Who Really Rules the Nations?

     At the present time in history we are still in the extended sixth world kingdom, but quickly approaching the seventh and final kingdom which will consist of ten nations.

     All nations are called by almighty God to either bless or chastise His chosen nation of Israel.  In which way is God using America today?

     Biblical history is very clear on the sovereignty of the nations.  Let’s review a bit of Israel’s history to confirm that truth.

     The second world kingdom, following the Egyptian Kingdom, was Assyria.  They were called on to chastise the Israelites for their disobedience.  The following example took place around 725 BC.

     “Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel…and the LORD rejected all the descendants of Israel…until the LORD removed Israel out of His sight as He had said by all His servants the prophets…”  2 Kings 17:18, 20, 23

     God had warned the Israelites in advance of the consequences of their disobedience.  He acted on His word (as He always does) and sent the king of Assyria to plunder Israel.

     “In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria…carried Israel away…”   2 Kings 17:6

     The king of Israel had no voice in their punishment and the king of Assyria had no voice in his assignment.

     Jeremiah described Israel’s punishment under Assyria and their subsequent chastisement by the third world kingdom, i.e. Babylon.

     “Israel is like scattered sheep…First the king of Assyria devoured him; now…Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has broken his bones.”  Jeremiah 50:17

     God is totally sovereign over the kings of the nations.  He assigns their actions and then punishes them for their mistreatment of Israel.

     “Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; ‘Behold, I will punish the king of Babylon and his land, as I have punished the king of Assyria.’” Jeremiah 50:18

     God had forewarned southern Judah of her punishment at the hands of Babylon many years before northern Israel fell to Assyria. 

     “And the LORD of their fathers sent warnings to them by His messengers…But they mocked the messengers of God…and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against His people, till there was no remedy.  Therefore He brought against them the king of the Chaldeans (Babylon)…”  2 Chronicles 36:15-17

     Once again the king of Judah had no voice in their punishment, and at the same time God ‘brought against them the king of Babylon.’

     Seventy years before Judah was deported to Babylon, God had already announced that the future king of Persia would free the Jews from Babylonian captivity.

     “Thus says the LORD to His anointed, to Cyrus…to subdue nations before him…to open before him the double doors, so that the gates will not be shut…for Jacob My servant’s sake, and Israel My elect, I have even called you by your name…though you have not know Me.”  Isaiah 45:1, 4

     Cyrus, the Persian king, was called by name 140 years before He was born and at the exact time in predetermined history, God sent Him on his mission to free the Jews from the king of Babylon.

     “Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD…might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia…”  2 Chronicles 36:22

     Jeremiah again expounded on God’s sovereignty relative to the king of Persia defeating the king of Babylon.

     “…The LORD has raised up the spirit of the kings of the Medes (and Persians).  For His plan is against Babylon to destroy it, because it is the vengeance of the LORD…”  Jeremiah 51:11

     Now, recall present Syria was part of the Assyrian kingdom; Babylon was the present Iraq; and Persia was the present Iran.

     President Obama as a professed Christian must be well aware of God’s sovereignty over the nations considering even geopolitical matters.

     Following are several of the president’s statements relative to the ‘world.’

     “We have the power to make the world we seek…the people of the world can live together in peace.”

     “…American leadership is the one constant in an uncertain world.”

     “America is better positioned today to seize the future than any other nation of earth.”

     Is he right?

Share your thoughts walt.thrun@gmail.com

Redistribution According to Saul and Barack

     Not only were both King Saul and President Obama appointed by God, their political ideologies also had much in common.  For example, both espoused the redistribution of citizen’s assets.

     They both believed that the government had the right and authority to take from one person and give it to another for political expediency.

     As would be expected, the Bible is not silent on the issue of redistribution.  In fact it would be difficult to find any contemporary issue that is not referenced in the Bible.

     There is a very enlightening example found in the gospel of Matthew that explains redistribution.  The example is referred to as the ‘Parable of the Talents.’ 

     This parable describes the current church age where Christ has ascended to His Father’s throne awaiting the word to return for His bride.  Prior to His departure He gave, or distributed, His goods to His chosen stewards to grow the kingdom during His absence.  Upon Christ’s return to earth He will evaluate each one’s stewardship of His goods and redistribute those goods according to the productivity of each of His stewards.

     “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.  And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.”  Matthew 25:14-15

     The Greek basis for the word ‘like’ in the above Scripture verses means wholly as, just as, same as, or exactly like.  In other words, the parable explains succinctly the similarity between the productivity of physical assets (money) and spiritual gifts bestowed to Christ’s servants.

