The Heaton File

For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. (1 Thessalonians 1:9-10)

Delivered From The Wrath To Come

The coming of Jesus Christ to save the lost is the greatest gift a loving God offers. There is no measure of repayment that man possesses to match the gift of God’s only beloved Son. Jesus came to seek and save the lost. He died forgiving those who killed Him as an example of divine love. Only through the grace of God can a man begin to unravel the mystery of why God loves man so much. Through the mercy of the Father, redemption is granted through the blood of Jesus Christ. In the church, the blessings of salvation are found in forgiveness, sacrifice, remembrance, worship, and praise. The Holy Spirit gave humanity the Bible to read and understand what the will of the Father is. Everything man needs for hope in eternal life has been given in Jesus Christ.

There is another side of the divine equation that must never be lost sight of. While the salvation of man is embedded in grace, mercy, love, redemption, forgiveness, and sacrifice – there is a reality that Jesus came to deliver humanity from the wrath of His Father. Jesus did not come to earth because the state of man was pleasing to God. When Adam and Eve sinned, the wrath of God could have destroyed them both. The Lord had a plan to save sinful man. There was a time during the days of Noah the wrath of God killed every human on earth save eight. Many nations over the centuries have felt the wrath of God, such as Egypt, Israel, Assyria, Babylon, and many more. God’s wrath came against the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, Nadab and Abihu, Korah and his rebels, thousands of Israelites, the people of Caanan, and Ananias and Sapphira, to name a few.

The wrath of God is the most terrible thing man can know. There is nothing in the military might of all the nations combined that compares to the awful wrath of a vengeful God. Jesus delivers the fate of humanity from the wrath of God that is coming. There is a divine anger upon the souls of those guilty of rebellion and ignoring the will of God. Satan convinces men that God is only full of love and compassion. Like all lies of the devil, the half-truth of God’s love and compassion ignores the divine justice against those who will not accept the rule of God in their lives. There is a place where the divine wrath of God will be meted out against all ungodliness. Jesus came to deliver us from something real, not what was imaginary.

Jesus gave His life as one standing between God and man. The Son of God is the advocate, the propitiation for the sins of all men. He became the veil, that is His flesh, which unites man and God. The sacrifice of Jesus brings about a stay of execution from the wrath of God to those who will obey Him. There is boundless joy in knowing what it means to be saved from sin. It is the grace and love of God, and it is the absence of the wrath of God. Sadly, most of the world faces the wrath of God as disobedient, unbelieving, and rebellious people. Jesus died to take away God’s wrath. Without Jesus, there is only wrath. With Jesus, there is peace.

And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. (Revelation 21:4)

No Pain

Solomon summed it up best when he wrote his thesis on life in the book of Ecclesiastes: life is hard, and then we die. Many things are unjust in life. We still die. Life is filled with sorrow, weeping, toil, injustice, weariness, and the body falling apart. Death comes to all men. In a nutshell, life is not for the faint of heart. It comes with a lot of baggage that, at times, is hard to bear, and then a man dies. There is nothing more finite about life than the reality of death. What began with great joy in the birth of a child ends with the heartache of a broken heart when death comes. One of the characteristics of death is how inequal its justice is upon all men. The young can die, and the old must die. Famous people die, and people no one cares about die. The rich die rich, and the poor die poor, but death becomes the equalizer because riches and poverty are left behind. There is no escaping the trial of life.

John describes in the Revelation one of the greatest joys of eternal life. When the saint dies, God wipes all the tears of life away. In the presence of a loving God, there will be no death, sorrow, or crying. There shall be no more pain. Everything about life is defined by death, sorrow, crying, and pain. God is not the author of these things. Before Adam and Eve disobeyed the word of the Lord, there was no death, sorrow, crying, or pain. These things came as a consequence of rebellion. It seems easy for men to blame God for someone dying, but the reality of life is the reality of death. There is sorrow because of the consequence of sin. The tears of life are shed as the fulfillment of life without God. There is no crying in the presence of God. He wipes all tears away.

