America has eulogized and commemorated the loss of many of its citizens and focused on the dramatic heroic deeds of many people in remembering the sufferable day of September 11th, 2001. In the many public ceremonial events during its grieving process, American's observed many moments of silence. I have watched and partaken in some of those events. As I have stood and sat in united stony silence, reflecting through my thoughts, my mind has questioned why everybody must be struck silent. Doesn't God have an ear? Is he old and deaf? Why must our concerns and reverence be muted?

    In the initial days of the Gulf War, church attendance across America saw a noticeable increase as many people began to question the significance of the events around them and how they might relate to their faith and the Bible. Similarly, 9/11 caused a similar stirring in the hearts of people to turn to the church to help them process the tragedies. Even in many of the church services I have observed, the formality of the event revolved around yet another a mere moment of silence. And in the months since 9/11, I have observed that church attendance, as it did after the end of the Gulf War quickly dropped back to normal numbers and overall the church saw very little increase in total numbers, or in spiritual rededication A new poll by the Barna Research Group recently indicates that we have seen the exact same thing happen a year after 9-11. Barna reported, "Immediately after the attacks, church attendance spiked for several weeks, rising to about half of the adult public attending religious services during a typical week. That attendance boon proved to be short-lived, though, as levels were back to normal by November." While there is no doubt that 9-11 was a spiritual wake-up call for some Americans, it would seem the vast majority of people do not attribute the terrorist attacks to having any lasting impact on their religious beliefs. "I.fully expected to see an intense spiritual reaction to the terrorist attacks," Barna president George Barna said. "The fact that we saw no lasting impact from the most significant act of war against our country on our own soil says something about the spiritual complacency of the American public."

    The lack of any lasting spiritual impact was shown in the Barna poll through both outward religious practice and actual religious belief. Religious activity levels such as church attendance, Bible reading, prayer, Sunday school and small group involvement remained virtually unchanged. I was struck by another item in Barna's poll. The poll indicated that 41% of America's Christian churches have yet to even address the terrorist attacks or their implications for our country, as we struggle in the war on terrorism. An astounding 97.5% of church pastors have not even attempted to preach about how the attacks on 9/11 have prophetic dynamics and how they echo the signs of the times. Many churches have failed to even provide spiritual leadership during this crisis in a time when there was a huge degree of openness and searching in the weeks just after the attacks. Somehow the church seemed to join with the government in an effort to restore community continuity as quickly as possible, by getting back to normal business, without giving much thought to moral, and spiritual consequences.     And the truth of the matter is this; “we are embarking upon very serious times with prophetic implications”. The signs of the Last Days and the events leading towards Armageddon have been budding and encircling our nation and world for decades now, and yet everybody seems absolutely oblivious to that reality. The times in which we are involved are heavily laden with Last Days signs of Bible prophecy. The entire war on terrorism involves the mere existence of Israel, and its national reconfiguration on the land that God promised unto them.     Yet, America in the aftermath of its horrific 9/11 wake-up call seeks comfort, and takes solace in its many “moments of silence.” The ritual formality of “a moment of silence” came into vogue immediately after America's courts constitutionally decided that it was illegal to invoke the name of God, and especially the name of Jesus Christ in public prayers. Beginning with the Everson vs. Board of Education ruling in 1947, the US Supreme Court began the erasure of public vocal prayers and appeals in the name of almighty God. Finally in 1962, America under the 1947 court definition of the establishment clause, asserting the infamous wall of separation between church and state, America threw God out of its verbal prayers. Ever since, America has observed these stony cold, and unscriptural moments of silence. Ah yes, I know we can still mutter Jesus name under our breath if we are so inclined, but we dare not let the name above all names be heard by our neighbor. It might offend someone. I find in my research that the Psalmist was not ashamed to call upon the Lord, and out loud too.

    Psalms 145:18 The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.

    Psalms 31:17 Let me not be ashamed, O Lord; for I have called upon thee: let the wicked be ashamed, and let them be silent in the grave.

    Psalms 119:46 I will speak of thy testimonies also before kings, and will not be ashamed.

