<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />The Struggle For Survival of a Christian Civilization
 
We, in <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />America and the West, are again in a life or death struggle for what Winston Churchill called "the survival of Christian Civilization." But like the Christian nations who were saved from the brink of annihilation by the hand of God just 66 years ago, we must remember His miracles.
 
The miracles of God in World War II were obvious to the people of England and America.  They knew the Almighty had saved them from the jaws of ruthless tyrants on both sides of the globe.  The following story will encourage you that you and your children might change the course of history with one brave, God-directed action!
 
America was viciously and secretly attacked at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, destroying most of our Pacific fleet.  We had underestimated the cruelty of our Pacific foe, which was driven by their militaristic pagan Shinto religion.  By June of 1942, the Japanese army had invaded and literally raped much of the Asian Pacific.  On their way they killed over 35 million people, most of them civilians.  Far more than Hitler.
 
A Japanese armada, the largest in navel history, came hunting for what was left of our small American battle fleet. They outnumbered us three to one in ships, their planes were superior and their pilots more experienced than ours. They seemed invincible.
 
Midway Island was our last military base protecting Hawaii from invasion.  But just before the Japanese fleet arrived at Midway, the Americans providentially broke the Japanese radio code and learned the details of their battle plan.  We sent all that we had left of our fleet out to meet them. That morning, June 2, as both navies groped for one another in a vast Pacific Sea, the Americans struck first.  However, the outdated and outgunned American planes and pilots were all destroyed in the first attack, inflicting no damage on the Japanese carriers.
 
In the meantime, the Japanese were pummeling Midway Island and searching for our American fleet.  At 8:30 a.m., Admiral Naguma received word of the location of the American aircraft carriers.  Rather than attack immediately, he waited for two long hours - a fatal mistake. He kept his bombers on the decks of his aircraft carriers to refit them with torpedoes to attack the American ships.
 
On the American side, Wade McClusky, and his squadron of 29 dauntless dive bombers were desperately searching for the enemy fleet in a cloud covered sky and running out of fuel.  He was faced with two choices.  He could turn out to sea and continue the search which would probably mean almost certain death, either by ditching at sea or at the hands of the Armada.  Or he could turn back to Midway to refuel and live.  His other fighter group turned back to Midway.  But McClusky turned his 29 bombers out to sea. Just then he saw a Japanese destroyer turning full speed to the northeast.  He decided to follow the stray destroyer hoping it was returning to the fleet.  A miracle of providence was unfolding.
 
Back at the Japanese fleet, hundreds of Japanese bombers were ready for takeoff from their four carriers to destroy the American fleet.  Their engines were revving, but the decks were strewn with bombs and aviation fuel.  At 10:24 a.m. the miraculous happened.  The clouds parted above the huge armada and Wade McClusky and his squadron of dive bombers screamed from the sky at a 70 degree angle. The two largest Japanese aircraft carriers turned into flaming infernos in a six minute attack. Several other squadrons of dive bombers sank the other two Japanese aircraft carriers that day. What remained of the Japanese fleet fled and hid in Japan for two years after this defeat.  Their confidence was shattered.  The tide of war had permanently turned.
 
One of the few American survivors was Wade McClusky, with 51 bullet holes in his plane.  He became an Admiral and told his miraculous story to the nation.  In response to such obvious providences, millions of Americans recommitted themselves after the war to the Christian mission of evangelism.  In fact, the result was the greatest expansion of the faith in history.  In 1900 there was only one Christian for every 325 people in the world.  But by 2000, one out of three of the earth's population considered themselves Christians.
 
Christianity's resurgence after WWII is probably the most important world- changing event of our lifetime, and yet it is totally unreported and forgotten.  For example, the most rapid transformation of a national culture ever seen is happening in China!  China is emerging from medieval isolation into, potentially, the most powerful nation on earth. The forgotten truth is that behind this transformation is the explosion, all in one century, of biblical Christianity.  In 1949, when the communists took over China, there were two million Christians.  Today, there are over 100 million believers despite 58 years of government persecution.  China may become a Christian nation in this century and their communist tyrants may be but a distant memory.
 
Scores of nations since the time of Christ have grabbed for the brass ring of world hegemony. From Alexander the Great to Mohammed's marauding hordes, from the Vikings to Napoleon, from Hitler to the Soviet Union, cosmic rebels have seduced or coerced their people with their lies of unstoppable power and world dominion.  Each time they have been struck down by the King of Kings and ruler of the universe, who will share His glory with no other.
 
The psalmist tells us concerning God's ways, "Your way was in the sea, Your path in the great waters, and Your footsteps were not known."  Oh that we would have spiritual eyes to see the footsteps of God again, proclaim his mighty deeds to the world and be unafraid of the terrors of our time.  We as individuals and as a people need only remember Him and turn to Him and our confidence will be restored in His power to save us and our nation. Only the enemies of God need to live in fear.  For our God reigns.