Pain is the focus of life, whether literal, figurative, or spiritual. Everyone experiences pain in one fashion or another. The older a person becomes the greater the pain. Life is a pain because there is so much pain in this world. God is not the author of pain. In the presence of God, there is no pain. Before Adam and Eve disobeyed the word of the Lord, there was no pain. When the saint stands in the presence of God, there will be no more pain. The joy of eternal life is realizing a world when the grace of God removes all pain from the heart, soul, mind, and body of the saved. It is hard to imagine a world without pain, but that is precisely what is found in eternal life. Without pain, there is no death, sorrow, or crying.

John writes the blessing of eternal life is the former things have passed away. Everything a man experiences in life is gone forever. It does not exist. Nothing remains of the former life with death, sorrow, crying, and pain. It is hard to imagine a world without suffering. Can it be a man can exist in a world where there are no tears? How is it possible to be somewhere where death does not knock on the door constantly? Eternal life is a place where there is no death. That seems almost impossible, but it is real. God will wipe away all tears, and there will be no pain and no death. All of those things will be gone forever and never return. The eternal life of the saint will never again experience the sorrow of death, filled with pain and tears. Heaven is a place where there is no pain. Wow. Lord come quickly.

But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. (Revelation 21:27)

Only

The word ‘only’ is an adverb that describes a single fact or instance and nothing more or different. It is easily identifiable as existing without anything else, thus eliminating all others. When a man has only eggs for breakfast, he does not have bacon, pancakes, or other foods. Suggesting he only had eggs means everything else is eliminated. If the man has eggs, bacon, and toast, he could not say he had only eggs because he had bacon and toast. This mundane illustration seems childish to illustrate what ‘only’ means, but when the word only is used, it removes any other possibilities.

John wrote the Revelation as a testimony to the victory found in Jesus Christ as the world seeks to destroy the kingdom of God. There is nothing man can do to stop the church of the New Testament or to destroy the kingdom of God. Since its beginning on Pentecost two thousand years ago, the church has continued without fail. Saints of God have gained victory over the forces of evil. The names of the myriad hosts of believers are emblazoned on the pages of the Book of Life in the blood of Jesus Christ. John declares that only those whose names are in the Book of Life will be saved. Only those names inscribed on the heavenly register will receive eternal life. Heaven is not for everyone, although it was designed for everyone. The sadness of grace is that most men (the majority) do not have their names in the Book of Life.

Jesus reminded His disciples that most men will journey down the broad road to destruction. Only those who do the will of the Father have their names in the Book of Life. The Book of Life is the heavenly journal of those who have been washed in the blood of Jesus through the waters of baptism and, through God’s grace, stand justified in His presence. Not all who name the name of Christ will find their names at the judgment. Some who once had their names will find God blotted their names out for unfaithfulness. The eternal truth is that only those whose names are in the Book of Life will be saved.

The Holy Spirit limits the saved when He says, “only.” There are many names in the Book of Life, like Moses, David, Elijah, Mary, Peter, Paul, and a host of other saints. Individuals such as Hymenaeus and Alexander once had their names in the Book of Life but no more. Only those who have overcome will eat from the tree of life. Those faithful unto death will receive a crown of life. Only those in the Book of Life will not be hurt by the second death. Jesus said those found in the Book of Life will receive the hidden manna and a new name. Only those who overcome and keep the works of Christ until the end will be saved. The white garments of eternal life are only given to those in the Book of Life. Only those who overcome will Jesus make a pillar in the temple of God. To him who overcomes Jesus will grant to sit with Him on His throne. Only those whose names are in the Book of Life – only! That’s a word for eternity.

Those who make an image, all of them are useless, and their precious things shall not profit; they are their own witnesses; they neither see nor know, that they may be ashamed. Who would form a god or mold an image that profits him nothing? Surely all his companions would be ashamed; and the workmen, they are mere men. Let them all be gathered together, let them stand up; yet they shall fear, they shall be ashamed together. (Isaiah 44:9-11)

Modern Day Idols

Man is a funny creature. He will venture into the woods to cut a tree down so that he can fall before the broken tree and worship it. The idol is not just a piece of wood. There will be great care to fashion the idol with imagery and beauty. He will fashion the idol in the coals working long and hard to create his masterpiece. With a rule and chalk and plane and compass, the idol will take shape in the figure of a man. The irony of the man’s work is that while he creates an idol with one part of the tree, he takes the other part to build a fire to warm himself and cook his dinner. When the idol (a former piece of a tree) is completed, the man falls down before his creation and prays, “Deliver me, for you are my god.”

