Nations – Page 4 – Praying Pint

10. h. “The people with whom the LORD is angry forever.’”

Obadiah 1:1 Thus says the Lord God concerning Edom: We have heard a report from the Lord, and a messenger has been sent among the nations: “Rise up! Let us rise against her for battle!” Behold, I will make you small among the nations; you shall be utterly despised. The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rock, in your lofty dwelling, who say in your heart, “Who will bring me down to the ground?” Though you soar aloft like the eagle, though your nest is set among the stars, from there I will bring you down, declares the Lord.

Proverbs 16:18    Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

Proverbs 29:23    One’s pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor.

Jeremiah 48:29-30    We have heard of the pride of Moab— he is very proud— of his loftiness, his pride, and his arrogance, and the haughtiness of his heart.  I know his insolence, declares the LORD; his boasts are false, his deeds are false.

Malachi 1:4    If Edom says, “We are shattered but we will rebuild the ruins,” the LORD of hosts says, “They may build, but I will tear down, and they will be called ‘the wicked country,’ and ‘the people with whom the LORD is angry forever.’”

Obadiah wrote this shortest book of the Old Testament probably soon after the armies of Babylon destroyed Jerusalem (586 b.c.). During this conquest, the people of Edom helped capture fleeing Israelites and turn them over to the Babylonians. They even took up residence in some Judean villages. This angered the Lord, for the Edomites, as descendants of Esau, were related to the Israelites (Gen. 25:21-26, 30) and therefore should have helped them. Obadiah prophesied that Edom would be repaid for mistreating God’s people. Obadiah also asserted that God is sovereign over the nations and that the house of Jacob would be restored because of God’s covenant love for his people.

The spirit of pride is a parasite upon the souls of men. It never forgives. Nor will it receive forgiveness. So the human hearts over which it rules remain “unforgiven”. The Edomite nurses his anger; he “keeps his wrath forever”. And he never surrenders to God. He remains “unforgiven”. He never finds peace with God, peace with his fellow man, or peace with himself. Unless he repents, he cannot be saved from the wrath to come. He goes to the judgment shaking his fist at God. And descends into the fires of hell in a torment that will last forever.

9.m. “For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.”

Joel 3:9 Proclaim this among the nations: Consecrate for war; stir up the mighty men. Let all the men of war draw near; let them come up. Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears; let the weak say, “I am a warrior.” Hasten and come, all you surrounding nations, and gather yourselves there. Bring down your warriors, O Lord. Let the nations stir themselves up and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; for there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations. Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Go in, tread, for the winepress is full. The vats overflow, for their evil is great. Multitudes, multitudes, in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining. The Lord roars from Zion, and utters his voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth quake. But the Lord is a refuge to his people, a stronghold to the people of Israel.

The valley of decision grabbed ahold of my attention. It is not as though these people are making a decision to seek God, repent, and turn to Him. They have made their decision to reject Jesus Christ. they have made their decision to do battle against Jesus Christ. Their decision is what warrants God’s decision of judgment, wrath, and anger. It is their decision just like it is for each of us. We can come to Him but have we made a decision with all of our hearts, mind, soul, and strength to rely upon, trust, honor, follow, and obey Him? Have we made a decision to listen to Him through how the Holy Spirit speaks to us through His Word? Have we made a decision to deny self and self-reliance? Have we made a decision to be humble? Have w made a decision to seek how we might honor Him in all we say, think, and do? This is a bit out of context but, it is time for us to come up out of the valley of decision and clearly put this behind us by making the decision for how we serve, honor, trust, obey and follow Jesus Christ.

9.l. “Therefore wait for me,” declares the LORD, “for the day when I rise up to seize the prey.

Joel 3:1 “For behold, in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. And I will enter into judgment with them there, on behalf of my people and my heritage Israel, because they have scattered them among the nations and have divided up my land, and have cast lots for my people, and have traded a boy for a prostitute, and have sold a girl for wine and have drunk it.

Zephaniah 3:8     “Therefore wait for me,” declares the LORD, “for the day when I rise up to seize the prey. For my decision is to gather nations, to assemble kingdoms, to pour out upon them my indignation, all my burning anger; for in the fire of my jealousy all the earth shall be consumed.

Revelation 16:14     For they are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty.

Isaiah 66:16     For by fire will the LORD enter into judgment, and by his sword, with all flesh; and those slain by the LORD shall be many.

