Text: “Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?” (Psalm 2:1)
DEFINITIONS
The following definitions will be helpful.
According to the scriptures—The word “heathen” occurs 104 times in the scriptures. The heathen are also called “the nations” (Deuteronomy 4:27; Genesis 18:18), “the wicked” (Psalm 9:5, 15-17), and “the Gentiles” (Malachi 1:11; compare Galatians 1:6; 2:9 with Acts 26:17-18). The heathen are all those who walk “according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience” (Ephesians 2:2).
According to Noah Webster, 1828—A heathen is ‘A pagan; a Gentile; one who worships idols, or is unacquainted with the true God. In the Scriptures, the word seems to comprehend all nations except the Jews or Israelites, as they were all strangers to the true religion, and all addicted to idolatry.’
According to Merriam Webster, since 1828)—A heathen is ‘an unconverted member of a people or nation who does not acknowledge the God of the Bible.’ (Merriam Webster, since 1828)
Common misconception—Many would imagine a heathen as a man wearing only a loin cloth and having a painted face with a bone through his nose, but this is far from the truth. A heathen might be a heart surgeon in white surgical clothing, a cowboy in boots and jeans, a politician in an expensive suit and tie, a college student or professor, a brilliant natural health advocate, or a military man in his uniform. Before “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever” (1Peter 1:23), every one of us was a heathen. Our spiritual father was the devil (John 8:44), and we “were without Christ…having no hope, and without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:11-12)!
WICKED WORLD VIEW
New George Barna Research, March 30, 2020, declared: ‘Dangerously Low Percentage of Americans Have a Biblical World View.’ Barna’s recent United States poll discovered that: ‘Although 7 out of 10 Americans consider themselves to be ‘Christian,’ just 6% actually possess a biblical worldview. Just one-fifth of those attending evangelical Protestant churches (21%) have a biblical worldview, as compared to one-sixth of those attending charismatic or Pentecostal churches (16%). The study finds even smaller proportions in mainline Protestant (8%) or Catholic (1%) churches… Regarding the youngest adult generation, the numbers are even more startling. A mere 2% of those 18 to 29 years old possess a biblical worldview.’
[My interpretation: Well over 90% of professing Christians do not believe the Holy Bible!]
As a born-again believer, I cannot imagine having any other view than the true world view that God has revealed in “the holy scriptures” (Romans 1:2; 2Timothy 3:15)!
“And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness” (1John 5:19, AV).
“And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him” (Rev 12:9, AV).
“For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty” (Rev 16:14, AV).
“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world” (1John 2:15-16).
“Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God” (James 4:4, AV).
“For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia” (2Tim 4:10, AV).
Spiritually blind—The minds of the heathen are blinded by “the god of this world… lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them” (2Corinthians 4:3-4). The heathen are “children in whom is no faith” (Deuteronomy 32:20). They are idolaters who have not known the LORD (Psalm 115:2-8; 79:6). Most of the heathen have some form of religion. Some of them even say they are Christians: they “profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate” (Titus 1:16).
Speaking of such false professors, the Lord Jesus said: “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:21-23).
Speaking of the religious heathen unbelieving Jews, the scripture says: “For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God” (Romans 10:3). All religious heathen are self-righteous, but they are ignorant of the righteousness of God, which is given without the works of the law, “Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference” (Romans 3:21-22).
Hope for the little children—The so called ‘age of accountability’ is determined by God. When commanded to go in and take the land he had promised them, the men of Israel rebelled against the LORD through unbelief and said they would not go up. The LORD heard their words, and said: “Surely there shall not one of these men of this evil generation see that good land, which I sware to give unto your fathers” (Deuteronomy 1:35). However, because of their faithfulness to the word of the LORD, Joshua and Caleb were allowed to enter into the land. The LORD also said, “Moreover your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, and your children, which in that day had no knowledge between good and evil, they shall go in thither, and unto them will I give it, and they shall possess it” (Deuteronomy 1:39).
The same truth was declared in the book of Romans when Paul said: “For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died” (Romans 7:5-9). When men receive the knowledge of good and evil through the commandments of God, they pass from their original state of innocence to a state of condemnation. They were “alive without the law once,” but when they come to know good and evil they are declared to be, “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1)!
