GOD PLEADS WITH HIS LAWLESS PEOPLE

PROPHETIC EVENTS IN TODAY’S NEWS

Many Christians today have a very shallow understanding of the Old Testament books of the Bible. They especially do not understand the books of the prophets. I will list them here: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi.

It is essential we understand their ancient message in our time in order for us to understand what God is doing in the world. Jesus often said that those in His day did not understand the message of the prophets. If they had they would have accepted His claim as Messiah ( Matt 11.7-15; Matt 23.29-34; Luke 16.19-31).

The prophets were sent to ancient Israel to warn the nation of their sins. The prophets exhorted the nation to return to God and follow the laws of God--the Torah. The message was a message of repentance. If the nation as a whole would not repent, the prophets told them, certain destruction would come upon them.

In many instances the words of destruction did not happen for many decades. That was because God is merciful and did not want to bring destruction upon His people. The sins of the nation were grievous. They sacrificed their children by fire to false gods. They were immoral and practiced sexual rituals at pagan groves of worship. The government functioned on bribes. Everyone did what was right in their own eyes--disobeying God’s law--Torah (Isaiah 1-5).

Many cannot understand how God could allow this to happen to His people. They fail to understand the multiple warnings God gave the nation through the prophets. The nation had become lawless and vile. God warned and warned until finally He brought a foreign nation upon them in war and scattered His people throughout the nations.

Both the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah faced this judgment because of their sins and refusal to repent. God chastised them severely until finally after going into captivity they repented. This is a message to our nation(s) today! This is not just ancient history--it is a solemn message to God’s people in this day. God has not changed--He is the same yesterday, today, and forever!

Our beloved nation, America, is increasingly becoming lawless by the day! We have been turning away from God for decades. We have kicked God out of our schools, our military, and our government. This has been going on since the decade of the 1960’s--more than 50 years!

America has embraced abortion (more than 60 million killed), homosexual marriage (an attack on God’s ordered family unit), and marriage out of wedlock to just name three. This is lawlessness. Our nation, and most “Christian” nations in the world, have turned this way. This is in violation of God’s law--the Torah.

So many believers today just shrug their shoulders. “We have Jesus,” they like to say, ignoring what Jesus really said, “If you love me you keep my commands (John 15.10-11; 1 John 5..1-3; 1 John 3.1-9). His commands are the Torah--the law. Sin is transgression of the law. Many of God’s people are currently breaking His law. Many live together out of wedlock. Many have new age and pagan beliefs mixed into their lives and don’t even know it! Most can’t even recite the 10 commandments!

I am merely pointing out that God’s people in many instances are lawless. They just think they can do whatever they want and we must forgive them. Paul said to work out your salvation with fear and trembling (Phil 2.12). Many say, “We are not under the law.” That is true from a salvation perspective--we are saved by grace and the blood of the Lord. We are still required to live a righteous lifestyle and obey His commandments. This brings order into our lives. He who practices sin transgresses the law. (This has been explained many times in other postings.)

The point to understand is that as a country we are becoming lawless and there is much lawlessness in the Church. God has been warning us about this since the 1960’s as our nation has fallen further away from God’s moral laws.

We are not different from ancient Israel. Just as God warned them, He is now warning America, Britain, and other western countries. If judgment begins at the house of God then believers are responsible to repent and clean up the sin and pagan mixture in their lives.

The prophets warned the nation and the nation refused to repent. God then raised up a foreign nation to come against His people. This is how God chastises His nation. A wicked nation arises and comes against God’s people. This is God’s chastisement upon His people--but only after many warnings does this happen. God is warning in this manner against the western “Christian” nations now. The instrument of His chastisement is the rise of radical Islam.

Many Christians have a difficult time accepting this truth. They believe the Old Testament is no longer in affect. They don’t realize that Jesus came to His people (Israel) as the final warning for their sinfulness. When they refused Him salvation was opened to the Gentile nations, the temple was destroyed, and the Jewish nation entered in the diaspora. We are now living in the “Time of the Gentiles” which will soon be coming to an end.

If God is the same yesterday, tomorrow, and forever (Heb 13.8), then the message is the same to us today. Repent, turn from our crooked ways, and be saved. Repent from lawlessness (sin) and come to Messiah’s salvation. This is a personal and a national message to God’s people.

In this day God’s people are the Western Christian nations. We have been turning away from God in a dramatic way since the 1960’s. God is, and has been, warning us since that time. Understand the message of the prophets and begin to understand current events! God works the same way towards every generation.

Tomorrow we will discuss the meaning of today’s current events in the Middle East and how they apply to America and other western nations being warned and chastised by our Father God.