The senselessness of idolatry is the god is made by a man, rather than the god creating the man. A deceived heart has turned the man aside to believe in a contradiction of foolishness to believe a lie the god will deliver him. When the storms come, the man must protect the god. Thieves can break in and steal the god if the man is not watching. There is no power in the god. He does not speak or move on his own. As a creation of man, the god is dependent upon its creator. Why would someone form a god or mold an image that profits him nothing? The prophet Isaiah warned men against the foolishness of idolatry and its vanity.

Isaiah’s warnings against idolatry still have applications in the modern world. Some religions use idols in their worship, but more prominent are the idols that men worship who profess allegiance to Jesus Christ. An idol is something created by man to give him security, hope, and pleasure that he can control as he desires. The modern-day idols are found in the security placed upon the pursuit of wealth, houses and cars, retirement, good health, the physical body, and the beauty of the body. Billions of dollars are spent to secure the good life for the enjoyment of those who gain the whole world in their stuff. What separates an idol from something of value is purpose. What if a man works his entire life to acquire a home, cars, wealth, retirement, and pleasure, and then he dies? What has he gained? Has he not chopped down the tree of the world in exchange for his soul? The foolishness of an idol comes when a man falls down to worship it and pleads for the idol to deliver him.

Money will not deliver a soul. The biggest house and the fastest car cannot save a lost soul. Spending thousands of dollars and hours upon hours to beautify the body will not change the fact that age will transform the body. Making millions of dollars to take one’s ease, eat, drink, and be merry, still ends in death. Is not life more than what a person has? Is there not a lie in my right hand? Is there a God besides the one True God? There is no other rock. True happiness comes when a man turns his heart toward God. It is then he finds his true value in life. The blessings of life can be enjoyed, but the heart is not dependent upon a man’s stuff to deliver him. He knows the only deliverance is through Jesus Christ. Many idols today do not have the label of idol upon them; but they are idols. Do not put faith in those idols. Serve the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out. And when you go into a household, greet it. If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city! (Matthew 10:11-15)

The Unworthy

There are difficult truths that permeate the preaching of the gospel. Jesus came to seek and save the lost. He suffered terribly on the cross before He died. The grace of God was consummated at Golgotha to save all mankind from the wrath of God. It is not in the heart of God that any man should perish but that all will come to repentance. Nothing more can be done from the heavenly plan to redeem the world. God’s love was so great to offer His only begotten Son to die for everyone. The message of the gospel is the most powerful testimony of mercy known to men. In the face of God’s love, mercy, and grace, many refuse to accept the gift of salvation. Some are unworthy of the gospel and will die in their sins.

Jesus sent out His twelve apostles to preach the good news of salvation. He gave them the power to heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out unclean spirits, and show the power of God through miracles. The twelve are told not to go to the Gentiles or Samaritans but only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. They were to preach the message of the coming kingdom in the name of Christ. When they entered a city or town to preach, they were to determine if the people were worthy of the gospel. If the people or household were worthy, the twelve would remain and preach. Jesus warns the twelve that if a household is not worthy and the people will not receive the preachers, they were to depart from that house or city, shaking the dust off their feet.

Jesus sternly warns against a household or city that is not worthy from an Old Testament example. The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by the fury of the Lord for being so full of wickedness they could not continue to exist. Those who refuse to accept the gospel of Jesus Christ will find themselves judged by the character of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. The gospel of salvation cannot be shunned or ignored. When Jesus sent the twelve out to preach and confirm the word with miracles, there was no greater message men could hear. Refusing to listen to the gospel made the soul unworthy. They were to be rejected and dismissed.

The warning of Jesus of those who are unworthy finds its truth in the world today. There are more Bibles published in the world than any other book. No time in history has seen the ease of knowledge and the dispersion of the word of God through unimaginable means as found in the modern world. In this country, churches dot the landscape of almost every community. The knowledge of Jesus Christ is more fluent to more people who spend less time giving thought to eternal lessons. Religion is ridiculed as old-fashioned and outdated. Prayer is banned. Morality is mocked. The masses have little interest in the spiritual teachings of the Bible. There are thousands of people living all around us that are unworthy and unwilling.