Ezekiel 38:22    With pestilence and bloodshed I will enter into judgment with him, and I will rain upon him and his hordes and the many peoples who are with him torrential rains and hailstones, fire and sulfur.

Obadiah 1:15   For the day of the LORD is near upon all the nations. As you have done, it shall be done to you; your deeds shall return on your own head.

There are many more verses that speaks about the time of restoration for Judah, Jerusalem, Israel. This time comes after a time of severe trials against them. We understand this to be during the great tribulation period. This time will surely come and what has been spoken and recorded will happen. There are two periods of this time no sane person would want any part of. The “Tribulation Period” and the “Day of the Lord”. This time will be like no other time. All those who come to the saving grace knowledge of Jesus Christ during this time will be persecuted continuously and many of them will die because of it. All of those who flat out deny Jesus Christ, will not listen to the witnesses Christ has placed on earth during this time, deny the existence of God, take the Mark of the Beast, and will choose to do battle with God rather than repent and turn away from their wickedness. If you don’t think the return of Jesus Christ is imminent they the signs of the times must be escaping you. The eyes to our hearts, minds, and souls should be ever looking and anticipating His return. Behold He is coming in the clouds and will take His bride home.

9.j. “Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice, for the Lord has done great things!

Joel 2:18 Then the Lord became jealous for his land and had pity on his people. The Lord answered and said to his people, “Behold, I am sending to you grain, wine, and oil, and you will be satisfied; and I will no more make you a reproach among the nations.

Joel 2:21 “Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice, for the Lord has done great things!

Joel 2:23 “Be glad, O children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God, for he has given the early rain for your vindication;

Joel 2:26 “You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied , and praise the name of the Lord your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. And my people shall never again be put to shame. You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord your God and there is none else. And my people shall never again be put to shame.

I am sure we have not seen the full impact of Covid-19 in the US. Listening to people and their anger, fear, and worry seems to be placed on the measures put in place to slow the spread of the impact, how it has impacted their lives, hoarding that makes it hard to get supplies and their employment. I heard someone say if he looked at this within his own family is seems almost unfair but that we are all in this together and what impacts him impacts others as well. I think he had the right mind for the situation we are all in.

God is in control and His plans are never wrong. I don’t understand what the world is going through but I wondered if this could be a call or final calling to all the people of the world to return to Him, seek Him, and trust in Him. We seek and want to believe this is a “one-off” thing in nature but this is nothing of the sort. If it is God’s final call for people to turn to Him, know that the return of Christ is very near. The day of tribulation is very near. Think about the measures that are in place across the globe. Would you ever think the nations of the world could agree on anything, but here we are. All doing virtually the same thing to try to stop spread of this disease. How long will it be is yet to be determined, no one knows but God. Yet outside of Christian circles there is no sounding of the trumpet calling people to gather and seek God with repentant hearts. How bad does it have to get before our eyes look to heaven? It is only when we do that we will be glad and rejoice for the Lord’s removal of this disease among us.

So while we await the hand of God to do wondrous works over this situation we can still rejoice in Him, we can be kind to one another, we can do acts of kindness, and we can spread hope through Jesus Christ.

8.u. The Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.

Revelation 22:1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.

Can you even begin to imagine what heaven is going to be like? No sickness, being in the presence of God and Jesus Christ, no more curse , no more darkness, no more lies, etc……worshiping them forever and ever in perfect peace and rest. It is hard to think what life, culture, and society would be like without sin. Our thoughts are clouded in a dense fog of understanding. Even the thought of a sinless world is beyond our comprehension. And yet we are given glimpses of what it is going to be like. Could you imagine what your life would be like if there was no pride, greed, lust, hate, self-worth, self-reliance, self-justified, and many other self-centered acts we commit each day. Many times we are not even aware of how self-centered we are unless we are seeking God to expose it to us. Remember how David put it; “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” Our hearts are very deceiving and in them we hide away from what it means to give our whole heart, mind, and soul to humbly serving, following, obeying, and trusting Jesus Christ. We keep scripture at arms length so that we can’t hear the guiding whispers of the Holy Spirit. We apply that which is pleasing to the way we choose to live but do not seek that which is pleasing to Jesus Christ. If we did more time would be spent in His Word than we do on everything else that easily occupies our time. Given the verses today we should want to be practicing total service and worship of Jesus Christ right now. Just try to spend 10 minutes per day in His Word for the next 30 days and see what Jesus Christ opens your understanding too.