Therefore, it is a blessing to know that despite the fact that abortion is very wicked, all of the innocent victims of those who murdered them in the womb of their mothers will be in the eternal kingdom of God! The Lord Jesus declared: “Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God” (Mark 10:14; Luke 18:16).
The Lord’s estimation of the heathen— “Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance… All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity” (Isaiah 40:15-17). Although salvation from eternal death in the lake of fire is offered as a gift to all heathen who will believe the gospel, the heathen who reject the Lord Jesus Christ are counted to God as “less than nothing.” All the “unbelieving… shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death” (Revelation 21:8). They will go into God’s eternal trash dump where the smoke of their torment will ascend up for ever and ever (Revelation 14:11)!
The heathen’s self-estimation—When he asked, “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26), the Lord Jesus made it very clear that a man should esteem his own soul to be exceedingly more valuable than the whole world!
Hope for all heathen—During the church age, which began on the very day of the resurrection of Christ, when the apostles received the Holy Ghost (John 20:22; Luke 24:45), Jesus also “said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature [all the heathen]” (Mark 16:15). The soul-saving gospel, “how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures” (1Corinthians m15:3-4) “is the power of God unto salvation to every one [every heathen fornicator, idolater, adulterer, effeminate, abuser of themselves with mankind, thieves, covetous, drunkards, revilers, and extortioners (1Corinthians 6:9-11)] that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16).
DAVID’S QUESTION
Psalm 2:1— “Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?”
Psalm 2:1— “Why do the heathen rage”—The rage of any man is always very foolish and dangerous, because men always rage “in the flesh” (Romans 7:5; 8:8; Galatians 5:20; Ephesians 2:11), and “they that are in the flesh cannot please God” (Romans 8:8). James wrote to believers: “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God” (James 1:19-20). Alexander (the so-called ‘great’) was a very foolish heathen who ‘drank excessively, and during an argument, in a drunken rage, ran a spear through a cavalry commander who had once saved his life’ (www.historymuseum.ca).
The word of God says: “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise” (Proverbs 20:1); and: “A wise man feareth, and departeth from evil: but the fool rageth, and is confident” (Proverbs 14:16). When Sennacherib, the heathen king of Assyria, raged against Jerusalem, the angel of the LORD killed 185,000 of his troops (2Kings 19; Isaiah 37:28-29; Psalm 7:6; Hosea 7:11-16). “Ungodly men” are like “Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever” (Jude 1:4-13). The prophet Isaiah said that, “the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt” (Isaiah 57:20).
VAIN AND FOOLISH CONSPIRACY
“The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us” (Psalm 2:2-3).
Foolish counsel of the heathen—The word of God declares: “For the wisdom of this world [the heathen] is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness” (1Corinthians 3:19). The heathen are ignorant of the truth that, “There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the LORD” (Proverbs 21:30); and that “The LORD bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices [imaginations] of the people of none effect” (Psalm 33:10). Having rejected the counsel of God, the vain imaginations of the heathen are outrageous and preposterous! Because unbelieving heathen refuse to regard God’s counsel during their lives, when they die and lift up their eyes in hell (Luke 16:23), then they shall call upon God, but he will laugh at their calamity (Proverbs 1:26) and will not answer them (Proverbs 1:28)!
Everlasting destruction of the heathen—The scripture warns: “For the day is near, even the day of the LORD is near, a cloudy day; it shall be the time of the heathen” (Ezekiel 30:3). This is the day “when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power” (2Thessalonians 1:7-9).
The Lord Jesus Christ is “the brightness of his [God’s] glory, and the express image of his person” (Hebrews 1:3). When the Lord Jesus appeared to him, Saul said: “I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me” (Acts 26:13; Ezekiel 10:4). The Lord Jesus shall destroy that Wicked “with the brightness of his coming” (2Thessalonians 2:8).
“And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” (Rev 6:14-17, AV).
DURING CHRIST’S THOUSAND-YEAR REIGN
“The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah. Come, behold the works of the LORD, what desolations he hath made in the earth. He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire. Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah” (Ps 46:6-11, AV).
