Prophecy, Knowing Changes Behavior, 3 of 15, Abraham Seeks a Country.

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It is clear that Abraham wanted a country of his own. He was told,

… “Get out of your country, and from your relatives, and from your father’s house, to the land that I will show you.”
Gen 12:1

Abram didn’t leave because he didn’t want a country, but because he wanted a better country.

Now Abraham was promised a “land.”

He was told,

… “Get out of your country, … to the land that I will show you.”
Gen 12:1

The Lord guided Abram to Canaan. Then,

“Yahweh appeared to Abram, and said, “I will give this land to your seed.” …”
Gen 12:7

Again, more specifically,

“In that day Yahweh made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates: ”
Gen 15:18

That is a huge expanse that even in Solomon’s day was not fully occupied by Israel.

Still reality is perhaps even bigger.

The word for “land” eretz, is also the word for the earth. As in,

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
Gen 1:1

So when God told Abram in Gen 13:14-15 to look around in every direction, for God was giving Abram ALL of this – It could be interpreted as giving Abram ALL of the earth! Look all around! So Paul writes,

“For the promise to Abraham and to his seed that he should be heir of the world …”
Rom 4:13

Nonetheless when Abraham was close to the end of his life, he still no title to any of Canaan, and when it came time for him to bury Sarah, he had to negotiate with the locals for a small plot in which to bury her, Genesis 23.

Abraham really sought a heavenly country.

“8 By faith, Abraham, when he was called, obeyed to go out to the place which he was to receive for an inheritance. He went out, not knowing where he went. 9 By faith, he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a land not his own, dwelling in tents, with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he looked for the city which has the foundations, whose builder and maker is God.”
Heb 11:8-10

It was the New Heaven and the New Earth which Abraham sought. And it did change his behavior!

Prophecy is NOT an optional extra.

It is NOT about what might possibly happen. Jesus makes this abundantly clear.

“For most assuredly, I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not even one smallest letter or one tiny pen stroke shall in any way pass away from the law, until all things are accomplished.”
Mtt 5:18

Or again, Jesus later says,

“… scripture cannot be broken;”
Jn 10:35 KJV

Believing what God says in prophecy does matter! It is an ethical matter. It changes how you live, so that you might be pleasing to God. It is an integral part of that Word that produces life.

Unless other wise noted, Scriptures are from the World English Bible (WEB), a copyright free revision of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901

KJV is the King James Version, 1611.

Prophecy, Knowing Changes Behavior, 2 of 15, Abraham having a son

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It is in Scripture the classic picture of true faith.

Abraham was called out of Ur of the Chaldees,
Gen 11:31

“1 Now Yahweh said to Abram, “Get out of your country, and from your relatives, and from your father’s house, to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make of you a great nation. I will bless you, and make your name great. You will be a blessing.” ”
Gen 12:1-2

The Lord does not tell Abram where he will go. He makes it plain that the Lord Himself will make Abram’s name “great,” and “a great nation” will come from Him, and God Himself will bless him. Then it hits.

“So Abram went, as Yahweh had spoken to him. Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed out of Haran.”
Gen 12:4

Seventy-five years old! That is more than a little late for starting a tribe of anything, much less a great nation. Still, Abram goes where he is told and is promised Palestine in the following chapters. Abram had not seen any results yet, but he believed and followed.

God appeared to Abram again in Genesis 15

God tells him, “Don’t be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.” Gen 15:1b. The years have past. Abram protests, “what will you give me, seeing I go childless,” but God assures him that from his own body he will have descendants as numerous as the stars of heaven, Gen 15:4-5.

Of Abraham it says, “He believed in Yahweh, and
he reckoned to him for righteousness.”
Gen 15:6

All he has is the prophecies.

“He said to him, “I am Yahweh who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give you this land to inherit it.” ”
Gen 15:7

In the following verses God enters into a formal covenant with Abram, and prophecies are extended to 400 years of slavery in a foreign land for his yet unborn progeny, before they inherit this land.

Mere words of the future. This might seem
pretty thin to many.

However, Abram trusted that God could do what He said.

“19 Without being weakened in faith, he didn’t consider his own body, already having been worn out, (he being about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. 20 Yet, looking to the promise of God, he didn’t waver through unbelief, but grew strong through faith, giving glory to God, 21 and being fully assured that what he had promised, he was able also to perform.”
Rom 4:19-21

There were yet more trials.

A false start with a son by a slave woman at age 86, Gen 16:16. But God said no! The son of promise would be through his wife Sarai. Then finally came the son by Sarah in Isaac. Then one more test in Genesis 22 to see if Abraham was willing to sacrifice this one and only son.