8.t. But only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

Revelation 21:22 And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

If there is a sad conclusion to John’s description of the city, it is to note that it will be denied to some. Chapter 21 lists the kinds of people who will not enter the city, and verse 27 summarizes by saying “only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life” will enter the city of God. It will be too late to try to enter for the first invitation to enter into the family of God was rejected. The first invitation for redemption, salvation, forgiveness, and eternity with God was rejected in place for self-satisfying and passions for what the world has to offer. The fact that God was able to soften our heart to hear this invitation should humble our hearts and awaken our soul to deny self and serve Him with our eyes focused on Jesus Christ all the days we have this side of eternity.

8.n.And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison and will come out to deceive the nations

Revelation 20:7 And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

Why is Satan imprisoned for a time and then released? Why not cast him into hell before the 1,000 years? Joseph A. Seiss writes, “God uses even the wickedest of beings, and overrules the worst depravity, to his own good and gracious ends. He allows Satan liberty, and denies him liberty, and gives him liberty again, not because the Devil or the Devil’s malice is necessary to him, but to show his power to bring good out of evil, to make even the worst of creatures praise him, and to turn their very wickedness to the furtherance of the purposes they would fain defeat” Phillips, Rob. The Searcher’s Guide to the Apocalypse: A Verse-by-Verse Quest to Understand the Book of Revelation .

Perhaps Satan’s release serves as final proof that the heart of man is desperately wicked and can be changed only by God’s grace. Imagine the tragedy of this revolt: People who have been living in a perfect environment, under the perfect government of God’s Son, finally show their true colors and rebel against the King. Their obedience during the 1,000 years is false humility and feigned submission, not true faith in the Messiah. “This rebellion proves that a rule of perfect law cannot change the human heart; sinners would rather follow Satan,” writes Warren Wiersbe

Many commentators say that Satan is loosed so that those who grow up during the millennium, under the perfect and righteous reign of Christ, have the chance to choose between good and evil, between God and Satan. Satan is loosed and immediately plays the tempter’s role. Though bound in prison for a thousand years, he is as vile and as subtle, as merciless and as ruthless, as diabolical and as evil, as he was in the beginning. He has not changed. And, sadly, mankind has not changed either.

But who are these followers of Satan? Premillennialists like J.F. Walvoord and R.B. Zuck say they are survivors of the tribulation. They enter the millennium in their natural bodies, bear children and repopulate the earth (Isa. 65:18–25). Under ideal circumstances in which every person knows about Jesus Christ (cf. Jer. 31:33–34), many will outwardly profess faith in Christ without actually placing faith in Him for salvation. The shallowness of their professions becomes apparent when Satan is released. The multitudes that follow Satan are evidently those who have never been born again in the millennial kingdom

8.k. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty

Revelation 19:11 Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.

Faithful and true, the Word of God, and King of kings and Lord of lords, all describe Jesus Christ at His return to earth. Heaven opens and Christ is seen bringing armies of heaven. The battle that is about to take place will cast judgment on nations, (all of those who rejected God). They will experience the fury of the wrath of God. We know and experience God’s grace, mercy, and love. It is hard for us to understand the fury of His wrath. We can read stories of some of His judgments on nations and individuals but nothing like this has happened before. Wars, famine, disease, earthquakes, hail stones, fire, drought, etc….. all lead up to the fury of God’s wrath but are in no way to be considered other than judgments on man and nations with witnesses present and proclaiming salvation through Jesus Christ. Now these witnesses are gone. All that remains are those who reject and deny and blaspheme God. They did not repent and will now see His fury. All the times they have rejected Christ will flash before their eyes and in a moment they will realize He is Lord of lords and King of kings. They have all said in their heart that they will not acknowledge Him or bow to Him and will suffer eternity in hell because of this. In the end they will kneel and bow before Him. The sad thing is that all of these people have intentionally chosen to reject Him. They have chosen confusion, unrest, fear, hate, and war in hopes it will satisfy their soul some way. They have rejected peace, love, grace, mercy, joy, happiness, and rest in Jesus Christ in exchange for what the world has to offer. They chose to believe a lie and will suffer eternity for the choice they have made in this life, this side of eternity. There is still time to repent and come to Jesus Christ. There is still time to repent and be forgiven. There is still time today. Do not wait until it is too late.