God does not ignore the unworthy. Jesus called those who refused to listen to the gospel unworthy because of their hearts. This is not the will of the Father. God does not want anyone to perish, but a person must accept the teachings of Jesus to be worthy – saved. Those who are unworthy do not have time for God. They ridicule the Bible and scoff at those who teach the cross of Jesus Christ. Jesus preached of a man casting his pearls before the swine or that which is holy to dogs. Some hearts are hardened by the deceitfulness of sin, refusing to allow the word of God to permeate their minds. The unworthy will not stand before the judgment seat of the Father with joy. Their condemnation comes from their hearts. Jesus is the only way to the Father. Rejecting the way, the truth, and the life will make someone unworthy. To be found worthy, obey the will of the Father.

For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. (Romans 1:26-27)

Claiming God And Denying God

One of the arguments made by those of the LGBT community is that “God made me this way.” Appealing to a DNA gene that supposedly creates the individual to either be homosexual, transsexual, binary, or whatever identification of the individual, the argument suggests they had no choice in their preference. The justification offered by those who defend the rights of the sexually permissive society is to lay the blame at the feet of God as Creator. Deflecting blame from an individual choice and attributing everything to God gives wings to the acceptance on a moral plane of what the world has considered to be acceptable. Nothing is further from the truth.

Ironically, appealing to God as the reason for the way a person is created demands acceptance there is a divine being who created all men. The Christian declares that God created the world because he believes in the divine nature of the Godhead that formed the universe and created Adam and Eve as the first man and woman. These stories are established by the Bible and are accepted by faith in God. If someone explains the reasons they have a certain sexual persuasion is that God created them in this manner, they admit there is a God of divine power that can create life. When a person admits there is a God, they obligate themselves to accept everything about the admittance of a higher being. Using God as the authority for sexual preference demands a clear understanding of everything this God has declared about sexuality. This is where the difficulty comes in establishing the argument that “God made me this way.”

The Bible begins with, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” When a man believes these words and accepts the belief that God created all things, he is bound to accept everything that follows. The same God who created the world also declared there is a morality of righteousness that must be followed. Jesus said that from the beginning God made male and female and that marriage is sacred. Marriage, according to Jesus (the Son of God), is between a man and a woman. Adultery is sinful because it destroys the sanctity of the marriage bond. Sexual relationships outside of marriage are an abomination to the God who created all things.

In the days of Noah, God destroyed the entire world of every human being, saving Noah and his family. Why did the Creator destroy the world with a flood? Moses explained it was because the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Paul would later give a glimpse of what that world might have looked like when he writes to the church in Rome, decrying the immorality of those who dishonored their bodies among themselves. He writes about women exchanging the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise, also, the men left their natural use of the woman, burning in their lust for one another, committing what is shameful. That is God’s view of LGBT whatever.

If God created a man to desire a man and a woman to desire a woman, why did God condemn the world to destruction for something He had created as natural? God created a man for a woman and a woman for a man and established laws that would protect that union. Sexual immorality is all that is outside the boundaries of marriage: fornication, adultery, homosexuality, effeminate, bestiality, transgenderism, etc. God created purity. Man desired impurity. Sexual immorality is an abomination in the eyes of God. When the argument is made that “God created me this way,” there is a denial of the fundamental truth of God as the Creator. He did not make anyone to be created in that manner. Sexual immorality is the choice of the individual who desires the pleasures of the flesh.

The only conclusion that is left is that God did not create a person to be what they want to be. They have chosen to deny God, and they become nothing more than a Darwinian animal as a product of the evolutionary process of mutation for sexual gratification. Man has become an animal, acting like an animal. Don’t blame God for what He never created. Sexual immorality is a sin because the Creator has the right to determine right and wrong. Modern science will never change the word of God. Trying to change the pronouns to suit the perversion of the world does not change the word of God. In the beginning God created everything. At the end, God will destroy everything. He is the Lord God, and His way is truth.

Now as he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and answered, “Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you.” (Acts 24:25)

The Day That Never Comes

Time is a finite part of creation that cannot and will never change. There is nothing man can do to stop time. The seconds of the clock continue to move over the face of the dial uninterrupted. Man is confined by the moment of time. He cannot turn the clock back, and he cannot go ahead in time. The only thing a person has is the moment they possess at the moment of possession. Yesterday is gone forever, never to be retried, retrieved, or reversed. Tomorrow never comes and in reality, does not exist but in the mind. No man has ever possessed tomorrow. When tomorrow comes, it becomes today. Locked in the sand of time, a man’s life is measured by how he lives his time.

