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God Desires That All Nations Choose To Glorify Him
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Satan
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Jerald Finney
Copyright © December 28, 2017
Note. Footnotes quote numerous supporting verses.
God judges nations, both Israel and Gentile nations.
God told Abraham that his seed would be a stranger in a land that was not theirs (Egypt), and would serve them, being afflicted four hundred years (Ge. 15.13-14). But, God promised that “in the fourth generation” the Israelites would come to the promised land again (Ge. 15:16). Why then? Because “the iniquity of the Amorites” would be full. Id. Those nations committed abominations, thereby defiling the land (Le. 18.6-27). God abhorred them because of those abominations (Le. 20.23). God told Israel to go in to possess the land. God did not drive them out from before Israel for the righteousness of Israel, for Israel was a stiffnecked people. Israel was to go possess the land because of the wickedness of the nations in the land and to perform the word which the LORD sward unto Israel’s fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” (De. 9.4-6).
God promised Israel conditional blessings in the land (De. 12; De. 28. 1-14; see also, for more on this, De. 5-12). On the other hand, God promised Israel that if she would not “hearken unto the voice of the LORD, many curses would come upon them, and He listed the curses (De. 28.15-68). For disobedience, God promised to destroy the nation, send them into captivity, and scatter them “among all people” to live miserably (De. 28). God promised that the land would spue Israel out if they defiled the land by committing the abominations of the nations He was driving out.
He judged Israel by sending Israel and Judah into captivity because of their repeated failure, despite many warnings from God, to keep His commandments and His statutes. He warned them in advance of what he was going to do.[1] His prophets repeatedly warned the Jews, not only of the consequences of their sins, but also pointed out their specific sins. God’s Old Testament prophets warned Israel over and over of coming judgments.[2]
God judges Gentile nations. He has given them their authority,[3] and will hold them to account.[4] God, through his prophets, told of the coming judgments on all nations, and the reasons for those judgments: destruction of Moab;[5] destruction of Damascus;[6] burden of Egypt;[7] prophecy that Assyria will waste Egypt and Ethiopia;[8] burden of Tyre;[9] woe of Ephriam;[10] Armageddon: “the indignation of the LORD is upon all nations, and his fury upon all their armies: he hath utterly destroyed them….;”[11] judgment of Babylon;[12] judgment on Israel’s oppressors;[13] all nations to be judged—many nations listed to be judged;[14] destruction of Egypt, Philistia, Tyre, Moab, Ammonites, Edom, Damascus, Elam, Babylon, Chaldea, etc.—read through Jeremiah 46-51 and notice the reasons given for destroying these nations; Babylon destroyed because Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, scattered Israel;[15] because they [strove] against the LORD;[16] the judgment against Babylon and all the inhabitants of Chaldea because of the violence and evil done to Israel;[17] judgments against various nations in Ezekiel 25-32—the reason for each judgment given and the judgment; judgment of the Gentile nations in Joel 3.2-8 after Armageddon; judgments on people surrounding Israel prophesied in Amos 1.1-2.3; judgments on certain nations prophesied in Zephaniah 2.4-15; Zechariah, more than Haggai or Malachi, gives God’s thoughts about the treatment of Israel by nations surrounding Israel—He has given them their authority and will hold them to account, the test being their treatment of Israel. “For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye.”[18]
The ultimate test for a Gentile nation, as always, is the way a nation treats Israel. “And I will make of thee [Israel] a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing; And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”[19] “Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee.”[20] “He couched, he lay down as a lion, and as a great lion: who shall stir him up? Blessed is he that blesseth thee, and cursed is he that curseth thee.”[21] Nations that blessed Israel have invariably been blessed, those that have persecuted Israel have suffered ill.[22] A careful study of ancient history and of current events reveals that disaster follows when a nation “curses” the nation Israel.[23]
God also judges nations for committing abominations. For example, He drove out the nations which inhabited the land promised Abraham for their abominations. God told Abraham that his seed would be a stranger in a land that is not theirs (Egypt), and would serve them, being afflicted four hundred years (Ge. 15.13-14). God further promised that “in the fourth generation” the Israelites would come to the promised land again (Ge. 15:16). Why then? Because “the iniquity of the Amorites” would be full. Id. Those nations committed abominations, thereby defiling the land (Le. 18.6-27). God abhorred those nations because of those abominations (Le. 20.23). God did not drive them out from before Israel for the righteousness of Israel, for Israel was a stiffnecked people. He did so because of the wickedness of the nations in the land, and to “perform the word which the LORD sward unto Israel’s fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” (De. 9.4-6).
God promised Israel conditional blessings in the land (De. 12; De. 28. 1-14; see also, for more on this, De. 5-12). On the other hand, God promised Israel that if she would not “hearken unto the voice of the LORD, many curses would come upon them, and He listed the curses (De. 28.15-68). For disobedience, God promised to destroy the nation, send them into captivity, and scatter them “among all people” to live miserably (De. 28). God promised that the land would spue Israel out if they defiled the land by committing the abominations of the nations being driven out.
