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"God
Offers Clemency the Nations" Message by: Dr. Eric
vonAnderseck, ThD, DD |
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Ecc.7:29, “Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.” Choose this day whom you will serve! These were the words of God to the children of Israel and these are the words of God to the nations today (Josh.24:15). God has always set this choice before mankind to bring sin to remembrance and to declare His day of reckoning. “I made you for Myself, but you sought out many ways to survive and comfort yourselves apart from faith and covenant.” There are many avenues by which the human race has sought to live by their own means rather than by God’s covenant. Through these means they have carefully prophesied their peace and security and comfort: · Pharmaceutical prophets: “You can survive by drugs.” · Technological prophets: “You can survive by technology.” · Scientific prophets: “You can survive by scientific advancements.” · Weather prophets: “You can survive by forecasting the weather.” · Economic prophets: “You can survive by your investments.” · Health prophets: “You can survive by learning to live healthy.” · Political prophets: “You can survive by political affiliation.” · Education prophets: “You can survive by educating yourself.” · Religious prophets: “You can survive by learning to get in touch with your own concept of God.” These all forecast into your life peace and security based on their knowledge. Yet with all the promise, each has also prophesied about the doom of the human race saying that society cannot endure another hundred years under the current chaos. It is evident then that despite every endeavor to advance, God has continued to frustrate these efforts. Even though God has granted deliverances in-part every improvement requires blood to advance, comes with contradiction, and moral questions. We should heed this admonition: Deut.7:9,10, “Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations; [10] And repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them: he will not be slack to him that hateth him, he will repay him to his face.” What does God mean when He says, “I will repay him to his face.” God means to say, “I will show you your sins.” God will not allow man to justify himself and pass off His judgments. God in these last days is bringing to the attention of all nations and all peoples, and tongues what He is about to do. As He revealed to His prophets of old so He is manifesting His thoughts towards us today: CLEMENCY BY COVENANT OR TRIBULATION FOR FAITHLESSNESS In reflection, God has identified Himself as a God of compassion to those who keep covenant with Him and a God of wrath against those who changed His testimonies and despise His judgments. Therefore do the heavens and earth testify against man. The Sins of the Nations: · Changing God’s testimonies · Despising God’s judgments God’s testimonies are found in His creation, in His origin, and in His plan. Man changed God’s testimonies by removing them from the Creator to center in his own philosophies, by putting human existence into “chance” rather than “design;” by removing God’s plan of redemption from the Spirit to traditions and moral correctness; by shifting one’s focus from faith and covenant to one of survival, by setting the path and rhythm of life to pleasure rather than that of covenant faith. Thus, removing God’s judgments from the divine to the rhythm of nature. Furthermore, humanity has consistently chosen the fear of man rather than the fear of God and to favor the peace of the world rather than the peace of God; this is what it means to “hate” God. People demonstrate their hatred of God by avoiding and despising His judgments and casting them in a false light that flatters their own position. To choose the fear of man means to take on the yoke of this perspective to then be ruled by it. For that you condemn yourselves. We should heed this admonition: “I call heaven and earth to record [testify] this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both you and your seed may live” (Deut.30:19). God is again “calling upon heaven and earth to record [testify] this day against humanity, that He has set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both you and your seed may live.” How do the heavens and earth testify against man? Deut.32:1,2: 1 Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth. 2 My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass: OOPS! We need to rethink some things. The heavens and earth were created for man’s good; is that the case today? The answer is self evident as the daily news reports of war, famine, plagues, pestilence, earthquakes, tornadoes, fires, tsunami, hail, black-outs, and seasons out of course. These are signs of the times; signs against man’s sins. When individuals walk contrary to God, God has pledged to walk contrary to them. Which means that He stands against their interests (their efforts to resolve their problems). Are your problems solved? are you walking in world peace? No. Do not boast against God by saying, “I shall have peace though I walk in my own ways.” This is the counsel of the unwise. When they look for good then He will send evil. When they look to solve their own problems through their own resources God frustrates their efforts to make them stop and think. God promised fruitful seasons, yet the daily news testifies of man’s sins. Frost damage, hail damage, pestilence damage, mad cow disease, dog virus, and bird flu. Indeed man continues to testify of his own plight of judgment under the hand of God, yet fails to testify of God and fails to acknowledge their sins. This is because humanity has forgotten their Creator and no longer acknowledges His signs to them. In the days of the prophet Samuel the children of Israel abandoned God’s care and asked for a king to rule over them so that they could be just like the nations around them. God gave them their request, but also sent leanness into their hearts and gave them a sign that they had sinned in abandoning His care through the government of His rulership and faith in covenant. What was the sign of their sin and of God’s judgment against them? Samuel said, “Is it not wheat harvest to day? I will call unto the Lord, and he shall send thunder and rain; that ye may perceive and see that your wickedness is great, which ye have done in the sight of the Lord, in asking you a king. [18] So Samuel called unto the Lord; and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day: and