The long awaited goal seemed to be in reach when President Obama remarked rather incidentally in an aside last April 30, 2016. He said, “The end of the Republic has never looked better.” The coming election appeared to be locked in the hands of Hillary Clinton whose only apparent offer to the American electorate was “the first woman president.” (And also a continuation of the Obama administration’s obvious destruction of American national sovereignty.)

It was eight years of lies and deception, whether in unemployment statistics, economic and social wellbeing, or “if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor,” and “if you like your insurance plan, you can keep your insurance plan.”

His overall goal was “hush-hush” in all of the media, a carryover from the clear refusal to search out and expose Obama’s true past history. Federal courts strangely would not permit the continuance of any kind of challenge or evidence presentation that would open up that bombshell of reality. It only highlights Henry Kissinger’s elated exclamation after the 2008 election: “He has been primed to lead us into a New World Order.”

A Christian surely must be asking where God is in all of this seemingly full-throttled effort of the “conspiracy realists” to pull off a giant coup of installing a New World Order over the nations. It is a long-standing theological reality that God is not going to give up His glory to any mortal being which He created.

In Ephesians 3:10-11 Paul writes of God’s purpose in the revealing of Jesus Christ as God in the flesh of man was “that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

It is worth noting that when the New Testament writers speak of the church accomplishing anything for God, it has nothing to do with any man-made entity or denomination such as Roman Catholic, Baptist, Methodist, or that building where people assemble for worship and fellowship. It is that born-again body of Christ, the one represented in the statement Jesus made in answer to Peter’s identification of Jesus as “the Christ, the Son of the living God” in Matthew 16:16.

Jesus answered in verse 17, “…On this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.”

The angels wonder about the methods of God’s purpose, according to 1 Peter 1:12, “things which angels desire to look into.” They do not know of mercy and grace in personal experience. However, making the manifold wisdom of God’s purpose known to principalities and powers in the heavenly places has another audience—those of evil intent who are opposed to all that is of God, yet will be totally destroyed in the final conclusion of God’s plan. It is like the story of Job, whom Satan desired that he might prove what a failure God was in entrusting His glory in a man of the earth such as Job. That issue is described by Paul as how “the foolishness of God is wiser than the wisdom of men (bond-slaves of the prince of this world), (1 Corinthians 1:18, 21, 25).

The ultimate warfare is between God and Satan, as revealed in Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28, where back in eternity past that top angel of the host of heaven was allowed to rebel against his Creator and God’s glory and sovereignty were challenged. So it is, as Paul wrote in Ephesians 6:12, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

In the plan of God for mankind there appears to be four major eras or periods of time in which He deals with man with increasingly more enlightenment of Himself and with resulting more responsibility of man. Those broad periods of time are as follows:

1. Creation to Abraham
2. Abraham to Jesus Christ
3. Jesus Christ to His Second Coming
4. Christ’s 1,000-year reign-Millennium

Then, eternity, for time will be no more.

As I mentioned above, and actual history shows thus far, as more and more revelation of God and His plans unfold, there is more awareness of man’s accountability to God. And, unfortunately,  continual failure of man to be accountable and obedient has been the end result  in every era, with the climax of God’s judgment.

That first period started with perfection…and innocence, and shortly, failure, and mankind no longer was alive, spiritually. Embedded in his conscience, however, was the moral law of good and evil, for they had eaten of that tree’s fruit. It took the judgments of a flood and confusion of languages to climax that era.  Obeying their consciences was too much for the people.

Then God called a man named Abram out from his relatives and made of him a nation that He called His holy people and gave them written laws which they promised to keep, a covenant of promise. That is the story of the Old Testament, a story, again, of failure of the chosen people, even, to be accountable and obedient to God their Creator.

They were scattered among the nations of the world for their judgment but with a promise of a future restoration to the land promised to Abraham and his descendants forever. A future period of seven years, known as “the time of Jacob’s trouble,” would take place in which His chosen people would finish their judgment and find restoration to God’s favor.

That third era with the advent of Jesus Christ, had been promised from the beginning. It was God appearing in the form of man, born of God and of a woman. Paul writes of this in 1 Timothy 3:16:

“And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness:

God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up in glory.”

It was then God walking among men, fully God, fully man, but without the Adam-killing sinfulness that had enslaved mankind since that day in the Garden of Eden. It was God’s major revelation of Himself, on whose face it was said that no man could look and live. He was God’s personal message to man, as reported in Hebrews 1:1-2:

“God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds.”