The “times of the Gentiles,” a period during which Jerusalem is under Gentile rule, began when Nebuchadnezzar carried Zedekiah into Babylon,[24] since which time Jerusalem has been under Gentile rule. Only a remnant returned to Israel after seventy years in captivity. That remnant remained until Jerusalem was destroyed and the Jews were dispersed throughout all nations. Christ foretold: “And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.” [25]
The whole world system, made up of the Gentile nations after the dispersion of the Jews, fell into and will remain in confusion until the Lord returns,[26] conquers the nations with a crushing blow,[27] and sets up His kingdom.[28] Ultimately, Christ will return and gather the nation Israel, the “the apple of the eye of the Lord of hosts,”[29] from all nations where He has scattered them, and bring them into the land He has given them: “Thus saith the LORD of hosts: Behold, I will save my people from the east country, and from the west country; And I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness.”[30] He will establish His kingdom by power, not persuasion. This will be after the divine judgment upon the Gentile world powers.[31]
In addition to His treatment of Israel at His return, Christ will destroy the present political world-system[32] and judge the nations.[33] Then there will follow world-wide Gentile conversion and participation in the blessings of the kingdom.[34]
God will use Israel to “break in pieces the nations.”[35] The order of events [of the last days] is:
(1) We are now at the end of the times of the Gentiles. The end began in 1948 when Israel became a nation. A nation was born in one day. The return was a miraculous event fulfilling the scripture that a nation would be ‘Born in a day:’ ‘Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.’[36] They returned in unbelief; the Prophet Ezekiel foretold this return of the Jews without God, trusting in their own strength. Without the Holy Spirit the Jews are nothing but ‘dry bones.’[37] The yearning in the heart of the Jews for their land—‘Next Year in Jerusalem’—has been the watch cry of Jews for 2000 years. They started going back at the beginning of the 13th Century because of persecution. A trickle in the beginning has reached around 5 million today. Israel is returning to the land in unbelief. ‘Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.’[38] The fig tree is Israel.[39]” (2) Invasion of Israel by Russia and Moslem allies –– Magog (Rosh), Meshech (Moscow-Eastern Capitol), Tubal –(Western Capitol), Persia – (Iran), Ethiopia, Libya, Gomer-(Southern Russia), Togarmah.[40] This alliance includes Russia, Iran (Persia) and their Moslem allies. These nations will be miraculously defeated by Israel.[41] “(3) The invasion of Palestine by Gentile world powers headed up under the Beast and false prophet.[42] (4) The destruction of the invaders by the Lord’s army,[43] and the repentance of Judah in the land.[44] (5) The answer of Jehovah.[45] (6) The pouring out of the Spirit.[46] (7) The return of the Lord in glory and the setting up of the kingdom[47] by the regathering of the nation and the judgment of the nations.[48] (8) Full and permanent kingdom blessing.[49]
Endnotes
[1] See, e.g., Je. 25.11.
[2] Here are a few of those prophecies:
- “… [F]or the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land. By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood. Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away…. (Ho. 4.1-3).” Israel was willfully ignorant: “… because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no more priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children…” (Ho. 4.6-11).
- God reminds Israel through his prophet Amos of all His judgments against Israel and in spite of those judgments, “yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD.” God says, “Prepare to meet thy God, O Israel” (Amos 4.6-13 (part of verses 10 and 12 quoted)).
- God wanted Amos to preach 3 things to Israel: (1) the people did not respect the preaching of the word of God[2]; (2) Israel did not honor the Sabbath (Amos 8.5); (3) they did not detest sin any more (Amos 8.14). God also wanted Amos to tell Israel exactly what he was about to do. They rejected his message. In fact, they didn’t even want to hear him preach. They rebelled at the message and the messenger.
[3] Da. 2.37-40.
[4] “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God. Put them in fear, O LORD: that the nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah” (Ps. 9.17, 20). “For the LORD most high is terrible; he is a great King over all the earth. He shall subdue the people under us, and the nations under our feet” (Ps. 47.2-3). Psalm 135.6-12. “Whatsoever the LORD pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places…. Who smote great nations, and slew mighty kings; Sihon king of the Amorites, and Og king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan…” (Ps. 135.6, 10-11). “To him which smote great kings: for his mercy endureth forever; And slew famous kings, for his mercy endureth forever; [kings named]” (Ps. 136.17-21). God used Assyria to judge Israel and then judged Assyria for its pride in boasting that Assyria did this (Is. 10.5-19).
[5] Is. 15-16.
[6] Is. 17.
[7] Is. 19.
[8] Is. 20.
[9] Is. 23.
[10] Is. 28.
[11] Is. 34.
[12] Is. 47.
[13] Is. 49.22-26; 51.
[14] Je. 25.11-14, 15-38; 26.18-38.
[15] Je. 50.17-18.
[16] Je. 50.24.
[17] Je. 51.24, 35-36.
[18] Zec. 2.8.
[19] Ge. 12.2-3.
[20] Ge. 27.29.
[21] Nu. 24.9.
[22] See Ge. 15.13, 14; De. 30.5-7; Is. 14.1, 2; Joel 3.1-8; Mic. 5.7-9; Mt. 25.31-40.