“The nations shall see and be confounded at all their might: they shall lay their hand upon their mouth, their ears shall be deaf. They shall lick the dust like a serpent, they shall move out of their holes like worms of the earth: they shall be afraid of the LORD our God, and shall fear because of thee” (Micah 7:16-17).
The LORD’S “anointed” is “the Lord’s Christ” (Luke 2:26).
REWORD?
Prophesying of the thousand-year reign of Jesus Christ (Revelation 20:1-6), after his victorious second coming, when the kingdoms of this world will become “the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ” (Revelation 11:15), the psalmist David (Acts 4:25) declared: “The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah” (Psalm 46:6-7).
“…and the people imagine a vain thing?” (Psalm 2:1). Any philosophy (Colossians 2:8; Acts 17:13) or science (1Timothy 6:20) contrary to the word of God is a very dangerous lie!
Good news for all heathen—I hope you will not be offended by the following statement, but the truth is that at this present time, the age of the church—the time of “the dispensation of the gospel” (1Corinthians 9:17; 15:3-4), before “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever” (1Peter 1:23), every one of us was a heathen!
At the time of the birth of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ (Titus 2:13), the angel of the Lord said unto the shepherds: “Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people [all heathen]” (Luke 2:10). Jesus spoke the good news to Zacchaeus when he said, “For the Son of man [Jesus Christ] is come to seek and to save that which was lost [the heathen]” (Luke 19:10). The apostle Paul said that it pleased God, “To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood” (Galatians 1:15-16). Paul also said that James, Cephas, and John “gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision” (Galatians 2:9).
Later in the same letter, Paul wrote: “And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations [heathen] be blessed” (Galatians 3:8). The Lord Jesus told Paul that he was sending him to the Gentiles [heathen], “To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me” (Acts 26:17-18).
Paul also told the unbelieving Jews at Rome: “Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles [heathen], and that they will hear it” (Acts 28:28). When any heathen hears and believes with all their heart (Romans 10:9) “how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures” (1Corinthians 15:3-4), he will be “born of the Spirit” (John 3:8)! Every born-again believer has “everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life” (John 5:24).
Two holy nations—Under the law of Moses, the LORD declared the children of Israel: “an holy nation” (Exodus 19:6). After the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, his “body, the church” (Colossians 1:18) is called “a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light” (1Peter 2:9).
Two covenants—Since his death on the cross for our sins, his burial, and his resurrection (1Corinthians 15:3-4), Christ is now “the mediator of the new testament,” which is now “of force” (Hebrews 9:15-17). With regard to the Jews, the “new testament” is called a “new covenant,” which the LORD promised to make with “the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah” (Jeremiah 31:31). Therefore, the Lord Jesus is also called “the mediator of the new covenant” (Hebrews 12:24), which is “a better covenant, which was established upon better promises” (Hebrews 8:6-11). By declaring the “new covenant,” the Lord has “made the first [covenant: testament] old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away” (Hebrews 8:13). The first covenant was the law of Moses (Deuteronomy 29:21).
The old [first] covenant [testimony]—It is extremely important to understand God’s remarkably different purposes for the old and new covenants. The LORD gave the first or old covenant, called “the Testimony” (Exodus 16:34), “that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God” (Romans 3:19). The LORD gave the law so that men would have “the knowledge of sin” (Romans 3:20), and “that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful” (Romans 7:13). Sin is defined by the law: “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law” (1John 3:4).
Therefore, in light of the old covenant, the scripture declares: “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one” (Romans 3:10-12).
PROMISES OF GOD
“Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe” (Galatians 3:21-22).
The “the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith” (Galatians 3:24).
The new covenant [testament]—
“Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God” (1Pet 1:18-21, AV)
Not given to give life
“For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life” (Prov 6:23, AV)
“The law of the wise is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.” (Prov 13:14, AV).
“For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” (Rom 8:3-4, AV).
“Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law” (Romans 3:28; Galatians 2:16; 5:4). Before the LORD gave the law to Moses, before the first [old] covenant was given, Abram was saved through faith: Abram “believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness” (Genesis 15:5-6).
“But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:23-29).
