On June 14, 2010, the 60-foot statue of Jesus entitled, King of Kings in Monroe Ohio, was struck by lightning and burned to the ground; all that was left of the fiberglass and Styrofoam structure was the metal framework.
The statue itself showed only the upper half of Christ as though He was rising out of the ground with outstretched hands behind the baptismal pool.
This monument was given such irreverent names as drowning Jesus (since it appeared He was in the baptismal), touchdown Jesus (because of the outstretched arms), or simply big J. The press did its usual snickering as it reported the incident.
Christians though wondered why God would strike down a monument erected in honor of His Son. It is as if God were slapping Himself in the face.
But the greater question is why would God let a tornado level a church killing everyone inside? These things happen every few years.
For that matter, why 911 or the Johnstown flood, Chicago fire, San Francisco earthquake? When asked a similar question Jesus answer is the best one.
“There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answered and said to them, Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” Luke 13:1-5.
There is the natural tendency to try to make sense of a situation and in doing so the point is lost, unless you repent you will all likewise perish . The question remains then, WHERE ARE YOU? Unless you repent you will all likewise perish.
Christians agonize over the question, why is there such random chaos in the world?
Christians, being adopted children of God and indwelt by the Holy Spirit, tend to think that they should understand everything; and when answers elude them, they lose their faith.
Non-Christians fall into the same trap. Thinking that they can reason out chaos in the world without using God in the equation they postulate many fanciful philosophical theories until they find themselves sunk up to their necks in a mental swamp of muck.
God s answer to this is clear.
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9.
It is time to wake up and realize that God is personally dealing with 8 billion individuals: a task beyond our comprehension.
There is a meme that says, Since I gave up hope I feel much better.
In a sense giving up the hope of understanding everything and resting in God s faithfulness will calm your heart.
Having said all that, it is time to answer the question; does God judge the world today? Bearing in mind then that God says this of Himself:
“For I am the Lord, I do not change.” Malachi 3:6a.
And Jesus, God the Son, is spoken of in this manner.
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Hebrews 13:8.
God judged the world with a universal flood about 5000 years ago; in which only eight souls were preserved in the ark (see Genesis chapters 6-9).
About 4000 years ago, He destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (see Genesis chapters 18-19:29); and not just for their sexual immorality. Speaking to Judah and Jerusalem God said this of them.
“As I live, says the Lord God, neither your sister Sodom nor her daughters [small towns were referred to as the daughters of a mother city] have done as you and your daughters have done. Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: she and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty and committed abomination before Me; therefore I took them away as I saw fit.” Ezekiel 16:48-50.
The term iniquity has the idea of being twisted, perverted. Pride, fullness of food, great idleness, and callousness toward the poor and needy; this describes the modern age quite well.
Consider the last phrase, God took them away as He saw fit. If God s ways are higher than ours and His thoughts are not our thoughts, then He had a purpose to His method of destruction of these cities.
“For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? Now If the righteous one is scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?” 1 Peter 4:17-18.
“If the righteous will be recompensed on the earth, how much more the ungodly and the sinner.” Proverbs 11:31.
Think of it, Judgment begins at the house of God.
A few years back the Christ Community Church of Spring Lake Michigan removed the cross from its steeple and its name to become more politically correct, thus pandering to the godless liberal mindset.
There was a brief attempt to take the cross down from the 274-year-old Wren chapel at the College of William and Mary, To make it more welcoming . Fortunately, there was such uproar that the order was rescinded.
A church in England removed its cross depicting Jesus crucifixion; the reason given was that it, Scared the children . This cross was replaced by one of stainless steel.
Now the cross is not what concerns us here, but rather what it represents, it is the Christ of the cross and the gospel of the Christ of the cross that concerns us.
Behind the lame excuses given for the removal of the crosses, is the hidden battle of principalities and powers warring against Christ’s church.
“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:11-12.