In the failed ‘woke’ society of reparations for yesterday, an attempt is made to justify what occurred hundreds of years ago. There is no justification. Justice in its truest form cannot be limited to a certain time in history because every moment of history stands on the mountains of time preceding it. If men are honest and want full reparations for yesterday, they will need to go all the way back to the Garden of Eden. That is when the misery, cruelty, heartache, immorality, and the failed character of humanity began when Eve took of the forbidden fruit. The good news is that divine reparations have already been established when the Lord prepared hell for the devil and his angels.

The other failed policy of the human mind is to believe there is such a time as a more convenient time. When does that day come? It will never come because it does not exist. The apostle Paul reasoned with Felix and his wife, Drusilla, who was Jewish, about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come. Felix listened intently to the need for righteousness and self-control. The message about the judgment to come terrified him. Felix became alarmed and afraid. In a trembling voice, he told Paul, “Go away for now; when I have a convenient time, I will call for you.” Paul was a prisoner. Where was he going to go? Felix hoped Paul would bribe him to release him, but after two years, Porcius Festus succeeded Felix. The convenient time Felix looked for never came.

Felix never obeyed the gospel of Christ. He was waiting for a day. A convenient day. It would be a time Felix would feel ready to do something about righteousness. Paul spoke about righteousness and self-control because Felix indulged in licentious desire and was living in adultery with Drusilla. The judgment to come was a clear message of condemnation for the wicked heart of Felix and Drusilla, but they refused to repent. They were excusing themselves by seeking a more convenient time, sealing their fate. One second after they died, they wished they had just a second of time, but it was too late.

Most people believe they will live until the midnight of their lives and then die at 10:30. They are unprepared to meet the Lord God. There is no more time where they can repent and have their sins washed away in baptism. They live in an eternal state of regret for just a moment’s time to make the right decision. One of the horrors of eternal punishment is knowing life was filled with opportunities to repent and serve the Lord and seeking a more convenient time, they never did what they knew they should do. Felix and Drusilla knew what God wanted them to do. They refused. Living for a day that would never come, they waited and lost their eternal souls.

What are you waiting for? Why do you wait? What possible motive could you have to delay? If you are looking for the right time, a perfect moment, or a convenient time to obey and repent – you have already lost your soul. Make that decision now. Today. That is all you have.

The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed, a greater than Solomon is here. (Matthew 12:42)

Greater Than Solomon

In the annals of man’s history, no central character has grasped the imagination of men more than the wisest and richest man who ever lived. The name synonymous with wisdom is Solomon, son of David, king of Israel. Solomon reigned for forty years over the people of God. During his leadership, the nation experienced a prosperity never known in history. Solomon made silver as plentiful in Jerusalem as stone. There was so much silver that it was considered worthless. The king’s drinking cups, as were all the utensils in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon, were solid gold. Solomon had a fleet of trading ships that, once every three years, returned loaded with gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks. King Solomon became richer and wiser than any other king on Earth. People from every nation came to consult him and to hear the wisdom God had given him. Every year, everyone who visited brought him gifts of silver and gold, clothing, weapons, spices, horses, and mules.

God had given Solomon wisdom and exceedingly great understanding and largeness of heart like the sand on the seashore. His knowledge exceeded all the wisdom of all the men of the East and the wise men of Egypt. Men from all nations came to hear the wisdom of Solomon. The Queen of Sheba visited Solomon to see and hear of his great wealth and wisdom. She concluded that all she had seen was half the story of Solomon’s greatness. He surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom. The son of David would go down in history as the greatest man of wealth and wisdom, even in modern time.

With all the wisdom given to Solomon, he was a man of failed character. Time and again, he demonstrated his knowledge of truth, but he could not discern the flaw of the human spirit – sin. He is remembered as a man with seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines. His wives turned away his heart from serving the Lord God, who gave him such great wisdom. When Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the Lord. He had attained the most incredible wealth the world had ever known, wisdom beyond any man before or after him, and he enjoyed all the pleasures of life to the fullest. And yet he became a fool, a man devoid of wisdom when he allowed the trinkets of earthly pleasure to guide his heart.

