God’s Judgment

God’s Judgment

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

 Judgment on the House of Ahab

 Book of 2 Kings

 There are many disagreements in the many denominations of the Church about the “Judgment of God,” but we are all united in the belief that there will be a final “Judgment”.

 Death is a reality for every member of the human race.

 Heb 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

Heb 9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

 We should understand that this Scripture refers to the physical death of the body, but not the soul.

 The soul can be described as the life-principle of a human being, and the life-principle of every human will live on after the death of the body.

 The Lord Jesus says this about the soul: Mat 10:28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

 The soul can be said to be the immaterial nature of every human!

 The soul can only be seen by God, who gave it!

Sometimes, the real me on the inside of this sack of flesh will be looking out, and I will want to do something, but I cannot get this flesh to cooperate. It gets worse as I get older.

 At death, the soul and the body will separate: Jas 2:26 “For as the body without the spirit is dead”, so faith without works is dead also.

 With the body now dead, it is the soul that will face the judgment of God, as our verse in the Book of Hebrews says.

 No one is exempt from this death. Rom 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

 We must be very clear that because Jehovah is holy, He must judge all that is unholy, or He would no longer be holy Himself!

 “Judgment” is an expression of God’s character!

 Today, we will see that many will face God’s “Judgement” as they die because they are evil and wicked, and they have refused to repent of that wickedness.

 We have already spoken some on the judgment of King Ahab and his wife Jezebel, but today we will see it as it takes place in the Scriptures.

 It was the Prophet Elijah who first informed King Ahab about how his life would end in judgment.

 We know that God had already judged Lucifer and the fallen angels, and the things written in the Scriptures will take place as they are written.

 We know that God judged the people on this earth with the worldwide flood in the days of Noah.

 God judged the people at the Tower of Babel.

 God judged the people of the Northern Kingdom, as we have been studying.

 God also judged the Southern Kingdom.

 We know that the wrath of God will be revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness!

The Book of Revelation gives us the horrible details of this “Judgement”.

 Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

Rom 1:19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.

 As the Son of God, our Lord Jesus has the authority to render judgment when He returns, and He will only do this after He has removed His Church from this earth.

 Joh 5:27 And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.

Joh 5:28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,

Joh 5:29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.

 It would be Jehu who would be the hand of God’s judgment upon King Ahab and his wife Jezebel.

We will see that Jehu went farther than the Lord intended and in ways that were not intended.

 *****2Ki 9:1 And Elisha the prophet called one of the children of the prophets, and said unto him, Gird up thy loins, and take this box of oil in thine hand, and go to Ramothgilead:

2Ki 9:2 And when thou comest thither, look out there Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi, and go in, and make him arise up from among his brethren, and carry him to an inner chamber;

2Ki 9:3 Then take the box of oil, and pour it on his head, and say, Thus saith the LORD, I have anointed thee king over Israel. Then open the door, and flee, and tarry not.

2Ki 9:4 So the young man, even the young man the prophet, went to Ramothgilead.

2Ki 9:5 And when he came, behold, the captains of the host were sitting; and he said, I have an errand to thee, O captain. And Jehu said, Unto which of all us? And he said, To thee, O captain.

 Once Jehu was known to be the next King of the Northern Tribes of Israel, he had to move fast because he would be charged with high treason.

 Jehu was commanded by Jehovah to put a stop to the House of Ahab and being obedient to God and upon the right principles, he did not have to worry about opposition.

 What did the Lord actually say?

 1Ki 19:17 And it shall come to pass, that him that escapeth the sword of Hazael shall Jehu slay: and him that escapeth from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha slay.

1Ki 19:18 Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.

 What had God said to Ahab?

 1Ki 21:21 Behold, I will bring evil upon thee, and will take away thy posterity, and will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel,

1Ki 21:22 And will make thine house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the provocation wherewith thou hast provoked me to anger, and made Israel to sin.

1Ki 21:23 And of Jezebel also spake the LORD, saying, The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.

1Ki 21:24 Him that dieth of Ahab in the city the dogs shall eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat.

 This was Ahab’s last chance to repent. We know that Ahab did repent at least a little and Jehovah allowed him to die in a war with Syria “before his family came to judgment”, but the words of God’s prophet still held.

 1Ki 22:37 So the king died, and was brought to Samaria; and they buried the king in Samaria.

1Ki 22:38 And one washed the chariot in the pool of Samaria; and the dogs licked up his blood; and they washed his armour; according unto the word of the LORD which he spake.

 *****2Ki 9:6 And he arose, and went into the house; and he poured the oil on his head, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I have anointed thee king over the people of the LORD, even over Israel.

2Ki 9:7 And thou shalt smite the house of Ahab thy master, that I may avenge the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the LORD, at the hand of Jezebel.

2Ki 9:8 For the whole house of Ahab shall perish: and I will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel:

2Ki 9:9 And I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah:

2Ki 9:10 And the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the portion of Jezreel, and there shall be none to bury her. And he opened the door, and fled.

 It was Elijah who had received the order from Jehovah to anoint Jehu as the new King of the Northern Tribes of Israel.

 Elijah anointed Elisha to replace him as a Prophet of God, and it was Elisha who anointed Hazael as King of Syria. Now, Elisha sent another prophet to anoint Jehu as the new king.

 God had allowed King Ahab to reign until his death.

 1Ki 21:27 And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly.

1Ki 21:28 And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,

1Ki 21:29 Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me? because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days: but in his son’s days will I bring the evil upon his house.

 Once King Ahab had died, Jehovah fulfilled the promise He had made.

 1Ki 21:21 Behold, I will bring evil upon thee, and will take away thy posterity, and will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel,

1Ki 21:22 And will make thine house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the provocation wherewith thou hast provoked me to anger, and made Israel to sin.

 The person Elisha chose to anoint Jehu as king was to do three things.

 Jehu was one of the captains of the Army of King Ahab and may have been the lead captain.

