US Comptroller General David Walker has warned the United States that the country may be on the verge of a moral, political and financial collapse, reminiscent to that of the Roman Empire. In an interview with the Financial Times, David Walker said that the US was heading towards an "explosion of debt", due to increasing health service costs, decreasing saving rates and increasing reliance on foreign lenders. He stated that unless the US government changes its policies on education, immigration and the environment, the country will have a major crisis on its hands within the not to distant future. Walker said that the recent Mississippi river bridge collapse was a "sobering wake-up call". Another bridge collapsed in China today, killing around 22 people.

Quote: "Drawing parallels with the end of the Roman empire, Mr Walker warned there were "striking similarities" between America's current situation and the factors that brought down Rome, including "declining moral values and political civility at home, an over-confident and over-extended military in foreign lands and fiscal irresponsibility by the central government". "Sound familiar?" Mr Walker said. "In my view, it's time to learn from history and take steps to ensure the American Republic is the first to stand the test of time."

I remember hearing once of a study that was done into the rise and fall of the civilizations of the world. All started out with a strict set of moral laws, grew to prominence, and as lawless and immorality increased, quickly collapsed. The only exception the researchers found to this rule was the state of Israel, for never in the history of the world has a people come back to their original homeland after nearly 2000 years of exile. All other civilizations have been assimilated into the culture and customs of the people of the nations by which they were conquered. And we see this pattern throughout the Scriptures. The civilizations begin with a strict set of moral laws, flourish, and as immorality increases, they collapse. During their sojourn in Egypt, the Lord stated that the time was not yet right for Israel to conquer the promised land, because the transgression of the inhabitants of Canaan was not yet full (Genesis 15:16). The Lord made clear the reason why He was permitting the Israelites to drive the inhabitants out of the land, because of the wickedness of the people. 

Deuteronomy 9:4 
Speak not thou in thine heart, after that the LORD thy God hath cast them out from before thee, saying, For my righteousness the LORD hath brought me in to possess this land: but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD doth drive them out from before thee.

We can expect a similar situation to occur prior to the beginning of the tribulation period. The Lord's examples for the judgement of this world was the "days of Noah" and the "days of Lot" (Luke 17:26-28). In the days of Noah, the earth was filled with violence (Genesis 6:13), and the imagination of the heart of man was only evil continually (Genesis 6:5). In the days of Lot, Sodom and Gomorrah were marked by pride and sexual immorality (Genesis 19:5). Those that speak out against this sin in today's culture are now labelled as bigoted and intolerant. What a twisted generation we live in. The Lord states that one day, this world's iniquity will come to the full, and I believe this world's judgement will also come in one day. Men will cry out, "the great day of His wrath has come, and who shall be able to stand", Revelation 6:17.

Joel 3:12-13
Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about. Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great.

Revelation 14:14-16
And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped.

Source Financial Times, BBC