06/02/2020
Giving credit to the presence of the Holy Spirit, the written Word of God, authors- Watchman Nee, Witness Lee, Dr. Myles Munroe, Robert E. Ferrell, Jean-Yves Leloup, Jonathan Cahn, Walter Veith, countless others authors and web references, we continue our search for TRUTH:
Probationary Period or Judgment?
For those who may think :
*that our God is not involved;
*that our God is not aware of the horrid contagious violence,
*that He is oblivious to the hidden agenda of those who purposefully instigate negative behavior during peaceful protests to make it appear as if His people are unable to conduct themselves with dignity,
*that He may not know that the Tower of Babal is being rebuilt and *that He does not hear the cry and prayers of His people
Our continuous study of His investgation and judgment of evil and rebellious people in the past will give insight on God's prophetic plans during our time and the future.
After the flood the people, not trusting in God and wanting “to make a name” for themselves, began building the tower of Babel. Despite the fact that God was fully aware of what they were doing, He portrays Himself as conducting an investigation
—“The Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built” (Genesis11:4,5). In pronouncing His sentence, God makes it obvious that the judgment was not a unilateral act on His part; God said, “Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language” (v. 7). The “us” of course was the Holy Trinity and most likely includes the angels, who are almost always involved in both investigative and executive judgments.
For example, in Daniel 7 when “the court was seated and the books were opened” (investigative judgment) the throne of judgment was surrounded by “a thousand thousands” and “ten thousand times ten thousands.” Revelation 5:11 makes it clear that these are angels. Revelation 5:11
And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands
Likewise, in Ezekiel 1-10, when God comes to earth to make an investigation of the sins of Israel, He is accompanied by four cherubim, a class of angels (Ezekiel 10:20). When God carried out an executive judgment against Israel after David sinned by taking a census, an angel carried out the judgment (2 Samuel 24: 15-17). An angel also carried out the judgment against the Assyrian army that was attacking God’s people (Isaiah 37: 36).
The involvement of angels is obvious in the case of the judgment of S***m and Gomorrah at the time of Abraham. “The Lord appeared to him [Abraham] by the terebinth trees of Mamre” (Genesis 18:1). But God was not alone: “Three men were standing by him” (v.2). Two of them turned out to be angels, and in fact by the time they got to S***m and carried out the investigation and the ex*****on of judgment, only the angels were involved. As the Lord talked with Abraham, He informed him that “Because the outcry against S***m and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave, I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know” (Genesis 18:20,21).
There is no question that God already knew what was happening in S***m. In the “bargaining” scene with Abraham it becomes obvious that God was seeking a way to avoid destroying the cities (Genesis 18:26-32). Ultimately the investigation did not find even ten righteous people—“the men of S***m, both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house” (Genesis 19:4), seeking to abuse ( have sexual relations with) the two angels who had come with a final offer of salvation. In the executive phase of judgment those who were true to God (Lot and his two daughters) were rescued from the fires that destroyed the unrepentant.
The pattern is consistent. Before God pronounces and executes judgment, He conducts an investigative judgment. He gives a period of grace and sends a strong message to repent. Even though He already knows all the facts, He conducts an investigation for the sake of the angels who are also involved.(so the angels will know whom to destory and whom not to touch) During the investigative judgment God seeks to provide a last chance for repentance, and to identify and save His faithful ones. The "wicked" (those who have refused to respond to God's offer of mercy), on the other hand, are oblivious to the judgment that is taking place in the spiritual realm (Heaven) until the executive phase of judgment bursts upon them (on earth)
Today as always, there are those whose master is satan ( I refuse to capitaliize his name) and he devises ways for his followers to appear to have gotten away with murder and other hideous crimes, but there is One who not only sits high, looks low, but the Lord God Almighty is making plans to "come" down and bring forth His judgment ,
Psalm 10:3-12 King James Version (KJV)
3 For the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the Lord abhorreth.
4 The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.
5 His ways are always grievous; thy judgments are far above out of his sight: as for all his enemies, he puffeth at them.
6 He hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved: for I shall never be in adversity.
7 His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud: under his tongue is mischief and vanity.
8 He sitteth in the lurking places of the villages: in the secret places doth he murder the innocent: his eyes are privily set against the poor.
9 He lieth in wait secretly as a lion in his den: he lieth in wait to catch the poor: he doth catch the poor, when he draweth him into his net.
10 He croucheth, and humbleth himself, that the poor may fall by his strong ones.
11 He hath said in his heart, God hath forgotten: he hideth his face; he will never see it.
12a Arise, O Lord; O God, lift up thine hand
Let us not think that He comes to judge others and their obvious sin. For when He cometh, He will judge HIs house "first" 1 Pet 4:17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
Are we ready, is our house in order, has our garments been thoroughly cleanse by His blood, have we denied self, have we believed, but haven't become a "servant" to His Spirit, have we been praying against the evil doers and not recognizing or lifting up the evil within us, are we not aware that had we been raised in the same environment - same culture- same belief system as those horrible criminals, it could have been us commiting such acts, are we the Pharisee or the tax collector?, how spiritually genuine and Spirit led are our worship, praise, testimonies, and sermons that are so prevalent on social media, let us not forget- " the Lord knows" and He will not only judge us, He will begin His judgment with us first.
By the Lord's leading, we will visit the prophecies in Daniel and Revelations and pray that the Spirit will reveal their prevelance to our present situations as well as to what is to come.
Until next time..continue to seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness ... TGBTG