 1) This prophet was to take Jehu into an inner room and privately anoint him out of sight of everyone else.

2) He was to declare that it was Jehovah who had appointed him king over Israel.

3) He was to flee the scene as quickly as he could.

 For someone to declare themselves to be king would be considered high treason to the existing government.

 This is the thing that the Jews used to have the Lord Jesus crucified.

 Jehu was chosen specifically to execute justice on the house of Ahab.

 This was because Ahab had allowed Jezebel to slaughter the people of God and God’s prophets.

 Jehu was to kill all the descendants of Ahab and Jezebel.

 God had said this same thing would happen to other kings of Israel.

 Jezebel’s ending would be just as God had described.

 2Ki 9:10 And the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the portion of Jezreel, and there shall be none to bury her.

 The army of King Ahab became the army of King Jehu.

 Jehu was appointed to be a just ruler to execute justice.

There is a big difference between justice and murder!

 It is the same for every ruler that God allows to rule today.

 They are in place to execute justice, and they will be held accountable to God for how they do this!

 Executing justice does not always mean murder, which is a sin!

 However, how any ruler executes justice to their people will determine how Jehovah will execute justice to them!

 Whatever they sow, they will reap!

 The Lord Jesus Christ will execute perfect justice when He returns!

 2Ch 19:6 And said to the judges, Take heed what ye do: for ye judge not for man, but for the LORD, who is with you in the judgment.

2Ch 19:7 Wherefore now let the fear of the LORD be upon you; take heed and do it: for there is no iniquity with the LORD our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of gifts.

 Mat 7:2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

 Joram, a son of Ahab, was now ruler of Israel, and Ahaziah was King of Judah, and they were both together.

 Because Athaliah was the daughter of Jezebel and the mother of Ahaziah, Joram, King of Israel, was the uncle to Ahaziah, the King of Judah.

 *****2Ki 9:21 And Joram said, Make ready. And his chariot was made ready. And Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah went out, each in his chariot, and they went out against Jehu, and met him in the portion of Naboth the Jezreelite.

2Ki 9:22 And it came to pass, when Joram saw Jehu, that he said, Is it peace, Jehu? And he answered, What peace, so long as the whoredoms of thy mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many?

2Ki 9:23 And Joram turned his hands, and fled, and said to Ahaziah, There is treachery, O Ahaziah.

 The uncle and his nephew went out to meet Jehu.

 As only God can manage, these men met at the portion of land that had been taken from Naboth.

 If we do not believe in the providence of God, then we will never understand the Word of God.

 In reality, Jehu carried out a bloody slaughter throughout Israel.

 Did Jehovah command this to happen, or did He just warn King Ahab that this was going to happen?

 God will always allow us to repent.

 God will tell us what will happen if we refuse to repent.

 Hos 1:4 And the LORD said unto him, Call his name Jezreel; for yet a little while, and I will avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, and will cause to cease the kingdom of the house of Israel.

Hos 1:5 And it shall come to pass at that day, that I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel.

 We can see that the military of King Ahab did not think too highly of Jezebel.

 Joram was just like his mother, and Ahaziah was just like his mother Athaliah, the daughter of Jezebel.

 *****2Ki 9:24 And Jehu drew a bow with his full strength, and smote Jehoram between his arms, and the arrow went out at his heart, and he sunk down in his chariot.

2Ki 9:25 Then said Jehu to Bidkar his captain, Take up, and cast him in the portion of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite: for remember how that, when I and thou rode together after Ahab his father, the LORD laid this burden upon him;

2Ki 9:26 Surely I have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth, and the blood of his sons, saith the LORD; and I will requite thee in this plat, saith the LORD. Now therefore take and cast him into the plat of ground, according to the word of the LORD.

2Ki 9:27 But when Ahaziah the king of Judah saw this, he fled by the way of the garden house. And Jehu followed after him, and said, Smite him also in the chariot. And they did so at the going up to Gur, which is by Ibleam. And he fled to Megiddo, and died there.

 There are over fifty-two verses of Scripture that describe the slaughter of Jehu, so it must be important that we understand what God is saying here.

 Jehu took out King Joram with one shot of an arrow through his heart, and his body was cast into the field once owned by Naboth where the birds would eat him.

 It is Verse 26 that tells that the sons of Naboth were also slaughtered by King Ahab and Jezebel.

 Now Jehu turns his attention to King Ahaziah of Judah, best described in the Book of 2 Chronicles:

 2Ch 22:7 And the destruction of Ahaziah was of God by coming to Joram: for when he was come, he went out with Jehoram against Jehu the son of Nimshi, whom the LORD had anointed to cut off the house of Ahab.

2Ch 22:8 And it came to pass, that, when Jehu was executing judgment upon the house of Ahab, and found the princes of Judah, and the sons of the brethren of Ahaziah, that ministered to Ahaziah, he slew them.

2Ch 22:9 And he sought Ahaziah: and they caught him, (for he was hid in Samaria,) and brought him to Jehu: and when they had slain him, they buried him: Because, said they, he is the son of Jehoshaphat, who sought the LORD with all his heart. So the house of Ahaziah had no power to keep still the kingdom.

 The death of Ahaziah and his sons left Judah without a king, and this is when Athaliah took it upon herself to become Queen of Judah by her treachery. She murdered her own children and grandchildren.

 2Ch 22:10 But when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal of the house of Judah.

 Only one son had survived, who was Joash, who continued the promise made to King David.

 2Ch 22:11 But Jehoshabeath, the daughter of the king, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king’s sons that were slain, and put him and his nurse in a bedchamber. So Jehoshabeath, the daughter of king Jehoram, the wife of Jehoiada the priest, (for she was the sister of Ahaziah,) hid him from Athaliah, so that she slew him not.

2Ch 22:12 And he was with them hid in the house of God six years: and Athaliah reigned over the land.

 Jehu decided it was time to take care of Jezebel.

