Thankfully, during nearly 2,000 years since its establishment in Jerusalem, the kingdom of God has never shut down.
Nations come and nations go. Our beloved country, the United States of America, was begun by men who understood both the tenuous nature of nations and the eternal nature of God’s kingdom as well. Benjamin Franklin was one of those men:
“I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth, that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the Sacred Writings, that "except the Lord build the House, they labor in vain that build it." I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without His concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better, than the Builders of Babel: We shall be divided by our partial local interests; our projects will be confounded, and we ourselves shall become a reproach and bye word down to future ages. And what is worse, mankind may hereafter from this unfortunate instance, despair of establishing governments by human wisdom and leave it to chance, war and conquest.
I therefore beg leave to move that henceforth prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven, and its blessings on our deliberations be held in this Assembly every morning before we proceed to business, and that one or more of the clergy of this city be requested to officiate in that service.”
(Source: James Madison, The Records of the Federal Convention of 1787, Max Farrand, editor (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1911), Vol. I, pp. 450-452, June 28, 1787.)
Franklin was not a prophet. He was, however, a man of uncommon “common sense” and could see that without a firm reliance on God, this nation like any other would become as he so accurately put it, “a reproach and bye word to future ages”. I believe we are seeing this happen before our eyes.
What to do? First, pray for our nation and our leaders just as we have been taught to do in the sacred scriptures (see especially 1st Timothy 2:1-8 on this). Secondly, let the light of Christ shine in your life through your kindness and good deeds done for others as Jesus taught in Matthew 5:16 and elsewhere. God has taught us that righteousness exalts a nation, Proverbs 14:34. Let your righteous deeds exalt this nation.
Thirdly, remember that only the kingdom of God is eternal:
"Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire", Hebrews 12:28-29.