Is This America’s Golden Age?
“The golden age of America is upon us,” United States President Donald Trump declared at the end of his State of the Union address on February 24. This has been a favorite theme since his reelection: “Our nation is back—bigger, better, richer and stronger than ever before.” He continued: “A short time ago, we were a dead country. Now we are the hottest country anywhere in the world.”
In a sense, he is right. After the bitter years of Barack Obama and Joe Biden, some trends have been welcome changes: crime dropping, the border closed to illegal migration, a strong pushback against leftism and woke tyranny, a restoration of some personal freedoms.
But we must see the bigger picture and gain a Bible-based understanding of the era America is in right now. The 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding is a perfect time to step back and take a hard look at what the United States of America has become.
Two hundred fifty years ago, America’s founders embarked on a daring experiment in human liberty based on a Bible-influenced understanding of law, governance and human nature. In 1776, the year Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence, John Adams wrote to his cousin, “It is religion and morality alone which can establish the principles upon which freedom can securely stand.” This was on the minds of the founders. Religion and morality were the two fundamental building blocks upon which America was built!
In 1798, Adams stated, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”
The question is, has that foundation of religion and morality survived the last 250 years?
The sad reality is, the American experiment is no longer truly moral or religious. The America of 1776 exists only in history books. Modern America has repudiated this foundation. Generation after generation, the leaders and the people have chosen lawlessness. In 2026 we live in a dangerous time “when the transgressors are come to the full” (Daniel 8:23). We have never been more sinful than right now!
It is tempting to blame this nation’s problems on the radical left and the Democrats. They indeed bear much of the guilt for deliberately trying to destroy America and should be held accountable. But God is trying to get us to see how all of us are guilty for the problems in this country. Whether progressive liberal, evangelical conservative or anything in between, we all must take responsibility for our own sins!
This is not a popular message to proclaim while America celebrates. But the Trumpet must do as Isaiah 58:1 says: “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.” God does not bow to public opinion or the will of men. God thunders a strong warning message to the people of America based on the truth!
President Trump believes America’s 250th birthday is the start of a new golden age: “[O]ur destiny is written by the hand of Providence, and these first 250 years were just the beginning.” But history and prophecy prove that unless we repent, our nation is actually facing its end.
Resurgence
Of all modern presidents, Donald Trump should understand God’s hand in the destiny of America. On July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania, he was the center of a miracle from God, witnessed live by the world! An assassin’s bullet should have killed him, but he tilted his head at the perfect moment, and God saved his life. The president believes that, and so do many of you reading this.
But do you know why that happened?
Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry has connected President Trump with a prophecy in 2 Kings 14:26-27. “Bible prophecy says that Donald Trump is going to lead a resurgence in America,” he wrote in our January 2025 issue. “Based on the scale of his victory, this resurgence could be significant and impressive. We must see that this is not the work of a man. This is God’s doing.” He went on to write, “This election showed God’s profound love for and mercy toward America. …
“Never forget that it is God who took pity on America in our bitter affliction and saved us—temporarily—by the hand of Donald Trump” (theTrumpet.com/30482).
America is experiencing a temporary resurgence. The purpose of this resurgence is not to celebrate our president or ourselves but to give our nation one last chance to repent. The source is God and His mercy, not this man’s “genius” leadership. This man wouldn’t be leading at all—wouldn’t even be alive—without God!
Mr. Flurry wrote in the March 2025 Trumpet, “God wants to make America’s temporary resurgence permanent. But that will happen only if we as a people truly, genuinely repent and turn to God—and that includes the president” (theTrumpet.com/30890).
Since God brought Trump back into office, there has been some talk of repentance, but no change. Words of self-congratulations and self-praise have multiplied; people are breaking their arms patting themselves on the back during the 250th anniversary celebrations. There is a lot of pride—and very little humility.
Blinded by Vanity
The character of a leader, good or bad, does influence the people he leads. At the same time, the character of the nation shapes the leader.
Contrasting America’s first president to the current one tells us a lot about our national character.
