As I was meditating on the ways God judges His people and the world, I came to the conclusion that at the end of the day it's best to humble myself and surrender my soul to the One who can save my soul, even in the midst of HIS Judgements!
God's judgements begin at the house of God first, His people, so if it begins with us, what will become of the sinner and the ungodly! That's what the word tells us! God loves His children, but we all must undergo chastening, scourging, correction, discipline, and sometimes rebuke by the Lord Himself!
This is why the word of God says, "It's a terrible thing to fall into the Hands of the Living God!", but who else can we turn to in order to be saved? Like Job said, "Even though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him!" The word also tells us that if we endure chastening, the Lord deals with us as sons, and we will reap a harvest of righteousness if we don't give up!
This brings me to some of the ways God judges His people who sin or do wrong in His sight and how He judges the world and those in the world for His own purposes!
For instance when God brought His great Judgments on Egypt and Pharoah, it was God Himself who hardened the heart of Pharaoh so that he wouldn't listen to Moses and let His people go!
Exodus 7:21-23
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And the Lord said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do all those wonders before Pharaoh which I have put in your hand. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go. Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Israel is My son, My firstborn. So I say to you, let My son go that he may serve Me. But if you refuse to let him go, indeed I will kill your son, your firstborn.” ’ ”
Do you understand what happened here? God is sending Moses to speak to Pharaoh to tell him to let my people go, but God Himself hardened Pharaoh's heart so that he wouldn't let the people go! I would have been like huh? But it's God's will, God's ways, God's Judgements!
And God did this with Moses and Pharaoh multiple times, all the way until the Red Sea crossing!
Exodus 14:1-4
"Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: “Speak to the children of Israel, that they turn and camp before Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, opposite Baal Zephon; you shall camp before it by the sea. For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, ‘They are bewildered by the land; the wilderness has closed them in.’
Then I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, so that he will pursue them; and I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, that the Egyptians may know that I am the Lord.” And they did so."
GOD DOES NOT CHANGE! People change, cultures change, technology changes, presidents', popes, leaders, dictators, all change, but God remains the same forever!
Case in point, look what God Himself is going to do to those who do not love the truth!
2nd Thessalonians 2:9-12
"The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness."
God even Judged Moses and Aaron himself after Moses did not do what God told him to do and dishonored Him before the people. Even though Moses was the most humble man that ever lived, saw God's glory, talked with God face to face, came down off the mountain after forty days and nights in the glory of God!
God told Moses to speak to the rock and water would come forth, but Moses was angry with the people for rebelling against him and struck the rock twice with his staff.
Numbers 20:6-13
"Then Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the entrance of the tent of meeting and fell on their faces. And the glory of the Lord appeared to them, and the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Take the staff, and assemble the congregation, you and Aaron your brother, and tell the rock before their eyes to yield its water. So you shall bring water out of the rock for them and give drink to the congregation and their cattle.” And Moses took the staff from before the Lord, as he commanded him."
"Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels: shall we bring water for you out of this rock?” And Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice, and water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their livestock. And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.” These are the waters of Meribah, where the people of Israel quarreled with the Lord, and through them he showed himself holy."
Many do not really understand the supernatural Judgments of God, He is absolutely in control and His word will be fulfilled! The best thing to do for any Christian is to humble themselves under the Mighty Hand of God. And in the end the word tells us that EVERY knee will bow and EVERY tongue will confess that Jesus Christ IS LORD!
In Jesus,
Tyrone
