When God Warns
Matthew 2:12, "And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way."
Matthew 2:22, "But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee."
Matthew 3:7, "But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Saducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?"
In the bible, the word 'warn' is used 26 time; almost half is found in Ezekiel 3 and 33 of the warning the watchman is to give. The only 3 times it is used in Matthew is found here in chapter 2:12, 22 and 3:7. Twice it is used to protect the Christ child and deliver Him from evil. The evil of Herod, who sought to kill Him by the wise men telling him where the child was. By a dream, from God, to direct them not to return to the king and give up where Christ was and return to their home another way. And then to lead Joseph into Egypt and then back to Nazareth for the safety of the child and the fulfillment of prophecy. IN both cases of warning it was for the protection of Christ, as a young defenseless child from the pawns of Satan.
The 3rd use is of John the Baptist, who came preaching and preparing the way for the Messiah, for the Christ. And upon seeing the religious groups of Pharisees and Saducees, he gives warning to them. The warning, 'flee from the wrath to come'. What wrath? The wrath of God. Why is God sending forth His wrath? For the embracing of their religious ways over the ways of God. What will His wrath look like? He will remove them from the earth. He will cast them into eternal hell forever and ever for their refusing to heed the warning.
In today's world, the preaching and sharing of the Gospel is for ears to hear, hearts to receive, minds to understand and souls to be redeemed of the Gospel truth of Christ. The Gospel tells us that 'the Gospel hath appeared unto all men'. And His church and we as Christians that are brought out of darkness into Light, are to warn those in darkness to flee from their sin and run to the Savior that will forgive their sin and deliver them from perishing. All things of deliverance are found in Him and through Him. But when the church, Christians fail to warn, those in darkness stumble around in this world not knowing what is coming or why it is coming. The whole point in warning is to cause them to flee from harm before it is too late.
If the wise men had not heeded the warning, and gone and told Herod where the Christ child was, it would have put Jesus in great harm. If the Joseph would not have fled to Egypt, He would have been in harm's way. If he had not turned into Galilee the Scriptures would not have been fulfilled and harm may have come from Herod's son who no doubt knew of all these things. And men that will not be warned, nor give ear to warning are certain to fall into harm's way. The warning is given to deliver from harm, from evil.
The recent weeks and months of increased remedial judgements are warnings to a nation and to the church about the future. Remedial judgements are sent to impact nature, society, generations, and individuals. These remedial judgements are sent as a warning that the behavior, conduct and choices of that nation, church or individual is against God and His ways. To continue in those ways against Him provokes and angers Him. His response, although full of grace, mercy, long suffering, Divine love and patience, He will not tolerate nor allow for His creation to desecrate His ways of holiness, justice and righteousness. The warning is given as a reminder that they are in sin and they are to change and correct the behavior. Failure to heed the warning puts them and all around them in harm's way. Ultimate failure to heed warning is to perish in their sin and evil.
The greater warning, the greater the remedial judgment the more urgent the moment to respond. Warnings have been given and have not been heeded, thus provoking the Lord to respond more severely. And the question is left to be answered, "How long will you go on like this? Have you not been warned to flee from the wrath to come?" And at that point, as the invitation is given to repent, to correct, the soul, the church or the nation is left to make that fateful choice. It is God's mercy and grace that is sent in warning the people to correct.
We see in Scripture warnings heeded and not heeded and results of these said choices. Let us look at few:
--Noah and the flood; God's creation of man had all but completely forgotten and forsaken Him, and it is said of them, 'the thoughts of his heart was evil continually'; Noah preached over a 100 years to them of the 'wrath to come' but only 8 got on the boat and all the rest perished. And as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be when the Son of God returns.'
--Lot; God sent His two angels into Sodom and Gomorrah to see their wickedness; and as Abraham interceded for Lot and the cities, Lot was spared and his 2 daughters; his wife 'looking back' perished with the wicked. Hastened in the urgency of the morning hours, 'to flee from the wrath to come' and God unleashed fire and brimstone on that region for their folly.
--Aaron's sons; Aaron and his sons' had been warned by Moses from God to do exactly as instructed and shown in fulfilling the role of the priest. Yet, Nadab and Abihu offered strange fire before the Lord and the Lord consumed them on the spot; They did not take heed to the warning.
--Uzza; David was bringing the ark of the covenant up into Jerusalme. It was on a wagon being brought forth, rather than carried as God had instructed. And when the cart stuttered on the road, Uzza put forth his hand to steady the ark and God smote him there for not taking heed to the warning. 'Thou shalt not touch the holy things.'
--Jonah and Nineveh; one of the blessed sitautions where God sent His prophet, Jonah to a heathen people to repent; Jonah after his first acts of disobedience finally arrives and warns the people that they have 40 days to repent. They heard, they believed and they changed; and God turned from His fierce anger and repented of the evil that He thought to do to them in destruction.
These are few of the instances and many more numerous that when God warned, the people were given an invitation to take heed, to flee from the wrath to come and they decided to obey or disobey. Judgements were on that land throughout all the kingdom of Israel from Samuel til they was sent forth into captivity. Remedial judgements sent by God to cause them to see and know that their ways were not right in the sight of God. They were making choices and lifestyles of idols, abominations, evil and sin against the Lord. And God , in mercy sent the prophets, 'rising up early and sending them' to cause the people to know their folly. To change their course and flee from the wrath to come.
Our nation and the state of the church is very far away from the ways of God given to us in His Holy Word. We have been warned through numerous ways for our acts of rebellion, sin, abominations and evil. These remedial judgements have been horrifying to watch. To know that if, we would only humble ourselves with brokenness and continrtion God would turn away from His wrath toward us. But all the warnings have been evidenced, seen, made known, and dismissed as acts of God. Explaining them away and not taking heed to the why they are happening.
The sorrow of my heart is for our nation, because the church, greatly at fault, is not warning the people and most importantly the church did not take heed. This is not just a lost, heathen nation rejecting God, the church is not far behind in not fleeing from the wrath to come. But the very things that have caused the Lord to judge us, is embraced, continued and practiced by the church. It is ever so important that we understand the times we are in. The wrath of God is falling and it will increase until the sin is destroyed or we are destroyed.
God has given us great movement of revival, 'Awakening', great saints, great freedom advancement, opporutnities to grow and serve Him. Yet, in this day we are more prone to serve ourselves rather than Him. the nation has largely increased in these blessings from God to increase their capacity to sin and provoke Him. The very creation is saying to the Creator, 'thou shalt not rule over us'. What will the Creator due to its creation? He will meet them in His wrath and destroy them.
The very marks of our salvation and deliverance is for the church and then the nation to follow:
1. Humble yourselves before Him;
2. Brokenness and contrition that we have provoked and angered Him by our choices against Him and His ways;
3. Confession of these specific faults, sins, evils, and abominations.
4. Repentance; we will make correction of these sins and make the wrongs right;
5. Renew a covenant that not only will we put away the wrongs and make them right, but we will continue, live, encourage others to be right in the sight of God and His ways and Word;
Failure to take heed to this warning is to plow straight into a Divine force of judgement and justice. --'Thou art weighed in the balances and found wanting; and this night thy souls shall be required of thee'.
--and the flood came and all man perished for failing to give heed to the warning issued for over 100 years;
--'the wages of sin is death' and men will die in their sin and perish in hell for ever for their folly;
--'this night thy souls shall be required of thee';
until,
dan
Started: November 7, 2017
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