 *****2Ki 9:30 And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she painted her face, and tired her head, and looked out at a window.

 A tire was a headdress, an ornament for the head, generally of gold or precious stones, a tiara.

 Jezebel was old by this time, but made herself look like royalty in an attempt to impress Jehu.

 She had been the cause of the death of many prophets of God.

 *****2Ki 9:31 And as Jehu entered in at the gate, she said, Had Zimri peace, who slew his master?

2Ki 9:32 And he lifted up his face to the window, and said, Who is on my side? who? And there looked out to him two or three eunuchs.

2Ki 9:33 And he said, Throw her down. So they threw her down: and some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall, and on the horses: and he trode her under foot.

2Ki 9:34 And when he was come in, he did eat and drink, and said, Go, see now this cursed woman, and bury her: for she is a king’s daughter.

2Ki 9:35 And they went to bury her: but they found no more of her than the skull, and the feet, and the palms of her hands.

2Ki 9:36 Wherefore they came again, and told him. And he said, This is the word of the LORD, which he spake by his servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, In the portion of Jezreel shall dogs eat the flesh of Jezebel:

2Ki 9:37 And the carcase of Jezebel shall be as dung upon the face of the field in the portion of Jezreel; so that they shall not say, This is Jezebel.

 The end of Jezebel was just as Jehovah had said.

 Her blood had splattered everywhere, she was trampled, and the dogs had eaten her until nothing but her skull, her hands, and her feet were left.

She would be as dung as her remains passed from the dogs in the nearby fields of Jezreel.

 She was buried in an unmarked grave, and no one mourned for this wicked woman.

 It was then that Jehu turned his attention to the seventy sons of King Ahab.

 The Scripture says seventy sons, but it may mean sons, grandsons, and great-grandsons.

 *****2Ki 10:10 Know now that there shall fall unto the earth nothing of the word of the LORD, which the LORD spake concerning the house of Ahab: for the LORD hath done that which he spake by his servant Elijah.

2Ki 10:11  So Jehu slew all that remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great men, and his kinsfolks, and his priests, until he left him none remaining. 

 Jehu may have considered himself to be the arm of God, but in reality, we know that God does not need our help for His Word to be True!

 Zec 1:6 But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not take hold of your fathers? and they returned and said, Like as the LORD of hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways, and according to our doings, so hath he dealt with us.

 Mar 13:31 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.

 Jehu wrote a letter to the officials of Samaria and Jezreel, telling them to choose the closest relative of King Ahab and make him king of Israel and to prepare for war.

 This only terrified these officials, who were afraid to confront Jehu.

 Since they had switched their allegiance to Jehu, Jehu wrote another letter demanding that they execute justice against the seventy sons of King Ahab for treason.

 They were to bring the heads of these seventy sons to Jezreel the very next day.

 The word of Jehu was honored.

 Jehu made out that he was on a special mission for Jehovah to remove any blame for himself seeking the sympathy of the people.

 Jehu was not a godly man.

 *****2Ki 10:31 But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the LORD God of Israel with all his heart: for he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam, which made Israel to sin.

 He was just like Jeroboam.

 King Jehu went beyond the justice that God had intended, and he became a murderer.

 God wanted justice throughout the Northern Tribes of Israel and not just the elimination of one family, though God knew what Jehu would do.

 To murder is a terrible sin because it takes the life of a person out of this world.

 The hearts of many who are left behind also suffer much pain and grief, and in many cases hardship, because it was the male who was the breadwinner on that day, while the wife took care of the children.

 Jehu caused a terrible number of single-parent families.

 God never instructs His children to murder. God still says that they will suffer the consequences of this evil.

 For the wages of sin is death!

 Amen

The Judgment Upon the Sodomites

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Judgment Upon Evil Cities

Book of Genesis Chapters 18 through 20

Today we will see that lightening is not the true fire of God, but the true fire of God is seen in the destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah!

We must know that our personal choices bring consequences and some of those consequences can be very severe.

We must know that every person who ends up in Hell made a deliberate choice to be there, when they rejected the Word of God which states the consequences of sin plainly and earnestly.

God’s hatred for sin is universal but God’s love for people is also universal!

I had this thought yesterday. I just wonder just how many pages in the Lamb’s Book of Life will be empty because of those who reject the Lord Jesus Christ.

I know for certain that there will be none because we have an All-Knowing God, but If I had prepared that Book, I would have had enough pages to accommodate most of the world because I would never have thought so many would be foolish enough to reject the Lord Jesus Christ as the truth of salvation.

Knowing what I know now, my book would be full of empty pages, spaces where your name could have been written in.

There is no sin that the Blood of Jesus cannot take away and a full pardon granted!

We must clearly understand that because God is Holy, He must “judge” all that is unholy!

If God did not do this, then He would no longer be Holy Himself!

“Judgment” is the necessary expression of the “Righteous Character of God”!

All these things being true, God will be fair in His “Judgment”!

Rom 2:2 But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.

God has pronounced “Judgment” in every Age!

Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
Rom 1:19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.

This being true, it still is not the “Final Judgment”!

The “Final Judgment” begins at the return of the Lord Jesus Christ, which is still in our future!

Joh 5:27 And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.
Joh 5:28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
Joh 5:29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.

Let us begin.

*Gen 18:20 And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;
Gen 18:21 I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know.

From this one Scripture, we can see that there was much turmoil in Sodom and the few that remained who rejected the gay lifestyle were making their voices heard and God was listening.

No doubt they had been martyred, because it is the blood that cries out to God after a murder.

Sodom was not a good place to live and there were no children living there.

We know this because young children are innocent, and the Lord did not find any that were innocent in Sodom, except for Lot when He destroyed that wicked city.

All around Sodom the blessings of God could be seen but this would soon change.

All the grazing land and beautiful gardens would soon be a desert wilderness.

Wickedness and sin will ruin even nature and we see this all around the world today.

