11. They're all founded in Genesis. The whole gospel message is founded in Genesis. We better go and tell the President of the United States and the Vice President and all the senators and the congressmen, right? Actually, we've talked to some senators and congressmen and you know what they say? Oh yes, but not every Christian leader believes Genesis is literal history and by in, therein lies a major problem in this nation. You see, I'm going to shock you all in saying this. I believe the state of this nation actually reflects the state of the church and we'll talk more about that as we go on here and you know, what we've seen happening, a gay marriage agenda pushed from the top down in this nation and now we're seeing all sorts of aspects of the culture getting on this bandwagon and it's interesting that in April, Time Magazine had on its front cover the headline Gay Marriage Already Won and people, I'm sorry to say, sad to say, in a way, I think it is already won in this nation because of what's happened in this nation but, God is, God is on our side and if God's people would only stand up and stop compromising His word and stand up and be counted in this nation, we could have a great effect in this nation. You know, even the United Nations posted quite a significant video on YouTube recently to promote gay marriage. This is just a section of the United Nations video. You are not alone. LGBT rights are human rights. LGBT rights are human rights. Together, we will build a world. We will build a world that is free and equal. You know, it's interesting in that video they also talk about persecution and all the rest of it but, of course, they wouldn't talk about Christian persecution throughout the world, would they? And then, of course, we know what happened June 26, 2013 where the Supreme Court in America struck down a provision of the Defense of Marriage Act that denied benefits to gay couples and, of course, this opened the way for further action to legalize gay marriage across the country. You're going to see that in the future. And also, in a separate ruling, they paved the way for same-sex marriages to resume in California because of what they ruled concerning Proposition 8 there for which a majority voted for Proposition 8. And you know what happened as a result of the Supreme Court rulings? And, people, this is indicative of the problem in this nation. The National Cathedral began pealing its church bells along with some other Washington churches to celebrate the Supreme Court's decision on gay marriage. In fact, in this news item here in CBS says Cathedral spokesman Richard Weinberg said that the bells rang at noon Wednesday for 45 minutes to an hour. Bells also rang at other Episcopal, Methodist, Presbyterian, Unitarian, and Christian churches. The Cathedral scheduled a prayer service for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender families. You know, when I read that, I could almost imagine these same people in charge of those churches standing in front of Sodom and Gomorrah and ringing their bells and saying, what great cities. You know, on Fox News, Mike Huckabee made a very strong stand, actually, against gay marriage. It's interesting to see one of the political cartoons that had him saying Jesus wept and it had a bishop from the church saying with joy. And then we've seen things like this. February 28, 2012, a church in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the United Methodist Church, said that they would not do weddings for straight couples until same-sex marriage is legal. To me, they shouldn't do any weddings. April 2012, Westminster Presbyterian Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, launched the GayChristianYes.org program. And then, earlier this year, 2013, Reverend Olive White, who's the Senior Minister of Grace Community United Church of Christ in Seppor, Minnesota, was interviewed by Sean Hannity and Terry Jeffrey. Listen to what this minister of a church said. You disagree as a Christian minister with what is described as marriage in Genesis and what Jesus himself described as marriage. Do you disagree with that? Well, yes, I do because I think that the book of Genesis is not necessarily... Do you disagree with Jesus on marriage? Do I say that again, please? Well, Jesus, as you know in the Gospels, said that a man and a woman should come together in marriage and be as one flesh. He personally, Jesus, our Christian Savior, defined marriage as a man and a woman. Do you disagree with the way that Jesus Christ defined marriage in the Gospels? I don't disagree with Jesus Christ, but what I do say is that if Jesus were alive today, I think that he would be more inclined to say, you know, I didn't know at all. In Christ are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. He's the infinite creator God, infinite in power, infinite in wisdom, infinite in knowledge. He didn't know it all. Wow. People, I want to say this as well. Do you realize that gay marriage is not the end? In the book of Judges, when they had no king to tell them what to do, they all did what was right in their own eyes. So why shouldn't any other view about sex, relationships, be allowed? What about polygamy? In fact, Julian Keenan, who's an independent journalist, who's also contributed to the New York Times and the Washington Post, stated this. Gay marriage is a slippery slope. What's next? Legalized polygamy? We can only hope. Let's not forget that the fight doesn't end with same-sex marriage. We need a legalized polygamy too. The definition of marriage is