The Nations vs. God
 The
Nations. Who are they and why do they rage against God?
To begin with, the term “the
nations” in the Bible refers to all Gentile people
no matter their nationality or ethnic origin. These
are people who are distinct from the Jewish people.
God certainly had His own people prior to the call of
Abram and the founding of the Hebrew people; for example,
Adam, Seth, Noah, etc. But, from that time onward the
descendants of Abraham are always seen as being distinct
from all others. The Jews, you see, are a special people
whom God used to give the human race the law and eventually
the Messiah, Jesus Christ. The souls of Gentiles are
no less precious in the sight of God than the Jews,
but that does not in any way negate the special place
they have in the heart and plan of God. Note how Paul
expounds upon this issue in Romans chapters 3, and 9-11.
In short, if a person is not a Jew that person is a
member of the Gentile nations.
The psalmist refers to this rage in
one of the earliest Psalms, Psalm 2:1-3. Luke, in Acts
4:25, records these words as having come from David
himself. The great king rhetorically asked why the nations
were so angry at God, and said they take counsel together
against Him and His Messiah who is Jesus Christ. David
clearly said the nations want to tear away any control
God has over them in order to separate themselves from
God and go their own way. David’s question is
actually asked in a tone of astonishment which emphasizes
the futility of their plan. Whereas Psalm 1 is a teaching
psalm, Psalm 2 is prophetic, and describes a battle
for Gentile freedom — a freedom that results in
ruin because it is defiant toward God.
The world’s Gentile kingdoms
have mostly always wanted freedom from God’s reach
and control. And not only the Gentile kingdoms, but
also the Jews who were sent into captivity because of
their rebellion and idolatry. However, the Jews will
one day bow before their Messiah and will gladly accept
His sovereignty and salvation (Zechariah 13:9). The
Gentile nations, though, will be long in fully bowing
before God. Even after the millennium we see one more
short rebellion that is quickly and completely terminated
(Revelation 20:7-10). Only then will those left of the
nations willingly subject themselves before God and
His Anointed (Zechariah 14:16ff).
Secularists argue that true freedom
can be had only by breaking away from God and His constraints.
They believe humanity has the innate ability to self-govern
in peace and prosperity. They think as William Ernest
Henley did in his poem Invictus, “I am
the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul”.
The fact of the matter, however, is when humanity frees
itself from God it is like a speeding train being freed
from the constraints of the rails. The only result is
destruction.
Why then does humanity strive for such
freedom? The answer is in the human heart. Individually
and collectively, the human heart is corrupt, dark and
evil (Jeremiah 17:9). This does not sit well with secularists,
and sadly with some very shallow Christians who think
man is innately good. As long as life goes smoothly
most people conduct themselves in a civilized manner,
but when life and necessities become uncertain people
often become self-centered and violent. You might remember
the eye-scratching, hair-pulling fights between mommas
as they fought in hand-to-hand combat for cabbage patch
dolls in department stores about 25 years ago. Similar
scenes erupted over X-Boxes last Christmas, and since
dolls and toys can hardly be called necessities, can
you imagine what it would be like during a famine? We
need only remember the violent crimes committed by New
Orleans street thugs in the aftermath of Katrina simply
for the thrill of stealing, looting, raping and killing.
Primary among the nations that despise
God and hate His Anointed are the Muslim nations which
are united in their hatred of Israel. The Arab League,
formed in 1945, consists of 21 Arab nations; twenty-two
with the so-called state of Palestine. The purpose is
to secure Arab unity, but the league has been mostly
unable to secure inter-Arab corporation except in their
general opposition to anything and everything Jewish.
There are several varieties of Islam and Moslem nations
under Islamic law squabble with each other over these
distinctions. But, when it comes to those nations which
are non-Moslem there is never any question: the Koran
insists the infidel must be killed and his country must
become Islamic. Exactly what flavor of Islam that is
to be introduced is something to be fought over at a
later time, but Moslem clerics demand Western civilization
must be destroyed and replaced with Islamic culture
and law.
Well, what about Western civilization?
Is it God-friendly, or is the great culture of western
humanity also in rebellion against God? Yes, it is.