We can easily see that the Lord values those who are righteous!

If as many as 10 righteous people had been in Sodom that wicked city would have been spared, which also shows us the power of 10 righteous people in any wicked city to make things better.

But there was only one righteous man Lot and his two virgin daughters were saved even though the minds of those two girls had been corrupted.

God did not have to come down from Heaven because He is all-knowing.

God came down to show the Christian that He will always take a firsthand look before He will cause such destruction.

It would take at least 2 righteous witnesses so God the Heavenly Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit count as 3 witnesses.

It was the Triune God who came to be sure no righteous person would be harmed.

We must understand that God is willing to show mercy right up to the time He causes destruction!

*Gen 18:22 And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD.

We know the Bible says that there were three men who appeared to Abraham.

Gen 18:2 And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,

One of them had to be the Lord Jesus Christ before He was known as Jesus. We call this a “theophany”.

Gen 18:10 And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.

Gen 18:13 And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?

So, it was only 2 angels that appeared as humans who went onward to Sodom.

Abraham went to talk to the Lord who stayed behind a little longer to assure Abraham.

*Gen 18:23 And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?

Those who read these Scriptures may say this was only a man or an angel, but Abraham knew exactly who He was speaking to.

No angel has the power to do destruction upon this earth unless that command comes for the Almighty God!

Abraham loved the Lord but just like Job, he did not really know all the heart of God and our merciful God took the time to assure His child of the truth.

The truth is our God hates sin and says it over and over, but he has no hatred for the sinner.

God will never destroy a righteous soul but all those who reject the truth of God and cling to their sin will one day find themselves without a Savior!

Lot was wrong to have allowed himself and his family to be drawn into the wickedness of Sodom, but Lot had not been a part of that sin and clung to his righteousness.

Once we are “justified” by the Lord that means we will never be “judged” again by the Lord!

It is “Grace” that keeps us saved, but we must still repent of our sin daily and pray for forgiveness to show the Lord we love Him!

Luke 18:1 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;

There is no reason upon this earth that we should ever stop praying!

Prayer is talking to the Lord just like Abraham is talking to the Lord in this passage of Scripture.

The closer we draw near to the Lord the better those prayers will be!

Abraham was being an “intercessor” and we can learn many lessons in this passage about the work of the intercessor.

Abraham was aware that Lot was a righteous man even though he was wrong in placing his family in such a situation.

It maybe that Abraham could not believe that all the others in Sodom were unrighteous, but they were.

As Christians we had that same thought in our recent elections!

We could not believe there were so many corrupt politicians who had so many people willing to vote for them.

I still cannot fathom this thing as a reality. I live in a much-divided nation, many who have been brainwashed in our schools of higher learning.

I pray reality will set in, when they see their politicians were all liars and socialist mixed with communist with specific agendas.

God will never destroy the righteous with the wicked.

*Gen 18:25 That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?
Gen 18:26 And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.

Notice Abraham is not asking for “Grace”.

Abraham wanted to be sure that the “judgment” of God matched His Divine Righteousness.

God could not be “righteous” and destroy the righteous along with the wicked!

Jehovah was not unrighteous then, to do such a thing and He has never changed His position.

How could we ever trust such a God, who would do such a thing?

This is the whole purpose of the “Rapture” of the Church, for God to remove the “righteous” before He destroys the wicked!

As humans we do not see what God sees, and again, we cannot imagine that an entire city could be corrupt, but I am afraid this last election burst that bubble.

Even our capitol city Washington may be the most corrupt of them all.

Right can never prevail if our God does not allow it!

You see the innocent will never be consumed with the overthrow of those who do evil.

There is no doubt that the “Judge of the entire world” is the Lord Jesus Christ because all power of our Heavenly Father has been given to Him.

Mat_28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

Isa 11:3 And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:
Isa 11:4 But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.
Isa 11:5 And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.

It is Jehovah who has supreme authority over this created world.

Not Satan
Not Allah
Not any other false god.

Deu 32:4 He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.

Then the Lord of “mercy” listens to the words of Abraham, already knowing what He will do.

To Abraham this was answered prayer!

*Gen 19:1 And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground;

We see that Lot had forsook looking for the Promised Land and settled for a city with the bright lights of wickedness.

Lot gave up his tent which made him a pilgrim and settled for what the world had to offer.

Lot had not lost his salvation, but he had forsook seeking a personal relationship with the Lord.

Lot knew how wicked it was in the city of Sodom.

Lot had also witnessed the immorality in this wicked city.

We now see that those two men who traveled with the Lord were actually angels.

As they approached Sodom, Lot saw them and knew that they were in danger if they came into Sodom especially late in the evening as it was.

Lot sitting at the gates of the city tells us he had become a leader in that city, he had not been a good witness, but he still had his inner goodness.

Most all city business was conducted at the gates of the city in those days.

Lot would have been considered a rich man in that city.

Lot stopped these two angels, not knowing they were angels, thinking they were only men.

*Gen 19:2 And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant’s house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night.

These two angels may have tested the hospitality of Lot and no doubt they would have been safe in the street but that was not part of the plan.

In many cities in that day, these two angels even as men would have been perfectly safe.

The Lord to be kind to the stranger.

The one thing Lot knew is no man was safe on the streets of Sodom and nighttime.

We are finding that our own streets in America are becoming unsafe at nighttime and even in the daytime, as wickedness has increased in our nation.

Look at Chicago where no one has been able to stop the murder and mayhem in that city.

The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and three other cities had already been set.

The only thing left to do was to get the righteous out of the city which was Lot, and he would have been allowed to take his family but the gay son in laws would not believe and their marriage was non-existent as those two daughters were still virgin as we will see.

The message of these two angels is the same message we should have for the lost today.

“You can only escape with your lives by Jesus Christ”

*Gen 19:3 And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat.
Gen 19:4 But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter:
Gen 19:5 And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them.