plastic. People, when you abandon a foundation in the absolute authority of the word of God, and you build, you're thinking on man's word, the definition of everything is plastic, basically. And that's what's happening to this nation. Newsmax reported, polygamists see gay marriage ruling opening door to multiple marriage. This was posted after the Supreme Court's decision regarding gay marriage. And in the article it said this, polygamists cheered the Supreme Court for their gay marriage rulings Wednesday, which they considered one step forward for the legal and social acceptance of multi-person relationships. But people, it's not going to stop there. It's going to go beyond that. Ultimately, anything goes. Why not? Who determines what's right and what's wrong? If man determines it, why shouldn't he allow everything? Of course, it's interesting the way that the secular humanists work, they talk about people like us who say gay marriage is wrong. They say, we're intolerant. And they say, you've got to allow all views. I say, okay, well my view is that's wrong and this is the right view. Well, you can't have that view. You've got to allow all views. And by doing so, they're intolerant of our view, which is based upon the Bible because it's a clash between a Christian worldview and a secular worldview between the absolutes of Christianity and moral relativism because at a foundational level, it's a clash between God's word and man's word. They went on to say in the Newsmax article, the nuclear family with a dad and a mum. Mom, as an Australian, every now and then, I slip back into my ways of saying things. You know what? I'm going to say it properly. The nuclear family with a dad and a mum and two or three kids is not the majority anymore. And then you had this article in CNN. It was a CNN opinion piece posted June 21, 2013. Headline, face it, monogamy is unnatural. And then in the article, we read this. Biologically, we humans are animals. You know, the Bible says we're made in the image of God. We're different to the animals. He said, let the earth bring forth the animals. But he said, let us make man in our image. We are not just an animal. But generations of our kids are being taught in our public education system in the secular universities that we're just animals. We're just animals that evolve from ape-like creatures. We're no different to the animals. And so the article goes on. So it makes sense to look at the animal kingdom for clues as to what we are built for. And so they look to the animal kingdom and say, see, we've got all our gay marriage, homosexual relationships and so on. By the way, do they look at the animal kingdom and say, oh, look, here are some animals that eat their young. Here are some animals that eat their own kind. We should allow that too. See the absurdity of the position. The inconsistency. Those who don't build their thinking on the Bible, there's always major inconsistencies. We've even had the founder of eHarmony get on this gay marriage bandwagon. He says he's a follower of Jesus. I'm not sure what he means by that. But he said this in April 12, 2013, quoted in the Christian Post. I have said that eHarmony really ought to put up 10 million and ask other companies to put up money and do a really first class job of figuring out homosexuality. I want to challenge the founder of eHarmony to give Answers in Genesis that 10 million dollars because we've got the answer already and I'll give him this book. Then we've seen articles like this. February 12, 2013 in Florida. A Miami, Florida court rules that a homosexual threesome can be named on a baby's birth certificate. Then we see this one. February 20, 2013. The Massachusetts Department of Education issued directives to schools that students who call themselves transgender can choose the boys' or girls' restrooms and they can choose the girls' or boys' sports teams and students who refuse to affirm transgender classmates face punishment. In California in 2013, a new book for children was released. A is for activist. Go to L. L for LGBTQ. Love who you choose. Go to T. T is for transgender. The he, she, they, that is you. People as well as the gay marriage issue. Then we can go and look at the abortion issue. Senator Obama said this. And this was in his plan for America 2008. It was called the blueprint for change. Obama and Biden put this together for their election campaign. And it says in that particular document that President Obama will make preserving a woman's right to choose under Roe versus Wade a priority. In other words, abortion is going to be a priority. And then January 22, 2010. On the White House website. Today we recognize the 37th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision in Roe versus Wade. This is the President of the United States, President Obama speaking, which affirms every woman's fundamental constitutional right to choose whether to have an abortion. I have and continue to support these constitutional rights. In other words, we have a President who totally condones the killing of nearly 55 million children in their mother's womb since Roe versus Wade. Which comes down to about 3,500 abortions or children killings per day. That was back in 2003. About 146 an hour. About one every 25 seconds. President Obama is the first President ever to speak to a Planned Parenthood conference and he pledged his full support for an organization that kills children in their mother's wombs. We've also had interesting conferences like this where Planned Parenthood, the YWCA, and the Girl Scouts headed a pro-abortion conference. And then, in Boulder, Colorado, earlier this year, in 2013, a policeman shot an elk and killed an elk in the suburbs of Boulder, Colorado. So people got together and had a vigil for the elk. And they held candles, they held hands, they had speeches, and then they sang a song to the elk. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound. By the way, they got the words wrong. They don't even know the words. When you have people singing Amazing Grace to an elk and on the same day, 3,500 or so children were killed in their mother's wombs and they said nothing, there is a major problem in this culture. Yes, America has changed. Remember we once were, we are no longer a Christian nation, at least not just. No, we're no longer a Christianized nation as we once were. No, America has changed foundation from God's word to man's word. And think of what's been going on. In 1962, the Supreme Court ruled school prayer unconstitutional. In 1963, the Supreme Court ruled that Bible reading in public schools was unconstitutional. In 1973, Roe versus Wade, the killing of children was ruled legal, the killing of children in their mother's wombs. In 1985, the Supreme Court ruled that nativity scenes on public lands violate separation of church and state. Remember, January 27, 2010, the State of the Union Address, President Obama said, in the end, it's our ideals, our values that built America. No, it wasn't. No, many of the founding fathers said, it's God's word that we build our thinking on. He says, they're American values, our ideals, our values. You know, really to me, that's a paraphrase of Judges 21, 25. In those days, there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what is right in his own eyes. And when everyone does what is right in his own eyes, God's word tells us about what our heart is like. The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Really, as I read Matthew 24, as in the days of Noah, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be, in many ways, we could look at today and say, it's just like the days of Noah. And God saw the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Certainly true of an increasing part of this culture. Remember the verse we started with, and for this reason, God will send them a strong delusion that they should believe the lie. What greater lie can there be than God's word is not true? What greater lie can there be that there is no God? And people, that lie is permeating the culture and it permeates the public schools and it permeates the television and permeates our education system. I wrote about that lie back in 1987 when we first published the book called The Lie. Because what's happened is that we live in a culture in which people are being taught that they're just animals. They're no different animals. Legislation protects that students not be allowed to be taught that God is creator, or even that possibility, but that they're animals that evolved over millions of years. It's a reminder of Romans 1.23, they changed the glory of the incorruptible God because it used to be that kids in our public schools were taught that God is creator. But now they've changed the glory of the incorruptible God in our public schools and the education system. And they've made an image made like corruptible man and birds and four-footed animals and creepy things, creeping things from which we all supposedly evolved. They exchanged the truth of God for the lie and they worshipped and served the creature, even a dead elk, rather than the creator who was blessed forever. Yes, this lie, the lie of evolution, big bang, millions of years has permeated our culture and it's had evil consequences because as generations of our young people have been taught the lie and they've doubted and walked away from the word of God, now we see a change in this nation from God's word to man's word. We see a change from the absolutes of Christianity to moral relativism pervading the nation. What does God think of a nation like this? Oh, back to Romans 1, for the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind to do those things which are not fitting. Therefore, God also gave them up to uncleanness in the lusts of their hearts to dishonor their bodies among themselves. And for this reason, God gave them up to vile passions for even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. People, a sign that God is giving a culture over to judgment, a sign that God is withdrawing the restraining influence of the Holy Spirit is that sign of homosexual behavior, gay marriage that is permeating this nation. Therefore, it is my assertion, America is under judgment. It's under judgment by an almighty God who looks upon this culture that has thrown God out of the culture. By and large, it has thrown God out of the culture. God out of the public schools by and large. If that is so that America is under judgment, then how should we view the President of the United States who has promoted gay marriage, pushed the gay marriage homosexual agenda in a big way, has condoned the killing of 55 million children that makes what Hitler did at the Holocaust pale in comparison. Daniel 2.21 says he removes kings and raises up kings. God removes kings, God raises up kings. Isaiah, Isaiah. 