    Psalms 30:12 To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.

    Psalms 61:1-2 Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

    Psalms 102:1-2 Hear my prayer, O Lord, and let my cry come unto thee. Hide not thy face from me in the day when I am in trouble; incline thine ear unto me: in the day when I call answer me speedily.

     The moments of silence secularly incorporated upon America reminds me of the motivating antichrist forces that compelled Annas, the high priest, Caiaphas, John and Alexander of the Jewish priesthood to rule that the apostle Peter and disciple John speak no more in the name of Jesus.

    Acts 4:17-18 But that it spread no further among the people, let us straitly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name. And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus

.      I cannot keep silent any longer. The name of Jesus must be invoked on behalf of America. America needs the prayers of its righteous members. Christians need to be vocal in beseeching the Lord on account of America's sins. I find that the prophets of ancient Israel were outgoing in their public invoking of prayers to almighty God on behalf of Israel. Many times over in the writings of Jeremiah, Isaiah, Daniel, Ezekiel, and Amos, the word “beseech” is used to describe the loud and vocal cries they made unto the Lord God on behalf of their nation. These prophets pleaded with God to spare the country and return the people unto his righteous paths. Daniel chapter nine is a wonderful narrative on the fervent prayer of Daniel confessing the sins of his nation, and beseeching the Lord for mercy. The word “beseech,” in Hebrew is na, which means an pledge of incitement, to make an entreaty, or to make an interjection.

    Well, every time I witness one of these staged moments of silence, I feel like making an interjection. I want the world to know that there is a God, and that he is righteous, and that he judges men and nations. And I want to tell everyone that there can be no peace apart from the Prince of peace. I want to shout out loud that our country has turned its back on God, and if it does not repent and acknowledge God, then he will permit our adversary to wreak havoc upon our head.

    Within the context of human history, as exemplified through the national experience of ancient Israel, the one great sin that a person or nation must be assured will bring judgement is the sin of blasphemy. Blasphemy as defined by America's founding fathers, and also substantiated by the Holy Scripture is simply the sin of denying God's being and his Divine providence. The ultimate addendum to blasphemy since the first coming of Jesus Christ to this world would be to deny his present status, which is that of the one seated at the right hand of the Heavenly Father, for the express purpose of making intercession for our prayers and assessing our humble national beseeches.

    Ironically, while America salutes our fallen national comrades with “moments of silence”, and offers up impersonal poetic prayers to a vague god, the Muslim world from which the attackers came on September 11th uses towering Islamic mosque minarets with loudspeakers blasting, commanding all of its followers to attend highly inflammatory rhetoric-laced prayers to Allah. There are no moments of silence in other religions! There seems to be no need within the other religions of the world to eradicate names or to mince words. Only one name in this entire lost and dying world stands singled out as being categorized as a name/word that might be offensive to some earlobe within shouting distance. That name is Jesus Christ. How ironic it is that the only name by which men have any hope of salvation is the lone name under heaven that must be kept silent in America.

    The moments of silence serve Satan well. It is the evil strategy of hell that perpetuates the concept of silence within a Christian nation. The public invoking of the name of Christ and the Father God carries power that thwarts the minions of hell. James 4:7 conveys that the process of the resistance of the Devil relies upon doctrinal faith and the prominent use of the spiritual weapon of voiced prayer. Words have power. They edify, teach, stimulate, and convey truth. When considering that Christian prayers go to the one that is called “The Word”, it should be readily apparent that our own verbal capacity to utter words is a tremendous tool. Powerful beseeches lamenting the needs of a nation must be done in public! America needs praying, weeping, mournful, humble prophets and shepherds. We need not be ashamed to call upon the Lord. In the day of trouble, America must recognize, and beseech almighty God!

     Psalms 20:1 The Lord hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee;

    James 5:16 The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much

.     America, let us not keep silent before God. Let us abandon these silly and ineffectual “moments of silence. We earnestly need to acknowledge the Lord God almighty from whence cometh our help! Let us refrain from blasphemy! Let us beseech him and confess our sins, and require humbly that he forgive us and heal our land.