Nine hundred years after the reign of Solomon, a baby was born in Bethlehem that would eclipse the fame of Solomon. His life would become greater than Solomon’s. The wisdom of this child would be established in the teachings of His heavenly Father, changing lives for thousands of years. Jesus Christ came into the world to save the lost. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus performed signs, wonders, and miracles, proving He was the Son of God. His wisdom was challenged relentlessly by the scholars of His day and, each time, defeated. The Pharisees and chief priests sent officers to arrest Jesus, but they returned, proclaiming, “No man ever spoke like this Man.”

One day when Jesus was in a synagogue, a man with a withered hand was among the crowd. Jesus healed the man causing the Pharisees to find a way to destroy Him. Later, a demon-possessed, blind, and mute man was brought to Jesus. Jesus immediately healed him. The Pharisees accused Jesus of casting out the demon by the power of Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons. The hearts of the Jewish leaders were so evil that they could not see the power of God when it was demonstrated before their eyes. Some of the scribes and Pharisees asked Jesus for a sign. What more could Jesus do to show He was the Son of God?

Jesus tells the Jewish leaders that the sign they will be given is the sign of Jonah. The Lord is speaking about His death, burial, and the greatest miracle of all – the resurrection. Jonah preached to the heathen, Gentile city of Nineveh, and they repented. God reminds Jonah that the city had one hundred and twenty thousand people. Jesus is a greater man than Jonah because He came to save the world. The queen of Sheba was amazed at Solomon’s wealth and wisdom, but Jesus was the one who gave Solomon his wisdom. A greater man than Solomon is here because instead of trying to decide which baby to cut in half, Jesus made the baby.

The wisdom of Solomon was great, but the wisdom of a man whose sins have been washed away in the blood of Jesus is greater. Solomon lived for himself, and then he died. Jesus came to serve mankind and die for all men. There is no comparison between Solomon and Jesus. Solomon had great wisdom, and he failed. Jesus possessed the wisdom of His Father and lived a perfect life. The words of Solomon are only a part of the totality which makes up the teachings of Jesus. The gospel is the power of God unto salvation. A greater man is found in Jesus Christ. If I was given a choice between being the wisest and wealthiest man on earth and being an uneducated poor man with his sins washed away – Lord, give me poverty and grace. When a man cannot see how great Jesus is, he cannot see.

Then from Tirzah, Menahem attacked Tiphsah, all who were there, and its territory. Because they did not surrender, therefore he attacked it. All the women there who were with child he ripped open. (2 Kings 15:16)

The Final Forty Years Of Israel

When Israel first became a nation, they rebelled against the Lord, and He punished them with forty years of wanderings in the wilderness. God had given the land of Canaan to Israel, but they lacked faith in His power to overcome the giants of the land. Throughout the forty years, Israel complained, murmured, rebelled, and disobeyed the voice of the Lord. After forty years, Joshua led the nation across the Jordan, and the conquest began. At first, the land was ruled by judges, and everyone did what was right in their own eyes. Prophets like Samuel helped to guide the people in the will of the Lord. In time, the people wanted a king. Three kings would rule over the United Kingdom: Saul, David, and Solomon.

Following the death of Solomon, civil war split the nation with ten tribes giving allegiance to Jeroboam and two tribes loyal to Rehoboam. Thus began a long and sorted history of evil as kings rose that would lead the people of Israel into oblivion. About nineteen kings ruled over the northern tribes called Israel, which lasted just over two hundred years. In the south, nineteen kings ruled Judah, with seven kings seeking the will of the Lord. Judah would be taken captive in 606 B.C. in Babylon. It was the final forty years of the northern kingdom of Israel that would describe the failure of the Jews to keep the law of God.

Only six kings would rule Israel in the final forty years. After the reign of Jeroboam II, which lasted forty-one years, Zechariah was assassinated in six months, and Shallum was murdered within one month. Shallum conspired against Zechariah and killed him in front of all the people. A month later, Shallum was assassinated by Menahem in Samaria. Menahem attacked the city of Tiphsah and its territory because they did not surrender. All the women there who were pregnant, he had his soldiers rip them open. After Menahem died, his son, Pekahiah, reigned for two years before being murdered by Pekah, the son of Remaliah, an officer of his.