All of these were tests of faith in God’s Prophetic Word

Believing what God says in prophecy does matter! It is an ethical matter.

Scriptures are from the World English Bible (WEB), a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901

Prophecy, Knowing Changes Behavior, 1 of 15, Noah

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Things were really bad around the middle of the third millennium BC. It was evidently much worse situation than what we have now, although at some time in the future, we also will reach that tipping point where God will no longer tolerate our wrongs and will call us all to account. In those misty days of the past, before the world-wide flood altered our mountains and hills and valleys, and our ecosystems from the fruitful past to near like things are today. At that time it says,

“5 Yahweh 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. 6 Yahweh was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him in his heart.”
Gen 6:5-6

Then the Lord decided.

“Yahweh said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the surface of the ground; man, along with animals, creeping things, and birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them.””
Gen 6:7

God even set a time.

“Yahweh said, “My Spirit will not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; yet will his days be one hundred twenty years.””
Gen 6:3

However, Noah found favor in God’s eyes, Gen 6:7.

“God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before me, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth. 14 Make an ark of gopher wood. You shall make rooms in the ark, and shall seal it inside and outside with pitch. ”
Gen 6:13-14

Oh yeah? God’s going to destroy
the world and all flesh?

Make a boat? For a world-wide
flood? Is that so?

It was only a prophecy. Well, who knows, many no doubt said. Others have talked about prophecies before, but no one has ever seen anything like that before? World-wide? I can’t even see that much water around here? You think so?

Even
so, for those
who believe what
God says, it changes
life and actions and directions,
all in good ways!

“By faith, Noah, being warned about things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his house, through which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.”
Heb 11:7

Prophecy changed Noah’s life.

It provided focus and direction, away from the way the world was living, which bears fruit even today, for we are his descendants, as are all of the races and tribes of men on the earth.

A parallel is drawn to our own times

“26 As it happened in the days of Noah, even so will it be also in the days of the Son of Man. 27 They ate, they drank, they married, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.”
Lk 17:26-27

Believing what God says in prophecy does matter! It is an ethical matter.

Scriptures are from the World English Bible (WEB), a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901

The Kingdom of Glory: One Nation, Under God, in Heaven, Forever. 15 of 15

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A real people, in a very real and perfect and enduring place.

It was said of Abraham and the ancient fathers,

“But now they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. …”
Heb 11:16

A real country, from a new creation; untainted by sin and death and decay. A heavenly country. It is described in this way.

“1 I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth have passed away, and the sea is no more. 2 I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready like a bride adorned for her husband.”
Rev 21

Further, as we know more about the material world and its components, the more obvious it is how vulnerable it is.

We are just a vapor.

Many misquote the second apostle James to say that we are like a vapor. Rather he says we are a vapor,

“Whereas you don’t know what your life will be like tomorrow. For what is your life? For you ARE a vapor, that appears for a little time, and then vanishes away.”
Jas 4:14

The physicists have known for sometime that such is literally true. Knowledge of such things came about with the early experiments with nuclear radiation. The ratio of particles able to pass through our bodies without hitting anything was very high, meaning that we were mostly empty space! Sometimes they have given analogies such as, if an atom was the size of a football stadium, the nucleus would be the size of a basketball at the 50 yard line, and an electron would be size of a golf ball, way out in the bleachers. But those electron shells move fast enough that light bounces off our bodies and we “look” solid.

And those electron shells, they too are subject to the Second Law of Thermodynamics, that “things run down.” At our present time Jesus sustains them, and you and I and everyone.

“His Son is … upholding all things by the word of his power, …”
Heb 1:3

But such is not forever, and “things” and our bodies do still “run down.”

The world to come is more solid, more permanent.

In 2Corinthians 5 the comparison is made between a tent versus a building.

“For we know that if the earthly house of our tent is dissolved, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal, in the heavens.”
2Cor 5:1

Paul is talking about our present bodies and comparing them to a mere tent, which is at best a flimsy and vulnerable shelter. It is not that we would like to be without a body, and we won’t be.

“For indeed we who are in this tent do groan, being burdened; not that we desire to be unclothed, but that we desire to be clothed, that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.”
2Cor 5:4

It is this world that is fleeting and temporary and
little more than a vapor.

Scriptures are from the World English Bible (WEB), a copyright free revision of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901

The Kingdom of Glory is a Heavenly Country. 14 of 15

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One of the contrasts throughout all of Scripture is between this material earth and universe, and what is often called heaven.

First we need to recognize the “fall” of this creation.