45.1, thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, a pagan king, whose right hand I have held, to subdued nations, he raises up whom he wills to do his work, to subdued nations, and loose the armor of kings, to open before him double doors. Romans 13, let every soul be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. President Obama has been appointed by God to be where he is. Scripture makes it clear. If America is under judgment then, the leader is there for America's judgment. And that's a sobering fact. It's true, and I believe it is. If the leader is there for America's judgment, wow, we need to fall on our knees before a holy God, if my people humble themselves and pray, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will heal the land. This nation needs to fall on its knees before a holy God and repent. You know, when you go to Washington, D.C., you can still see the reminders of the Christian heritage of this nation. You go into the rotunda of the Capitol building, you'll see the painting of founding fathers on their knees in a prayer meeting. You see Bible verses or the Ten Commandments on the Supreme Court building. When the president stands there and does his State of the Union address, he's looking at a carving of what represents the face of Moses, the law giver. I have 12 stones here, and those 12 stones really remind me of the reminders of the Christian heritage of this nation. Bible, prayer, creation used to be in the public schools. Christian symbols like crosses, Ten Commandments, nativity scenes used to be in public places. Marriage was considered a man and a woman. Abortion was considered wrong because you're killing a human being. But you know what's been happening? What's been happening is that those reminders that were once there have been removed and replaced with a whole different worldview, a reminder of the change of foundation from God's Word to man's Word. You know, I use 12 stones because in Joshua we read, when Joshua went across the Jordan River, a great miracle of the Lord to cross the Jordan River. And after they crossed the river, he said, take yourselves 12 stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan. What do these stones mean? That they may be a sign, that they'll be a memorial. These 12 stones are to be a sign, a memorial to remind the next generation of what God did. So when your children ask their fathers in time to come saying, what are these stones, then you will let your children know. Make sure you pass on that spiritual legacy to the next generation. Make sure you do that. That is so important. Remind the next generation. Don't lose that spiritual legacy. Pass that spiritual legacy on. And not only for the next generation, not only for your children, but that all the peoples of the earth may know the hand of the Lord. People, there were times in the past in this great nation in America when that spiritual legacy was passed on to the next generation. And America sent missionaries out around the world so that all the peoples of the earth may know the hand of the Lord. But just like in Joshua, you know what happened in Joshua's day? Sadly, the next generation was not reminded as it should have been. The fathers did not pass on that spiritual legacy as they should have done. We read that Joshua then dies. The elders that were with him died. And then the next generation, what happened? Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord. And they followed other gods. They lost it in one generation. It only takes one generation to lose a culture. We are losing this culture before our very eyes right now. It only takes one generation. Statistics show very clearly that two-thirds of young people from the church in America are walking away from the church by the time they reach college age. As this exodus from the church continues to happen, and if we don't stop this, I believe America will be where England is today, where statistics indicate two-thirds of teenagers don't even believe in God. Church attendance in England is down from, what, 50%, 60% around World War II to 7% or 6% right now. What's happened there is happening here. And as we see in England, United Kingdom, across Europe, across our Western world, moral relativism pervading the culture, it sure is a reminder, I think, of what it must have been like in the days of Noah. So what's the solution? Well, we could look to Bill O'Reilly for the solution from Fox News. Let's see what he says is the solution. Bill Russell, Brighton, Michigan. As Laura tried to explain, our belief system is our policy. We believe there are only two sexes and that marriage is between a man and a woman. We see other lifestyles as sin. Let me break this to you as gently as I can, Bill, because this is the crux of the matter. Your belief system is constitutionally protected, and I respect it. But if you think you will influence any U.S. policy with a sin analysis, you are misguided in the extreme. I've got news for you, Bill O'Reilly. The problem is we have not been standing up and giving a sin analysis in this nation. And that's what we do need to do from the authority of the Word of God. Now, I know there are some that are. There's a remnant that do out there, but as a whole, no, the nation doesn't want to consider a sin analysis. People, we need preachers of righteousness as Noah was a preacher of righteousness. Wow, are you depressed? Is there any good news? You know, as I travel throughout America and I visit with people at the Creation Museum, I'm reminded of that passage in Elijah, who himself was reminded that there were thousands that hadn't bowed the knee to Baal. There is an incredible remnant of God's people in this nation who do stand on the authority of the Word of God. That's where many of you are. And I believe you're all part of that remnant. But we need