Consider Europe and where it stands in regard to God
and Christianity. A 32 year old Christian in Europe
said, The region is marked by “a spiritual
deadness that you can’t believe...To me it’s
the hardest mission field on the planet right now. I
think about Ephesians 6 where Paul talks about [how]
we’re fighting a spiritual battle. And the battle
lines are drawn in Western Europe, especially with all
the immigrants there. (www.thenarrow.org/archives/2005/06)
It has not been very many years ago
that Europe was a repository of Christianity. Though
many of the Christian groups there were not what many
in America would call truly evangelical, yet the basic
tenets of the Christian faith were proclaimed both privately
and publicly. Not any more. And it seems the Scandinavian
countries are leading the way in the head-long fall
from the lofty virtues of biblical morality into the
morass of secularism where the rules have all been thrown
out. Few in Europe are certain about anything any more.
It is a continent ablaze in anti-Christian rhetoric
and anti-God activity.
And this situation is not something
found solely in Europe. Except for those bright spots
of evangelism in what is called the 10-40 window, the
entire world is developing a practice, mindset, protocol,
culture (call it what you will) that recoils at any
mention of God, Jesus, or the Bible.
Getting closer to home we find the
same situation. It has been said that America is about
50 years behind Europe in its anti-God fall. I don’t
see the separation that great. Abortion, same-sex marriage,
euthanasia, pedophilia...you name the abomination and
it is alive and well within our borders. Just tune in
to nightly TV and see the abundance of “reality”
shows where men and women spend weeks together on islands,
in paradise vacation spots, the Alaskan wilderness,
sailing cruise ships, etc., swapping sex partners and
making alliances in their quest to find a spouse, or
whatever it is they are searching for.
It seems the world, the nations; nearly
every fleshly human agenda is virulently hostile toward
God (Romans 8:7; James 4:4). Time, as we shall witness,
will only see this malice become more intense. It is
true the gospel is as powerful as it has ever been,
and the convicting work of the Holy Spirit is as effectual
as it was 2000 years ago, but it is also true God will
never impose Himself upon a hardened and unwilling heart.
We see that the key to this rebellion
lies in the natural hardness of the human heart. So,
what placed such hardness there to begin with? It was
sown in the human heart in the Garden of Eden when Satan
convinced Eve she and Adam could be gods if they would
simply make their own choices and establish their own
way in the newly created world. No one can completely
understand how sin permanently imparted the rebellious
nature into our first parents and how this almost genetic
disposition toward the pursuit of godhood is passed
from generation to generation. But, its presence and
impact are absolutely undeniable.
From early childhood we do all we can
to usurp parental authority. Babies throw things and
have temper tantrums in an effort to impose their will
upon all others. Our human character is rooted in the
poisoned soil of self and is fed by the watery toxin
of Satan’s lies about our being masters and captains.
In truth this is a battle for the human soul. The natural
man does not see it this way, but it is none-the-less
a fact.
The nations see God’s edicts
as infringements upon their right of self-determination
and individuals see them as impediments in their quest
of godhood. Most would laugh condescendingly at such
a thought, but this, too, when studied in the light
of God’s word, is undeniable.
When and how will this battle end?
Briefly stated, the beginning of the end will be at
the rapture. After the church is taken out, anti-Christ
will sign a treaty with Israel. We do not know who this
man will be, but many scholars believe he will come
from the area that was once part of the Roman Empire.
His identity will be revealed when the treaty is signed,
and until then even speculation is an exercise in futility.
The following seven years (the 70th week of years of
Daniel 9) will be used by God to chastise both the nations
and Israel for their rebellion. At the end of this time
Jesus will return to earth, Satan will be bound in the
abyss and Jesus’ millennial kingdom will be established.
This is when Israel will willingly accept Jesus as their
Messiah (Zechariah 13, 14).
Zechariah tells us that Jesus will
be King over all the earth, and that means all the earth;
Gentile nations included. The nations will have lost
the battle and will come under the authority of the
One they have hated since the beginning. Their rage
will be smothered, their rebellion will be smashed and
their hatred for both Jews and Christians will be stilled.
Make no mistake — the nations
will come under the immutable law of sowing and reaping
— they sowed the seed of rebellion and will reap
the harvest of defeat. They will then be forced to live
under the rule of the One they hated — Jesus Christ,
and of all things a Jew! This will be particularly distasteful
for the Moslems.
The dark clouds of Divine wrath are
indeed on the near horizon; sadly, most refuse to see
it. We would do well to remember the words of Micah
who described the dose of humility the nations must
swallow, Nations will see and be ashamed of all
their power...They will lick the dust like a snake;
they will come trembling out of their hiding places
like reptiles slithering on the ground. They will tremble
before the Lord our God… (Micah 7:16,17 HCSB).
DLM
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