“On April 16, 1789, George Washington left the comforts of Mount Vernon to make the trek to our new nation’s capital in New York City,” wrote John Teichert at RealClearPolitics. “… In the first line of his inauguration speech on April 30, President Washington stated the following as he trembled in the Senate Chambers of Federal Hall: ‘Among the vicissitudes incident to life, no event could have filled me with greater anxieties than that of which the notification was transmitted by your order, and received on the 14th day of the present month.’ He went on to admit that he was ‘peculiarly conscious of his own deficiencies’” (“A Nation’s First Inauguration Characterized by Reverent Humility,” April 30).
Reverent humility—that is a very different mindset than what you see from our president today, who believes he has all the answers and refuses to admit error.
Why is this so important? Because God says He looks “to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word” (Isaiah 66:2). That is why, every day, we need to be clothed in humility: because it helps us look to God. Pride is one of the terrible traits of human nature. If we aren’t seeking God, we are relying on our own strength and our own reasoning. That is a dangerous position to be in (Proverbs 3:5-8; Jeremiah 17:5).
Are America’s 250th anniversary celebrations conveying a spirit of reverent humility?
One of President Trump’s greatest weaknesses is his pride. He believes he is one of the most important presidents in history and that all his policies are the biggest, best and hottest in American history. He made this shocking statement in a New York Times interview published on January 8 when asked if anything limits his authority: “Yeah, there is one thing: my own morality. My own mind. It’s the only thing that can stop me.”
President Trump has been a very successful man and has some great qualities God can use. But his pride will lead to his downfall—and to the downfall of America: “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18).
The reality is, President Trump was partially shaped by the America he grew up in. Pride is common in our therapeutic, consumerist culture, with reality tv, social media and influencers amplifying self-promotion and self-absorption. People seek validation through image and status rather than character or community.
What does God think of pride? “Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord” (Proverbs 16:5; see also Proverbs 8:13; James 4:6). Making ourselves an abomination to God is a serious mistake! Yet pride, in its various and subtle forms, is so rife within America today that we hardly consider it a sin. In many ways it is encouraged, even exalted!
But pride is sin. It is contrary to the very spirit of God’s law. God’s law is what defines sin (1 John 3:4). In many ways, pride is the root of all sin. It was pride that turned the archangel Lucifer away from God and fueled his transformation into the adversary, Satan the devil (Isaiah 14:12-14; Ezekiel 28:17). No wonder God hates it so much (read Proverbs 6:16-17).
And it is hardly the only sin common in America today.
‘Sin Nation’
Axios, generally a left-leaning news source, published an astounding piece on May 12 titled “Scaling Sin.” “Las Vegas has long been known as Sin City for its 24/7 access to all kinds of indecencies. America is quickly becoming Sin Nation,” it stated. It cited three specific “once forbidden vices”—marijuana use, gambling and pornography—that have become “ubiquitous, digital and spreading at a pace that has outstripped the country’s social and regulatory guardrails.”
Even people at Axios can see sin increasing in America. But they don’t exactly condemn it; they point out some troubling facts, but don’t talk about repentance or the consequences of living in sin.
Let’s briefly look at these three sins rapidly spreading across America.
First, regarding marijuana, Axios explained, “Not long ago, you might’ve gone to jail for using pot, much less selling it. Now, it’s legal for a vast swath of Americans and serves as a primary tax engine for nearly half the country.” Twenty-four states have legalized recreational marijuana; 40 states allow it for medical use. The Trump administration is making it easier to access by reclassifying it as a Schedule iii drug alongside steroids and ketamine. What is staggering is the amount of money the government makes from it: States have collected $25 billion in cannabis tax since 2014 when it became legal. 2024 was a record-breaking year at $4.4 billion.
Here is what Axios didn’t say: Marijuana alters the mind and defiles the body; it impairs judgment; it causes respiratory and cardiovascular damage; it increases mental health issues like anxiety, depression and psychosis; it reduces motivation and creates addiction; and it often leads to harder drugs. It is it is ubiquitous, it is destroying minds, it is weakening our people and our nation—and our federal and state governments are encouraging it!