This battle with principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness and spiritual hosts of wickedness, has been going on since the beginning and will continue until the end. This warfare is against God, against nations, you, me, and even against those allied with the powers of darkness.
Though we cannot see or hear the chatter of the machine guns, the thump of the mortars and the screams of the dying, it goes on around us without ceasing.
This warfare, and men s capitulation to evil has brought judgment upon this earth many times; not just in a worldwide flood and Sodom and Gomorrah, but in the form of famines and plagues, such as the black plague in Europe, two world wars and the attendant horrors that go with such conflagrations.
These are not just random acts of Nature ; they are allowed by God or are acts of God directed against man s wickedness and rebellion against Him.
This is still God s world and as He said of Jerusalem and Judah quoted earlier in Ezekiel 16:50, God, took them away as I saw fit .
This country (and the world) must realize that even though God called Israel the apple of His eye, He still judged that nation when their wickedness became unbearable.
Why would it be any different for our own nation, what if these acts of Nature and blatant runaway evil are corrective judgments allowed by God as a wakeup call for America?
“Now hear this, you heads of the house of Jacob and rulers of the house of Israel, who abhor justice and pervert all equity, who build up Zion with bloodshed and Jerusalem with iniquity: her heads judge for a bribe, her priests teach for pay, and her prophets divine for money. Yet they lean on the Lord, and say, Is not the Lord among us? No harm can come upon us. Therefore because of you Zion shall be plowed like a field, Jerusalem shall become heaps of ruins, and the mountain of the temple like the bare hills of the forest.” Micah 3:9-12.
“Has a nation changed its gods, which are not gods? But My people have changed their Glory for what does not profit. Be astonished, O heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid; be very desolate, says the Lord. For My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewn themselves cisterns broken cisterns [pagan gods] that can hold no water.” Jeremiah 2:11-13.
“Son of man, when a land sins against Me by persistent unfaithfulness, I will stretch out My hand against it; I will cut off its supply of bread, send famine on it, and cut off man and beast from it. Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver only themselves by their righteousness, says the Lord God . If I cause wild beasts to pass through the land, and they empty it, and make it so desolate that no man may pass through because of the beasts, even though these three men were in it, as I live, says the Lord God, they would deliver neither sons nor daughters; only they would be delivered, and the land would be desolate. Or if I bring a sword on that land, and say, Sword, go through the land, and I cut off man and beast from it, even though these three man were in it, as I live, says the Lord God, they would deliver neither sons nor daughters, but only they themselves would be delivered. Or if I send a pestilence into that land and pour out My fury on it in blood, and cut off from it man and beast, even though Noah , Daniel, and Job were in it, as I live, says the Lord God, they would deliver neither son nor daughter; they would deliver only themselves by their righteousness. For thus says the Lord God: How much more it shall be when I send My four severe judgments on Jerusalem the sword and famine and wild beasts and pestilence to cut off man and beast from it?” Ezekiel 14:13-21.
The following concerns King Ahaz (731-715 B.C.) one of the last of the kings of Judah before she was invaded by King Nebuchadnezzar in 605 B.C. which began a period known as the times of the Gentiles. This period continues to this day.
“He [Ahaz] burned incense in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, and burned his children in the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel. And he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places [marginal, places for pagan worship], on the hills, and under every green tree.” 2 Chronicles 28:3-4.
Ahaz burned his children [alive] in the fire, is this any different from aborting viable babies and harvesting their organs?
These are just a few of the warnings that God issued to the Israelites, the people of the land were not blind-sided by their punishment but ignored about eight hundred years of warnings and smaller punishments.
“A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself; the simple pass on and are punished.” Proverbs 27:12.
“Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bore him in pain. And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain! So God granted him what he requested.” 1 Chronicles 4:9-10.
Does God Judge the World Today? Part 1 taken from godisrevealed.com posted on 8-28-15, updated on 3-14-24 ck.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version, copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission, all rights reserved.