“And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be” (Genesis 15:5). And he was saved by faith, and under the law of Moses, David was saved by faith.
During his earthly ministry, the Lord Jesus made the condition of the unbelieving Jews plain to them. He agreed that they were indeed the physical “seed of Abraham” (John 8:37), but that God was not their Father (John 8:42). Instead, Jesus said unto them: “Ye are of your father the devil” (John 8:44)! For individual Jews and Gentiles to “escape the damnation of hell” (Matthew 23:33) after the resurrection of Christ, they “must be born again” (John 3:7). By their faith in the new covenant [testament], the Lord Jesus makes both Jews and Gentiles one in himself: where “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28; Ephesians 2:13-22).
During the thousand-year reign of Jesus Christ over the earth, the nation of Israel will still be holy (set apart) to receive the land God promised them through Abraham (Genesis 12:7; 15:18-21; 26:3; 28:4, 13; 35:12; 50:24; Exodus 6:8; 32:13; 33:1; Deuteronomy 34:4; 2Chronicles 20:7).
“And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence” (Col 1:18, AV).
According to the scriptures, we learn the following truths about the heathen: The children of Israel were to buy bondmen and bondmaids from the heathen who were round about them (Leviticus 25:44).
“But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, yea, and made his son to pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel” (2Kings 16:3, AV).
“And walked in the statutes of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they had made. And the children of Israel did secretly those things that were not right against the LORD their God, and they built them high places in all their cities, from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city. And they set them up images and groves in every high hill, and under every green tree: And there they burnt incense in all the high places, as did the heathen whom the LORD carried away before them; and wrought wicked things to provoke the LORD to anger: For they served idols, whereof the LORD had said unto them, Ye shall not do this thing.
“Yet the LORD testified against Israel, and against Judah, by all the prophets, and by all the seers, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets. Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their necks, like to the neck of their fathers, that did not believe in the LORD their God. And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified against them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the heathen that were round about them, concerning whom the LORD had charged them, that they should not do like them” (2Kings 17:8-15, AV).
“Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and reigned fifty and five years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Hephzibah. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, after the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel. For he built up again the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed; and he reared up altars for Baal, and made a grove, as did Ahab king of Israel; and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them. And he built altars in the house of the LORD, of which the LORD said, In Jerusalem will I put my name. And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the LORD.
“And he made his son pass through the fire, and observed times, and used enchantments, and dealt with familiar spirits and wizards: he wrought much wickedness in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger. And he set a graven image of the grove that he had made in the house, of which the LORD said to David, and to Solomon his son, In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all tribes of Israel, will I put my name for ever” (2Kings 21:1-7, AV).
“Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem: but he did not that which was right in the sight of the LORD, like David his father: For he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and made also molten images for Baalim. Moreover he burnt incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burnt his children in the fire, after the abominations of the heathen whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel” (2Chron 28:1-3, AV).
“And the children of Israel, which were come again out of captivity, and all such as had separated themselves unto them from the filthiness of the heathen of the land, to seek the LORD God of Israel, did eat” (Ezra 6:21, AV).
Their end:
SECOND DEATH TO THE HEATHEN— “Thou hast rebuked the heathen, thou hast destroyed the wicked, thou hast put out their name for ever and ever. O thou enemy, destructions are come to a perpetual end: and thou hast destroyed cities; their memorial is perished with them. But the LORD shall endure for ever: he hath prepared his throne for judgment. And he shall judge the world in righteousness, he shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness. The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.
“Sing praises to the LORD, which dwelleth in Zion: declare among the people his doings. When he maketh inquisition for blood, he remembereth them: he forgetteth not the cry of the humble. Have mercy upon me, O LORD; consider my trouble which I suffer of them that hate me, thou that liftest me up from the gates of death: That I may shew forth all thy praise in the gates of the daughter of Zion: I will rejoice in thy salvation.
“The heathen are sunk down in the pit that they made: in the net which they hid is their own foot taken. The LORD is known by the judgment which he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Higgaion. Selah. The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God. For the needy shall not always be forgotten: the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever. Arise, O LORD; let not man prevail: let the heathen be judged in thy sight. Put them in fear, O LORD: that the nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah” (Ps 9:5-20 AV)
“The LORD is King for ever and ever: the heathen are perished out of his land” (Ps 10:16, AV).
