What Will the Next President Face?

In the days of biblical Israel a king had various advisers in his court to advise him how to run the nation based on the Word of God. Samuel guided Saul. Nathan counseled David. The prophet Isaiah brought God's will to Hezekiah. These men of God were independent voices representing the word of God to the king.

Imagine the next president of the United States taking office on Jan. 20. It is the first full working day for the new chief executive. What might he hear if a servant of God entered the Oval Office with an analysis of the world and America, along with recommendations from the Bible of how God would expect the president to govern? Let's imagine.

Good morning, Mr. President. Let me congratulate you on your new responsibilities and may I offer sincere wishes for your success as you take the helm of the world's wealthiest and most powerful nation. Your inaugural speech yesterday made clear your intent to maintain that position for the nation while at the same time seeking to reach out to both friend and foe to forge a bond of respect and cooperation.

You are coming into office at perhaps the most critical time in America's existence. The financial crisis of recent months is the most severe in this generation. America's relative position in the world faces the greatest challenge since the end of World War II. Iran's nuclear program could soon produce a weapon capable of destabilizing the entire Middle East. Many wonder what your administration will do to counter this threat.


Other world problems demand your attention and leadership. The security and prosperity of this nation and the maintenance of the current world order are at stake. Many voices are offering advice on the way forward. Here is an analysis and counsel from God's Word. The choice is yours as to which way you, and the nation, will go.


Global financial crisis

Your administration is inheriting a global financial crisis that comes once in a lifetime—"once in 100 years" as former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said. The geography of Wall Street has changed. Financial institutions such as Lehman Brothers, Bear Stearns and Merrill Lynch have gone out of business or were forced to sell themselves to other banks to keep operating.

Investors have lost billions, if not trillions of dollars as the stock market has staggered. Shortsightedness, greed and speculation in housing and real estate by buyers, sellers and lenders, which led to the subprime mortgage fiasco, resulted in a global credit crisis. Billions of dollars in loans were repackaged and sold as investments on which no one could place a true value. Loss of confidence in these items led to a precipitous drop in the stock market and to a lockdown of credit. The contagion spread around the world, creating fear and uncertainty.

The speed and ferocity of this crisis makes it far different from others of the post-World War II world. Governments and banks have had no previous experience with the scope of the shock and stresses generated by this global financial storm. America has lurched toward more government control of the financial markets while Europe has been exposed as unprepared and ill-equipped to handle the crisis.

That the epicenter of this storm has been in the West, primarily the United States, has caused the rest of the world to reassess its relationship and dependence on America. Nations like India, China and Brazil have usually been on the receiving end of advice and sometimes aid from the ruling order, led by America.


This crisis is different. New and resurgent powers such as India, Brazil and Russia can now exert a great deal of influence. They have accumulated reserves of foreign currency, having learned lessons of the past. Their foresight is helping to lessen the impact this global crisis would otherwise have had on them.

Your fellow world leaders will tell you, Mr. President, that an era is ending. The United States must realize it can no longer dictate or control global order. The time when nations and regions can be made in America's image is over. For more than two centuries America and Great Britain have fashioned the world's financial, political and cultural order.

America is still vital to the global economy with its huge market, consumer culture and technical innovation. The world economy still needs America; it is too big to let fall. But the time when it was everything to the world is coming to a close. The rest of the world will form bonds and relationships to insure their continued growth and prosperity. They see that to continue a dependence on America to call the shots puts their well-being in jeopardy. It is not the end of the world, but it is the end of a world.

What does God expect you to do? Learn this lesson. Debt is not good. Debt as a way of life will lead to a multitude of sins and social ills that will bring a nation to its knees. America has wallowed in debt to a point that is nearly unbearable. To finance homes, goods and a lifestyle people could not afford required dependence on nations like China and Saudi Arabia to buy and hold bonds, treasury notes and dollars. They financed a drunken orgy of spending that has resulted in trillions of dollars of debt, thus mortgaging future generations.