     The Greek basis for the words ‘delivered’ and ‘gave’ mean to commit or trust to the charge or care of someone or something.  Other synonyms include bestow or grant.

     The phrase ‘according to his own ability’ can be explained by another popular Scripture passage.

     “Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith…”  Romans 12:6

     ‘One’s own ability’ is the measure of faith (proportion to our faith) bestowed, or given, to each of God’s servants by the Holy Spirit to use for the furtherance of the Kingdom of heaven during Christ’s absence.

     The servants who had been given five and two talents respectively began to trade in order to increase the amount that was entrusted to their stewardship. 

     Several translations including NIV and NASB state that they both began immediately to buy and sell in order to grow the talents entrusted to them.

     It must always be remembered that the talents (goods) did not belong to the stewards, i.e. they were entrusted with their Master’s goods during His absence.

     Upon the Master’s return the three stewards would be required to account for their stewardship of their Master’s goods.

     The two stewards entrusted with five and two talents respectively had doubled their Master’s goods and were commended for their stewardship.

     “His (their) lord said to him (them), ‘Well done, good and faithful servant(s); you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things…’”  Matthew 25:21, 23

     However, the servant entrusted with the one talent did not invest and grow that which he had been entrusted with, but rather he took his master’s goods out of circulation.

     This servant totally misread his master’s person, purpose and motive.

     “…Lord, I knew you to be a hard man…”  Matthew 25:24

     The Greek for ‘knew’ in this context means perceived or thought, not knowledge due to comprehension or spiritual wisdom.

     His actions called for redistribution.

     “But his lord answered…you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers; and…I would have received back my own with interest.  So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.”  Matthew 25:26-28

     Mr. President, are you listening?

     “For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance, but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away…”  Matthew 25:29

     Share your thoughts walt.thrun@gmail.com

ISIS - in America?

     According to FBI director James Comey ISIS is present in all 50 states.  Following are several of Director Comey’s own statements.

     “These people exist in every state.  I have homegrown violent extremist investigations in every single state…”

     “Slick propaganda…that goes like this: ‘Troubled soul, come to the caliphate, you will live a life of glory, these are the apocalyptic end times, you will find a life of meaning here fighting for our so-called caliphate and if you can’t come, kill somebody where you are.’  That is a message that goes out to troubled souls everywhere,” Comey said.

     

     It is a well known fact that ISIS is very adept in using social media to recruit adherents.

     Now let’s review several points of Biblical history that place Director Comey’s comments in perspective.

    Recall that Israel is God’s chosen nation and they are to serve as the model for all nations.

     Even before they possessed their Promised Land God forewarned them of the consequences of disobedience to His word.

     Following are several relative points delivered to the Children of Israel before taking possession of the land of Canaan.

     “But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you.”  Deuteronomy 28:15

     There were numerous curses for disobedience listed in Deuteronomy 28 but for space’s sake we’ll list just a few.

     “The LORD will cause you to be defeated before your enemies…”  Deuteronomy 28:25a

     Note the ‘LORD will cause.’  Their enemies will be defined shortly.

     “The alien (stranger, foreigner, guest and/or sojourner) who is among you shall rise higher and higher above you, and you shall come down lower and lower.”  Deuteronomy 28:43

     In Israel there was to be one law for both the Israelite and the alien.  In fact the rights of the alien were restricted; for example aliens were not permitted to own property.

     However, due to Israel’s disobedience to God’s laws, God caused the alien to gain in power within Israel while Israel’s control was diminished.

     “Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joy and gladness of heart…therefore you shall serve your enemies, whom the LORD will send against you... and He will put a yoke of iron on your neck until He has destroyed you.”  Deuteronomy 28:47-48

     Israel did not serve their God and the curses became reality.

     Notice the absolute sovereignty of God in the above Scripture:

     …you shall serve your enemies

     …whom the LORD will send against you

     …He will put a yoke of iron on your neck

     God delivered His law to Israel in 1405 BC and from that time forward Israel disobeyed and suffered the consequences.  In 722 BC the northern 10 tribes were overrun by Assyria and then beginning in 605 BC Southern Judah and Jerusalem were overrun by Babylon (present day Iraq).

     The acronym ISIS stands for Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.  Coincidence?

     The present challenges are just the beginning.

     “Then I (John) saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God…”  Revelation 20:4

    

     Another curse promised to Israel for disobedience is drought.

     “The LORD will change the rain of your land to powder and dust…”  Deuteronomy 28:24

     Without question the LORD is also in complete control of weather patterns and climate fluctuations.