Man’s part in initiating this separation, this fall, is in Genesis chapter 3. Man had been literally given a very good setup. Man is put in charge of “the garden” (which in Greek translation is paradeisos, or “paradise”, Genesis 2). This seems to almost to be a training field for man’s destiny to,

“… have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the sky, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
Gen 1:26

He does not have this yet! Evidently some restrictions were put on man, and one mentioned is that is he was NOT to eat of “the of the knowledge of good and evil,” Gen 2:16-17. Then man, by refusing God’s commands, joined the heavenly rebellion led by Satan, who also called the devil, and the serpent of old, Rev 12:9.

This of course has catastrophic results. Man is now to die, and death starts working in mankind. From now on there will be enmity between the seed of woman and the seed of the serpent, Gen 3:15. Specific curses are put on the woman, Gen 3:16; and then comes the curse on creation. “… cursed is the ground for your sake.” Gen 3:17. Without obedience to the Lord God, there is no more easy living for mankind.

“By the sweat of your face will you eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
Gen 3:19

Man still has a taste for that mastery of all of creation, Heb 2:6-8a; but it is not quite within his grasp, Heb 2:8b.

It is an epic tragedy, this bondage to decay which
dominates our present universe.

It is however not a permanent condition.

“that the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of decay into the liberty of the glory of the children of God.”
Rom 8:21-22

It goes on to say that we ourselves groan within us, thirsting for release from this bondage to decay, “waiting for adoption, the redemption of our body.” Rom 8:23

This universe is now beyond redemption.

It will pass away with fire, with a roar, as the element melt with tremendous heat, on “the day of the Lord,” 2Pe 3:10-12.

But those who are willing will be redeemed.

By turning in faith to Jesus our Lord, repenting of our sins, being baptized in water for the forgiveness of our sins, Acts 2:38, Acts 22:16, etc.; and then living for Christ and not for ourselves.

Jesus kingdom is not from “here.”

As Jesus told Pilate,

“My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, then my servants would fight, that I wouldn’t be delivered to the Jews. But now my kingdom is not from here.”
Jn 18:36

Scriptures are from the World English Bible (WEB), a copyright free revision of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901

The Kingdom of Glory Does Have Favored Nations on Earth. 13 of 15

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The summary verse for this contention might be:

“Let peoples serve you,
Nations bow down to you.
Be lord over your brothers,
Let your mother’s sons bow down to you.
Cursed be everyone who curses you,
Blessed be everyone who blesses you.”
Gen 27:29

It does matter what the nations do, morally and ethically.

“Righteousness exalts a nation,
But sin is a disgrace to ANY people.”
Prov 14:34

Righteousness does raise up, exalt, peoples, nations. These things do come into account. Jesus in one place speaks of doing trivial deeds that are good.

“Whoever gives one of these little ones just a cup of cold water to drink in the name of a disciple, most assuredly I tell you he will in no way lose his reward.”
Mtt 10:42

This, and the KJV of this, is really paraphrase of the verse, which is a strong negative of that person having a chance of losing their reward. I don’t think it means that everyone that gives a cup of cold water to someone in need will go to heaven. He is saying that even little things count, and will bring their proper reward. God sees and knows and will bring us to account or rewards for even trivial things.

“I tell you that every idle word that men speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.”
Mtt 12:36

A scary thought to most of us. However it not just the bad things, but also the good things that are remembered and accounted for. As the Hebrews in Jerusalem were told,

“For God is not unrighteous, so as to forget your work and the labor of love which you showed toward his name, in that you served the saints, and still do serve them.”
Heb 6:10

Counting one thing as another!

Of course good works are NOT enough to deliver us from the penalty for our wrongs, but all is taken into account. Unfortunately, not all of us have the same advantage in being properly instructed. Circumcision was the sign of the covenant in the Old Testament. Even so,

“If therefore the uncircumcised keep the ordinances of the law, won’t his uncircumcision be accounted as circumcision?”
Rom 2:26

It does not have to be every single person in a nation.

Sometimes it can be just one or two. The righteousness of one good man, Joseph, brought blessings on an entire plantation.

“It happened from the time that he made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that Yahweh blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of Yahweh was on all that he had, in the house and in the field.”
Gen 39:5

When Abraham pleaded for wicked Sodom and Gomorrah, he asked God, suppose that ten righteous men are found in Sodom and Gommorah?

“… And He said, “I will not destroy it for the ten’s sake.” ”
Gen 18:32

Still, the conduct of the nations counts

“… Cursed be everyone who curses you,
Blessed be everyone who blesses you.”
Gen 27:29

So it will be!