8.e. The nations drank of her wine; therefore the nations went mad.

Revelation 18:1 After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was made bright with his glory. And he called out with a mighty voice, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast. For all nations have drunk the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxurious living.”

Isaiah 13:19 And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the splendor and pomp of the Chaldeans, will be like Sodom and Gomorrah when God overthrew them.

Jeremiah 51:7 Babylon was a golden cup in the LORD’s hand, making all the earth drunken; the nations drank of her wine; therefore the nations went mad.

Just as ancient Babylon was heathenish and unbelieving so is this new Babylon which has seduced the kings, people, and nations of the world. It is a place where demons, unclean spirits, and detestable sexual immorality not only exist, it is the way of life. It is cherished, sought after, and thought to be acceptable and morally correct. People intentionally choose to follow and take part in all of this unholy activity. It is so sad isn’t it, that people intentionally choose to reject Jesus Christ and eternal life. You have to wonder why it is chosen when it is so obviously wrong. Yet, today we see the effects of this already starting to evolve more and more. Where people water down what it means to live for Jesus Christ. They may have bowed down at some point to seek the grace, mercy, and love proclaimed through the gospel of Jesus Christ but their life reflects no fruit, no humble service, no rejection of the enticements of this world, no seeking of His Word, no want to be led by the Holy Spirit, no desire to be led by and through the word of God, and no understanding of what it means to follow, obey, trust, and rely on Jesus Christ. They have found satisfaction in this world and what it has to offer. They see no need for God in their life other than a promise of eternal life. It is as if they say I deserved Jesus for being beaten, whipped, and nailed to the cross for my sin rather than humbly bowing down in an overflowing heart of thanks and worship. They have made His sacrifice of little significance and it shows in their life of self-centered satisfaction. Oh, that our heart, mind, and soul would see more and more of the glory of this great mercy, grace, and love, freely given for our redemption and salvation. I fear many of these people will hear “depart from Me, for I never knew you”. We have not been saved for our glory, prosperity, and ease in life but, rather for the honor and glory of Jesus Christ. We do well to remember this each moment of every day.

7.l. And a great sign appeared in heaven:

Revelation 12:1 And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth. And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems. His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it. She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days.

Who is this woman identified in verse 1? The woman is the nation of Israel. Genesis 37: 9 “Then he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers and said, “Behold, I have dreamed another dream. Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” Joseph had this dream. Clearly there is a reference here that has to be taken seriously. There are a few other thoughts out there claiming the “Woman” represents the “Church or the Virgin Mary. The Great Red Dragon is none other than Satan Wanting to devour the child that was to come out of Israel. God has granted to Satan great power of activity on earth. Jesus said that Satan was a murderer from the beginning. John 8:44 – “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” The Dragon description emphasizes his intense cruelty. There is much to come in future chapters that give a more clear understanding of 7 heads and 10 horns. Just know that these give us understanding to the antichrist, the nations that become his tool against Christ, and the indwelling and rule of Satan over the antichrist.

I read a comment on this chapter by Theodore Epp which seems to be worth sharing. “Only a small portion of chapter 12 fits into the sequence of events during the Tribulation. The chapter is really an inset providing necessary information about the past, present and future events concerning Christ, Israel, and Satan. One cannot understand the entire Book of the Revelation unless he understands the 12th chapter. The truth revealed in Revelation 12 reaches backward to Abraham and forward to the end of the Tribulation. The chapter needs to be where it is in the book so the reader might understand the future unfolding events of the Tribulation.”

Know this: Satan is the father of all lies, is a roaring lion seeking those whom he can destroy, and is the great deceiver. If we think about how he is able to lead many down paths of self-centered, speed-satisfying, and self-reliant lives how much more so when the church (people who have chosen to give all their heart, mind, soul, and strength – and believed in, trusted, followed, and obeyed Jesus Christ) is raptured out of earth and is no longer present with the Holy Spirit) The time is coming and is now here when people will no longer give thought to the need of salvation, repentance, and forgiveness. They will see no need because they have been deceived into thinking God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit are nothing more than a fairy tale and only the weak need something like this in their life. There awaits a shocking reality to these people upon their death when they enter eternity (forever) in a place of torment awaiting the final judgment of God where they are cast into the Lake of Fire where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth forever and ever. Now is the Day of Salvation.