Football season’s back, political theater dominates the news and people are indulging themselves like there’s no tomorrow. I assure you there is a tomorrow and it’s coming unlike anything you’ve ever experienced or maybe even contemplated. Please understand and take this to heart; we are living under a sentence of judgment.
There are those who don’t believe this is possible because God is a God of grace, love and mercy. Yes, He is. If He weren’t, we’d already be destroyed. Above all, God is holy and just. His longsuffering love and patience will not endlessly cover what His holiness condemns. Now put that sugary “best life now” nonsense down and open your Bible.
The Bible is the authority on what constitutes sin and righteous behavior. It’s God’s inerrant, divinely-inspired revelation of Himself to mankind, He whose supreme laws cannot be altered by any earthly jurisdiction.
We have the choice to deny this truth but not a right to do so. When that choice is exercised collectively, we witness a nation in rebellion against God.
“And they built the high places of Baal, which are in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire unto Molech [child sacrifice]; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin” (Jeremiah 32:35).
The abomination of child sacrifice is exactly what abortion is.
“And Judah did evil in the sight of the Lord, and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins which they had committed, above all that their fathers had done. For they also built them high places, and images, and groves, on every high hill, and under every green tree [idolatry]. And there were also sodomites [homosexuals] in the land: and they did according to all the abominations of the nations which the Lord cast out before the children of Israel” (1 Kings 14:22-24).
Abortion, idolatry and homosexuality had become national evils, evils that are mirrored by America today.
Can a nation turn from evil?
“And Asa (King of Judah) did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, as did David his father. And he took away the sodomites out of the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made” (1 Kings 15:11-12).
A relevant point here; “sodomites” are not inhabitants of Sodom. Sodom had been destroyed centuries before for their wickedness. There were no survivors. From the root word, Sodom, comes the word sodomy. “Sodomite” is the Old Testament word for what we today define as homosexual. Notice that righteous Asa took away the sodomites from the land. I’m not sure what that means but it’s clear that they were not allowed to stay in place nor were their sinful actions tolerated.
As Judah demonstrates, there exists an opportunity to turn from sin. However, when a city, nation or even the entire world becomes so wicked that sin becomes inseparable from its culture, indeed it becomes the culture, then God’s judgment is inevitable.
Today our “kings” in government have brokered a nuclear deal on behalf of Islamic Iran before the world. Iran will get 150 billion dollars, part of it US taxpayer money, to buy weapons, disbursing some of said money and weapons to various Muslim terrorist groups that it supports, and continue its nuclear weapons program. Word has leaked out that Iran will have its own people “inspect” some of their most sensitive facilities for compliance with the treaty.
Brilliant diplomacy if the goal is the destruction of Jews and Christians.
As past history has evidenced, Iran will lie about, cover-up or simply not abide with anything in an agreement that they don’t like. Where you aware that Iran is developing a ballistic missile program? InterContinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) are for striking targets anywhere on the globe. Their sole purpose is for nuclear weapons delivery. The treaty in question doesn’t even address Iran’s ballistic missiles. Hmm.
As Jehu asked King Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 19:2: “Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the Lord?”
In the same verse, Jehu delivers the result of doing so: “Therefore is wrath upon thee from before the Lord.”
Foolish America! Behold past judgments.
Cities judged: Sodom and Gomorrah.
“But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly” (Genesis 13:13).
They did not repent of their public evil.
“And the Lord said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know” (Genesis 18:20-21).
You know the account of the angels coming to Sodom and the men of the city seeking to forcibly “know” them. Before God, their wickedness is openly confirmed.
“Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven; And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground” (Genesis 19:24-25).
God judges nations too; Babylon.
“They (The king Belshazzar, his princes, his wives, and his concubines) drank wine (from golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem) and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone” (Daniel 5:4).
This was the final affront to God from a wicked people. His judgment would no longer tarry.
“In the same hour came forth fingers of a man’s hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the king’s palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote” (Daniel 5:5).
Daniel is brought in to interpret this fearful image of the hand writing on the wall. Picking up at verses 25 through 28, Daniel speaking to the king:
“And this is the writing that was written, Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin. This is the interpretation of the thing: Mene; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it. Tekel; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. Peres; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.”
Judgment is decreed, and in verses 30-31, quickly comes to pass.
“In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain. And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old.”
As nations are in subjection to God, so is the entire world; Noah’s time.
“And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5).
Sound familiar today?
“And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them” (Genesis 6:6-7).
Yet God gave a warning to righteous Noah.
