Notwithstanding the LORD turned not from the fierceness of his great wrath, wherewith his anger was kindled against Judah, because of all the provocations that Manasseh had provoked him withal.
2 Kings 23:26
Is it possible for a nation, state, local church, or some other type of corporate body to go too far into sin so that the judgment of God will fall regardless of serious attempts for revival? This is a sobering question. We do know that God was willing to withhold judgment on Sodom for 10 righteous, but we also know that He did not find them. He was willing to grant Assyria a reprieve as well after the preaching of Jonah at Nineveh, but we know that later they too were destroyed. Will America receive judgment regardless of efforts to revive the land? I hope the answer is no! I love this land, but the sin of the nation is grave.
This is not about personal repentance. We do know that even Manasseh, a man who led Judah into terrible sin, repented and was accepted by God when he humbled himself after being captured by the Assyrian King, Ashurbanipal. "And when he was in affliction, he besought the LORD his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, And prayed unto him: and he was intreated of him, and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD he was God." (2 Chronicles 33:12-13) What a message of hope! This man promoted false gods and witchcraft. He murdered the righteous in the land and had Isaiah sawn in two. He lived in gross rebellion for 50 years yet God heard his cry for forgiveness. What a merciful Savior! However, this is personal repentance and the topic is corporate punishment. According to the text verse above, God still judged the land for the sin of Manasseh although the man responsible for the judgment repented. Here is an important lesson to learn, God may forgive the sin but he seldom forgives the consequences!
God forgave David, but he lost a child, had a son rape his daughter, had another murder the rapist who later stole his throne and was killed in an ensuing battle. These were all the consequences of his murderous and adulterous affair with Bathsheba. God forgave Samson, but He still died with the Philistines. God even forgave Saul the persecutor of the church, yet as an apostle he suffered beatings often. God forgave Jacob for deceiving his brother, but Jacob was still deceived by his father-in-law, his wife (whose sin led to her own death due to a curse by her husband), and his sons who sold their brother, Joseph, into slavery while lying to Jacob about his death. Galatians 6:7 puts it best. "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap."
This is not about personal repentance. We do know that even Manasseh, a man who led Judah into terrible sin, repented and was accepted by God when he humbled himself after being captured by the Assyrian King, Ashurbanipal. "And when he was in affliction, he besought the LORD his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, And prayed unto him: and he was intreated of him, and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD he was God." (2 Chronicles 33:12-13) What a message of hope! This man promoted false gods and witchcraft. He murdered the righteous in the land and had Isaiah sawn in two. He lived in gross rebellion for 50 years yet God heard his cry for forgiveness. What a merciful Savior! However, this is personal repentance and the topic is corporate punishment. According to the text verse above, God still judged the land for the sin of Manasseh although the man responsible for the judgment repented. Here is an important lesson to learn, God may forgive the sin but he seldom forgives the consequences!
God forgave David, but he lost a child, had a son rape his daughter, had another murder the rapist who later stole his throne and was killed in an ensuing battle. These were all the consequences of his murderous and adulterous affair with Bathsheba. God forgave Samson, but He still died with the Philistines. God even forgave Saul the persecutor of the church, yet as an apostle he suffered beatings often. God forgave Jacob for deceiving his brother, but Jacob was still deceived by his father-in-law, his wife (whose sin led to her own death due to a curse by her husband), and his sons who sold their brother, Joseph, into slavery while lying to Jacob about his death. Galatians 6:7 puts it best. "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap."
Manasseh had killed all of the righteous servants of God. This created a spiritual vacuum that was hard to overcome. Manasseh's son, Amon, never did repent and was assassinated. His grandson, Josiah, did lead a great revival, but it may have only been superficial. Josiah did hold off the judgment for a short time, but it still fell eventually. This is the very message of 2 Kings 23. The text is discussing the overwhelming reforms of Josiah. It was amazing to see the degree to which this great king humbled himself and led a national revival, but right in the middle of the text is the above verse, verse 26. The spiritual vacuum created by the wretched acts of Manasseh was too great and there were not enough people left to sincerely repent on behalf of the nation. Soon Babylon's troops would arrive and the nation would be carried away as punishment for their national sin. The temple that was defiled with multiple altars to false gods would be razed and left as an empty field. God, however, was merciful and promised a return.
Outdoor Wicca (witchcraft) altar and service at the US Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Co.
What an abomination!
What a parallel exists today. Just last weekend churches in America read from the Koran while promoting Islam and the Koran from their pulpits. This act of provoking the Almighty was even committed in our national cathedral. Shared Faith Service at the National Cathedral | NBC Washington We know that the nation has been murdering babies in the womb for decades and that there are those who are redefining marriage to their own destruction. We are the number one distributor of pornography in the world. Child sex trafficking in the US is on the rise. The courts and godless organizations are working overtime to try and erase our Christian roots and abolish any references to the God of the Bible in the public arena. The name of Jesus Christ is mocked and spit upon everywhere. Just yesterday, I tried to witness to a man who calls himself Gay Jesus. The list of sins committed by this once Christ fearing nation seems to grow daily. Where is it leading?
This Fourth of July, pray! Pray for mercy! Pray for God to break the hearts of our national leaders and the people of the land. We cannot survive without a national awakening! We must turn to Christ! Time is short. Have we already crossed the point of no return? Only God knows, but it doesn't look good! Pray!
Israel and the Middle East--God's Prophetic Timeclock
Godlessness in America
UN and Global Government