Scriptures are from the World English Bible (WEB), a copyright free revision of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901

The Kingdom of Glory: ALL Opposition Will Be Eliminated, 12 of 15

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One of the great evils of this world is the toleration of evil. That alone can bring a nation down.

These principles are solidly illustrated
in Numbers 35.

First Israel is warned that murderers should be put to death. Additionally,

“Moreover you shall take no ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death; but he shall surely be put to death.”
Num 35:31

Well, why not? If they will repent, and pay a good fee, why not? Then we given the answer.

“33 … for blood, it pollutes the land; and no expiation can be made for the land for the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him who shed it. 34 You shall not defile the land which you inhabit,”
Num 35:33-34

If a nation does not punish wickedness, it pollutes and ruins a country. Then the guilt and the retribution falls on that country overall, instead of just on the criminals!

The same is true of other sins.

Leviticus, especially chapters 18 20 gives some lists of detestable things which bring judgements on nations, and warns,

“Don’t defile yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations which I am casting out before you were defiled.”
Lev 18:24

We can ruin ourselves with these things!

The ancient church at Thyatira had
a problem with toleration.

“But I have this against you, that you tolerate your woman, Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. She teaches and seduces my servants to commit sexual immorality, and to eat things sacrificed to idols.”
Rev 2:20

So some woman at this church, who is symbolically called Jezebel, is teaching sexual immorality as actually alright, and the church is tolerating this, and the church is being condemned for the tolerating.

It is good to not tolerate evil things.

Of the church at Ephesus Jesus says,

““I know your works, and your toil and perseverance, and that you can’t tolerate evil men, and have tested those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and found them false.”
Rev 2:2

David as King said,

“I will silence whoever secretly slanders his neighbor.
I won’t tolerate one who is haughty and conceited.”
Psa 101.5

America has been way too tolerant.

Abortion has been tolerated and encouraged by law, and now the blood of over 60 million babies are on America’s hands.

We tolerated homosexuals and transvestites and even a great deal of Sodomy, so as our reward for our tolerant attitudes, the Left wants us now to worship at the altar of homosexuality and unhealthy habits, and demands that all children be trained from grade school in those things which destroy men and nations.

And the Left for sure has no room to lecture us on toleration, as intolerant as they are of righteousness and every good thing!

In heaven, all of those who really do not want
to do what is right, will have been
eliminated from being there!

They really would not be happy there!

Scriptures are from the World English Bible (WEB), a copyright free revision of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901

The Kingdom of Glory Overrules Even Satan’s Power, 11 of 15

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The Kingdom of God is NOT a Revolutionary Power. Instead it is really THE power. As the apostle John said,

“You are of God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world.”
Jn 4:4

If we are truly Christians, God has translated us out of Satan’s power into God’s kingdom.

“who delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the Kingdom of the Son of his love”
Col 1:13

God is in control

Yes, Satan is allowed some power here to reward his servants. He tells Jesus,

“5 The devil, leading him up on a high mountain, showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 The devil said to him, “I will give you all this authority, and their glory, for it has been delivered to me; and I give it to whomever I want. 7 If you therefore will worship before me, it will all be yours.” ”
Lk 4:5-7

Jesus does not deny this power, but says it only appropriate to worship the Lord our God!

Satan’s power and rule is only by permission. Indeed, of the governments of our world it says,

“1 Let every soul be in subjection to the higher authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those who exist are ordained by God.”
Rom 13:1

God overrules all.

There has been a hand off to the Son

In Psalm 2 it speaks of giving “my son,” verse 7, rule over the nations, Psa 2:8-9. The judges and rulers of the earth (Psa 2:10) are allowed a measure of liberty, as is Satan and you and I, but they are warned,

“Kiss the son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,
For his wrath will soon be kindled.
Blessed are all those who take refuge in him.”
Psa 2:12

Peter was an outstanding apostle,

both before and after Christ’s death, but though very aggressive in nature, was at times perhaps had a little too much confidence in himself as a man.

“The Lord said, “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan asked to have you, that he might sift you as wheat,”
Lk 22:31

Satan can only do what he is allowed to do.

Satan’s power is all by permission!

Satan cannot even tempt the Christian beyond individually set limits,

“No temptation has taken you except what is common to man. God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above what you are able, but will with the temptation also make the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. ”
1Cor 10:13

There will even be a period in history when Satan, “that he should deceive the nations no more,” Rev 20:3, and the world is able to see through the Satanic designs.

Finally “… he must be freed for a short time,” Rev 20:3

For a short period of testing, just before the end of our universe.