Lot knew that the filth on the streets of Sodom could not be washed away like the dirt upon the feet of these two traveling men who were really angels come to remove the righteous.

As the meal ended and night came, the wicked immoral men of Sodom could sense the purity of God’s angels and they came for them.

We can never understand how a righteous man could live in such filth, yet we see the compromising of the Word of God every day in our cites and in many churches.

We will see that these things took their toll on Lot and his family.

We can also see why Sodom had to be destroyed. It is because sin had become so grievous!

Today we see parents dictating to the child what sex they should be.

Encouraging them while just children to undergo surgeries in an attempt to transform their sexuality.

We see judges take children away from parents who try to stop their children from making these mistakes and making these decisions while they are too young to make these mistakes.

We see so-called counselors teaching children that they can decide their sex when their body says differently.

God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah and He will destroy this world we live in just as He says!

Sin in this world has become grievous!

I know God would never have allowed these angels to give in to these wicked men, but we can also be sure that these men had no fear of God.

And to show us why the word Sodomy came about, Lot offered his two virgin daughters who were actually married to two men from Sodom, but they were rejected.

What do we know?

Rom 1:26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
Rom 1:27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.
Rom 1:28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
Rom 1:29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
Rom 1:30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
Rom 1:31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
Rom 1:32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

These inhabitants of Canaan Land were the worst of the population of Canaan, but the rest were not much better, but God gave them until the time of Israel before they were destroyed but the land was saved.

The land of Sodom and Gomorrah and three other cities became wilderness and tar pits useless land.

Lot went out to talk with these men.

*Gen 19:6 And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him,
Gen 19:7 And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly.

Again I ask myself, what was in Sodom that caused Lot to stay there with his family. He knew how wicked these men were.

The Apostle Peter put it like this.

2Pe 2:6 And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;
2Pe 2:7 And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked:
2Pe 2:8 (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)
2Pe 2:9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:

The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah are examples of the sin, that will cause God to destroy this world we live in today.

We see all these things today in America!

Lot was an example of how God will remove His righteous people, even those who have vexed their soul by living among such sin compromising the Word of God.

The soul of Lot was afflicted, while he suffered grief and distress, because Lot stayed because of his family.

His wife loved the bright lights and big city feel of Sodom.

His daughters had met men they for some reason married, but they were unable to change their ways, which is another type in the Word of God.

2Co 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
2Co 6:15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
2Co 6:16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

While being married these two young ladies had remained virgins and returned home to live with their parents.

The angels caused blindness to happen to these wicked men and the night was spent in quietness.

They pulled Lot back into the house before he was injured.

Lot went out to speak to his sons in law, but they just laughed at him in unbelief.

In the morning these two angels urged Lot to take his family and get out of Sodom.

In fact they had to take Lot and his family by the hand and lead them out of Sodom.

Lot still argued with them for a time until he saw the hand of God bring destruction.

*Gen 19:24 Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;
Gen 19:25 And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.

You want to see typology? This is an example of the coming destruction of this place we call Earth.

You want to see the true fire of God? It is not lightning though lightening is His creation.

There may be another reason we are experiencing Global Warming! It is not man-made!

God rained brimstone and fire down upon Sodom and Gomorrah.

The truth is sulfur is found in almost every region of this earth, and it is inflammable.

It is especially abundant near volcanoes and mineral wells.

Bitumen a substance that is mentioned as slime and other names, was used to make bricks, it coated the Ark of Noah and the Ark of Moses and it to, is flammable.

It hardens when exposed to air. When it is fluid it forms naphtha. It becomes oil as it thickens. The next stage is as asphalt.

The igniter of that day was sin. The igniter today is sin.

God rained brimstone down upon Sodom and Gomorrah and then ignited it and God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah and three other cities of that plain.

There were no survivors!

It seems possible that God triggered an earthquake along that fault line in that day and what He used to trigger it can be used at any time and at anywhere else in this world or all over the entire world as He says in the Book of Revelation and even here in the Book of the beginnings it is said that God will destroy this world with fire and not use a flood again,

Job 1:16 While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The fire of God is fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep, and the servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.

Eze 38:22 And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone.
Eze 38:23 Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD.

Psa 11:6 Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup.
Psa 11:7 For the righteous LORD loveth righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright.

Psa 18:12 At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed, hail stones and coals of fire.
Psa 18:13 The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals of fire.

Isa 29:6 Thou shalt be visited of the LORD of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with storm and tempest, and the flame of devouring fire.

Isa 30:30 And the LORD shall cause his glorious voice to be heard, and shall shew the lighting down of his arm, with the indignation of his anger, and with the flame of a devouring fire, with scattering, and tempest, and hailstones.

Say you do not believe what the Lord says, then trust in yourself and you will find these same things in Hell!

When this Scripture says God overthrew these cities that word “overthrow” gives us the idea of a people standing against the Lord, standing up in His face, cursing Him, standing up in their immorality, in their lawlessness, in their rebellion, daring God to do something about it.

We are fools to test God!

They were fools to ignore the truth of God!

Today this world is foolish to ignore the Word of God!

The day is coming and prophesied, when Jehovah will overthrow all the cities upon this Earth, when He “judges” the sin, and wickedness, and evilness, and the immorality and the corruption that exist today and getting worse.

I have been “judged” and “justified” and you can be too if you give your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ!

Do not wait until the “Fire of God” comes in “judgment”!

*Gen 19:26  But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. 

When it comes time to be saved from the wrath of God, it is not time look keep that yearning to sin.

When with world becomes as the world of Noah full of sin and wickedness, God will destroy it again.

Before God begins His wrath upon the unrighteous, God will first place the righteous of Israel in a safe place all this according to Scripture.

Rev_12:14  And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.

The Lord Jesus explains it like this:

Luk 17:26  And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. 
Luk 17:27  They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. 
Luk 17:28  Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; 
Luk 17:29  But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. 
Luk 17:30  Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. 
Luk 17:31  In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back.