And here is what you will never read from Axios: God tells us we should glorify Him with our bodies (1 Corinthians 6:20). He commands that we remain sober and clear-minded (e.g. 1 Thessalonians 5:6; 1 Peter 1:13; 5:8). Though Scripture doesn’t specifically mention marijuana, it condemns intoxication (e.g. Ephesians 5:18; Romans 13:13). God wants us to master our lusts, build self-control, and set our affections on things above (e.g. 1 Corinthians 6:12; Galatians 5:23; Colossians 3:1-2). The damaging effects of marijuana use alone show that it is a sin, besides the fact that it opposes all these biblical principles and commands. This makes it all the more extraordinary that our governments are encouraging it and profiting from it so richly.
Next, gambling has also skyrocketed: “More than half of American men ages 18 to 49 have an account with an online sportsbook, per a Siena poll out last month,” Axios wrote. “Sixty-three percent of bettors said they’d bet $100 or more in one day. Thirty-one percent reported having someone express concern about their sports betting, up from 23 percent last year.” Every sporting event and radio show now serves up ads for sports betting. You need not visit Las Vegas or your local casino to feed a gambling addiction—all you need is a smartphone.
As gambling proliferates, so too do warning signs about its evils. Gambling exploits the poor, it is highly addictive, it leads many into debt and despair, and it destroys lives and families. It has fueled rampant harassment and death threats against athletes by angry bettors. It imposes billions annually in social and economic costs.
These alarming effects explain why God forbids it. Gambling is driven by selfish, greedy desire to get rich quickly at someone else’s expense. “Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished: but he that gathereth by labour shall increase. … He that is greedy of gain troubleth his own house …” (Proverbs 13:11; 15:27). God’s law forbids covetousness, materialism, greed and undue love of money (e.g. Exodus 20:17; Matthew 6:24; 1 Timothy 6:10). Gambling feeds greed, wastes resources, harms others, and replaces dependence on God with dependence on chance. God wants us to work honestly, give generously and trust Him—the opposite of gambling. A nation that ignores this wisdom and indulges in this sin is hurting itself and angering God.
Third, the scourge of pornography has become a fixture in society—one of America’s most universal sins! “The average age of first exposure to online pornography is now 12, with 15 percent of kids first seeing it at 10 or younger, according to a Common Sense Media survey of 1,300-plus teens,” continued Axios. In this golden age of sin, you can access all the filth you want from your phone, in your house, in secret. Roughly 40 million Americans visit porn websites regularly. Studies show that some 54 to 64 percent of men who consider themselves Christian report viewing porn at least monthly.
“Online pornography was already ubiquitous before AI,” Axios continued. “Now, deepfake technology has created an entirely new category of harm that barely existed two years ago …. Deepfake files online exploded from 500,000 in 2023 to an estimated 8 million by the end of last year, with up to 98 percent being nonconsensual, according to cybersecurity firm DeepStrike.”
This sin also has frightful consequences. Pornography is highly addictive. It rewires the brain like drugs, causing desensitization, reduced gray matter and poor impulse control. It increases depression, anxiety and shame. It destroys relationships, increases sexual dysfunction, and drives escalation to more extreme content. Beyond that, it fuels a massive industry of sex trafficking and exploitation. And an estimated 20 percent of pornographic images on the Internet involve depictions of children! Child pornography is big business in the United States!
Pornography fuels lust. It treats people (often exploited) as objects for selfish pleasure. It violates purity and defiles the mind and heart. Jesus Christ said looking at it breaks the Seventh Commandment, which forbids adultery (Matthew 5:28). God commands us to flee sexual sins and put to death the lusts of the flesh (1 Corinthians 6:18; Colossians 3:5). Failing to do so weakens us mentally, physically and spiritually. It ruins our families and our nation.
America’s sickness is deeper than President Trump and his supporters admit. They say, in effect, that God will bless this nation just as it is. The Bible warns otherwise.
Things God Hates
Perhaps you are not among the 70 to 80 percent of Americans who have either used marijuana, gambled or viewed pornography in the past year. But there are still many more sins that are even more common.
“All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the Lord weigheth the spirits. … Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the Lord pondereth the hearts” (Proverbs 16:2; 21:2). If we measure our actions by our own standards, we will end up justifying and excusing awful behavior. We need God’s view. And for that, each one of us needs to look to God’s Word.
Proverbs 6:16-19 describe seven things God hates, even considers abominable. These are not just “little sins” or minor mistakes. These are things God actively hates, sins that provoke His righteous anger, sins that bring grave consequences!
