I say this with a heavy heart. I believe President Barrack Obama is God's judgment upon the United States of America. We have long provoked God. We have said of Christ the King, "‘We do not want this man to reign over us’" (Lk. 19:14). In whatever way in which you believe the Lord Jesus reigns, be it through "natural law" or "theonomy," we can all agree that we have rejected His righteous rule over us (as a nation). We have received what we asked for. A president who blatantly promotes the murder of millions of unborn children while having more of a desire to protect animals and other wildlife. A president who perverts the sacred institution of marriage by promoting not only homosexuality but asking that we embrace them in the sacred institution of marriage. A president who promotes and fights with all effort to steal from one class of people to give to another; creates and breeds a people, who instead of working and contributing to the nation, are lazy, leech off it and become dependent on government (since President Obama is so eager to quote and misuse Scripture as a defense for stealing from the rich to give to who he believes are the poor, he should be aware of this verse, "If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat." (2 Thes. 3:10).
Is not our re-election of President Obama a reflection of our desire as a nation? Is this not what we wanted as a whole? It is indeed. God is giving us what we wanted. We wanted a president that calls evil good and good evil because we as a nation continue to do so. John Owen has said "The most tremendous judgment of God in this world is the hardening of the hearts of men." This, my friends, is what we are seeing. God giving us over to our own desires and hardening hearts of men letting us go further and further into sin and wickedness. Romans 1:18-32 is very applicable here:
The wrath of God is being poured upon our nation for the very reasons mentioned in the above passage. In fact is has been poured upon us for some time but has become very apparent in the re-election of President Obama and I believe we will see it get worse.18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.
It is right to blame the nation as a whole and it is right to blame the church as a whole as well. Instead of being the church militant we have been the church cowardly. Instead of waging the good spiritual warfare (1 Tim. 1:18) we have sat passively back and watched not only the world turn the world upside down but the church upside down, too. Gone are the days when the church turned the world upside down (Acts 17:6) in the early church and in the Reformation. We have not taken advantage of the freedoms God has granted us in the U.S.A. Not only is the life giving Gospel of Jesus Christ preached by few, it is distorted and perverted by many in the pulpit. Many claiming to be shepherds of Christ's sheep have given in to the itching ears of those in the congregation. Instead of bringing the sheep up, they have brought the Scriptures down. The average Christian is not only doctrinally and theologically illiterate, they want the shepherds to be so as well. The freedom our gracious God has granted us to worship Him corporately on the Sabbath has been taken for granted. While our brothers and sisters not afforded this privilege in other countries will travel long hours and stand in difficult climate to worship the Triune God, many Christians in the U.S. are perfectly comfortable going week upon week without corporately worshiping our sovereign God. Instead of being out making disciples of Christ with our freedoms, we have remained ignorantly cooped up. O how we have been asking for our judgment:
17 For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 And “If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” 19 Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good. (1 peter 4:17-19).As is always the case God has not, nor will, ever fail us, we have failed Him. Praise the Lord of the imputed righteousness of Christ and God's loving faithfulness!
Let me be very clear here this is not all doom and no hope joy and praise of God. For I surely know and praise God for this judgment since God is glorifying His name and demonstrating His righteousness in all of this. It is a matter of praising God for His just judgments while grieving for our country and the people that make up our country. If anyone knew that Christ was still on His throne during the judgment of his people, it was the prophet Jeremiah. Yet he still wept for his people. It is perfectly fine to know that Christ always reigns and Obama is but a mere vessel in His hands and at the same time grieve for the ruination that will surely follow.
I am also firmly convinced that "we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose" (Ro 8:28). Perhaps we will now draw closer to Christ and depend upon Him more? Let it be that we will abandon our over individualism and realize we are a corporate body. That we need one another. Let it also be that we learn to love and appreciate, more so than we do now (if we do,) the utter importance of gathering on the Lord's Day to worship Him and proclaim His greatness all while growing up in Him. Perhaps now we will learn to love and long for sound doctrine and healthy theology so that the average Christian will be able to answer the humanist who angrily asks, "How can a loving God send innocent people to hell!?" And maybe, just maybe, when we start seeing the effects of poverty (which shall increase) and families suffering thereby being more open and receptive to the Gospel, we will faithfully and gladly share it with them seeing that the fields are ripe for harvest (Jn. 4:32, it has always been true but now will be much more evident). After all, when God brings judgment upon nations repentance and faith usually follow. Just ask those communist nations that first assaulted Christianity in order to establish their communism and in doing so caused the Gospel to spread further and created some of the strongest followers of Christ.
I give thanks to the Lord for His just judgment and grieve for my countrymen because of the hardships that soon shall come. It is during times of great grief like this where the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the only truth that brings me great comfort. To God be the Glory!
2 Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying, 3 “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.”
4 He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. 5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, 6 “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.”
7 I will tell of the decree: The LORD said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you. 8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. 9 You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” 10 Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. 11 Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. 12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him. (Ps 2:1–12).Christ will rule and reign as He so desires. President Obama is but a mere vessel in His hands and will serve the purposes of Christ, and glorify His name, whether the president knows it or not. Praise be to our sovereign Triune God.
Greetings!
ReplyDeleteI have a little different take on President Obama's re-election than some of the sentiments expressed. I am grateful for the biblical teachings alluded to but arrive at some different conclusions.
On election night, our family has been grieved over the re-election of President Obama. For this man has consistly promoted lawless and secular policies. Surely, this re-election will bring a further decline in our nation. For "righteousness" exalts a nation. We voted for Mitt Romney because we judged him to be a "good" man, and one who promised to promote a measure of righteousness.
We are also grieved at how secular and liberal our nation is becoming. "The people have spoken" and they are responsible for the result of this election.
As sad and as grievous as it is to live in a morally declining nation, I believe the true people of God and the true churches in America have been faithfully preaching, teaching and distributing the gospel. They have been walking by faith, looking up with earnest prayer, and waiting for the revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ. In many cases they have been very faithful not only in continuing to worship God in fear and trembling on the Lord's Day but in receiving severe persecution from those who have slandered them, gossiped about them and left their churches to join those who have another gospel.
I believe it is most needed at this time, to see our nation, along with other nations in the world, as fulfilling the role of common grace in our world. They are appointed by God and to a greater or lesser degree restrain evil and reward good. But, we are not to trust in princes. We are to put our trust in the Lord.
With a decline in a righteous standard bearer in the office of president, there will be less restraint of evil in our society, plain and simple.
However, it is also most needed at this time, to encourage and establish and build up and strengthen believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. True believers all throughout our nation, gathering on the Lord's Day in small churches, hearing the preaching of a faithful pastor who often labors alone or with very little support - they have been walking by faith, living each day on the promises of Christ, seeking to put to death the remaining sins that cling to them, and seeking to do "all things" to the glory of God, not perfectly but with true purpose. True believers in Christ! Keep walking by faith. Keeping growing in the knowledge of Christ and obedience to the ten commandments. Keep living as a light in an evil and perverse generation. The apostle Paul thanked God always for the grace of God given to the Corinthian Christians despite all their obvious problems. Such was not flattery but encouragement and confidence in God who began a good work in them, that He would complete, even though they lived in a day under a far more evil governmental system. True believers will need great encouragement and commendation to persevere, especially over the next four years! K.S. from New Hampshire
My friend,
ReplyDeleteYou offer some good insight. God has certainly reserved for Himself those that have not bowed the knee to Baal. For this we praise the Lord for the faithful shepherds and churches.
Blessings.