“Except the LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, [and] we should have been like unto Gomorrah.” (Isa 1:9 AV)
Spoken to Judah regarding the invasion of Assyria against Israel. The small remnant were Judah and Benjamin. At the time of Israel’s fall, Judah and Benjamin were relatively faithful in the things of God. They maintained worship at the temple. Their kings were more good than bad. Even though they continually struggled with the high places that eventually led to idol worship and the fall of these two tribes, it was these two tribes that kept God’s grace on the entire nation active. The ten northern tribes are not lost. They are merely displaced. They still exist. The book of Revelation speaks of 144,000 witnesses from twelve tribes of Israel. If the ten northern tribes were lost, there would be no 144,000 witnesses from twelve tribes of Israel that would preach during the Antichrist’s reign. These displaced tribes owe their existence to a small remnant of faithful saints! The same could be said of Israel during the tribulation period. The existence of the nation, in large part, will be a result of those who accept Christ as their Messiah. What is true of Israel is true of every nation on earth. If it exists, it may do so because there remains a remnant who loves God. Perhaps the reason God has stayed His hand of judgment against our nation is due in large part to the gospel witness that still exists here. But mark my words. The closer this nation comes to extinguishing the light of Christ, the quicker it is hastening its own end.
One cannot help but think about the example stated above. Sodom and Gomorrah were very wicked cites. There were five cities in the dead sea basin. Lot, Abraham’s nephew, resided there. These five cities were extremely wicked. When reading the account of Lot’s escape, we learn a gang of homosexuals were banging in the door of Lot’s home demanding Lot release the two angels staying there so they could rape them all night long. When the bible refers to someone as a Sodomite, or a group of people as Sodomites, it is another way of saying they are immoral people who have a twisted lifestyle of same-sex relationships. The Bible does not mince words when it comes to this sin. It is an abomination in the sight of God. The LORD shares an interesting insight into His view of the righteous and unrighteous. He instructs his angels to tell Lot He cannot judge these cities while Lot lives there. Lot flees to a different city of the five, then to the mountains. While he resided in that city, it was spared the fate of the other four. The other four were burned with fire and brimstone. What is truly fascinating is the city in which he dwelled is right in the middle of the other four. Volcanic rock fell in that entire area yet miraculously missed this one town. Because Lot was there, God spared that city. They owed their existence to a saint who knew God.
Our nation is going down a very dangerous path. One that several kingdoms have traveled. Greece, as a kingdom, no longer exists because of immorality. Rome fell to the Goths for the same reason. It could be said that every great nation or kingdom eventually fell because of a deviant culture. Our nation not only tolerates it. Our nation promotes it. The only influence that seems to be staying this trend is the churches of our nation who will declare it as an abomination. The only reason God has not judged us completely is because the gospel witness is still alive. There are saints who still care about reaching a lost world with the gospel of Christ. There are still those who see their existence as a call to share God’s love with a lost and miserable world. The haters of God cannot see they owe their existence to the grace of God because the people of God are still here. That will all change when we are removed. When the church is raptured into glory, there will no longer be an incentive for God to stay His hand of judgment. All motive for shedding His grace on deviant mankind will be lost. So, saint, don’t think your life has no meaning. It could be your faithfulness is the one thing that is keeping the door open for God’s grace to shine through. And for those who hate God, you are welcome! Glad to do it! If it means God’s grace shines a little longer, we are here. Our only hope is that you might consider, if even but for a moment, that God loves You and wants to save you from your sins. Please, consider God’s grace!
No comments:
Post a Comment