Friday, June 19, 2009

Inevitable Accomplishment Of God's Purpose

While reading through a thread of comments yesterday, I ran across the following statement:

"All that is evil is defended by liberals."

Do you think that is an accurate statement? Or, is it just an opinion?

So much of the current chaos in our nation today is happening as a result of liberal leftist ideology. Much of it goes against what is written in the Bible as "holy and righteous" in the eyes of God. The liberal leftist stance on abortion and homosexuality are just two examples of social issues that fly in the face of God's Holy Word and what He deems as righteous.

One glaring example of this fact is the recent battle that occurred between Bill O'Reilly and Salon.com editor, Joan Walsh on the topic of late term abortions. Here is a link to the video. Here's the gist of the argument:



"...some in the left wing press are blaming me for inciting the murder of late-term abortionist Dr. George Tiller. A domestic terrorist shot the doctor dead, and zealots say my reporting on Tiller motivated the man, even though there is absolutely no evidence of that. The accusers object to my using the term 'Tiller the baby killer,' which was the doctor's well-known nickname--which is in context because the state of Kansas has produced compelling evidence that Tiller sometimes terminated viable fetuses for trivial reasons... we are talking about a man who destroyed late-term fetuses [that] could live out of the womb for casual reasons. The truth often hurts, especially when an ideological media tries to hide it..."

Bill O'Reilly on the June 18 edition of The O'Reilly Factor


Bill tried to get an answer (three times!!) out of Ms. Walsh when he asked the question: "Does a fetus (or, unborn baby) have any rights?" The woman refused to answer that question. Why? Because if she said, "no," that would be indefensible. If she said, "yes," then Bill would have won the argument.

This fits the above statement very well.

"All that is evil (including late-term abortions) is defended by liberals."

I could list hundreds of examples. Perhaps you might like to add your own in the comment section.

In my previous post Jesus Is The Voice of Truth I ended the post saying,

"[I]n the end - all that transpires on this earth, the good, the beautiful, the bad, and the ugly - will one day culminate into eternal victory through Christ Jesus!! And, the purpose will all be for HIS GLORY! Praise the name of the LORD!!"


The reason I stated this is because the Bible reveals the sovereignty of God's plan. There will be the inevitable accomplishment of God's ultimate purpose.

As Christians, our faith and Bible study teaches us that even in the most devastating of times, God is still in control. Events occur in order to bring about His purposes. Bible prophecy students learn well that the nation of Israel is smack dab in the middle of what will occur at the culmination of history. There are so many prophecies that involve the nation of Israel that it is hard to miss Her significance.

God tells us, in Ezekiel, what He will do to Israel's enemies:

Ezekiel 38:4 - "I will turn you around, put hooks into your jaws, and lead you out, with all your army, horses, and horsemen."

Ezekiel 38:16 - "It will be in the latter days that I will bring you against My land."

Ezekiel 39:2 - "and I will turn you around and lead you on, bringing you up from the far north, and bring you against the mountains of Israel."

In Dr. David Jeremiah's book, "What in the World Is Going On?" he writes:



Passages such as these confuse many people because of the seeming implication that God leads men to be evil or to do evil things. But the Bible never says that God instills evil in the hearts of men. Some would attempt to refute this claim by pointing out that during the Exodus, the Bible explicitly says that God hardened Pharaoh's heart. It does say that, of course, but he statement speaks about the nature of Pharaoh's heart, not about God overriding man's free will.


Interesting, isn't it? When you look at the phrase, "God hardened Pharaoh's heart," you could assume that it was God's doing that caused Pharaoh's heart to harden. But that would be incorrect. It was Pharaoh's rebellion against God (and His messenger - Moses) that caused the hardening of Pharaoh's own heart! It would be similar to the phrase, "Because Pharaoh rejects God (and His messenger, Moses), Pharaoh hardened his heart against God." God is the "passive object," so to speak, in this act of hardening.

Dr. Jeremiah goes on:



Some hearts are like clay; the sun's heat will harden them. Others are like wax; the sun will cause them to melt. It's not the sun's fault that it hardens one substance and melts the other; it all depends on the nature of the material. Pharaoh's heart was the sort that would harden when exposed to God's light. It had nothing to do with God coercing him to do evil.

The Old Testament, especially, is intended to show that God is the sovereign ruler over all. Even though men try to thwart His plan and wreak great destruction, God's purpose will always win out. When Ezekiel wrote that God will bring the enemy against His land, he was simply saying that God will bring these nations to the doom that their wickedness inevitably demands. Everyone accomplishes God's will in the end. Those who conform to His will accomplish it willingly; those who do not conform accomplish it inadvertently as an unwitting tool in His hands.


What a powerful concept! Those who do not conform to God's will still accomplish it - "inadvertently as an unwitting tool in His hands."

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is so simple that a child can grasp it. It reflects the simplicity of God's purpose. Ezekiel's prophecy identifies the defining purpose of God:

Ezekiel 38:16 - I will bring you against My land, so that the nations may know Me, when I am hallowed in you, O Gog, before their eyes.

Ezekiel 38:23 - Thus I will magnify Myself and sanctify Myself, and I will be known in the eyes of many nations. Then they shall know that I am the LORD.

Ezekiel 39:6 - Then they shall know that I am the LORD.

Ezekiel 39:7 - So I will make My holy name known in the midst of My people Israel, and I will not let them profane My holy name anymore. Then the nations shall know I am the LORD.