Written in the law God gave to ancient Israel is a financial principle for the ages: "The borrower is servant to the lender" (Proverbs 22:7). Sir, it is time you worked to return this nation to financial ethics based on godly principles that will insure stability and prosperity for all. The nation is on the brink of a financial slavery that will break its power. It may not be too late, but time is running out.

Relations with the Islamic world

Mr. President, your predecessor was forced to focus his foreign policy on radical Islamic terrorists. The devastating attacks on the homeland on 9/11 stunned the country into the reality of terrorist activity aimed at America. American troops were committed to action in Afghanistan and Iraq, with Iraq becoming the center of attention.

The Taliban were driven from power in Afghanistan—at least temporarily—and Saddam Hussein was deposed by invading Iraq. Massive numbers of troops, more than 12 brigades, have been occupied in Iraq. At times it looked bleak, as if America might lose this battle as guerrilla insurgencies whittled away at both Iraqi civilians and American troops. But the past two years saw a renewed surge of troops and commitment that turned the tide and stabilized the country.
While it now appears troops can begin to be withdrawn, the long-term stability of the Iraqi government will no doubt be tested by Iran, Syria and other terrorist forces. Whether the American-delivered Iraqi-style of democracy can survive in the tough neighborhood of the Middle East is yet to be seen.

This success has not been without a cost. American prestige throughout the world has suffered. Directly intervening to topple a sovereign government, no matter how brutal and corrupt that government might be, carries a cost in today's world. It has been a costly war. Billions of dollars were spent in the sands of Iraq and whether that cost was justified is as yet unproven.

And there is the human cost. Whenever the lives of young men and women are spent on foreign soil, the anguish of their loss haunts their families, as well as the communities and towns from which they came. The country has yet to tally the full cost of the wars in human terms.
You, Mr. President, will be faced with deciding how many U.S. troops to withdraw and at what speed. You will be tempted to move those troops to Afghanistan to counter an insurgent Taliban.
The pressure and need to maintain stability in this region is strong. Pakistan, the world's only nuclear-armed Islamic nation, is walking a tightrope between support for the West and radical Islamist elements that would seize control given the opportunity.

With Afghanistan and Pakistan, the United States is walking into a bed of quicksand that has devoured other armies in the past. In the 19th century Great Britain could not control the area nor could the Soviet Union in the 20th—in spite of the Soviet's commitment of 120,000 troops. Even Alexander the Great, back in the fourth century B.C., could not fully subjugate this region.
The fact is that with all its other commitments (not to mention its budget deficits), America does not have enough military resources to commit to the region to make a lasting difference. It will be a challenge to know what to do and for how long. To withdraw too many troops too soon from this mountainous region would invite disaster, something the world does not need.

And then there is Iran.

The next nuclear power?

Mr. President, you have been left unfinished business with Iran. This radical Islamic state has been actively pursuing a nuclear weapon. Its president curses the state of Israel and threatens to wipe it off the map. Among its clerical leaders runs a strong messianic belief in the end of the world and the return of the Mahdi, a mystical religious leader who supposedly will usher in a reign of Islamic peace upon the world.

Many experts believe that when Iran develops a nuclear weapon its leaders will not hesitate to use it to advance their Islamic vision. To protect themselves, Sunni Muslim states will feel the need to develop or obtain their own nuclear arsenal. The entire region would face even greater instability.

A recently completed high-level task force, chaired by two former U.S. senators, stated that this would be the "first and most pressing national security issue the next president will face."
The committee concluded that "an Islamic Republic of Iran with nuclear weapons capability would be strategically untenable. It would threaten U.S. national security, regional peace and stability, energy security, the efficacy of multilateralism, and the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) regime. While a nuclear attack is the worst-case scenario, Iran would not need to employ a nuclear arsenal to threaten U.S. interests.

"Simply obtaining the ability to quickly assemble a nuclear weapon would effectively give Iran a nuclear deterrent and drastically multiply its influence in Iraq and the region…allowing the Middle East to fall under the dominance of a radical clerical regime that supports terrorism should not be considered a viable option" ("Stopping a Nuclear Tehran," Washington Post, Oct. 23, 2008).