Then our Savior added these three words:

Luk 17:32  Remember Lot’s wife. 

You know it will not be time to look back on what is left behind, it will be time for true Israel to escape with their lives.

Abraham awoke at peace with himself because he knew the Lord always does right!

*Gen 19:27 And Abraham gat up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the LORD:
Gen 19:28 And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace.
Gen 19:29 And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in the which Lot dwelt.

Abraham gave no thought to this thing because the Lord had promised that not one righteous person would be harmed.

Lot and his two daughters were saved because of the prayer of Abraham but the sin of Sodom was so engraved into their souls, that they could no longer think right.

Lot turned to alcohol and destroyed his own life even though his soul was saved.

Those two daughters were so messed up they did not understand the truth of God and sin just multiplied in their own lives.

In reality Lot was not a witness for the truth of God instead he damaged and shamed God’s name.

He was a disgrace to others who trust the Lord.

He was a living hypocrite!

His only good was that he did not partake in this immorality himself.

Lot was a useless witness, and he began to realize it, but it never says that he repented.

Amen

The Judgment Of God

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

The Judgment Of God

Book of Amos Chapters 1-4

Amos was a fiery preacher and God’s prophet, but most all the things we know about Amos we find in the book that bears his name.

Amos is not mentioned in any other book of the Bible.

Amos was a native of Tekoa a place about 6 mile from Bethlehem in the Southern Kingdom but God sent him to the Northern Kingdom to do His work.

Amos may not have been just a poor shepherd because according to the Hebrew word used for shepherd, Amos could have been a breeder of sheep.

It is possible that Amos raised large herds of sheep.

And also possible that Amos managed a large grove of Sycamore trees.

BUT, Amos described himself simply as a simple farmer called of God.

Amo 7:14 Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet’s son; but I was an herdman, and a gatherer of sycomore fruit:
Amo 7:15 And the LORD took me as I followed the flock, and the LORD said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel.

Amos was a true prophet of God and he had the courage of a prophet called of God and remember the words of a prophet of God had to always be true.

Num 12:6 And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.

The only prophet that was different as far as we know was Moses who had a special task.

Num 12:7 My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house.
Num 12:8 With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?

In time there became what we would call prophetic order of men called of God probably begun at the time of Samuel.

Amos said he had never belonged to such an order.

The 16 prophets in which we have books, were called of God, commissioned, and entrusted with the messages of God to His people.

They were not only prophets but also historians, and preachers of patriotism and had morals that were based on the Word of God.

It was also their intention to influence the politics of the government to follow the Word of God!

Amos’ most important job was to reveal God’s will to all mankind.

Most every prophet also foretold of the coming of Jesus Christ.

Amos’ main target was the Northern Tribes of Israel and Amos preached the coming judgment of God!

We must remember all the books of the prophets were written as much for us as they were for the people of that day.

1Co 10:11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: “and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come”.

And these things were written to teach how to live godly lives.

Rom 15:4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.

The Book of Amos was written to call Israel to repentance and obedience to the Word of God to avoid the judgment of God.

We can also learn this valuable lesson.

So let’s begin:

*****Amo 1:1 The words of Amos, who was among the herdmen of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.
Amo 1:2 And he said, The LORD will roar from Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the habitations of the shepherds shall mourn, and the top of Carmel shall wither.

To understand better the time of Amos we need to take the time to read in the Book of Kings from the time of Uzziah of the Southern Kingdom and Jeroboam II of the Northern Kingdom.

To relate the message of Amos to our life today, we need to remember those times when we have been told, “this is your last chance”.

In most cases it meant one last chance to change our behavior or else?

The “else” that Amos was referring to was the “judgment” of God!

Amos made it very plain, these were not his words but that this message was from God Himself as it was from all God’s prophets!

There are so many today that preach the God of Love and this is certainly true.

There are many today that preach a prosperity gospel and it is true that God will provide our needs but He did not promise to make us all rich.

There are very few that preach the “Judgment” of God and if these other things are true then we must accept that we can make God angry and God will one day reach a point where He will simply say “I’ve had enough”.

There are those that preach that Amos only pronounced “judgment” on the Northern Tribes but they simply did not read the book.

Before God allowed Amos to preach “judgment” on Israel, the Northern Tribes, God mentions the nations that surrounded Israel in that day but also today.

Amos preached the judgment on Damascus, which is Syria, a cruel people.
Amos preached the judgment of Gaza, the Philistines in that day the so called Palestinians of today a callous people.
Amos preach the judgment Tyre, Phoenicia in that day but does not exist as a state today. They were a disloyal people.
Amos preached the judgment of Edom. Edom does not exist today as a state but they were an unmerciful people.
Amos preached the judgment of Ammon, now Jordan, they were a covetous people.
Amos preached the judgment of Moab, they were a vengeful people.
And before Amos preached the judgment of Israel, he preached against Judah, modern day Israel, a disobedient, and unfaithful people.
And finally Amos preached the judgment of Israel, a hypocritical people.

You see like a Lion the Lord will roar from Zion!

The message of Amos was judgment on all the people of this world that do these things!

*****Amo 2:6 Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes;
Amo 2:7 That pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poor, and turn aside the way of the meek: and a man and his father will go in unto the same maid, to profane my holy name:
Amo 2:8 And they lay themselves down upon clothes laid to pledge by every altar, and they drink the wine of the condemned in the house of their god.

We should also be clear that God’s judgment will be on His own people first.

God’s people will be the first to given an account for their own works after salvation.

1Pe 4:17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

God will judge the Church first then the rest of the world.

God has said that there was to be a treaty of brotherhood among all human beings, and we can see how we have all failed.

We are to love one another no matter our race, our color, or our nationality after all we all come from the Living God!

The people of Judah and Israel were not accustomed to such preaching especially by such a man as Amos who was not connected to the line of Aaron or Moses or any of the priesthood.

