World Affairs

How God Deals With Nations

by John Clark 
11/18/16
Free to Share
Author requests article critique

  Message Writer
  Hire Writer

Tweet

There is an interesting verse in Acts 14:26. Rignt in the middle of a sermon, in what first appears to have nothing to do with the context, Barnabas and Paul declare, "And in the generations gone by He permitted all the nations to go their own way." Moving on to Acts 17:26 we read, "And He made from one, every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times, and the boundaries of their habitation." Clearly these verses teach that God is in control of the nations and has a plan for each one. 

     Nations as a whole, just like individuals, have freedom to accept or reject God. God deals with them accordingly. He will both bless them and judge them. Many times in the the Old Testament, God placed rulers over nations to show his favor or to bring judgment. This truth is affirmed in the following verses:

     "This is the plan devised against the whole earth; and this is the hand that is stretched out against all the nations." (Isaiah 14:26)

     "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord..." (Psalm 33:12)

     There is coming a time of final judgment for all nations as stated in Matthew 25:32, "And all the nations will be gathered before HIm, and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats." The arrogance and rejection of God will not stand. In the words of Psalm 2:1-5, "Why are the nations in an uproar, and the peoples devising a vain thing? The kings of the earth take their stand, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his annointed...He who sits in the heavens laughs, the Lord scoffs at them. Then he will speak to them in his anger, and terrify them in his fury."

     America, for decades the greatest nation on the face of the earth, is no exception to God's judgment. He will have the final say as to whether or not America becomes great again. However, the attitude of the people within America will largely determine what God does. People sing and say, "God bless America." They often quote II Chronicles 7:14 as their favorite verse, claiming that if they humble themselves, pray, seek God's face, and turn from their wicked ways, then God will forgive and heal our land. One big problems is that too often the phrase, "turn from your wicked way" is not given due attention or ignored all together, like saying that we want God to bless us as we continue to do our own thing apart from Him. 

     The truth of the matter is that America has not turned from her wicked ways, the most grievous of which is abortion, claiming more lives than accidents, cancer, and heart disease combined, according to a recent statistic. Added to this are the public "celebrations" of satan worship, and a replica of the arch of Baal in New York City. Then there are the movie stars, sports figures, and musicians who have become more important than God. Football has become an idol. Sorry men, and some of you ladies.  People are calling good evil, and evil good. The LGBTQ agenda has become accepted by a large portion of the American population, even by some conservative denominations, in the name of political corectness.

     Many so-called Christians have forsaken their faith and no longer believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God.

     President Obama has thumbed his nose at israel, against what it says in Genesis that the nation that blesses Israel will be blessed, and the one that curses it will be judged.

     As stated earlier in Acts 14:16, God has allowed America to go her own way. Should we expect this nation to be blessed again?  Some Christians, including myself, believe that America has already passed the point of no return. Even though there are millions of born-again believers in America, how far will this nation sink before God says, "Enough is enough." Only time will tell if America is blessed again by God's grace, but it won't be because of a new president, government, or any man-made institution. 

     Blessing will only happen by returning to righteousness and giving God his rightful place in the culture. Proverbs 14:34 says, "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people." it could also happen because of the remnant of Christians who are still remaining true to the faith and offering a beacon of light and hope to the nation, not to mention the great revivals occurring all across the land. In Genesis when God was going to destroy Sodom due to its evil and wickedness, Abraham appealed to God, asking him to spare the city if there were only 10 good people. Well, we all know that the city was destroyed and only Lot, his wife, and daughters escaped God's wrath. 

     God allows each and every nation to determine its path toward or away from God. Each nation eventually reaps the consequences. God puts down rulers and raises up others, and perhaps to discipline or to bless a nation. God has the final say. Nations are mentioned also in Revelation 22:2, where it says that the leaves of the tree of life in heaven will be for "the healing of the nations." Nations are a vital part of God's grand plan of the ages. There is still time for all nations, including America, to turn back to God, and see God's blessing. Will they do it?