What are these sins? First on the list is “a proud look”—haughty, arrogant eyes; a contemptuous facial expression. Who in America even thinks of this as a sin? Yet such a look reflects the pride God hates so passionately.
Next is “a lying tongue”—habitual lying and deception. Could this sin be more prevalent, top to bottom, in society? We swim in political spin, “fake news,” advertising deception, social media manipulation, white lies, social lies, exaggeration and embellishment, flattery and fake compliments. Studies show that most people lie multiple times per day. Later in this list of sins is “a false witness that speaketh lies”—that is, false accusations, slander and perjury. We see and accept this sin throughout our politics, our justice system, our journalism, and also in our office politics, our social media. God hates it all.
Verse 17 says God hates “hands that shed innocent blood.” America has a homicide rate many times higher than other developed countries and the world’s highest rate of mass shootings. Far more common is abortion—certainly the shedding of innocent blood! America hosted over 1.1 million abortions in 2025. An estimated 64 million American children were aborted during the roughly 50 years Roe v. Wade was in effect (1973 to 2022), and around 3.4 million abortions have occurred since. That truly is an abomination to God!
Mull over the rest of this passage: God hates a “heart that deviseth wicked imaginations,” constantly plotting evil schemes, as you see so commonly in entertainment that glorifies twisted ideas, conspiracy-driven hatred and other forms. He hates “feet that be swift in running to mischief,” eagerly rushing into sin or trouble, as is routine in our impulse-driven culture: road rage, riots and mobs.
God hates “he that soweth discord among brethren,” those who stir up strife and division between people. This saturates American society: political polarization, social media algorithms that reward outrage, church splits, family feuds and professional gossip culture.
How much are you guilty of these sins? Do you realize how angry God is over how universal these are in America today? Few people even trouble themselves over most of these evils.
God gives us His honest assessment of 2026 America: “Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment” (Isaiah 1:5-6). Every part of America is spiritually sick! We are full of open, festering sores that are bringing pain, suffering and curses on our nation.
Perilous Times
We live in dangerous times—just as the Apostle Paul prophesied: “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God” (2 Timothy 3:1-4).
What makes our times so dangerous? Paul could have talked about the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction or the threat of pandemics or cyberterrorism. But the first thing he mentioned was people loving themselves! Self-love is a form of pride, and it is a dangerous sin!
Paul warned about people being covetous and boasters and proud. These sins are everywhere! All around we see blasphemers who speak evil of God or sacred things. People are unthankful, nurturing entitlement mentality, complaining and focusing on what they lack rather than their unparalleled prosperity and blessings. They are unholy, irreverent or profane, normalizing immoral behavior.
A majority of children today are disobedient to parents, as family authority has weakened and rebellion is often glorified in our entertainment. People without natural affection, heartless and lacking in family love, are fueling high divorce rates, abortion rates, elder neglect and weakened family bonds. These sins destroy one institution America truly needs: the family. Men have become predators instead of protectors. Women abort their children instead of nurturing them. Children rule families instead of being taught how to live. We live in the “golden age” of family dysfunction and breakdown.
Trucebreakers, untrustworthy and irreconcilable, leave in their wake broken contracts, political betrayal and declining social trust. False accusers, slanderers and liars feature prominently in public life. Those incontinent, lacking self-control and restraint, are evident in our obesity epidemic, addiction rates, impulsive spending and emotional outbursts. Fierce people—brutal, savage or violent—contribute to polarizing, angry rhetoric in addition to violent crime.
The rest of the traits Paul warned us about are also exceedingly familiar in America today. He concludes his list with lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God—a condemnation of the hedonistic entertainment addiction, comfort-seeking, sports and idol worship that pervade our culture.
These are just some of the sins that most Americans—old and young, rich and poor, left and right, religious and nonreligious—freely indulge in, generally without a second thought. You could add other common sins such as hatred, immodesty, party-spirit, gluttony, homosexuality, Sabbath-breaking, idolatry and witchcraft.
These passages give you a strong idea of what God thinks of what we are doing to ourselves, our children, our families, our nation, and to the world! All these are sins against the living God!