John wrote of the fellowship he and the disciples had with Him and recommended that fellowship to all others as well:

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life—the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us—that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things we write to you that your joy may be full” (1 John 1-4).

This period is the age of grace, the times of the Gentiles, when God’s plan is to “take out of the Gentiles a people for His name” (Acts 15:14), while setting aside the Israelites, in part, while that is being done (Romans 11:25). This period ends, also, with judgment, seven years of it upon the disobedient Jews and people all over the world who remain in rebellion.

Even though believers during this “dispensation of grace” (Ephesians 3:2) are indwelt with the Holy Spirit of promise, they, too, are showing an increasing lack of accountability and obedience. Such a marvelous and majestic revelation of God’s reality, presence and relativity to mankind still does not impact tem e exclusively.

Multiple scriptures indicate that those who believe in Christ and are born again during this period will be removed from that judgment before it begins and will return with the Savior when He comes to the earth once again to complete that phase of the judgment and begin that final era before eternity, the millennium.

Three of the final actions of the Lord in that third period will be casting the Antichrist and his false prophet into the lake of fire to burn forever, killing the others who were against Him, and binding Satan in chains in the bottomless pit for the duration of the millennium.

Many passages of Scripture in Isaiah, Jeremiah and other prophetical books of the Bible, such as Zechariah 14 and Revelation 20 describe that time when Jesus will reign over the earth from the throne of David as one with peace, good health and long lives, no warfare, even among animals. Yet, at the end, when Satan is loosed from his chains, he will readily raise up an army to oppose the Lord who will destroy that opposition, finally and forever!

Every period ends in judgment upon the inhabitants of the earth, for they do not measure up to the accountability and obedience God requires. It is the glory of God that he, alone, is capable of man’s redemption; flesh and blood have no place in His plan. As more and more of God’s reality will have been revealed, man continually refuses His free gift of salvation. But God is merciful and saves those who do realize their sinfulness and turn to Him for forgiveness.

This article began with consideration of where we are with current events and God’s plan for mankind. In light of the pattern of history and its showing of man’s inability to choose good over evil, the question remains of whether or not this current new direction for America, as well as Britain and other nations, will endure into the future for any length of time, given the harsh and desperate resistance being shown.

America has been looked upon as “the leader of the free world,” and her benevolence shown in the restoration of Europe and Japan after defeating that opposition in World War II stands out before the envy of many people. After many centuries of kings, despots and dictators, God allowed man to form the most ideal political entity than any previously known. With that platform, could man finally govern himself justly and righteously?

What we are seeing unfold in current events appears to be a rejection, even, of the best for which man could ever hope…without his submission to the God of the universe. Again, the glory of God reigns supreme over the proponents of evil.  These four dispensations of time discussed here show an increasing revelation of God to mankind, yet each period has and will end in judgment on mankind for his decided rejection of that God. It is to His glory in the universe that the created cannot survive without and apart from the mercy, grace and love of the Creator.

It seems to highlight, on the spiritual side, the words of John 3:19:

“And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.”

Contact email:  andwegetmercy@gmail.com  

There are at least two issues that are to be considered, or recognized and understood, if we would determine the quality of our faith.

One is the quality of character of the God we say we trust, and the other is a proper understanding of why we would need a God in the first place.

Jesus claimed, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).

Lots of people deny that claim, saying they believe there are more ways to heaven than just through Jesus Christ. And every one of them has a theory, if fully investigated, that man, himself, must make a personal contribution to that plan of redemption—not just to believe         in Him. What I am submitting is that all false doctrines hang on the idea that works of righteousness must be performed to justify that entry to heaven. But Paul wrote Titus, saying this:

“…not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit…” (Titus 3:5).

“By His mercy He saved us,” that is the telling phrase in that verse. Salvation is a work of God, and we are privileged to take part in it. The whole counsel of God must not be left out in determining the truth of any doctrine, for God does not confine His truths in topical sections as in an encyclopedia. That point is made in His challenge to the Pharisees and scribe3s in John 5:39-40:

“You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me, but you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.”

The beginning place is the character of God, and therefore, also of Jesus Christ. He told His disciples, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father (John 14:9) and “Before Abraham was, I AM” (John 8:58). So the attributes of God, the Father, are also those of Jesus Christ. Another thoughtful bit of truth is found in John 5:26:

“For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself….”

