The Lord raised up Great Britain and used her for more than two centuries to spread the gospel and the spiritual teachings. Now, however, America has come into the lead.
Until five hundred years ago, this continent lay hidden, a virgin land. Why did God preserve this continent for so long? No historian has said this, but my answer is that God arranged this so that America would be preserved for His ultimate recovery. About 1500 the Lord exposed this new continent to the people of Europe, who were the most advanced. At that very time, there were many thoughtful persons who loved the Lord. They wanted to be free in their thinking about spiritual things. The Catholic Church and the state churches, however, were persecuting them. Even in England some thoughtful persons who loved the Bible were burned at the stake by the Church of England. Thus, many lovers of the Lord aspired to come to the new land. As time went on, many came and eventually a new country was founded.
The United States is different from any other country. It is constitutional and democratic. It offers freedom of speech and of religion. This is why we can speak so freely here. Because of its good foundation, Americans are generally frank and open to new things. It does not matter to them who offers them something; he may be Chinese, or Indian, or Black. As long as what he offers is better, they will take it! This is not so with Britain, France, or any other leading countries. America is different. It is a melting pot, melting not only different peoples but different cultures as well. America takes the best things of different cultures. If I were in other countries, I might not be received so well. But here, even though I am opposed, close to ten thousand have accepted the Lord’s recovery. The way I speak English does not bother them. Americans care for the facts. Is any other country like this? The United States is extraordinary.
Through two world wars God put down Britain and raised up the United States. If the United States had not intervened in World War I, it is doubtful that Britain and France could have won. After that war, Britain and France formed the League of Nations in order to restrict Germany. The United States was not a member. In World War II the United States was mainly responsible for the defeat of Germany in Europe and of Japan in the Pacific. Roosevelt proposed that all the different peoples, even though small in number, be given their freedom. There would be no more colonies. Britain had to agree. Then the United Nations was formed in San Francisco. Its headquarters were set up in the UN Building in New York with the help of the United States.
Gradually, after these two world wars, the whole world came under the influence of the United States. The only exception is Russia, Gog and Magog; this fulfills what the Bible says. They resist God and preach atheism. Mr. Franklin D. Roosevelt was a great statesman, but he made mistakes. One was to recognize Russia, when all the other nations had been refusing to have diplomatic relations with her. This he did in 1933. Then, during the second World War, he sent supplies to Russia to help defeat Germany. Russia should not have been given this much help. The United States should have let Germany and Russia exhaust each other. As it was, Russia became stronger because of this mistake and became a problem to the United States after the war. The Marshall Plan, which helped the Western European countries recover from the war, was rejected by the Soviet Union. She did not want help for herself or her satellites because she feared interference in her internal affairs. Roosevelt made a third mistake by signing the secret Yalta agreements, which further spread Russian influence. But God is sovereign.
Just in these last few days the newspapers have reported that China’s premier has been upheld in his plan to continue China’s ties with the West. We might imagine that a Communist country like Red China would side with Russia against the free world, but the policy it is adopting will serve instead to isolate Russia. They have also sent envoys to contact India and Pakistan concerning the isolation of Russia.
Until some twenty years ago Russia had no access to the oceans. Now she has expanded her navy and has a free way on the Pacific Ocean. She has gotten the use of Qui Non Bay in Vietnam, where there is a huge naval base built by the United States during the Vietnam war; now it has fallen into Russian hands. This is why America’s Seventh Fleet is needed in the Pacific to safeguard the free world’s interests.
These recently reported moves which will further isolate Russia are part of the world’s ultimate situation. The raising up of America as the top nation is also part of this final stage. If you are familiar with world history and have seen the tendencies of mankind, you will surely agree that there is no possibility of another nation being raised up to succeed the United States. What other country could it be? In Europe? In Asia? In Africa? In Australasia? This situation of the United States in the lead and Russia being increasingly isolated is the ultimate situation. Its purpose is the carrying out of the Lord’s ultimate recovery.
Israel has been re-formed. Jerusalem is in Israeli hands. Though in many aspects Israel is ready for the Lord’s coming back, the church is not. Can the church be prepared in Catholicism or Protestantism? I can see no evidence that it can. I have not heard of any book or person of spiritual weight coming out of America or Europe these past twenty years. The situation in the world and the condition of Christianity are like puzzle pieces. If you fit them together, you will realize that the Lord’s move today is the recovery. He will use this last world situation, that is, the supremacy of the United States, for the spreading of the recovery. No other country is so central, so convenient, and so prevailing as the United States. The U.S.A. is so good for the Lord’s recovery and so good for the spreading of the recovery.
All that is needed is our faithfulness. We all have to be faithful; we all must seek after Him. We must treasure this time in which we live. We must treasure the vision of the recovery. And we must treasure our responsibility. Just forget about everything else. Rise up and stand for the Lord’s recovery. This is the ultimate time for Him to accomplish His purpose to bring Him back.
(The World Situation and God's Move, Chapter 5, by Witness Lee)