[23] See John McTeman and Bill Koenig, Israel: The Blessing or the Curse (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: Heathstone Publishing, 2002), cited in William P. Grady, How Satan Turned America Against God (Knoxville, Tennessee: Grady Publications 2005), pp. 1-13.
[24] 2 Chr. 36.1-21; Je. 38.7; Mt. 21.24 (speaking of the time after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.).
[25] Lk. 21.24.
[26] 1917 Scofield Reference Edition, n. 2 to Is. 13.1, p. 724: In the prophets “Babylon,” when not referring to the city [as in Isaiah 13], is used symbolically to denote the confusion “into which the whole social order or the world has fallen under Gentile world domination.”
[27] Da. 2.45, Da. 7.9-11; Re. 19.11-21.
[28] Da. 2.44.
[29] Zec. 2.8: “For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye.” In two other verses, God calls Israel the “apple of His eye:” De. 32.10; La. 2.18
[30] Zec. 8.7-8. See also, Zec. 8.1-8, De. 30.1-9 (God declared the Palestinian Covenant), P. 110, Ro. 11.25-27.
[31] “And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.” “And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.” (Da. 2.44 and 7.27; see also, Da. 2.34, 35, 45; Ps. 2.4-9; Is. 9.7; Zec. 14.1-9.)
[32] Da. 2.34, 35; Re. 19.11-21.
[33] Joel 3.1-8; Matthew 25.31-46.
[34] “Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession” (Ps. 2.5-8). “And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow into it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more” (Is. 2.2-4). “And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious” (Is. 11.10). “And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising” (Is. 60.3). “Thus saith the LORD; I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain of the LORD of hosts the holy mountain…. Thus saith the LORD of hosts; It shall come to pass, that there shall come people, and the inhabitants of many cities: … Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you” (Zec. 8.3, 20, 23). “And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the king, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain. And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the LORD will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. This shall be the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of the tabernacles. In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD; and the posts in the LORD’S house shall be like the bowls before the altar. Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the LORD of hosts: and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them, and seethe therein: and in that day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts” (Zec. 4.16-21). “For then [in context, after the Lord crushes the nations] will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the LORD, to serve him with one consent” (Zep. 3.9). “And to this agree the words of the prophets: as it is written, After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up: That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things” (Ac. 15.15-17). “And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh. And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season. And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had perceived his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that that part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years” (Re. 19.19-20.6).
[35] See Je. 51.19-23.
[36] Is. 66.8.
[37] Ez.. 37.1-14.
[38] Mt. 24.32-35.
[39] Jud. 9.11; Joel 1.7; Mt. 21.18-19
[40] Ez. 38-39.
[41] Ez.
[42] Joel 2.1-10, 18-20; “Armageddon:” Re. 16.13-16; Zec. 12.1-9.
[43] Joel 2.11; Re. 19.11-21.
[44] Joel 2.12-17.
[45] Joel 2.18-27.
[46] Joel 2.28, 29.
[47] Joel 2.30-32; Ac. 15.15-17.
[48] Joel 3.1-16.
[49] Joel 3.17-21; Zec. 14.1-21.
The choice is between the things of God—the eternal, heavenly, and spiritual—or the things of Satan—the temporal, earthly, and Satanic.
“To Satan, under God, was committed upon earth the power of death (He. 2:14). Cast out of heaven as his proper sphere and ‘first estate,’ he still has access to God as the ‘accuser of the brethren’ (Re. 12:10) and is permitted a certain power of sifting or testing the self-confident and carnal among believers (Job 1:6-11; Lk. 22:31-32; 1 Co. 5:5; 1 Ti. 1:20); but this is strictly permissive and limited power, and believers so sifted are kept in faith through the advocacy of Christ (Lk. 22:31-32; 1 Jn. 2:1).
Then, in Ephesians 6.14-18, we are told what that armour is:
The Adamic Covenant, the covenant God made with Adam at the fall, promised the ultimate destruction of Satan through the “Seed of the woman.” Then began his long warfare against the work of God in behalf of humanity, which still continues.
The language in Ezekiel 28.1-19 goes beyond the king of Tyre to Satan, once Lucifer, inspirer and unseen ruler of all such pomp and pride as that of Tyre.
For our purposes in this study, keep in mind that the spirit of antichrist is working within the world today, against individuals, families, churches and civil governments (nations). Never forget that Satan is the God of this world.
Sometime long ago, even before God created the heavens and the earth, God created Lucifer. God gave Ezekiel a vision of Lucifer, before his fall and in his God-ordained place.
As we have seen from the last lesson, God gave man another chance to govern under God according to His precepts for His purposes. God wants every Gentile nation to choose to operate under Him—that is, under His principles as given in His Word. If a nation will do that, Christians will live a quite and peaceable life and non-Christians will be free to choose God, no god, or a false god or gods since, as will be seen, separation of church and state is a biblical principle for Gentile nations.
“Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are they which put their trust in him.”
“The people, instead of obeying God’s command to scatter and fill the earth, conceived the idea of staying together and building the tower of Babel to achieve their aim. Fellowship with man replaced fellowship with God.”
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