So what now? 7 sets of questions to ask after President Obama’s reelection. Starting with: “Is the implosion of America more or less likely now?”

UPDATED AT 6PM EASTERN: Waking up the day after the 2012 elections, I had many questions on my mind. But none so pressing as this: Is the implosion of America more or less likely now?

I’ll share my thoughts on that in a moment.

First things first: Many Americans are stunned by President Obama’s reelection. Most prominent conservative analysts and pundits had definitively predicted Romney would win decisively. Several even predicted a landslide for Romney (most notably Dick Morris and George Will and Michael Barone.) Yet in the end, Mr. Obama won 50.3% of the popular vote and 303 electoral votes, while Mr. Romney won 48.1% of the popular vote and only 206 electoral votes.

Many evangelical Christians and conservative Catholics are stunned and grieving by the fact that the President’s support for abortion on demand, same-sex marriage, massive deficits and national debt, nationalized health care, and large defense cuts have been ratified by the majority of the American people, as has his policies of appeasing the mullahs in Iran, misreading and mishandling the Arab Spring, and creating distance and daylight between the U.S. and Israel.  What’s more, same-sex marriages ballot measures were passed in Maryland and Maine; and marijuana-legalization ballot measures were passed in Washington State and Colorado (in defiance of federal laws prohibiting its use). Homosexual activists were ecstatic; and Wisconsin’s Tammy Baldwin became the first openly homosexual person elected to U.S. Senate. “The tide has turned — when voters have the opportunity to really hear directly from loving, committed same-sex couples and their families, they voted for fairness,” said Rick Jacobs of the Courage Campaign, a California-based gay rights group. “Those who oppose the freedom to marry for committed couples are clearly on the wrong side of history.” Pro-drug activists were thrilled, as well. “The significance of these events cannot be understated,” said NORML, a pro-legalization organization, in a news release. “Tonight, for the first time in history, two states have legalized and regulated the adult use and sale of cannabis.”

Many of those who read this blog and follow me on Twitter were hit hard emotionally but what unfolded Tuesday night. Here’s a sample of the tweets I received:

• “So what now?”
• “These election results just showed us exactly where our country’s morals are. It’s very scary.”
• “I’m grieving…but will prepare.”
• “I pray for [God’s] mercy but I think we know America has changed at its core. Sad and scared.”
• “Do u wonder if it has to be this way 4 end times prophecies to come about?”
• “I would sleep a lot easier if I thought the country doesn’t have to destroy itself before it comes to its senses.”

“I went to bed last night thinking we’re outnumbered,” said Rush Limbaugh on his radio program on Wednesday. “I went to bed last night thinking all this discussion we’d had about this election being the election that will tell us whether or not we’ve lost the country. I went to bed last night thinking we’ve lost the country. I don’t know how else you look at this.”

Why did God say “no” to the prayers of millions of Christians who were asking Him to save the Obama and Biden families spiritually but also remove them from office? It’s going to take time to prayerfully and Scripturally analyze what happened and why. We should be careful not to rush to conclusions.Instead, we need to take time to carefully analyze the facts. The Bible says, “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings to search out a matter.” (Proverbs 25:2) As we process all this, we need to ask a number of probing questions. Among them:

1. Did Mr. Obama win because America is becoming more liberal, more secular, more hostile to Biblical values and those who hold them? That is, are we losing the battle for the soul of America, and should now expect more liberal political leaders to dominate the American scene in the years ahead?
2. Or, did Mr. Romney lose because he was a flawed candidate, who made numerous unforced errors, flip-flopped on numerous policy issues, and campaigned as a conservative when he was in fact a Massachusetts moderate? That is, could a truly principled, experienced, articulate, conservative, orthodox Christian leader be able to persuade a majority of the country to change course?
3. Precisely how did self-professed born-again Christians vote? Did they vote on the basis of personality, or principle? For those who voted for Obama, why?
4. Did many born-again Christians stay home and not vote? If so, what caused them not to turn out for Romney? Was it for personality reasons? Policy reasons?
5. What significance did Mr. Romney’s Mormonism play in the decision of born-again Christians not to vote for him? That is, did many Christians refuse to vote for Romney for religious reasons, and if so, how many?
6. Why were GOP and conservative pundits so wrong, so far off the mark, and what role did wishful thinking rather than sound analysis play in their predictions (especially when the Real Clear Politics average of polls showed Obama pulling ahead of Romney in the last few days)?
7. Considering all the data, is the implosion of America more or less likely today? Will the Church in America wake up and repent and call the nation back to Christ before it’s too late? Without a Republican president in the White House, is it possible that American Christians will turn their focus back to the Jesus Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords, and take more careful heed to what He is calling us to be, and to do?