Scriptures are from the World English Bible (WEB), a copyright free revision of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901

The Kingdom of Glory: Satan is allowed a little power for a little while, 10 of 15

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Evidently Satan was originally one of the most powerful creatures that was ever made by God. Angels in themselves are powerful creatures. Peter tells us that angels are “greater in might and power,” than men, 2Pe 2:11. When Paul speaks of Christ coming on the last day, it will be “when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire,” 2Thes 1:7. Story after story speaks of them having power far beyond that which a man personally can wield.

And Satan’s power?

At first it seems Satan was both good and glorious. Evidently the King of Tyre in Ezekiel 28 is a type, symbolic, of Satan. As is common when there are types or symbols in Scripture, part of Ezekiel 28 applies to the ancient King of Tyre, and part applies to Satan himself. It says that he was in the garden of Eden, Ezek 28:13. However, the King of Tyre was further away from the garden of Eden than we are from the birth of Christ! It says of Satan,

“14 You were the anointed cherub who covers: and I set you, so that you were on the holy mountain of God; you have walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. 15 You were perfect in your ways from the day that you were created, until unrighteousness was found in you.”
Ezek 28:14-15

So Satan was originally good and pure, as indeed you and I were before sin seized us. Satan originally one of the covering cherub that surrounded the very throne of God Himself in heaven, as pictured in Ezekiel 1, and Rev 4:6-8. That is to say that Satan was one of the most powerful creatures ever created! It says of him,

“We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.”
1Jn 5:19

Or again it describes Satan,

“in whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should not dawn on them.”
2Cor 4:4

So Satan is described as “the god of this world,” or a better translation would be “the god of this age,” which is still quite a description. Further Satan is clearly described here as being able to influence the minds of mere men, and is able to even blind us at times

In Job 1 Satan is able,

to make fire fall from heaven, influence groups of men to steal and kill, cause mighty winds to blow. In Job 2 Satan is able to cause debilitating diseases, and on and on it goes.

If a man has a particular weakness,
Satan is quick to exploit it.

With Judas it was evidently money.

Satan can influence or even enter us!

Jesus says to Peter, “” Get behind me, Satan!” Mtt 16:23

“Satan entered into Judas, who was surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered with the twelve.”
Lk 22:3

Scriptures are from the World English Bible (WEB), a copyright free revision of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901

The Kingdom of Glory: Jesus Decides the Boundaries of Nations, to what purpose? 9 of 15

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We should always remember the general statements God makes about nations and sin and righteousness.

“Righteousness exalts a nation,
But sin is a disgrace to any people.”
Prov 14:34

“Blessed is the nation whose God is Yahweh,
The people whom he has chosen for his own inheritance.”
Psa 33:12

Yes, the Son does rule the nations

“7 I will tell of the decree.
Yahweh said to me, “You are my son.
Today I have become your father. …
8 Ask of me, and I will give the nations for your inheritance,
The uttermost parts of the earth for your possession.
9 You shall break them with a rod of iron.
You shall dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”
Psa 2:7-9

And the purpose … what is the purpose?

“that they should seek the Lord, if perhaps they might reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.”
Acts 17:27

God raises up nations and lowers nations, seeking for His eternal purpose that as many men as possible might be delivered from their sins! Paul does treat this as if it should be natural thing, seeking God and drawing close to Him.

“‘For in him we live, and move, and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also his offspring.’”
Acts 17:28

You see, God really desires that we repent of our sins and turn to Him.

God Himself has said it.

“For I have no pleasure in the death of him who dies, says the Lord Yahweh: therefore turn yourselves, and live.” Ezek 18:32

There are three wrong ideas
we may fall into here.

Sometime we are willfully blind. Our distorted theology may blind us to God working in history to both help the righteous and punish the wicked. Some are so focused on God’s love that they cannot see that God both can and does punish men in history. Often even US !

“But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.”
Heb 12:8 KJV

On the other hand many have so distorted the message of Scripture the other way, that all that they can see is vengeful, wrathful, God. This also is a misconception.

Then comes the third distortion. Sometimes we see all the evil in the world and do not understand that God IS working in the world, and we wonder why God does not do something?

So why doesn’t God do something about all the wickedness in the world?

“The Lord is not slow concerning his promise, as some count slowness; but is patient WITH US, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
2Pe 3:9

This is a short period of amnesty.

God is going to bring both us and them to account for our sins. In between God is giving both us and them time to think through our situation, and repent, before it is eternally too late.

Unless otherwise noted, Scriptures are from the World English Bible (WEB), a copyright free revision of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901

KJV is the King James Version, 1611.