to mobilize that remnant in this nation, because in many ways they feel intimidated. In many ways, many of them don't even really know how to defend the faith and answer questions and don't know how to confront these issues. You know, that's one of the reasons why I believe the Lord has raised up Answers in Genesis and other ministries, ministries like Living Waters and Ray Comfort. The Lord has raised up ministries like Answers in Genesis and the Creation Museum to be reminders, to call people back to the authority of the Word of God, to remind people that the history in the Bible is true. That's why the gospel based in that history is true. He's raising up ministries like that in this nation, that they may be a sign and a memorial to the children, and that all the peoples of the earth may know the hand of the Lord. As we do at the Creation Museum, we walk people through the history in the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. We call it the seven seas of history. And we help people understand that history in Genesis concerning creation of a perfect world, the entrance of sin and death, corruption because of man's rebellion against God, the catastrophe of Noah's flood, and the terror of Babel. That history is true. And we have researchers who help people understand that we can go out in biology and geology and astronomy and chemistry and so on, and we can show how the evidence confirms over and over again the Bible's history. And the gospel is based in that history. Actually, the greatest reminder, I believe, of the gospel is the cross. Because of what happened on that cross. Death and resurrection of Jesus paid the penalty for our sin. Offers a free gift to salvation. Other than the cross, I believe Noah's ark is the greatest reminder of salvation. You see, God had Noah build an ark, and the world was so wicked. And he was going to judge the world with a flood. And Noah did what God commanded him to do. He's a righteous man. He's in the Hebrews Hall of Fame. And you know, God sent the animals to Noah to go on board that ark. And then eight people went on that ark. Only eight people went on that ark. Only those who went through the doorway could be saved. You know, Noah's ark is really a picture of salvation. God's son stepped into history and said, I am the door. By me, if any man enter in, he'll be saved. Just as Noah and his family had to go through a doorway to be saved, we need to go through a doorway to be saved. Wow. And of course, the flood was a judgment because of the wickedness of man, but it's also a message of grace and salvation because of what God provided for those who trust him to go through a door to be saved. Sadly, the evidence of the flood, fossil layers all over the earth, is used today to teach students that that event is not true, that those fossil layers are a result of millions of years. Imagine. Imagine if we were to rebuild Noah's ark in our day, in this age of wickedness, as a great reminder that God's word is true, that he's a God who judges sin and wickedness, but he's a God of mercy because he provides a free gift of salvation. Imagine if we were to rebuild Noah's ark. CBS 60 Minutes, back in November 2009, in conjunction with Vanity Fair magazine, I'm sure you'll get that, they conducted a web survey asking what archaeological discovery would people want to be made next. Noah's ark, 43%. I mean, that outstripped everything else. And they said this on their website. This is in the secular world. Noah's ark continues to capture the imagination of the general public and this interest spans all social, religious and economic segments. The ark and the flood is one of the few historical events which are well known in the worldwide global circle. And that's true. People all over the earth have heard of Noah's ark. There are flood legends and cultures all over the world. Whenever there's a supposed sighting of the remains of Noah's ark on Mount Ararat, not that we necessarily believe that that is there, but in fact the Bible says it landed on the mountains of Ararat, but we won't get into that discussion tonight. But whenever there is such a mention, what happens? There's newspaper headlines across the world. TV headlines. People are fascinated by Noah's ark. And sadly, many people twist the account of Noah's ark. But we have said to ourselves, what if we were to rebuild Noah's ark as a real boat, out of wood, the size of the ark. And as you walk through it, answer questions that people have like, how many animals could he feed on board and how could he take care of them and so on, with a purpose for helping people understand the history is true. If there really was a global flood, you'd expect to find billions of dead things buried in rock layers laid down by water all over the earth. And that's what you find. And the main purpose is then to present the door. The Lord Jesus Christ. As Noah and his family went through a door to be saved. You need to go through a door. We contracted with Rick Beamer, head of America's research group, to go out and do a general population study. And we said, go out and do a general population study. Find out if we rebuilt Noah's ark, would people actually come? When he did the study on the creation museum, he predicted 400,000 people would come for the first year, which would be the biggest year. It always is for an opening of a new facility like that. And we had 404,000. He missed it by that much. But it was pretty well what he predicted. So he went out and did the research for us. Do you think the idea of building an exact replica of the ark is a worthy idea? 76% say yes. Would you personally like to see this ark built? 