Here’s what I see as America’s worst-case scenario.

America misses the tribulation.

How could that be a bad thing? Tribulation is a gift from God. Paul preached, “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.” (Acts 14:22 ESV) Tribulations are part of our refining process, shining us up so that we are ready to be received as the spotless bride. Our adornment as the bride of Christ is our righteous acts (Rev. 19:8). That’s where our beauty comes from. Tribulation is the fire that burns away what’s not of God so that only truth and righteousness remain. Missing the tribulation would mean God was done with America. What a fearful thought.

It reminds me of this parable. And he said to the vineyard-keeper, ‘Behold, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree without finding any. Cut it down! Why does it even use up the ground?’And he answered and said to him, ‘Sir, leave it alone for this year too, until I dig around it and put in fertilizer; and if it bears fruit next year, fine; but if not, cut it down.’” (Luke 13:7-9 NASB 1995)

In America there was something called the First Great Awakening, a religious revival. It was happening around 1750. The Second Great Awakening was happening around 1800. Guess when the Third Great Awakening was happening. It was around the 1850s. Do you see the pattern? There was another revival around 1900. What was happening around 1950? Another revival? You bet. Then comes 2000….crickets.

What happens after that? 2001…ring a bell? How about September 11, 2001?

We missed the revival and instead got a warning. There was hope that it would spark a revival, but it didn’t come. We went all in on terrorists instead of going all in on God. Christians whooped and cheered for the death of Osama Bin Laden instead of weeping over another lost soul.

And what if America has lost her chance? What if her window of revival has closed? What if an end-times billion-soul revival takes place and America misses it? What if Roe vs. Wade is overturned and there is a resurgence of some semblance of conservative Christian values, and it’s mistaken for revival when it’s just a distraction that keeps people from real transformation?

Of course, there are believers in America who are ready to go through tribulation for the sake of the call of Christ. Their persecution will come from the unsaved church. And in this worse-case end-times scenario, America is completely destroyed as part of Babylon the Great and the lukewarm with her, while the faithful few are celebrating at their wedding feast.