“And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth” (Genesis 6:13).
Noah was given specific instructions on what to do to save himself and his family. No doubt the wicked saw him building an ark; Noah explaining to them that judgment was coming. It was a warning unheeded.
“And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him [Noah]: and the Lord shut him in” (Genesis 7:16).
When God shut the door to the ark, no man could open it. The chance for repentance had passed.
“And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth” (Genesis 7:17).
None escaped save those aboard the ark.
“And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark” (Genesis 7:23).
Typically in the natural world, judgment has consisted of three options: devastating war, famine and pestilence. These three judgments are well-represented by the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Wars can and will be between races, governments and their peoples, religions and nations. (Conventional, biological, chemical and nuclear.)
Advanced technologies in genetic manipulation, sound weapons, kinetic (hyper-velocity) projectiles and things not even thought of as possible by most people. Science fiction has become fearsome science fact in top secret research and development facilities.
All God needs to do is withdraw His ever-present protection, Satan and his minions will do the rest. Discount nothing here, these are evil days.
Famines can be triggered by weather, crop diseases, ecological disasters like Fukushima, disease in food stock animals, solar flares, EMP attack, cyber-attack, civil unrest, wars and economic collapse. The result; little to no food or water. Scarcity means exorbitant prices and want. Non-existent equates to desperation and starvation.
Pestilence can be naturally (God ordained or allowed) occurring, man-created as in biological weapons, lack of potable water or as the byproduct of the unsanitary conditions brought about by war and famine, i.e. great numbers of dead bodies not being properly disposed of. Radiation poisoning too, is pestilence.
In addition, Jesus warned of earthquakes, the waves and seas roaring (hurricanes and tsunamis), and even celestial events of increasing frequency and magnitude. Wildfires, anyone?
For those around during the Tribulation period, God’s irresistible supernatural power will be manifested in various judgments, culminating in His direct wrath on unrepentant humanity. Read Revelation.
In Old Testament times, God rose up prophets to tell of coming calamity. Today, He offers warning of impending judgment through the Scriptures (we can know the season, not the precise time) of certain signs and events, and through the words of the watchmen that He establishes; spiritually sensitive people tasked with understanding and relaying Bible prophecy.
Be warned, not all who claim to be watchmen, are. Ego and monetary gain has put more people into the prophecy field than God has. In TV pulpits too, for that matter.
A couple of more things about judgment. It comes swiftly and unexpectedly. Most people don’t heed the warning signs (they’re oblivious) and are taken unaware. The deceived and wicked have no discernment.
“And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (2 Thessalonians 2:11-12).
The last second of “normal” will seem like a long time ago in pretty short order once judgment falls, for those that live long enough to ponder such things. The harshness will be unbelievable even while it’s happening.
I’m guessing right about now that you need some good news. That good news is Jesus Christ who died for you and is risen from the dead. Thank God, this life is temporary.
“For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever” (1 John 2:16-17).
God protects His own during judgment. As example, He spared Noah and directed Lot out of Sodom. He also, through faith, provides the strength to endure trials and tribulations. Where’s your faith? Is it in God or things of this world?
I’ve written about God’s judgment of cities, nations and the larger world. There is another, more personal judgment.
Every unsaved person is living individually under judgment. To a person, they bear a chosen, eternal death sentence. This is unimaginably worse than whatever physical death one might suffer. Yes, I know that some people die terrible deaths. It’s against that backdrop of revulsion that I write this. Human words cannot describe or the mortal mind grasp what hell truly is, and after, an eternity in the lake of fire.
Many are just a last heartbeat away from this torment being their forever without end, not even the hope of the mercy of death to offer escape. You know somebody like this, in fact several somebody’s. What should you do about it? What can you do about? What will you do about it?
God is omniscient. There comes a point when He knows that repentance won’t occur. We don’t know when that is, but He does. At that point, the countdown to judgment is unstoppable.
Let’s entertain a hypothetical situation. Next year (presupposing we have elections) pick-your-candidate wins the presidency. Will those things that grieve God be repented of by our nation and turned away from? Will abortion be outlawed, what about pornography? Will sodomites be taken away from our land? Will Islam and rampant idolatry be banished from our shores? Will attitudes on fornication and even adultery change for the better? Would prayer and the Bible return to the public schools?
In short, would we turn back to God?
No, not likely, nothing of consequence would change. Foremost is our impending date of God’s judgment. It’s coming my friend, it’s coming.
“For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled” (Luke 21:22).
Are you ready?
Patrick