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When Judgment Falls
”If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” [2 Chr. 7:14]
Terrorist attacks, electrical blackouts, raging fires, war, and other unsettling events in the present and recent past pull at our hearts. Why do these things happen? Are they just natural cycles in human affairs? Are they part of the dreaded climate change? Are they, as the fear-promoters would have us believe, signs that the End Times are upon us? Are they attacks by Satan? Are they messages or judgments from God?
God Is Sovereign
First, as Christians, we believe in an Almighty, Sovereign God. God is in control, and no one or situation can wrestle it from Him. What God decree stands. Therefore, there is no such thing as “Mother Nature.” God actively controls all things, including nature. Anything that “nature” does is allowed by God for some purpose. The same goes for Satan, as the history of Job illustrates. Even Satan's attacks are permitted by God for a purpose. We live in a universe of total purpose, although as limited human beings, we cannot always grasp the reason. Nothing is truly random.
Not A Sign Of End Times
Second, if you have read Is The Church Destined For Victory Or Defeat? or read many of my articles on the Bible Prophecy page, you know what I think about the popular teaching on the Antichrist and the Beast. Most teaching on End Times today is a sensualizing of Holy Scripture that insults the King and the Kingdom of God. Jesus is returning, but not to rescue a defeated and whining bride. He is returning, one day, to be joined to a pure, beautiful, and victorious bride. This is the testimony of Scripture. So, if you want to look at terrible events in the earth as signs, take them as signs that we still have a long way to go.
This leaves us only one option: Disastrous events are messages or judgments from God for some purpose. Although God is actively involved in running the world, He often allows us to suffer the consequences of our actions. Judgment will come when an individual, a nation, or even a civilization rises in deliberate, defiant rebellion against God and His law. God may delay judgment in grace and mercy, but His Holy nature will not allow Him to deny justice. None of us stand innocent in the sight of God.
Christian's Responsibility In Judgment
In the above well-known verse, God talks about His people, who are called by His name. In the New Testament era, we know this is the Church [see Covenants course]. Do you see why judgment had come upon the land? It was because of the wicked ways of His own people.
The Puritans believed that God protected His people who walked with Him, although that didn’t exempt them from the trials and temptations of life. When disaster struck one of their settlements, they looked first for spiritual causes, often with fasting and prayer. Was there “sin in the camp” that needed cleansing and forgiveness? They earnestly searched to see if God had removed His protection because of something they had done. We serve the Holy God. He will not dwell with a people delighting in sin. When He leaves, His protection goes, and judgment looms on the horizon.
I believe the Puritans had a point. Often, we blame homosexuals, abortionists, humanists, or other ungodly people for God’s judgment on our nations. Reread the above verse. Interestingly, God says judgments come, in once Godly nations at least, because of the sin of His people, not the sin of the ungodly. Jonah is an example. The ungodly sailors around him will affected by God’s judgment on his life.
So, while I believe we should take an active stand against sexual license, abortion, and other evils, I would suspect they are but symptoms of a more significant disease. The old saying, “As goes the church, so goes the nation,” has a lot of truth to it. Are we expecting the ungodly to live to standards [the Word of God] that we are not willing to live to ourselves? Yes, we go to church, read our Bibles, and pray, but are we surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus Christ? Do we conduct our lives in gentleness, holiness, and purity before God? Who wins if the Will of God, as revealed in the Word of God, conflicts with our own will or desires? These are questions I have been asking myself, and I don’t like some of the answers.
God is looking for men and women of integrity who will act righteously in their homes, workplaces, and even the church. Holiness is not an option. The further we are from God, the more we will see judgments in the world around us. The closer we are to God, the more we will see protection and blessings in the world around us. The cost is the unrelenting pursuit of the Holy God and His way, but the price is also the greatest privilege.
Our Holy God
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Matt. 5:8, NASB
Who may ascend onto the hill of the Lord?
And who may stand in His holy place?
One who has clean hands and a pure heart,
Who has not lifted up his soul to deceit
And has not sworn deceitfully.
He will receive a blessing from the Lord
And righteousness from the God of his salvation. Ps. 24:3-5, NASB
For more information about Glenn Davis, see our About Glenn page or visit Glenn Davis Books.
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