Jack Van Impe - America in Prophecy

Jack Van Impe - America in Prophecy

released on LP

The first share on this blog was an album by Jack Van Impe. I thought it would be fitting if year #4 of the Basement starts out with something by Jack Van Impe.

On this album released probably in 1976 (notably America's bicentennial year), Jack tries to make the case that America was predicted as a political Babylon in the Bible although America is not explicitly mentioned (just as Hilton Sutton claimed that the Bible predicted important biblical events involving America). Back then, things were not so great. According to Jack, there was a rise in crimes, drug use, gambling, pornography and other immoral behavior and a decline in moral values. Naturally, the blame was placed on folks such as athiests, intellectuals, the public school system for no longer teaching religion including the Christian version of the creation story, those who create and implement sex education classes in schools, anyone who is pro-choice, anyone who accepts evolution as fact, homosexuals, and just about anyone else who doesn't agree with Jack's line of thought. Most of the time, Jack talks about how these people allegedly have contributed to America's decline.

Then comes the part that America is supposed to be in decline after all because it's predicted in the Bible. That's what Jack says. The state of the world is awful, but instead of trying to come up with ways to make the world a better place, all one has to do is wait for the Rapture. It could happen any moment now where a lot of people will be magically transported from this world full of problems to Heaven. I guess it was already supposed to happen in the 1970s if Jack's sermon is any indication. It's 2011, 35 years later, things are still not so great and still no Rapture. But it still could occur, right. I guess we have to be patient.

When the Rapture does take place, that is when the Antichrist will start to take over America and the rest of the world and rule with an iron fist for seven years. Then Christ is supposed to come back by defeating the Antichrist and his evil forces. Afterwards, the world that we know will become a blissful wonderful place free of problems such as robberies, gambling, drug use, sex education classes, etc. and likely free of those intellectuals, secular socialists, Darwinists (i.e. those who accept evolution), homos, and other undesirables. So does anyone who was raptured get to come back to Earth when Christ returns? America sounds like a depressing place to be when one listens to Jack's sermon. It sounds worse than it actually was (or is). Yet, Jack tries to be reassuring that if you're a good person, you won't have to be around when shit gets worse. Thanks Jack for another moment of terror and comfort at the same time.


Tracklisting:

Side One

1. America in Prophecy side one {24:33}

Side Two

1. America in Prophecy side two {23:50}