“The LORD bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect. The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations” (Ps 33:10-11, AV).
WHEN ISRAEL CAME INTO THE PROMISED LAND— “How thou didst drive out the heathen with thy hand, and plantedst them; how thou didst afflict the people, and cast them out” (Ps 44:2, AV).
MILLENIUM— “To the chief Musician for the sons of Korah, A Song upon Alamoth. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.
“There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early. The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah. Come, behold the works of the LORD, what desolations he hath made in the earth. He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire. Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah” (Ps 46:1-11, AV).
MILLENIUM— “Sing praises to God, sing praises: sing praises unto our King, sing praises. For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding. God reigneth over the heathen: God sitteth upon the throne of his holiness. The princes of the people are gathered together, even the people of the God of Abraham: for the shields of the earth belong unto God: he is greatly exalted” (Ps 47:6-9, AV).
“Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people. For the LORD is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the LORD made the heavens. Honour and majesty are before him: strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. Give unto the LORD, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the LORD glory and strength. Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come into his courts. O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth. Say among the heathen that the LORD reigneth: the world also shall be established that it shall not be moved: he shall judge the people righteously” (Ps 96:3-10, AV).
“Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favour her, yea, the set time, is come. 14 For thy servants take pleasure in her stones, and favour the dust thereof. So the heathen shall fear the name of the LORD, and all the kings of the earth thy glory. When the LORD shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory. He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer” (Ps 102:13-17, AV).
“And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off: and he shall speak peace unto the heathen: and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth. As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water” (Zech 9:10-11, AV).
“And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the LORD will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles” (Zech 14:18, AV).
“For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the LORD of hosts” (Mal 1:11, AV).
“Thou therefore, O LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel, awake to visit all the heathen: be not merciful to any wicked transgressors. Selah. They return at evening: they make a noise like a dog, and go round about the city. Behold, they belch out with their mouth: swords are in their lips: for who, say they, doth hear? But thou, O LORD, shalt laugh at them; thou shalt have all the heathen in derision” (Ps 59:5-8; 79:6; Jeremiah 10:25).
“The idols of the heathen are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands” (Ps 135:15, AV).
“Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a twoedged sword in their hand; To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people; To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; To execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints. Praise ye the LORD” (Ps 149:5-9, AV).
SECOND COMING— “The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath. He shall judge among the heathen, he shall fill the places with the dead bodies; he shall wound the heads over many countries” (Ps 110:5-6, AV).
“For the day is near, even the day of the LORD is near, a cloudy day; it shall be the time of the heathen” (Ezek 30:3, AV).
“For the day of the LORD is near upon all the heathen: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine own head” (Ob 1:15, AV).
“And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury upon the heathen, such as they have not heard” (Mic 5:15, AV).
“Thou didst march through the land in indignation, thou didst thresh the heathen in anger” (Hab 3:12, AV).
“And I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms, and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the heathen; and I will overthrow the chariots, and those that ride in them; and the horses and their riders shall come down, every one by the sword of his brother” (Hag 2:22, AV).
“Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it” (Isa 13:9, AV).
“And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever” (Rev 11:15, AV).
“Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD’S anger” (Zeph 2:3, AV).
“Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man his soul: be not cut off in her iniquity; for this is the time of the LORD’S vengeance; he will render unto her a recompence” (Jer 51:6, AV).
“Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it” (Jer 30:7, AV).
“For it is the day of the LORD’S vengeance, and the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion” (Isa 34:8, AV).
“For this is the day of the Lord GOD of hosts, a day of vengeance, that he may avenge him of his adversaries: and the sword shall devour, and it shall be satiate and made drunk with their blood: for the Lord GOD of hosts hath a sacrifice in the north country by the river Euphrates” (Jer 46:10, AV).
“And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day” (2Thess 1:7-10, AV).
VAIN PRACTICES OF THE HEATHEN—
“But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking” (Matt 6:7, AV).
“In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren” (2Cor 11:26, AV).