Words of Wisdom #293: Even the Nations Forget Who Made Them Possible!
Ah! The roar of many peoples—they roar like the roaring of the seas. The raging of the nations—they rage like the raging of mighty waters. The nations rage like the raging of many waters. He rebukes them, and they flee far away, driven before the wind like chaff on the hills and like dead thistles before a gale. In the evening—sudden terror! Before morning—it is gone! This is the fate of those who plunder us and the lot of those who ravage us. Isaiah 17:12-14 (HCSB)
Is there anything that happens in this world that God is not behind in some fashion? Even “sin” which he abhors, He allows because it is in of itself a product of our free will that God has allowed us to exercise. Likewise, our rise to become a mighty nation is as a result of God’s blessing or in some cases His permission for His purposes. Nations exist because God allows them to exist. Yet consider all the many nations that have come and gone over the history of mankind. Which of these nations has survived the test of time? Rome fell to its enemies after about 1000 years of its existence. Egypt today is not the Ancient Egypt along the Nile River. Ancient Egypt as a nation lasted about 2,000 years before it became the victim and slave of other conquering nations. China has the longest claim but it has not gone unscathed in history either and modern China has little connection to its original state. And, America is but an infant in comparison - 1776 to 2010 is but 244 short infant years! We are still trying to determine who we are and what our destiny will be. The great countries of Europe – England, France, Spain and Germany are all infants as well. England and France are the oldest nations but are both well under the age of 700-800 years old as a nation. Germany is still trying to figure out who they are as a nation being only a united nation 150 years or so ago, but in constant turmoil and conflict ever since as well.
And, then there is Israel. Israel today is not the Israel we know from the biblical account. Modern Israel is man’s attempt to reconcile all the harm that was done to the Jews in Europe over the many centuries so England set aside Palestine lands they controlled and gave it to the Israelites as an appeasement offering 60 years ago, and the residents of the lands have been fighting with the new immigrants of the lands ever since. Funny, the Jews lost their lands and their great city of Jerusalem between 70 and 134 AD as the Christian church was getting established, and they were sent into exile (again!). We believe in the Christian community that somehow the Jews must be in place before the Rapture can take place. So it begs the questions: what is our motive for the establishment of the modern Israel and our defiant defense of their right to occupy the land? Is it God’s will or our interests somehow we are serving? Are we trying to appease God somehow by restoring Israel? Will this effort only cause the next cataclysmic war to break out in that part of the world where we battle over religious rights of Jews, Christians and Muslims? Does that seem like God’s will, God’s ways, and God’s wisdom according to God’s Word?
Nations have roared throughout the millennia of mankind, but none have existed without the consent of God and their actions have been blessed or cursed by God as history reveals. Once any nation, just like any one of us as well, rise up and claim we are great and choose to go about doing our will and walk in our ways, and guide ourselves by our own wisdom, denying the necessity of God’s Word, WATCH OUT! History declares God will silence and humble the roar of even the mighty nations. Think about it…
Coach
www.coachbrown.org
Then Jesus replied to them: “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and they will deceive many. You are going to hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, because these things must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these events are the beginning of birth pains. “Then they will hand you over for persecution, and they will kill you. You will be hated by all nations because of My name. Then many will take offense, betray one another and hate one another. Many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. Because lawlessness will multiply, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be delivered. This good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed in all the world as a testimony to all nations. And then the end will come. Matt 24:4-14 (HCSB)