Can we really say America is in a golden age, when we aren’t even willing to acknowledge and address our sins, about which God is deeply angered? How sinful must we be before we admit our evil, attack it and destroy it?
Rededicated to God?
One feature of the 250th anniversary festivities has been the weaving together of history and religion.
The Museum of the Bible celebrated America’s heritage with a marathon Bible reading, straight through from Genesis to Revelation. President Trump participated in the event, reading 2 Chronicles 7:12-22. This includes verse 14: “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
If you wanted the president of the United States to read a particular scripture, this would be high on the list! To the president’s credit, he read the full scripture—unlike many public figures in recent years who have left out “and turn from their wicked ways,” erasing the verse’s call to repentance.
Still, out of President Trump’s own mouth has he read his judgment!
God deeply desires to heal our land—but before He will do so we must humble ourselves, we must pray, we must seek God’s face, and we must turn from our wicked ways. That is true repentance from sin!
Amid all the talk of religious revival in America, has there been any meaningful change in our lifestyle?
Jesus spoke bluntly in Luke 6:46, “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” He was condemning pious-sounding religion that overlooks repentance, that does not aim at obedience—religion that tolerates and even commits horrible sins!
Even as President Trump endorses religion, he is scheduled to host ufc250, a mixed martial arts event in which fighters punch, kick and slam each other in a cage, at the White House on June 14. This event is to celebrate Trump’s 80th birthday and America’s 250th anniversary. Is God pleased when we celebrate birthdays with gladiatorial combat?
In many ways, this event epitomizes the shallowness of the religiosity of these celebrations.
Notice 2 Chronicles 7:19-20, which President Trump also read: “But if ye turn away, and forsake my statutes and my commandments, which I have set before you, and shall go and serve other gods, and worship them; then will I pluck them up by the roots out of my land which I have given them; and this house, which I have sanctified for my name, will I cast out of my sight, and will make it to be a proverb and a byword among all nations.”
This is a prophecy of what happens to nations that reject God! God has been warning America about this through the late Herbert W. Armstrong and Mr. Flurry for nearly a century! Unless we take drastic action, America is going to become a byword, a proverb.
Mr. Armstrong wrote in his 1964 book God Speaks Out on the New Morality that the “downward plunge” in morals was “rapidly becoming a greater threat to humanity than the hydrogen bomb!” This is because a hydrogen bomb destroys your body, but sin destroys the human spirit, mind and heart.
He wrote in The Missing Dimension in Sex, “Since it is a basic truism that a solid family structure is the foundational bulwark of any stable and permanent society, this fact means only one thing—civilization as we know it is on the way down—and out—unless that great ‘Unseen Strong Hand from Someplace’ soon intervenes and saves today’s sick society.” He had a strong message from God about right family living (see Malachi 4:4-6). America has embraced the opposite lifestyle, and we will face the consequences.
This is not the golden age of America. It is the golden age of sin.
The Real Golden Age
America is descended from biblical Israel. This is a pivotal truth that will help you understand the prophecies of the Bible that foretell our nation’s fate. (You can prove it by requesting a free copy of The United States and Britain in Prophecy.)
Our Israelite ancestors fell as a nation because every man was doing what he was right in his own eyes (Judges 21:25). The people were deeply degenerate and cared only for themselves. The leaders didn’t call on them to amend their ways and make deep sacrifices in desperate times. That led to their downfall.
God had this history recorded for us to learn from so we can avoid the same mistakes (e.g. 1 Corinthians 10:6-11). He is warning us out of loving concern. But that is of no help if we do not heed!
We have forgotten the history of our forefathers, forsaken the ideals of our Founding Fathers, and most importantly, forsaken our God.
America does not have another 250 years. It likely does not have another five years. If we do not repent, America will suffer greatly—and very soon.
But a much better future awaits! It all leads to the start of a new golden age.
Mr Flurry concluded his March 2025 article: “The golden age Donald Trump is promising is illusory. But the golden age God Himself promises is sure—and it is almost here!”
When mankind has finally been humbled, realizing that everything we have done is wrong, and when we have given up all our sins, then Jesus Christ can build a new nation, a kingdom, that is the real rule of God on Earth! It will be a kingdom of law and liberty, a kingdom of peace and prosperity. That is the wonderful good news of the Kingdom of God!