A Voice in the Wilderness
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" God's Tools "
"Remember the former things from a long time ago; for I am the Mighty
God, and there is no other; I am God, and no one else is like Me,
declaring the end from the beginning, and from antiquity things which
are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My
pleasure; calling a bird of prey from the east, the man who executes my
counsel from a distant land. Indeed, I have spoken it; I will also bring
it to pass. I have formed it; I will also do it." (Is46:9-11)
"behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, says
Jehovah, and Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, MY SERVANT, and will
bring them against this land, and against its inhabitants, and against
all these nations all around. And I will completely destroy them, and
make them a waste, and a hissing, and perpetual ruins... And now I have
given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of
Babylon, MY SERVANT. And I have also given him the beasts of the field
to serve him." (Jer25:9, 27:6)
What is a Tool? A device used to perform a task. Something used in the
performance of an operation. A person used to carry out the designs of
another. (These: some of the definitions from the dictionary)
When God destroyed the earth with the flood, how did He do it? When the
"fountains of the great deep" (Ge7:11) sprang up, how was that
accomplished? With what tools? Those who understand astronomical
dynamics suggest that the flood happened when celestial bodies came
within close enough distances to earth for their gravitationsl forces to
cause earthquakes, tectonic upheavals and great tidal waves. The flood
was not -just- 'rain'. The water was also "going out and coming back"
(Ge8:3) as tides are known to do. When did God 'arrange' for those
celestial events?
As God "fought for Israel" at Joshua's 'long day' (Josh10:14,42), when
Israel was whoopin' their enemies; when did He 'arrange' for the
celestial events that day?
"Then God said, Let there be luminaries in the firmament of the heavens,
to distinguish the day from the night; and LET THEM BE FOR SIGNS AND
SEASONS, AND FOR DAYS AND YEARS...and also the stars." (Ge1:14-16)
He arranged and designed it "from a long time ago" at creation. Knowing
"from antiquity" the things "not yet done", He designed His MASTER
'CLOCK', the universe, to provide certain events at just the right time.
When Elijah was running from Jezebel, God sent ravens (His servants)
with food to feed him as he was hiding at the Brook Cherith. How did He
do that? God says,
"I have commanded the ravens to feed you there" (1Ki17:4)
When Jonah was swallowed by the fish, it says that God had "appointed"
the fish (His servant) for the task. (Jo1:17) And when Jonah repented,
God "spoke to the fish" to vomit Jonah onto dry land. (2:10)
When Daniel was thrown to the lions, Daniel proclaimed,
"My God has sent His Angel, and He has shut the mouths of the lions."
(Dan6:22)
When Jesus calmed the storm, He says,
"Be silent! Be muzzled!" (Mk4:39)
God created all things by His Word (Jn1:1-3, Ge1:3,6,9,etc) And it is by
the "word of His power" that He upholds all things. (Heb1:3) At His
power "all things consist" (Col1:17)
But these things, mentioned thus far, are either inanimate objects, or
of the animal kingdom, to whom neither right nor wrong are present.
Objects have no consciousness to -do- anything on their own, because
they are not possessed of free will nor self-animation. And animals do
not 'choose' various behavior for any sort of 'moral' reasons. Animals
are neither "good" nor "bad". They behave according to nature. So, does
God use anything 'evil' as His tools?
There was the case where Ahab, due to his rebellion against God, needed
to be killed in battle. But 'how' to get him to go into battle, and thus
be killed? Many angels/spirits were gathered around God's throne, and He
poses the question to them, and they, various ones, give this opinion or
that idea. And finally an "evil spirit" comes forward. How do we know it
was 'evil'? Because he offers to go and "be a spirit of falsehood in the
mouth of all the" false prophets. (1Ki22:22) A righteous angel would
not be engaged in falsehood or lies. Jesus said that satan was the
"father of" lies. (Jn8:44) So, the lying spirit (God's servant) gets the
job done.
There is that other one, likely the most 'famous' case in all of
Scripture, found in the book of Job. God and the devil have this
conversation. God challenges Satan regarding how "good" Job is, and
satan whines back at God about 'how easy' Job has things in life. So God
gives satan permission to "test"Job with adversity.
But what about evil people? If the righteous serve God, and the wicked
rebel, surely God will not use the wicked for His own purposes as tools?
God will not enlist the services of the wicked to accomplish His will?
Notice in the opening Scripture -who- God is calling His "servant".
Nebuchadnezzar. Was Nebuchadnezzar a good church-going Christian? No. It
was he who threw Ananaiah, Mishael and Azariah into the fiery furnace
for refusing to bow to his great image. (Dan3) And God's title of "My
servant" was also before he converted and acknowledged the Most High.
(Dan4) Israel was in deep apostasy and needed discipline. And since
Babylon was one of the world's great powers of that day, God having
"preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings" (Ac17:26),
and Paul tells us that "there is no authority except from God, and the
authorities that exist are ordained by God" (Rom13:1); God used one of
those world powers, that He had ordained to exist during that time, even
though steeped in idolatry of its own, to discipline His own erring
people, Israel.
In like manner, those who have been around this ministry for any length
of time, know how we make the observation that Jesus Christ "does NOT
BELONG" in the pagan winter fertility festivities, labelled by Babylon
of Rome as "christ-mass". The "mass" is paganism in worship to the sun,
which Rome some time back usurped around and added Christian labels,
and deceived many into thinking to be the celebration of Jesus' birth.
But it is not. And so, considering how most who consider themselves to
be "christian" insist on "putting Christ -back- into" the season... how
can the wrong be corrected? That which calls itself "church" certainly
isn't doing it!