Two character qualities, attributes, of God are revealed in Numbers 23:19, as I have often quoted:

“God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?”

Here is another truth that confirms that fixed, unchangeable nature of Christ:

“Also there were many priests, because they were prevented by death from continuing. But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:23-25).   

Another truth is stated in Luke 1:37:

“For with God nothing will be impossible.”

Another way of understanding the depth of that verse is, “For with God it is impossible for there to be nothing!” For example, when Jesus entered Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday, and the religious leaders asked Him to have the people be quiet with their praises, He said, “If they should be quiet, even the rocks would cry out!”

Paul wrote to Titus these words:

“…in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began” (Titus 1:2).

And further, in Ephesians 1:4:

“Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love.”

These quotes stress the fact that God made His plans for the ages before time began, before He created time, that is. It begs the question, then, did God ever make a promise that He did not intend to keep?

Those who have bought the Replacement Theology bag of deception must think so or otherwise they would have to admit they think God is a liar, that His promise to Abraham was a promise he did not intend to keep. Like it or not, that is the way it stands. So, what is their concept of God? Is He a worthy Savior who can be trusted to keep His promises of redemption?

There is an Old Testament situation in which one who has not established in his own mind that God is unchangeable in His plan for the ages would think that He almost started over with Moses.

In Exodus 32:7-10 is this declaration of the Lord to Moses following Israel’s disobedience of idol worshipping:

“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt, have become corrupt. They have been quick to turn away from what I commanded them and have made themselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. They have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and have said, ‘These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.’

“’I have seen these people,” the Lord said to Moses, “and they are a stiff-necked people. Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation.’”

Notice the wording, how God laid the problem in Moses’ lap, as the one who led the Israelites out of Egypt, thus presuming to place the destiny of Israel in his hands. Had we thought that God could change His mind, that would have been the exact result. But since God cannot change, what other purpose would there be for this situation?

The response Moses gave the Lord in answer to God’s proposal tells us God’s purpose in the exchange, in Exodus 32:11-13:

“Then Moses pleaded with the Lord his God, and said: ‘Lord, why does Your wrath burn hot against Your people whom You have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?  Why should the Egyptians speak, and say, ‘He brought them out to harm them, to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth?

Turn from Your fierce wrath, and relent from this harm to Your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants, to whom You swore by Your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven; and all this land that I have spoken of I give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.’”

Moses, whose patience had worn thin with the actions of his Hebrew brethren, even Aaron, responded with a show of character that God, no doubt, had sought to bring out of him, to establish in Moses a stronger determination to stick with what God also had called him to do. The next verse is God’s response to Moses: 

“So the Lord relented from the harm which He said He would do to His people.”

The promises He made to Abraham and his descendants, which Moses related, were unconditional. This proposal to Moses was conditional and its purpose was to test Moses and prove to Moses that he had the mettle to continue his leadership of the Israelites.

Therefore, having a fixed, firm hold on the character of God is essential for a concept of Him that can endure the struggles of this life. That concept must also have a proper understanding of the two aspects of His nature—He is a God of love and a God of justice, and mercy melds the two together. Hebrews 11:6 somewhat portrays that definition, the concept of God to which He responds:

“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”

It is interesting that those in the positive thinking arena but do not seem to be actual followers of Christ, yet hold to this first step to exercise positive thinking as their motivation: “God is a good God!”

For positive thinking about their ultimate eternal destiny, they might well look at the Apostle Paul’s alert in 2 Corinthians 1:20:

“For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.”  

And Paul also wrote, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).

But that brings us to that second point in having a proper concept of God. Is there any personal conviction that I really need God, or is He just a convenience to be called on in a difficult time?

The answer is the gospel message. Romans 3:23 labels all mankind as sinners and in opposition to God. Jesus Christ is the sacrificial offering for the sins of all mankind, as stated in 1 John 2:2:

“And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.”

So, what is the problem, you ask. The transaction is not complete until the offer is accepted, as John 3:18 so clearly declares:

“He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

But there is still a problem, as verses 19 and 20, next, tell us:

“And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.”

It is not a situation where God is unwilling, but as He brings that truth to bear upon a person’s conscience, His desired response is that that person turns to Him for forgiveness, in repentance. That is what Peter wrote in 2 Peter 3:9, “God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

It is as simple as that: Recognize God as totally trustworthy in every situation, and admit that you cannot exist without His redemption. There is the core of a proper concept of God and a real faith.

Contact email:  andwegetmercy@gmail.com