Israel lived understanding that they were the chosen of God and above God’s judgment which is not true.

There is no one above the “judgment of God!

The truth of God is that He is Love.

1Jn 4:8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

God will continue to bless all people while He patiently waits on them to repent and turn from their wicked ways, right up until the time that He decides it is time for judgment.

Right up until the time when He says, “this is your last chance”!

What had Israel done? They had denied the power of God and turned to idol worship.

They had denied the salvation of the God who had set them free from the bondage of Egypt and claimed that power actually came from a false god.

They had rejected all the prophets of God. (It is during this time of Amos that we also find Jonah and Hosea)

They had rejected those who had pronounced their claim to be Nazarites who also witnessed for the Lord.

They had actually persecuted all those that remained true to God!

They had actually tried to force God’s people to to violate their commitments they made to the Lord.

All these things sound so familiar to what is going on in our world today even in America.

The terrorists and the governments doing the same thing, trying to rid the world of God’s people.

While pretending to be God’s people they had become deceitful.

They were hypocrites!

They drank the wine of the condemned in the house of their god!

And what was the best example in the history of this people?

*****Amo 2:9 Yet destroyed I the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the cedars, and he was strong as the oaks; yet I destroyed his fruit from above, and his roots from beneath.
Amo 2:10 Also I brought you up from the land of Egypt, and led you forty years through the wilderness, to possess the land of the Amorite.
Amo 2:11 And I raised up of your sons for prophets, and of your young men for Nazarites. Is it not even thus, O ye children of Israel? saith the LORD.

Amos had preached that the sins of terrorism and barbarism were truly great and would be judged.

Amos had preached that civilizations that made slaves of the poor and abused the needy would be judged even more harsh.

Israel had great victories but those victories had come by the hand of God.

It was God that had destroyed the Amorites.

These were a people full of passion and pride and all sorts of immorality. So much was the destruction of this people that they are no longer remembered except on some ancient Egyptian monuments.

This thing had followed the deliverance of Israel from the bondage of Egypt and their 40 years in the wilderness.

In fact they had spent 40 years in the wilderness because they had a deadly fear of these same Amorites.

It had been by God’s mercy that Israel had been blessed.

But, It was God who had called the prophets who spoke only the words of God.

And, It was God who had called for the Nazarites who showed the way of God through the way they lived.

When we deny the power of God we will spend our days in wasted lives.

It is God who destroys our enemies.

It is God who provides a plan of salvation.

No matter what we think we have gotten for ourselves, it was God that provided it.

When we deny God’s power we are wasting our time praying because the object of prayer is seek the God of all power!

This world we live in better wake up because to persecute God’s messengers brings the downfall to every nation.

To persecute God’s people will bring the wrath of God!

We live in a world that simply refuses to hear about their sin, so they truly do not want to be around a righteous person.

A righteous person is only those that follow the teachings of the Word of God!

Persecuting the people of God was accepted by society in the day of Amos and we can see that persecuting God’s people is accepted by society in the world today and yes even in America!

God only has one choice and this world is making it for Him!

God will judge each nation and then the world!

None of these will escape the wrath of God!

God says no one is swift enough nor strong enough to escape (vs14)

God says no nation has enough military power to defend against His judgment (vs15)

God says there is simply no one that can stand up to Him in this world (vs16)

The absolute worst sinner in this world is not the mass murderer or the ones who are the most evil.

The worst sinners in this world are the hypocrites who profess to believe upon the Lord but are deceiving those who truly believe.

Those that profess they know the Lord on a personal level and then live their own life by their own rules are hypocrites.

Israel had become a nation of hypocrites!

Tit 1:15 Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.
Tit 1:16 They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.

We are warned specifically about these things:

1Jn 2:4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
1Jn 2:5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
1Jn 2:6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

Chapter 3 is more about how to avoid the “Judgment” of God. God had chosen the nation of Israel to bring His message to the world and they had rejected this purpose and rejected His privileges and therefore they would see His “Judgment”.

We must remember that the Living God has offered every human being the opportunity to walk and talk with Him and most of the world still rejects His offer. Therefore most of this world will see the soon coming “Judgment” of God.

As we continue we will see that God’s “Judgment” will fall on an unrepentant people who have been given many opportunities to do so.

Selfishness, stubbornness, and hypocritical worship will bring the “Judgment” of God on every people!

The answer to all these things is repentance.

Chapter 4 is about repentance.

This is not the repentance of Judas who was very sorry for what he had done but his heart was still unchanged.

True repentance is a change of mind, a change of our purpose in this life, a complete change of direction of where we were headed.

This is the only repentance that will bring forgiveness of sins!

It takes a true realization of our sin.
It takes a true realization of God’s mercy.
It takes a true hatred for any and all sin.
It takes a true walk with the Lord Jesus Christ.

The truth is stubbornness will result in the “Judgment” of God.

In the past God has used famine as a means of discipline and I am sure He may still use this and other things today.

The truth is discipline means that “Judgment” has not yet come.

God will make use of famine.

Amo 4:6 And I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and want of bread in all your places: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD.

The truth is, we live in cursed world and many evils may come upon us which we may be innocent in relation to them, but God’s discipline is for the sin we know we have.

When we know what God expects and He gives a complete list, so we are without excuse, then to do those things is just being stubborn and in open rebellion to the Word of God.

If there is a famine then we should ask ourselves what are we doing wrong and repent.

We should consider that even if God did not cause a situation, He did allow it for some reason and God judges sin, but rewards good works even though good works cannot get you into a personal relationship with God.

We should also consider that God has a reason for everything He does and “Love” and “Concern” are His two greatest reasons.

Afflictions are designed to humble us to the point of asking why and then we can look in the mirror of our lives to get the answer.

God will do the same thing to a government that He will do to a person and God sometimes uses human wickedness and we can see this in America today. We should see this as discipline to give us time to repent before “Judgment” come, for it will certainly come without repentance!

