THE JUDGMENTS AND WRATH OF GOD - Part 3 - WHEN A LINE HAS BEEN CROSSED

 THE JUDGMENTS AND WRATH OF GOD - Part 3 - WHEN A LINE HAS BEEN                                                                    CROSSED

[I realize that these are very heavy topics, and I am concerned that if taken out of proper context, they could cause serious perspective and balance problems. I pray that if you read these, you compare notes with other teachings and balance everything in the context of the wonderful Gospel of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. These are designed to bring about a very sober awareness of what can take place in the world around us, though all may seem peaceful and safe.]

                                   WHEN A LINE HAS BEEN CROSSED

 "Surely at the commandment of the Lord came this upon Judah to remove them out of His sight, for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he did; and also for the innocent blood that he shed: for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; which the Lord would not pardon." 2 Kings 24:3-4 

The line is crossed when God's law/laws are being broken as an accepted lifestyle, all the warnings have been completely ignored, and victimization is disregarded. Anticipate God's vengeance and wrath, though He may seem to tarry long.

 Manasseh, aside from all the corruption and idolatry, wholeheartedly promoted infant sacrifice. He crossed an unpardonable line by filling Jerusalem with innocent blood - not that any of it was ever acceptable.

 Israel and Judah's iniquity stemmed from their very early days of constant sliding into idolatry. God's final judgment through the Babylonian invasion once and for all cured that habit in Israel, but at a brutally high price. 

  As with a child who is misbehaving and will not be corrected, we must be clear that there is a line we can cross, as individuals and as a nation, beyond which we are guaranteed correction and/or punishment. If you will notice in   2 Kings 24:3-4, the people of Jerusalem and Judah had crossed the line before God to the point where He could no longer be gracious to their waywardness and overlook their wickedness. He had to punish and correct them. Dear friends, just because we have and continue to do things with no apparent repercussions that the Bible has warned us against, does not mean that what we are doing (as individuals or as a people) has not provoked the Lord's wrath. "But to the wicked God says, 'What have you to do to declare My statutes, or that you should take My covenant in your mouth: Seeing you hate instruction, and cast My words behind you. You saw a thief, then you consent with him, and have been partaker with adulterers. You give your mouth to evil, and your tongue frames deceit. You sit and speak against your brother; you slander your own mother's son. These things you have done, and I kept silence; you thought that I was altogether such a one as yourself: but I will reprove you, and set them before your eyes. Now consider this, you that forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there is none to deliver." Psalm 50:16-22.

 This is a severe warning, but is not unfounded, considering the human track record. We sometimes wonder why God waits so long, but for good reason - "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." 2 Peter 3:9. Nor does He want to hurt anyone, "Say to them, 'As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways as live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, people of ...?'" Ezekiel 33:1 NIV. That is the heart of our Heavenly Father. The salvation of every individual, both the vile and the righteous, is the most important of all His objectives. He sent His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, so that we all can be saved. How wonderful is that!!! He has given us His Word to guide us, His Church to remind us, and a heart of intelligence to know right and wrong. He has given us a lot of room to straighten out. So if we don't repent and reform our ways, His judgment and retribution are more than deserved.  In our lands, is there unchecked shedding of innocent blood, endorsed sexual immorality, acceptance of drugs, witchcraft, idolatry....?

DOES GOD'S JUDGMENT ONLY AFFECT THE WICKED?

 "And to the land of Israel, 'Thus says the Lord; behold I am against you, and will draw forth My sword out of his sheath and will cut off from you the righteous and the wicked. Seeing then that I will cut off from you the righteous and the wicked, therefore shall My sword go forth out of his sheath against all flesh from the south to the north: that all flesh may know that I the Lord have drawn forth My sword out of his sheath. It shall not return any more.'" Ezekiel 21:3-5

HOW DEFILED ARE WE, THOUGH RIGHTEOUS?

  Are we grieved, do we hate, does it trouble us, do we laugh at their dirty jokes, and enjoy the sexual promiscuity, the violent entertainment? Are we grieved at the foul language, especially when they take the Lord's name in vain? Do we hate our enemies, and curse those who oppose our views? Are we in agreement with abortions and other forms of taking the lives of the innocent? Does witchcraft, idolatry, lies, and theft entertain us? Do we agree with the use of drugs which the Bible equates with the sin of sorcery? "For this you know, that no whoremonger(sexually immoral), unclean person, or covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no man deceive you with vain/empty words: for because of these things comes the WRATH OF GOD upon the children of disobedience." Ephesians 5:5-6. Our entertainment in the West is filled with these. If these do not trouble us, is our conscience being compromised and seared, and are we blindly accepting at some level what Jesus on the cross suffered and died for, and that which the wrath of God will avenge that is not repented of in the world? Our righteousness (right standing with God) is not based on the bad things we don't do, but on our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ alone, Who is our Righteousness; however, the overflow of our faith in Christ is to also hate evil, "You that love the Lord, hate evil..." Psalm 97:10 (especially our own evil). I am convinced that we can be exposed to these things, or any other, without partaking of them, and even hating them, but we must be ever so careful and not trust our hearts. "The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness has surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us shall dwell with everlasting(continual) burning? He that walks righteously, and speaks uprightly; he that despises the gain of oppressions that shakes his hands from holding of bribes, that stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed, and shuts his eyes from seeing evil. He shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure. Your eyes shall see the KING in His beauty: they shall behold the land that is very far off." Isaiah 33:14-17. This is a powerful admonition and promise!

  We know to this day that both Christians and non-Christians die in disasters. Lot and his daughters were obviously familiar with some of the ungodly practices of Sodom, as was demonstrated by their behavior after their escape from its destruction; however, they were still considered righteous by the Lord. Even with Abraham's intercession, they still barely escaped. "And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?" 1 Peter4:18. This word of the Lord is concerning in that, at this stage of His judgment and wrath, even though He is acknowledging the righteous, yet in the wave of His judgment there was to be no separation between them and the wicked. Both are destined to perish, though likely not for the same reasons. Now there are extenuating circumstances we can point out here. In Ezekiel 9:4, the Lord tells a type of angel to mark on the foreheads all the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that were being done in the city. Then He sent the others to destroy the rest, beginning at His sanctuary. When God was going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham pleaded with the Lord, "...Will You also destroy the righteous with the wicked?... Shall not the Judge of all the Earth do right?" Genesis 18:23, 25. Abraham interceded for the people of Sodom and Gomorrah to the point where the Lord would spare the cities for the sake of ten righteous people. In the end, He had the angels remove Lot's family who would cooperate. In the book of Revelation 18:4, the Lord calls His people to flee from the city Babylon so that they be not partakers of her sins or receive her plagues. So the Lord does warn His people and does make a way for us to escape His judgments in a corrupt world, but we must obey. Also, notice how Abraham interceded for the people, and God did spare as much as possible. We need to intercede for our nations while there is still hope. Unlike Lot's sons-in-law and eventually Lot's wife, who tarried and were destroyed, we must be humble enough to listen and be obedient to flee when the Lord tells us. Obviously, they did not see things as being that bad.

NEXT - HOW MUCH CAN THE RIGHTEOUS DO IN THE DAYS OF GOD'S WRATH?