It seems this group even recommends building up military assets in the region to provide the option of an American or allied military strike against Iran.

Permanent solutions to the problems of the Middle East have eluded every one of your predecessors. Events will draw you as well into this unique mixture of "faith, hope and fantasy." Before you make your decision about what to do, I suggest you understand what few will admit, that the God of all the earth guides the course of nations. He alone determines the rulers of the people and the boundaries of the nations. Carefully consider the following lessons before committing to any long-term policies.

A lesson from history and prophecy

You would be wise to read the prophecies of Daniel to understand what God has in store for this region. Focus on the pride that overcomes leaders when they do not recognize the power that God holds over the course of empires and peoples. It is the cardinal sin of world leaders when they see only the raw physical power of the state and cannot discern the spiritual dimension of world affairs.

I have taken the liberty of bringing a copy of the Bible today. Let's examine it here for a few minutes. Notice what God revealed to the prophet Daniel and what the prophet said to Babylon's King Nebuchadnezzar when Babylon was at the peak of power in the Middle East. God gave the king a symbolic dream about the future that troubled his spirit, and none of his counselors could interpret it.

It was a dream of a tall image "whose splendor was excellent…and its form was awesome" (Daniel 2:31).

"This image's head was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces.
"Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed together, and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; the wind carried them away so that no trace of them was found. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth" (Daniel 2:32-35).

Mr. President, here in a few sentences Daniel traced the outline of history from the fifth century B.C. till the time ahead of us when Christ intervenes in world affairs to establish His Kingdom throughout the earth. God gave to Daniel special understanding in geopolitics that continues to teach us today. You can learn from this book of prophecy, but only if you adopt the perspective that Daniel held.

Daniel understood three principles that wise leaders will heed. Failure to learn these lessons could be costly to your new administration.

Three lessons

Before Daniel entered Nebuchadnezzar's throne room he consulted with his three closest friends and advisers, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, asking that they join him in seeking God's understanding of this dream (Daniel 2:17-18).

God's answer was quick and it contains three principles (verse 21).

First, God changes the times and the seasons. God has power over history and the long-term course of world events. World empires, world wars and the destiny of nations are in His control. History can only be understood from this foundational truth.

Second, God removes kings and raises up kings. No world leader occupies his or her office without the consent of God. It is not the genius of a well-run political campaign that has brought you to the Oval Office. It is not the hundreds of millions of dollars spent over the many months of campaigning that led to your electoral victory. You, sir, sit at this desk this morning because God allowed it. It was not determined by your platform, policies or charisma. Remember this and you can avoid the great all-consuming sin committed by many in high office—pride.

Third, God gives wisdom, knowledge and understanding to the wise. Seek and trust in Him, look to His Word as the foundation of knowledge, and He will give you the wisdom necessary to chart a correct course for the nation during these turbulent times.

Mr. President, the reason this nation has prospered throughout its remarkable history is because of God's direct blessing. But whether that blessing will continue is contingent upon the attitude and the behavior of the country's leaders and its citizens.

Sir, if you will listen to and obey what God says and lead your people to listen and repent too, you can be assured of God's watchful care over this country. If you will call the nation to listen to these words and understand how far the country has fallen from this knowledge, then you can lead a turnaround that could preserve the country's blessings. The choice is yours. I can only place this before you for your action.

I have more to say on this but have exceeded my allotted time. I will come again and discuss more of what lies ahead for you and the United States.

With that, the man of God leaves the Oval Office. The president sits for a moment, thinking about what he has heard. These are hard sayings and they run counter to what he has always believed about the world of power he now handles. He has many questions about the man's advice tumbling through his thoughts.

The president rises and walks out into the Rose Garden. The air is brisk and cold; the sky a clear bright blue. The wind scatters a few leaves along the walk leading from the office to the executive mansion. Before he can fully gather his thoughts about what he just heard, a voice calls from the open doorway. "Mr. President, your national security adviser is here to give you the daily briefing." He turns and walks quickly back into his office. The questions he has will have to wait for the next visit.

End of Part 1