Judgment is coming…but there is good news too!
Jan 7, 2021 19:07:48 #
A little-known prophet predicted what would happen to Israel thousands of years ago. The parallels to then and what is going on in the United States and the apostate church is stunning.
Habakkuk 1:1-17 (NKJV)
2 O LORD, how long shall I cry, And You will not hear? Even cry out to You, "Violence!" And You will not save.
3 Why do You show me iniquity, And cause me to see trouble? For plundering and violence are before me; There is strife, and contention arises.
4 Therefore the law is powerless, And justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; Therefore perverse judgment proceeds.
5 "Look among the nations and watch-- Be utterly astounded! For I will work a work in your days Which you would not believe, though it were told you.
6 For indeed I am raising up the Chaldeans, A bitter and hasty nation Which marches through the breadth of the earth, To possess dwelling places that are not theirs.
7 They are terrible and dreadful; Their judgment and their dignity proceed from themselves.
8 Their horses also are swifter than leopards, And more fierce than evening wolves. Their chargers charge ahead; Their cavalry comes from afar; They fly as the eagle that hastens to eat.
9 "They all come for violence; Their faces are set like the east wind. They gather captives like sand.
10 They scoff at kings, And princes are scorned by them. They deride every stronghold, For they heap up earthen mounds and seize it.
Taken at face value Habakkuk’s short prophecy is set in a time of national upheaval characterized by gross social injustice (1:2-4) and by the imminent advent of the Babylonians (Chaldeans) as the foremost international power (1:5-11). The central focus of Habakkuk’s prophecy is on the relation of a sovereign and holy God to a sinful world, where society is permeated by godlessness and injustice.
The theme can be seen immediately in the prophet’s opening characterization of the state of affairs in his day. Habakkuk can understand neither the gross sin of Judah nor God’s seeming indifference to the rampant corruption he sees all around him (1:2-4).
The theme continues as Habakkuk’s initial statement of perplexity is followed by the recording of God’s answer to his dilemma. Much to Habakkuk’s amazement, God is about to judge Judah’s sin by sending the Chaldeans, a ferocious, vicious people (1:5-11).
While I am not a prophet does all this sound familiar? And it has nothing to do with Trump. It has to do with our gross sin where our country and the church is permeated by godlessness and injustice. And just like in Habakkuk’s day, God is now pressing on my heart to warn that judgment is coming on our nation and those in the church who have fallen away.
We have fallen into grave sin. As a country and a church, we have abandoned the Lord, and soon, very soon, He is going to bring curses upon us. They are just starting in what’s happened in recent months. Yet He is gracious and heard the cries of his servant Habakkuk and now others today who have looked to Him in faith. He is at work to bless His true followers even before they cry out to Him.
In Romans 8, the apostle Paul teaches that the Holy Spirit “helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words” (Rom. 8:26). This is a wonderful t***h: God has our best interest in mind (Rom. 8:28). He sent the Holy Spirit to help his people in many ways, not the least of which is in prayer. Paul continues, “And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God” (Rom. 8:27). Even when we fail to understand how to pray or what we need, the Holy Spirit, who knows us more deeply than we know ourselves, intercedes for us according to God’s will (1 Cor. 2:10–13).
God’s grace transcends our understanding. He challenged Habakkuk to “wonder and be astounded,” for he is “doing a work . . . that you would not believe if told” (Hab. 1:5). A temptation in prayer can be to tell God how he should answer. This presumes that we know what we need in any given circumstance. However, in Isaiah the Lord declares, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isa. 55:8–9). We cannot comprehend God’s ways. Since he is kind and compassionate toward his people, we cannot comprehend the manifold ways in which he desires to bless us. God surprises his people and exceeds their greatest expectations. Paul cites Habakkuk 1:5 in Acts 13:41 as he preaches the marvelous work of Christ. Grace is receiving that which we do not deserve, and, when received from God, it is also that which we cannot fully comprehend.
So, chin up all you true followers of Jesus. God has great things in store for us, not the least is calling us home to Himself in what I believe is the very near future.
Judgment is coming soon to the wicked of this world and the apostate church. But you don’t have to be part of it by putting your trust in Jesus.
