Yesterday's Prophecies - Today's Headlines
THE HEATHENS RAGE
- Ron & Nathele Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com
"For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: and he is before all things, and by him all things consist." Colossians 1:16-17.
The "him" in this verse refers to Jesus. He created all things and he
holds all things together. Anyone who thinks they are better off without
God is foolish. If God were to let go of His hold on creation,
everything would cease to exist, instantaneously. It is foolish for men
to reject God, yet so many people deny He exists. Not only do they deny
Him, but they also live in opposition to Him. They rage against Him.
In order to oppose God, a person must admit God exists. There is a big difference between knowing God exists (head knowledge) and faithfully trusting Him with your eternity (heart knowledge). Non-Christians know God exists, but they believe His laws to be a burdensome stone with too many restrictions. They don’t like His "rules" and believe He ruins all their fun. God set laws in place to protect humanity from disease like AIDS, yet God is mocked, His laws broken, and the heathen rage on and on. “Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?" Psalm 2:1. Heathens are people who oppose God Almighty and they rage against Him and against those who love and follow Him. These heathens are like children who throw a fit if they don't get their way, even if getting their way means aligning themselves with Satan. It isn't only individuals who rage against God, but presidents, kings, and emperors also rage against Him. "The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us." Psalm 2:2-3. They believe that if they can just pass legislation to get rid of God they can do what they want with no consequences. How wrong they are. Without God and His love holding all things together, the heathen and ungodly nations would cease to be. America, which was founded upon Judeo-Christian principles, has been turning against God for a number of years and is soon to face God's judgment. Prayer was taken out of schools and then abortion, the act of offering children to demonic gods who demand human sacrifice, was legalized. The homosexual agenda is the final nail in America's coffin. We cannot continue to rage against God and expect Him to turn a blind eye to our sin. Christians either keep silent or they are ignorant of God's word, and so the heathens rage unchecked. "He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.” Psalm 2:4-5. Raging against God is not wise. God will soon pour out His wrath upon all nations and upon all people. It will be a time such has never before been seen. Though it was written long ago, the Psalm referenced above is relevant throughout generations. When Peter and John had been arrested for healing and man and preaching about Christ, they were subsequently released and admonished not to preach about Him again. They went to their fellow Christians and they all recognized the rage against Christ among the Jewish leaders.
"And when they heard that, they
lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art
God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in
them is: Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the
heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things? The kings of the earth
stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and
against his Christ." Acts 4:24-26.
People have no reason to rage against God yet every generation and
every nation opposes Him. This rage is specifically against the God of
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob...the one true God. How often do we hear rage
against the demon god of Islam? Who rages against the Buddhist's god, or
the Hindu's god, or the god of the New Age folks, or any other false
god worshipped by rebellious people? Only the one true God -- God
Almighty as disclosed in the Holy Bible -- draws the rage of the
heathens. With their rage they seal their fate, just as Pharaoh's heart
was hardened and the first born in Egypt all died. That is, all except
those who obeyed God and placed the blood of a lamb on their doorposts.
God's judgment is coming and one day God will turn loose His hold upon
creation and who will these lost souls rage against then? Today the
heathen kings and rulers stand in opposition to the Lord and His
Anointed -- they lead the heathen in rage against God the Father and God
the Son. They are leading their nations to destruction.
It is simply astonishing to me that so many people have thoroughly hardened their hearts against God. Not only do they refuse to see the truth but they take great pleasure in denying it. It is comparable to a parent trying to teach a rebellious child not to touch a hot stove and that child defiantly placing his hands on the stove. Even though the pain is great it is more important to prove the parent wrong. The heathen continually try to prove God wrong, but they are the ones who suffer. The pain and agony of spending eternity in the Lake of Fire will be sheer torture, but the separation from God will be unbearable. There will be no socializing in Hell, no chatting with friends, and no peace. Satan, the liar who fell from grace long ago, is currently doing everything he can to convince people that God does not exist and that there is no right or wrong. Jesus was blunt when He confronted those who spoke lies against Him "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar and the father of it." John 8:44. Many people follow Satan's lies, and that should break the heart of every Christian. Instead of sitting back and watching this lost world march into Hell, we need to share the Gospel with them. Like it or not, they need to hear God's truth. God will always allow the heathen an opportunity to change his mind and repent. "I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." Luke 13:3. God is full of grace and He is long-suffering. He is not willing that any should perish. Many will perish because of their hardened hearts and their refusal to repent. Their own choice separates them eternally from God, but that is not God's desire nor should Christians desire that they perish. We need to speak boldly of Christ. We need to tell the heathen of His love and be sure they understand what the consequences of their choice to reject Him are. They need to know that Heaven is real and so is Hell. Eternity is a long time to spend knowing you made the wrong choice. It is so simple to accept the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and live for Him on earth, but the heathen choose death. There is nothing to gain from rage and rebellion to God. Oh how the heathen will regret the choice they’ve made for their eternal existence. There is a movement afoot to eliminate Christianity from the whole world. The heathens will soon get their wish, but it won’t be through their vile raging. One day very soon Jesus will call those of us who follow Him Home. "After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter." Revelation 4:1.
The
Rapture is the next big event upon the prophetic calendar and
Christians will soon hear our Lord call us to Him. Once we are gone, the
heathen will have their way and they will get the leader they have been
clamoring for. They don't have any idea what horrors that will bring. "And
the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and
cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and
lightnings, and an earthquake." Revelation 8:5. Then
things on earth will get worse. When the man of sin steps into the role
of world leader, he will seem like a peace maker. It won't be long
until those non-believers who are left on earth after the Rapture will
understand that God Almighty, who they raged against and rejected, loved
them. God's love was available to them, but they will have chosen to
reject Him to follow Satan.
After the Rapture when God's wrath is poured out upon those who remain on earth, there will be some people who may had been toying with the idea of repenting of their sin and realize they should not have waited. Anyone who accepts Christ after the Rapture will suffer much and it will be a moment by moment choice to follow Him. "And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:" Revelation 14:9-10. If you take the mark there will be no chance of salvation for you. If you refuse the mark you will belong to Christ, but your earthly life will not be safe. "And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years." Revelation 20:4. Do you reject Christ today? Are you sitting on the fence trying to decide if it is worth giving up your life of sin and rebellion to accept Christ? Stop procrastinating. Any sin, doubt, or rage you hold on to is not worth facing life in the Great Tribulation or spending eternity in the Lake of Fire separated from God. Forgiveness is available from God today...right now. No sin you have ever committed is so great that God will not forgive you. There is no hesitation or shortage of grace on His part when human hearts are softened and people repent of their evil ways. Our part is to come to Jesus with humility and loving submission, and to receive the forgiveness He offers by faith. Set aside your rage towards God and ask for His forgiveness. Those who place their trust in God’s Son, Jesus the Christ, for their salvation are blessed for all eternity; those who continue to the end in their rebellious rage are without excuse. Where do you stand? Why do the heathen rage? Maybe nobody has told them about Jesus and His love. God bless you all, Ron & Nathele Graham twotug@embarqmail.com www.straitandnarrowministry.com ron@straitandnarrowministry.com Previous commentaries archived at http://www.raptureready.com/featured/graham/graham.html All original scripture is “theopneustos” God breathed. This commentary was started by Ron Graham before his death on March 14, 2013, and finished by his wife, Nathele Graham |
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