This past Tuesday morning, October 24, 2023, America awoke to some alarming news. But it had nothing to do with the vitriolic war now underway between Israel and Hamas. Nor did it have to do with rising inflation, the war in Ukraine, the grim housing market, or any other global crises grabbing all the headlines. I would bet very few people even gave this story a second look. And if they did, they probably missed the perilous implications it portends for this nation. Spoiler alert: The shedding of innocent blood in America has increased since Roe v. Wade was reversed, NOT decreased. What the what?
Yep, according to this article published on Tuesday, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/24/us-abortion-rates-post-roe-v-wade, abortion rates in the US have risen since the reversal of Roe v. Wade. And not just a little. The numbers tell the story: “States that still allow the procedure performed 116,790 more abortions than expected, newly released data shows.” So, let me get this straight: those of us who value the sanctity of human life get our prayers answered with the miraculous reversal of Roe after 49 + years of judicial overreach, and abortion rates go up? Say it isn’t so, America!
All the Usual Suspects
According to the article, just three states accounted for almost half of the 116,000 + increase in abortions. Not surprisingly, they were California, Florida, and Illinois. The only silver lining in this new data is that in states where abortion bans went into effect, such as Texas, the rates decreased. Good on you, Texas! Y’all had a net decrease of 36,970 abortions in your state; that is commendable. Oh, that every state would be like you, Texas. Take heart in the knowing that God is taking note of where innocent blood is being shed on this great land—and by whom.
Divine Preservation vs. Divine Destruction
That God knows precisely where the blood of His saints is being shed and by whom is the premise of my book, #RIPENED. Chapter 18, titled “Location, Location, Location and The Wicked Sixteen” discusses the phenomena of “divine preservation” and “divine destruction” and how they often occur simultaneously in the same geographical area, leaving one city in ruins while another is left intact. This phenomenon is displayed in 3 Nephi chapters 9 and 10 and validated by Jesus Christ in 3 Nephi 9. After calling out each of the sixteen cities by name on that “great and terrible day” of 34 AD, He described how He destroyed them along with the very specific reason, which was that they had shed the blood of the saints and the prophets. And of those who were spared, He explained that they had not shed the blood of the saints and the prophets. (see 3 Nephi 9 and 10) God is surgical when it comes to deciding which people, cities, and or states to destroy—or not. Judging by how things went down in 34 AD, it is primarily (if not entirely) based on how ripened in iniquity the inhabitants of those places are. (To read about iniquity and the critical differences between sin and iniquity, please see my previous post, “Sin vs. Iniquity – Is There a Difference?”)
A Harbinger of Another Great and Terrible Day to Come
Now jump to 2023 and this map. Notice which states (California, Colorado, New Mexico, and many others) have exploited their newfound power in post-Roe America to increase the shedding of innocent blood—thus becoming more iniquitous. Then, compare them to those states that have seized this seismic power shift back to the states (where it belongs) and used their voices and ballots to decrease the shedding of blood (such as Texas, Idaho, Georgia, and Tennessee). Perhaps this map is a harbinger of the coming destruction, indicating which of America’s cities, states, or regions will be hardest hit when Moroni’s prophecy is fulfilled and the next “great and terrible day” arrives. Will these modern American cities be just as surprised on that day as the people of Nephi were almost two thousand years ago? Remember, when that spring morning dawned, it appeared to be just another regular day in their lives—until it wasn’t. Suddenly and unexpectedly, all hell broke loose in the most violent show of divine force imaginable and decimated almost the entire nation (see 3 Nephi 8 and 9). And why? Because the blood of the saints, which they had shed, was crying up to God, and He could take it no longer. So, I ask you, how much longer will the blood on our land cry up to Him before He comes to avenge it? And where will you not want to be when that happens?