Pekah ruled for twenty years before being murdered by Hoshea, the son of Elah. Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, made Hoshea his vassal and paid him tribute money. When it was discovered Hoshea had made a pact with Egypt, Shalmaneser put Hoshea in prison. During the reign of Hoshea, the king of Assyria took Samaria and carried Israel away to Assyria. The ten tribes of the northern kingdom of Israel would disappear from history and be known as the Samaritans, hated by the Jews.

The final forty years of Israel (part of) were much like its beginning. There was a rebellious spirit that never seemed to leave the Hebrews. Their history did not teach them to follow the Lord. The prophets warned them of impending doom, and they would not listen. How many miracles did the Lord show Israel in the wilderness, yet they still refused to believe? The nation of Israel that began the first forty years mirrored the people in the final forty years. When the people rejected God, evil abounded. The land was filled with immorality, murder, rape, the assassination of leaders, idolatry, and the desire for fleshly pleasures. When a nation turns away from God, the only measure left is destruction.

Judah in the south had times of revival when the hearts of the people returned to the Lord. Their final destruction came in the same manner as Israel. They turned their hearts away from God, and He turned His heart away from them. When a nation removes God from its moral center, the center of its morality becomes corrupt. No nation will stand when God is reviled and ridiculed, and rejected. Oddly enough, those corrupting the nation blame God for the destruction. All nations will fall who do not exalt the word of God. Righteousness will always exalt a nation, but woe to that nation that forgets God. Just ask Israel in its final forty years.

Nevertheless, even among the rulers, many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees, they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. (John 12:42-43)

Seeking The Praise Of Men

Peer pressure is a formidable force to reckon with. Everyone wants to be accepted, and the pressure to be like those around them drives men to abandon their values and principles. Many a man has been dragged into a compromising situation because of the pressure from those who are his peers in a failed effort to be accepted and liked. Jesus performed signs, wonders, and miracles that no one denied. The Pharisees would complain about Jesus healing a man on the Sabbath, but they never challenged if the miracle was real. Multitudes heard Jesus preach a message that had authority and clarity, unlike the teachings of the Jewish leaders. Nothing in the life of Jesus could be disputed. Jesus claimed to be the Son of God. A person either had to accept it or deny it.

Among the rulers, many had been convinced Jesus of Nazareth was the Son of God. The miracles impressed the hearts of the rulers to admit no man could do such things apart from God. There were ample opportunities that changed the hearts of the Jewish rulers to see Jesus as someone more than the carpenter’s son. Many of the rulers believed in Jesus. The pressure from their peers made them deny Jesus. If the Pharisees learned these men believed that Jesus was the Messiah, they would be removed from the synagogue, and they refused to give up their prestige. They loved the honor and praise of men more than confessing Jesus as Lord. In the synagogue, they were honored and exalted as important men. It was not in their hearts to walk away from the glory of human pride. They believed, but they denied.

The world has always been against the citizens of righteousness. Noah must have had a difficult time in the corrupt world he lived in, but he never denied God. There would have been incredible pressures from literally the whole world pushing down upon his shoulders and the hearts of his family. The family of Noah preserved their faith in God, seeking His honor rather than giving in to the accolades of sinful men. When the rain started, and the floods consumed the world, everyone confessed a belief in God, but only eight were saved. The pressure of peers destroyed many a soul that day. Noah stood alone with his family. Other Bible characters refused to embrace the praise of men. Moses forsook Egyptian wealth and power. Rahab turned away from her people. Not all the kings of the southern kingdom of Judah were evil. Seven of the kings sought the praise of God in a world overflowing with evil. The early church found men like the apostles who declared their allegiance to God rather than men. Saints died confessing their faith in Jesus Christ.

Many men seek the rewards of life, whether in business, politics, or sports. It is the driving desire for men to leave their mark on history. They fail to understand how deep the dust of history becomes with each generation. A man can make a name for himself in one generation, but in later generations, his name is unknown. Seeking the praise of men is short-lived. Denying the Son of God for the honor of the sons of men is trading eternity with God or Satan. The rulers believed in Jesus but, because of the fear of losing their place in the synagogue, denied they knew Jesus. Do not make the same mistake. Men die. Jesus is forever.