Well, of all the strangest turns of events, the -world- is doing it! As
the world gravitates more and more to the 'political correctness' of not
having ONE EXCLUSIVE religion, and many of New Age and various other
pagan beliefs do away with Jesus Christ from public discourse, they are
making it 'politically incorrect' to have greetings like Merry
Christmas, but instead wish each other "season's greetings" or "happy
holidays", and such things. You see? Voila! Where "Christ" has no place
in pagan festivities, the world is removing Him. What the church
refuses to do, the pagan world (God's 'servant') is doing.
Certainly, this does not mean that the world's paganism is, thus,
suddenly "less pagan". No, indeed not! They are just as pagan as they
ever were, and on their way to the Lake of Fire, except they repent and
receive Jesus Christ in Saving Faith. But the blasphemy that has been
perpetrated upon that Blessed Name of Jesus Christ (Ro2:24), in the
world, because of the 'church', has become 'less'. Yes, they are still
worshiping their strange gods. But they are also 'directly'
-blaspheming- Jesus Christ, by name, less. And as such, if there are
degrees of punishment (Lk12:47-48), the pagans will be deserving of less
judgment than those calling themselves "christian'.
What about idolatry? Many in our western ("christian") societies look at
eastern idolatry as "culture" and "art"; that is, those shrines and
statues to the Buddha's and other various gods. How many are the
explorers who go searching, and when they find statues, will collect
them and enshrine them in museums for all to see and be in awe of.
New Years Day Public TV had an episode on its "In Search of Myths &
Heroes" program. In this particular program the explorer/reporter was
travelling to Tibet in search of the original "Shangri La". After much
travelling, and interacting with many different tribes of people along
the way, they finally reached what was presumed to be the ruins of the
location from which the original lore of "Shangri La" originated. Even
though ruined, one could tell that at one time, according to ancient
oriental standards, it had been quite a place. But the place was in
ruins. In one 'room' was found the bones of the ancient king and his
royal family.
In another large room were other ruins...the smashed remains of all the
Buddhas that at one time had adorned all the vast system of shelves. How
were they destroyed? Mao's "cultural revolution" of the 1960s.
What is one of Communism's prime tenets? Atheism. There is NO GOD. Mao's
cultural revolution was wide-sweeping, killing anybody who was in anyway
religious, the free thinkers and philosophers; and idols and books to
all these things were destroyed.
What did God say about idolatry?
"You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself
a graven image, or any likeness of anything in the heavens above, or in
the earth beneath, or in the waters under the earth; you shall not bow
down to them nor serve them; for I, Jehovah your God, am a jealous
Mighty God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the sons to the
third and fourth generations of those who hate Me" (Ex20:3-5)
When Israel went into the Land of Promise and overthrew the pagans, what
was God's command to them?
"Take heed to yourself, that you not make a covenant with the
inhabitants of the land where you are going, that it not be a snare in
your midst. But you shall destroy their altars, break their sacred
pillars, and chop down their groves" (Ex34:12-13)
What?? No 'cultural' -museum- of ancient artifacts? ...to keep their
history and memory alive?
Typically, our western culture looks at Mao's reign of terror as a 'bad'
thing. But look!! He did at Shangri La (and a lot of other places) what
God had told Israel to do where they lived. Mao's "cultural revolution",
in that it destroyed much idolatry, was a "good" thing. In that case,
Mao, God's 'servant'. But what about how China persecutes Biblical
Christians? Christians are imprisoned and killed. Isn't that "bad"?
What did Jesus say...
"And do not fear those who kill the body but are not able to kill the
soul. But rather fear Him who has power to destroy both soul and body in
Gehenna." (Mt10:28)
Will a similar Mao-style rampage happen in our western nations? The
cultural "revolution" has -already- been going on for many decades;
primarily through the government-run education system. The education
system has been systematically "dumbing-down" our children and youth,
that it pretty much, no longer matters. They are all 'sheeple', already
'trained' in the God-less one-world dictatorship system, and will
readily embrace the world leader with open arms.
But eventually, they will come after the die-hards who cling to God's
Word, and will refuse to bow to the one-world religion and its
anti-christ leader. What then? Does the Believer need to worry?
Well, if God can use the world against satan to remove Christ's name
from the pagan winter festivities, and used an avowed atheist to
destroy much idolatry, can He not take care of His own Children? What is
the meaning of...
"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love
God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He
foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son,
that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He
predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also
justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. What then
shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?"
(Rom8:28-31)
If there is still fear and trepidation at what is likely in the future,
the Biblical Believer must decide who is #1. The fear of men, or the
fear of God and His angels...
"And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the
body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will show you
whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has authority
to cast into Gehenna; yes, I say to you, Fear Him! Are not five sparrows
sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God.
But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear
therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. Also I say to you,
whoever confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will also confess him
before the angels of God. But he who denies Me before men will be denied
before the angels of God." (Lk12:4-9)
But be sure of this: Whatever God needs to accomplish, He has the
necessary tools at His disposal...from birds of prey, to Godless
rulers... His 'servants'. If those rulers come after the Believer, and
it is not yet God's time to go Home, He will send His ravens to feed.
And if it is time, "we are confident" knowing we will be "at home with
the Lord". (2Co5:8)
"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear when the earth changes, when mountains are
slipping into the midst of the seas... because the Lord knows those who
are His... as a mother hen gathers her chicks under her wings... He
shall hide me in His den" (Ps46:1-2, 2Ti2:19, Mt23:37, Ps27:5)
Amen!
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