all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel” (1Sam.12:17,18). The sign is that the weather reflects your heart. How would people respond today to the words of the prophet? Most would not perceive their own wickedness, but respond to the thunder and rain by waiting out the storm and finding a way around their problems. That mind-set is viewed by God as “wicked” because through it people vindicate themselves by good works and excuse themselves of God’s judgments. God views as wicked those who: · Remove God’s exclusivity to include their self-perception of God · Exercise an aspiration with their principle to excuse themselves of sin · Pursue the hope of their pleasure rather than the hope of faith · Wait in expectation of God’s good even when they followed the broad way · Wrestle truth into a form recognizable to themselves · Honor the things that God despises · Live by the honor of their own principle · Navigate around God’s judgments by establishing new comfort zones · Using God’s signs for your own platform of wisdom and stature rather than His chastisement Man, because of long established habits with sin, can no longer discern that faith is exclusive to the Second Covenant of Jesus Christ and can no longer discern the signs of God; they can no longer discern between their right hand and their left hand. But the children of Israel knew the sign of God’s judgment in the thunder and rain and feared—not because of the rain—but because God was withdrawing His favor from them and setting a judgment against all their endeavors. He sent evil angels to afflict all aspects of their lifestyle including the touching and afflicting of their children. Only by the power of God did Pharaoh ever come to the conclusion, “I and my people are wicked” (Ex.9:27). Pharaoh was navigating his kingdom by his counselors and by the traditions of his fathers. All philosophies of the world will set challenges for new ideas in order to rectify life’s problems and justify a form of education to continue to develop new comfort zones to navigate around God’s judgments. Yet they put themselves in a dilemma by their own philosophy [knowledge industry]. By believing that more questions are necessary to find the answers, they looped themselves instead to never ending cycles of challenges and adjustments that only led to deeper questions not answers. Jesus spoke of these days when He said, “And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring” (Lk.21:25). So then, whatever people idolize, God frustrates by setting a judgment upon their efforts. We clearly see God’s judgment upon nature, upon technology, and upon politics. Upon every nation, every tongue, and every people God has brought forth His judgments of war, famine, and pestilence. After billions of dollars spent in years of research, technological advancements have provided no hope to reform nor redeem. The future is bleak. God has set a frustration upon all of man’s endeavors because they seek to advance themselves apart from covenant. Most choose to view God only in the light of His compassion and refuse to see God in the light of His wrath. Yes, God’s compassionate care has always existed—He sends the rain and fruitful seasons—however, God identified Himself as the one who kills and makes alive. Ex.32:39, “See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand.”
Ex.34:14, “For thou shalt worship no other god: for the Lord, whose name is jealous, is a jealous God [jealousy: feelings of betrayal].” Some disassociate God from His judgments by saying:
We have to come to grips with reality and stop this childish thinking. People have tried to go round after round of trying to “fix” the bad business or bad politics and to predict the next “fluke of nature” to keep one step ahead of the next outbreak. Is that how God planned for the human race to exist? from catastrophe to catastrophe? traumatized with the day’s headlines? No. God’s plan was that humanity live in harmony with Him. Yet God knows that people can no longer discern between their right hand and their left hand. And this is why He is offering healing to the nations. God is offering clemency to all who will come into covenant with Him. EXAMPLES: Clemency to Rahab God offered clemency many times in the past. Take for example Rehab, who found peace and security in the walls of Jericho. In order for her to escape God’s pending judgment against Jericho she had to transition from the peace and security of a fortified city to the peace and security of the covenant faith of Israel. The transition that she made was called a choice of “faith” (Heb.11:31), which brought God’s clemency to her and her family. Notice that Rahab did not initiate this clemency on her own, but responded to the messengers sent out from Joshua (government) through whom God had issued the knowledge of His plan. God’s clemency for Rahab · By His spiritual government · By covenant truth · By His Spirit Clemency to Lot Lot also sought for temporal peace and security inside the walls of Sodom for he saw that those lands were “well watered every where, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar” (Gen.13:10). The whole region was as the garden of God, but now it is mostly salt desert. Before God destroyed Sodom he communed with His friend Abraham and said: 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.’” God offered clemency to the people of Sodom and Gomorrah if He could find fifty righteous within the city. The righteous are those (like Abraham) who walk by faith in covenant with God. Abraham continued to intercede for the people of the city, asking God to spare them for the sake of the righteous. God agreed to sparing the city if He could find but 10 righteous in the city. The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed because God found only righteous Lot and spared his household by his choice of faith. Lot too had to transition from the peace and security that brought comfort to his flesh, to the peace and security that brought comfort to his soul. God offered this man and his family clemency from His judgment against Sodom and Gomorrah. God’s clemency for Lot · By His spiritual government · By covenant truth · By His Spirit Clemency to Nineveh We gain another example of clemency from the book of Jonah. Upon the preaching of Jonah the people of Nineveh believed the word of the Lord and repented in prayers and fasting. Because of their choice of faith, God changed His mind and did not bring a judgment, rather gave them clemency. “And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not” (Jonah 3:10).