When I wrote Implosion: Can America Recover From Its Economic & Spiritual Challenges In Time? I  was concerned about a moment like this when the nation would reject leaders offering bold, sweeping policies to grow the economy, reform our entitlement programs, stop deficit spending and begin to pay down our debt. By rejecting Romney-Ryan, I’m concerned that’s what just happened. But when I wrote the book, I was also concerned that the nation would reject leaders boldly offering principled policies to protect the unborn, protect traditional/Biblical marriage, and address the moral and spiritual decline of the country. That happened during the GOP primaries. Governor Romney was never a bold, decisive pro-life advocate. He never made the social, moral and spiritual troubles facing the country his significant concern. Rick Santorum did, but the GOP chose Romney instead.

This leaves us at a very vulnerable moment. I can’t say that the implosion of America is imminent. But how much longer will God be patient before He decides to judge us for 54 million abortions, a celebration of homosexuality, rampant heterosexual immorality, marital affairs, separations, divorce, the implosion of whole families, rampant pornography, unprecedented murder and violent crime rates, massive deficits, unfathomable debt, and a weak, increasingly apostate Church?

Just as we are living on borrowed credit, so we are living on borrowed time.

A few final thoughts for now:

• God is shaking our nation to get our attention, to get Christians — first and foremost — to wake up and focus on Him, not on Washington — The Lord said through the ancient Hebrew Prophet Haggai that the nations would be shaken in the future. “For thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Once more in a little while, I am going to shake the heavens and the earth, the sea also and the dry land. I will shake all the nations….I am going to shake the heavens and the earth. I will overthrow the thrones of kingdoms and destroy the power of the kingdoms of the nations.” (Haggai 2:6, 7, 21, 22)
• If initial efforts to shake us don’t work, God will shake us harder — We were shaken on 9/11. We were shaken by two wars in the Middle East. We were shaken in the financial meltdown in the fall of 2008. We have been shaken by repeated historic hurricanes, fires, earthquakes, and other natural disasters. But overall, despite all the shaking, Americans are not repenting of our sins and turning to faith in Jesus Christ.
• We need to remember that God is sovereign — He clearly He allowed President Obama to be reelected and we need to trust Him. The Hebrew prophet Daniel wrote, “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever….He removes kings and raises up kings.” (Daniel 2:20-21)
• We need to remember that God tells us not to be afraid of the present, or the future — “But He [Jesus] said to them, ‘It is I; do not be afraid.'” (John 6:20) “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9) “Do not worry about tomorrow,” Jesus said, “for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:34)
• We need to prepare ourselves both for the possibility that God will judge this country and cause America to implode, and/or that the Rapture is coming soon  — “Get ready, be prepared.” (Ezekiel 38:7) “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming….For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.” (Matthew 24:42, 44) “The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows,” said Jesus. “But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” (Luke 12:47-48)
• We need to devote ourselves to prayer for repentance and revival and for the Lord to set into motion a Third Great Awakening — “Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving.” (Colossians 4:2) “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)

Bottom line: Washington is failing us. Government has its place, but we can not expect it to solve the most fundamental problems we’re facing. We need to focus our eyes on Jesus Christ. We need to faithfully study His Word, spend time with Him in prayer. The Church needs to wake up, step into the vacuum, and lead our country to true, living, active and practical faith in Christ. The Lord is our only hope. If we do not turn to Him — and soon — our nation faces both judgment and implosion.

UPDATE: Franklin Graham:  US on ‘Path of Destruction’
————————

What are you thinking today? What Bible verses is God putting on your heart? Please post your comments on our “Epicenter Team” page on Facebook, or send them by Twitter — @joelcrosenberg.

————————

• To read Implosion: Can America Recover From Its Economic & Spiritual Challenges In Time?, please click here
• Listen to the online podcast of the “Implosion Radio Special,” exploring the dangers facing the United States and what Christians’ role should be — spiritually and politically — at such a time as this.
• Follow Joel on Twitter — @joelcrosenberg