Maranatha…come quickly Lord Jesus!
Habakkuk 1:1-17 (NKJV)
2 O LORD, how long shall I cry, And You will not hear? Even cry out to You, "Violence!" And You will not save.
3 Why do You show me iniquity, And cause me to see trouble? For plundering and violence are before me; There is strife, and contention arises.
4 Therefore the law is powerless, And justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; Therefore perverse judgment proceeds.
5 "Look among the nations and watch-- Be utterly astounded! For I will work a work in your days Which you would not believe, though it were told you.
6 For indeed I am raising up the Chaldeans, A bitter and hasty nation Which marches through the breadth of the earth, To possess dwelling places that are not theirs.
7 They are terrible and dreadful; Their judgment and their dignity proceed from themselves.
8 Their horses also are swifter than leopards, And more fierce than evening wolves. Their chargers charge ahead; Their cavalry comes from afar; They fly as the eagle that hastens to eat.
9 "They all come for violence; Their faces are set like the east wind. They gather captives like sand.
10 They scoff at kings, And princes are scorned by them. They deride every stronghold, For they heap up earthen mounds and seize it.
Taken at face value Habakkuk’s short prophecy is set in a time of national upheaval characterized by gross social injustice (1:2-4) and by the imminent advent of the Babylonians (Chaldeans) as the foremost international power (1:5-11). The central focus of Habakkuk’s prophecy is on the relation of a sovereign and holy God to a sinful world, where society is permeated by godlessness and injustice.
The theme can be seen immediately in the prophet’s opening characterization of the state of affairs in his day. Habakkuk can understand neither the gross sin of Judah nor God’s seeming indifference to the rampant corruption he sees all around him (1:2-4).
The theme continues as Habakkuk’s initial statement of perplexity is followed by the recording of God’s answer to his dilemma. Much to Habakkuk’s amazement, God is about to judge Judah’s sin by sending the Chaldeans, a ferocious, vicious people (1:5-11).
While I am not a prophet does all this sound familiar? And it has nothing to do with Trump. It has to do with our gross sin where our country and the church is permeated by godlessness and injustice. And just like in Habakkuk’s day, God is now pressing on my heart to warn that judgment is coming on our nation and those in the church who have fallen away.
We have fallen into grave sin. As a country and a church, we have abandoned the Lord, and soon, very soon, He is going to bring curses upon us. They are just starting in what’s happened in recent months. Yet He is gracious and heard the cries of his servant Habakkuk and now others today who have looked to Him in faith. He is at work to bless His true followers even before they cry out to Him.
In Romans 8, the apostle Paul teaches that the Holy Spirit “helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words” (Rom. 8:26). This is a wonderful t***h: God has our best interest in mind (Rom. 8:28). He sent the Holy Spirit to help his people in many ways, not the least of which is in prayer. Paul continues, “And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God” (Rom. 8:27). Even when we fail to understand how to pray or what we need, the Holy Spirit, who knows us more deeply than we know ourselves, intercedes for us according to God’s will (1 Cor. 2:10–13).
God’s grace transcends our understanding. He challenged Habakkuk to “wonder and be astounded,” for he is “doing a work . . . that you would not believe if told” (Hab. 1:5). A temptation in prayer can be to tell God how he should answer. This presumes that we know what we need in any given circumstance. However, in Isaiah the Lord declares, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isa. 55:8–9). We cannot comprehend God’s ways. Since he is kind and compassionate toward his people, we cannot comprehend the manifold ways in which he desires to bless us. God surprises his people and exceeds their greatest expectations. Paul cites Habakkuk 1:5 in Acts 13:41 as he preaches the marvelous work of Christ. Grace is receiving that which we do not deserve, and, when received from God, it is also that which we cannot fully comprehend.
So, chin up all you true followers of Jesus. God has great things in store for us, not the least is calling us home to Himself in what I believe is the very near future.
Judgment is coming soon to the wicked of this world and the apostate church. But you don’t have to be part of it by putting your trust in Jesus.
Maranatha…come quickly Lord Jesus!
Jan 7, 2021 22:55:49 #
Bad Bob
Loc: Virginia
Parky60 wrote:
A little-known prophet predicted what would happen... (show quote)
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