Ezekiel 39:21-22 - I will set My glory among the nations; all the nations shall see My judgment which I have executed, and My hand which I have laid on them. So the house of Israel shall know that I am the LORD their God from that day forward.

Dr. Jeremiah:


"God intends for people to recognize Him as the Lord God of heaven, whose name is holy, whose glory fills the universe, and whom men must recognize as sovereign if they are to find the peace and joy He desires for His people."


The sovereignty of God's plan is in rescuing His people. Ezekiel tells us that the ultimate outcome of the battle of Gog and Magog will be the salvation of the Jewish people:

Eze 39:25 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Now will I bring again the captivity of Jacob, and have mercy upon the whole house of Israel, and will be jealous for my holy name;


Eze 39:26 After that they have borne their shame, and all their trespasses whereby they have trespassed against me, when they dwelt safely in their land, and none made [them] afraid.


Eze 39:27 When I have brought them again from the people, and gathered them out of their enemies' lands, and am sanctified in them in the sight of many nations;


Eze 39:28 Then shall they know that I [am] the LORD their God, which caused them to be led into captivity among the heathen: but I have gathered them unto their own land, and have left none of them any more there.


Eze 39:29 Neither will I hide my face any more from them: for I have poured out my spirit upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord GOD.

Dr. Jeremiah:



Ezekiel's prophecy ends by extolling God's tender love and compassion toward His people. No matter how great the evil in men's hearts, no matter how much destruction and death that evil brings about, God's ultimate purpose in confronting that evil, in revealing His glory among the nations, and in bringing His own from the lands of the enemy is always to accomplish the salvation of His people.


He goes on to say that we all have an "axis of evil" within our hearts. It is the "sinful nature" that we inherited from Adam. We have a propensity for selfish evil that, if not controlled by the presence of God's Spirit, can run rampant and produce destruction in our own lives and in the lives of those around us.

Dr. Jeremiah mentions that it isn't our physical location (like living in Iran or Russia), but "where our hearts are" concerning God's will and our acceptance or rejection of the provision for our salvation - the gospel of Jesus Christ - that determines our eternal destiny. Jesus asks all of us, "Who do you say that I am?" It's interesting to note that within the question, the words of Jesus recorded in the Bible reveal who he is - the great I AM who is revealed in the Old Testament Scriptures!

All who believe and accept Jesus as Lord and Savior receive the Holy Spirit indwelling the heart. This transformation is a result of being redeemed through God's mercy, grace, love and forgiveness for our sins. This is when the evil of one's heart is transformed by God's love. A person who is truly transformed will want to obey God. Recall that Jesus said, "If you love me, keep my Commandments."

We, as sinful human beings are out of control without the presence of God's Spirit indwelling us. That is why Jesus told the disciples (and us!) that he would send "The Helper" - meaning, the Holy Spirit of God to teach us in the way of God and truth and bring to remembrance God's Holy Word in our lives. Without the guidance of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we would be like Pharaoh - hardening our hearts against God's will.

The comfort that every believer has is the fact that "no one can snatch us out of God's hands." Present events, no matter how evil and scary they are, will lead to the ultimate accomplishment of God's purposes. And believers will live in eternity with our Savior, Lord and King. Alleluia! Amen!!!




Hat Tips:

Bill O'Reilly.com

Reference: "What in the World Is Going On? - 10 Prophetic Clues You Cannot Afford to Ignore" by Dr. David Jeremiah, Thomas Nelson, Inc. Publishers, 2008 pp. 183 - 187.

2 comments:

Susan Smith said...

Christine wrote: “He goes on to say that we all have an "axis of evil" within our hearts . . . We have a propensity for selfish evil that, if not controlled by the presence of God's Spirit, can run rampant and produce destruction in our own lives and in the lives of those around us.”

Sin in my life ran rampant for years. I was an active lesbian for more than 20 years and practiced the sin of drunkenness for more than 30 years. Jesus set me free. Is there still sin in my life? Of course there is. “If we say we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8). Jesus is the truth (John 14:6).

Sin has no power over me today. When the Holy Spirit convicts me of sin, then I repent. I turn to God for his grace and forgiveness. I am secure in my salvation. This assurance of “being saved” from the wrath of God (i.e. hell on earth and eternal damnation) was never present in my soul (mind, will and emotions) until God gave me deliverance/healing from homosexuality and drunkenness.

My complete healing began when my homosexual behavior stopped and when I became sober. Only now can I see and understand the many causes of my behavior. It was the “axis of evil” within my heart. It was my attempts at being the Lord of my life. Jesus the Messiah set me free from the power of sin. I am thankful. Jesus has transformed my life.

Christine said: “This transformation is a result of being redeemed through God's mercy, grace, love and forgiveness for our sins. This is when the evil of one's heart is transformed by God's love. A person who is truly transformed will want to obey God.”

My one desire today is to follow Jesus. I want to obey God.

Thank you, Christine for speaking truth into this world on a very warm Shabbat (Saturday) in Columbia, South Carolina. God bless you and all your readers. Keep shining! You are the light of the world! You are my sister in Jesus the Messiah. Shabbat Shalom. (ss)

Christinewjc said...

Dear Susan,

As always, you have added so much to this post by sharing some of your own personal experiences on your journey to new life in Jesus Christ!

I so enjoy being "your sister in Jesus the Messiah!"

I always appreciate your excellent input here!

Susan, you will LOVE the new post that is up! I hope you will have time to view the video message!

Love & God Bless!

Christine

P.S. I changed the colors of the lettering on the blog - do you like it better?