81% say yes. If a replica of the ark were constructed in America, would you take your family to see it? 63% say yes. That represents 200 million people. Actually, just from America alone, when he distilled down all the figures and how they do their research and so on, he said this would mean, as he said for the creation museum, you would expect 400,000 in the first year. He said you should expect 2 million people in the first year. Wow. Do you know of any other Christian facility that could reach so many people like that, of which his statistics indicate 60% or so would be unchurched? Wow. Another question he asked, is it important that children see the ark so they could easily believe the Bible? You know, it's interesting. When people come to the creation museum, one of the things they've said to me is, when we bring our children here, it helps make it real to them. You see, the secular world put figures of so-called ape men and so on to try to make a lie real to them. We need to make the truth real to them. That's what we do at the creation museum. I remember when a particular atheist visited the creation museum in opening year, so it was just over six years ago, and she was quoted in the newspaper afterwards as saying something like that, that place is dangerous, it is so well done, kids are going to believe it. Actually, we asked America's research group, what would be worst, worst, worst, worst case scenario in regard to attendance at the ark? And he sat down and did some calculations and said, hmm, worst case scenario, 1.2 million, but I don't believe that would be so. He said, I really do believe you'll get 2 million people a year. He actually indicated probably double the attendance at the creation museum. So you know what? We stepped out in faith a few years ago to build what we call the ark encounter project, to rebuild Noah's ark as a reminder, as a reminder that God's word is true, as a reminder of the gospel. We want people to understand this event did happen. God did send the animals to Noah. Eight people did go on board that ark. You know, the Bible seems to indicate that when it was fully loaded, that ark stood for seven days before God shut the door. I don't know what Noah was doing in those seven days. I like to think that maybe he was out being a preacher of righteousness, standing in front of the door saying, come through the door to be saved. There's judgment coming. But nobody else came in. And God shut the door. Let me do that again. And then the people outside realized something was wrong, and the flood did come. And it's left its mark indelibly across the earth. Fossil layers, canyons. You know, today many people are out there saying, we've got to tell people about Jesus. But what we don't realize is, many of them don't believe the book from which the message of Jesus comes, because they've been indoctrinated to believe that Noah's flood never happened. No, the evidence of the fossils is evidence of evolution and millions of years, supposedly. We need to tell them the truth. They've been told a lie. And of course, the main reason for rebuilding the ark is to remind people that God's son stepped into history. He became one of us, our relative. You see, there are no different races. There's only one race of people. Actually, there's two races. Well, really, there's only one race. Well, there's one race biologically, but there's two races spiritually, the godly and the ungodly. But he stepped into history to be of our biological race, to be the God man, to be one of us. To suffer death on a cross, because death was a penalty for sin. You didn't have millions of billions of dead things and diseases, and as you see in the fossil record, like cancer and brain tumors, millions of years before man. No, it's man's sin that resulted in death and disease. And our bodies will die, but we're not like the animals. We're not an animal. We're made in the image of God. Our body will die, but our soul will live forever, separated from God. But God wanted to save us from what we did, because when we rebelled in Adam and we're descendants of Adam, what he did, we did, we really said, we don't want God. And God said, but I want you. I love you so much. And he stepped into history to pay the penalty for our sin. And he said, I am the door. You know, that door is open. But one day, like Noah's ark, that door is going to shut. And then the judgment will come. See, when we look at the world, we could get all depressed. And people, if America really is under judgment, and the president is there because God is judging America, and he's there for our judgment, we could easily get depressed. But we need to occupy until he comes. You know what we need today? We need people like Noah who are preachers of righteousness. And I want to mobilize all of us that we would get out there and stand upon the authority of the word of God and preach with boldness and be unashamed and preach with authority because we believe the authority from which it comes and get equipped with answers so we're not going to be intimidated by the secularists. And we will stand tall and not compromise as many, sadly, of our Christian leaders have done. You've been listening to the From the Pulpit in Classic Sermons series. This week you heard Ken Ham with his message, The Great Delusion, The Spiritual State of the Nation. Tune in next week to hear William Blackburn talk about the Salvation Test on From the Pulpit in Classic Sermons.