Rethinking the Bible with Jack Pelham

Rethinking the Bible with Jack Pelham


Episode 41: Eight Possible Ways Jesus Could Save The United States of America

September 05, 2021


DESCRIPTION: Jack discusses eight possible ways Jesus could fix the mess that is ailing America. It raises the question of just what we’re expecting when we pray for God’s help.



Scriptures Used in this Episode

  1. Korah-style judgment. 

Numbers 16: 28 Then Moses said, “This is how you will know that the Lord has sent me to do all these things and that it was not my idea: 29 If these men die a natural death and suffer the fate of all mankind, then the Lord has not sent me. 30 But if the Lord brings about something totally new, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them, with everything that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the realm of the dead, then you will know that these men have treated the Lord with contempt.” 31 As soon as he finished saying all this, the ground under them split apart 32 and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their households, and all those associated with Korah, together with their possessions. 33 They went down alive into the realm of the dead, with everything they owned; the earth closed over them, and they perished and were gone from the community. 34 At their cries, all the Israelites around them fled, shouting, “The earth is going to swallow us too!” 35 And fire came out from the Lord and consumed the 250 men who were offering the incense.

Ananias and Sapphira
Acts 5: 11 Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.



1 Enoch 22. Read the text here.



2. Reject the current leaders and appoint leaders of his own. 



Saul/David.  Starts in 1 Samuel 16. 



 3. Send a prophet to expose all the wrongdoing, after which the people will no longer support the wicked government. 



There are several examples of prophets exposing the wrongdoing of leaders, or of nations.  I don’t think there’s an example in the Bible, however, of a nation turning its back on a leader for this cause.  Besides, Israel was a theocracy, and if God turned on the leader, he generally replaced the leader himself.  The people weren’t free to do as they saw fit.



4. Thwart the plans of the bad guys.



Job 5:12  (Eliphaz) He thwarts the plans of the crafty, so that their hands achieve no success.



Psalm 33:10  The Lord foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.



Isaiah 8:10  Devise your strategy, but it will be thwarted; propose your plan, but it will not stand, for God is with us.



5. Make everybody do right. (Jim Carey, Liar, Liar movie.)



  • Make everybody do right.  (Liar, Liar) Take away their free will.
    • Those in office quit violating the Constitution, quit taking bribes, quit giving in to threats.
    • Those in law enforcement quit letting corruption slide, but prosecute it all as they should.
    • Those in the media quit lying, and quit omitting things the public needs to know.
    • The public quits voting for oath-breaking and corrupt candidates.
    • Has God ever done this once in history?

6. Jesus commits election fraud.



  • Jesus commits election fraud.  Changes the outcome to make his favorite candidates win.
    • This is fraud, of course.  Is it like God to do this?
    • And when you pray for an election, just what are you expecting?  Do you CARE that you’re asking God to cheat?

7. End-of-the-world scenarios?



  • End of the World Scenarios.
    • Jesus kills all the unrighteous on the earth and ushers in a new kingdom—whether in heaven or on earth, where only the righteous live, now glorified and immortal.

8. People learn from scripture and reform themselves accordingly.



  • People learn from scripture and reform themselves accordingly—such that enough of them quit the sins that undermine the American society.
    • Colossians 3:16     Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.
    • Luke 6:45  A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.
    • 2 Thessalonians 2 16 May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, 17 encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.
    • 2 Corinthians 3:18  And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
    • Matthew 5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.