Cleanness of teeth means that Israel had a lack of food in all their cities.
They had a cupboard or a pantry that just did not have enough food in it to sustain good health.

But they refused to repent!

So God added drought.

*****Amo 4:7 And also I have withholden the rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest: and I caused it to rain upon one city, and caused it not to rain upon another city: one piece was rained upon, and the piece whereupon it rained not withered.

Sometimes when we will get so relaxed in our lifestyle that God will do things to make us uncomfortable.
In America we have when many other nations to do have.

Notice here that God had sent the drought early enough that if Israel would repent then the crops could have been saved but they refused to repent and their hunger increased, their lack of food increased.

We can see that God even showed favor to one city more than another to show His power over nature. Some suffered for thirst while some had plenty. Some gardens suffered while other gardens produced plenty.

This was done to show them the error of their ways but they would still not repent but we can be sure they blamed God for their misery.

When we are foolish enough to blame God for our misery but still to foolish to repent this in itself should show us how foolish we truly are.

If it is truly an act of God then God teaches us how to avoid such things so these things are really an act of sin and sin is to be blamed!

Sin is anything that goes against the Word of God!

*****Amo 4:8 So two or three cities wandered unto one city, to drink water; but they were not satisfied: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD.

Many would leave their homes to find a place where things were better but so many would do this that that new home would soon be the same and they would be lacking again.

If they had stayed at home and changed their ways then things would have been much better but they refused to repent.

The truth is God has much more patience than most people have stubbornness but even the patience of God has it’s limits.

The more stubborn people are, the more discipline is required.

*****Amo 4:9 I have smitten you with blasting and mildew: when your gardens and your vineyards and your fig trees and your olive trees increased, the palmerworm devoured them: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD.

Blasting is what we would call “blight”.

Blight effects plants sometimes causing the whole plant to whither and sometimes only the leaves, or the blossoms, or the fruit will shrivel up as if they were scorched.

In America we sometimes call boils or eruptions in the skin as blight.

Blight has the meaning of to prevent or to frustrate growth and or fertility.

This was God’s intent!

Mildew can be said to be paleness of the skin in people who are afraid but in most cases it refers to the corrosion of plants or stains on objects caused by moisture.

The Palmer-worm is thought to be a type of locust that devours plants and are a nuisance to humans.

What this verse is saying is that God brought economic devastation to these people in ways that that they knew came from Him but they still would not repent.

We wonder sometimes why our economy just does not seem to get better, well instead kicking God out of every door and laughing at the Word of God, maybe we just need to repent and change our evil ways.

If we would return to the Lord, things could be so much better but we simply allow a very small portion of our population, who so engrossed in sin and in power to control, to dictate the sin in our nation. Until we take a stand on the Word of God, things simply will not get any better no matter who sits in the White House.

SO, When we refuse to repent it then hits closer to home.

*****Amo 4:10 I have sent among you the pestilence after the manner of Egypt: your young men have I slain with the sword, and have taken away your horses; and I have made the stink of your camps to come up unto your nostrils: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD.

There are always those that have no fear of drought.

There are always those that have no fear of doing without food.

There is no one that does not have a fear of disease and plagues.

And, Not everyone can protect themselves from the murderers and the terrorist.

And no one likes to live in a place where it just stinks all the time.

The Lord sent sickness and disease to all of Israel.

The Lord sent military defeat and many of those young sons were killed in lost causes by governments that rejected the Lord.

Rejecting the Lord is harmful to all people in all cultures and all societies.

Life without God is a life of misery!

Misery is the force of human depravity!

But Israel still would not repent.

*****Amo 4:11 I have overthrown some of you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and ye were as a firebrand plucked out of the burning: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD.

There is no one with any sense that does not realize the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah and God destroyed these places with fire and brimstone.

In all of Israel, there were catastrophes to cities and to homes where some only escaped with the clothes on their backs.

It’s amazing how stubborn these people were but yet we can see these same things happening today and yet those causing much of the problems we face, deny the wrath of God and say we have only a God of love.

God certainly has more love than He has wrath but one moment of the wrath of God is still the most destructive thing that can be witnessed on this earth.

When we have a tendency to disregard what God has done in the past saying He will not do those things again, then we are fools!

All these things are only examples what our God is capable of to those that reject Him!

When discipline just will not work then God only has one alternative.

The truth is that people only go to Hell because they have chosen too!

Therefore these are the reasons for God’s “judgment”!

*****Amo 4:12 Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel.

There is one truth that holds to every human being that has ever lived on this earth, “judgment is certain”!

The “judgment” of God is inescapable.

Luk 13:3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

When we reject the truth of God then along with the other things we may think we can do, we certainly had better be prepared to meet the One and the Only Living God!

Php 2:10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
Php 2:11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

These words are just as true as all the Word of God.

This is the same God of creation who is denied by most of the world.

This is the same God that has revealed Himself to Israel and then to all the world but is denied by most.

This the omnipotent God of all power who it was that has established all the laws of nature and who controls all the things of the day and of the night, here and throughout all that we can see.

This the same omnipresent God who dwells wherever He chooses and we simply cannot go anywhere where He is not present.

This is the Lord God of all the Angels and rules over all life in Heaven and on Earth.

We must not be fooled by this world, “judgment” is guaranteed!

Judgment is inescapable!

The only hope for all people is repentance and then forgiveness!

The sad part is that many will never come to the Lord and repent and the Book of Revelation was written for this purpose and in the end God simply says these words.

Rev 22:10 And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.
Rev 22:11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.

God will come as a thief in the night and while the world is still going about it’s routine of evil, this world will get to see the God that they have rejected and it will not be a pleasant day.

When the Lord comes it will be done very quickly!

Rev 22:12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
Rev 22:13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

Who in their right mind wants to see the God of Wrath! I know I do not.

Questions?

Let’s Pray!