God’s clemency for Nineveh · By His spiritual government · By covenant truth · By His Spirit Throughout the Bible clemency always came through contact with God’s chosen judges, prophets, priests, and kings. Jonah went to Nineveh, the angel went to Lot, and Joshua’s messengers went to Rahab. All who come under the shadow of God’s wings, on His terms, brought upon
· themselves · their family · and city a great blessing
The “blessing” is the removal of the yoke of God’s evil judgments. The judgment of God’s wrath upon the earth during the time of the Tribulation is near and irreversible. Humanity can do nothing to repeal this course and this coming horrific time. No political negotiations will stop this terrible conclusion of history. Beginning of Sorrows Beginning of sorrows. What does that mean? It means that God has begun the end-time count-down and although God will not change the course of His plan to conclude all ages, He has allotted this time for choices to be made so that He can reward those choices and in judgment show mercy. Even as clemency for Rahab did not change the destruction of Jericho and clemency for Lot did not change the destruction of Sodom so clemency for the nations now will not divert God from His end times Great Tribulation. Even now we are seeing the “beginning of that time of sorrows,” small glimpses of destruction that foreshadow things to come as each week in the news we hear of floods, hurricanes, fires, tsumanis, earthquakes, tornados, heat waves, diseases, epidemics, droughts, terrorism, bombings, brutalities, wars and economic collapses. No country is spared and no community is untouched. God is sending out His message and people are already responding to the Spirit of the Lord. All people’s around the world know that a great event is about to explode upon the scene; they are in expectation of a divine intervention. God is now offering clemency to the nations of the world, that He may bring a healing to them. Most would ask “Why do I need clemency, I’ve done nothing wrong; I have a decent life and good moral value system.” It has always been difficult for humanity to reconcile between what they see and feel to what God spoke. Let’s look at this example: When Jesus was bound standing before Pilate He was asked of Pilate, “Are you a king?” Jesus affirmed that He was indeed a king. But, what Pilate saw before him was a contradiction and he must have thought to himself, “You stand before my throne bound and by my word you live or die. I don’t see a king, I see a Jewish peasant.” And so he said to Jesus, “…Don’t you know that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee?” (Jn.19:10). Yet Jesus’ perspective was from the throne of heaven and He said to Pilate, “You could have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above…” (Jn.19:11). Pilate was so moved by Jesus’ words that he sought to release him, but he could not. As Jesus said, he had no power over Him in the first place. Under the guise of personal principles, aspirations, and freedom of sovereignty mankind feels his imagination is empowered and he is a ruler over life and destiny. Although man has a play of the imagination, he does not have power to rule over life with the imagination. Just as Pilate observed, the feeling of power over life is an illusion. It is God who gives life and God who takes life. God promised to Adam to shed His own blood for the sins of the world. Jesus Christ came to fulfill His word to Adam so that whosoever would believe on Him might not perish, but have everlasting life. This promise is tethered to His Covenant terms and conditions, not to the imagination, technology or intellectual prowess of man. The comfort zones of humanity make it difficult to reconcile the need for God’s clemency through covenant. All is well when there is food on the table, a roof over the head and a steady paycheck. We are seeing how God can shift in a moment these seeming constants and reveal the false refuges man has put his trust in. The time is now to partake of the Covenant of Jesus Christ. For where the asp of the viper has bitten the Lord shall have mercy and send the balm of the Spirit. Where foul waters have embittered the soul God shall purify the heart and make clean the tongue. Where the deep wounds of ages have parted lands God shall restore and repair the breach. The offer of clemency is now extended. He that has an ear, let him hear and let him respond in faith. ***Please note: There is no way we can change the final outcome of history, but we can be part of God’s deliverance. Jesus is returning for His own and no other. God is setting a charge of responsibility to mankind—prepare yourself. They who would accept the Lord’s offer of clemency must partake of His Covenant. Second 8th Week Apostles of Jesus Christ are standing by to assist you with instructions of how to return your faith to God and walk uprightly with Him by the holy covenant knowledge. Please visit http://www.second8thweek.com/Covenant.htm to respond. To contact Second 8th Week Ministries Public Relations Department, please click here
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