     It is puzzling to many that the president of this great nation believes the greatest threat to the world today is ‘man-made’ climate change.  He never acknowledges or even defines ISIS while committing billions of dollars to reduce carbon emissions. 

     The best thing this president could do for America as a professed Christian would be to acknowledge that this great nation has also ‘forgotten’ her God and then initiate an effort to return to God’s standard of righteousness and justice.  Then both ISIS and climate change might be less of a problem.

     “…if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God…The LORD will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face…”  Deuteronomy 28:1, 7

       

    

Satan also says, 'I will'

     Before the creation of man Lucifer, son of the morning, was the highest of God’s creations.  But pride entered his heart and he wasn’t pleased to be submissive to his creator.  His aspirations are recorded by the prophet Isaiah.

     “…I will exalt my throne above the stars of God…I will be like the Most High.”  Isaiah 14:13-14

     Pride takes place when one uses the term ‘I will’ and attributes what God has provided to one’s own power and effort.

     The Isaiah passage above was simultaneously describing the mindset of Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar who was a puppet of Satan who was in turn a puppet of the One who created him.

     Recall Nebuchadnezzar also attributed what God had given him to his own efforts as did his puppeteer, Satan.

     “…King Nebuchadnezzar…was walking about the royal palace of Babylon.  The king spoke, saying, ‘Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?’”  Daniel 4:28-30

     Recall further that Daniel had previously interpreted another of Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams that recorded the consequences of his pride, i.e. he was to be reduced to a grass eating beast of the field for seven years.

     “While the word was still in the king’s mouth, a voice fell from heaven: ‘King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: the kingdom has departed from you!’ …That very hour the word was fulfilled concerning Nebuchadnezzar; he was driven from men and ate grass like oxen…until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses.”  Daniel 4:31-33

     After Satan’s humiliating loss evidenced by the Babylonian Kingdom being taken from Nebuchadnezzar and also the humiliating removal of the king of Tyre who was also energized by Satan, one might have assumed that he would have rethought using the words ‘I will.’  Such was/is not the case.

     Recall the early days of Jesus’ ministry.

     “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.”  Matthew 4:1

     It is important to begin by noting that Jesus was led by the Spirit, i.e. God the Father had orchestrated the entire experience of His Son being tempted (tested).

     “…the devil…showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.  And he said to Him, ‘all these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.’”  Matthew 4:8-9

     Of course Jesus replied that only the Lord God should be worshipped and served.

     Satan was well aware that what he offered Jesus had been given to him as part of God’s master plan.  Satan has no power to do anything that God hasn’t preordained.

     Luke recorded that fact as he recounted the testing of Jesus.

     “And the devil said to Him, ‘All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish…’”
Luke 4:6

     It all goes back to God’s powerful ‘I will’ in Genesis.

     “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed…”  Genesis 3:15

     Satan will exalt his granted power more than any time in history during the great tribulation following the church age, which is coming to a close.  Satan will personally energize the future anti-Christ.

     “…and the man of sin (lawlessness) is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.”  2 Thessalonians 2:3-4

     Paul is describing what Daniel referred to more than 500 years before the birth of Christ, i.e. “And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate…”

     And Jesus confirmed Daniel’s prophecy as He was describing future history to His disciples:

     “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place…”  Matthew 24:15

     Satan’s ‘I wills’ will in God’s timing become ‘I lost’ when he finds himself being tormented in the lake of fire ‘day and night forever and ever.’

     Share your thoughts walt.thrun@gmail.com

    

          

Sunni - Shiite Conflict

     The two major sects of Islam are the Sunni and the Shiite.  The differences between these two sects constitute one of the major causes of the conflict in the Syria – Iraq area today.

     The major difference in the two sects center on who is, or will be, the leader of the revived Islamic caliphate which Islamic literature proclaims will be in modern day Turkey.

     The conflict began with the death of Islam’s prophet Muhammad in 632. The Sunnis thought that Muhammad’s successor should be the most capable leader while the Shiites believed that the Islamic leader should be from the blood line of Muhammad after his death, i.e. his cousin and son-in-law Ali bin Abu Talib.  Instead Muhammad’s advisor Abu Bakr became the first Caliph after his death.

     In reality Islam is a religious-political entity meaning in essence that Islam is a combination of religion and politics.  With the Sunnis the ‘state’ is considered the highest authority while Shiites contend that the cleric is the highest authority.

     The Shiites believe that there will be a total of 12 Imams to rule Islam throughout their history.  The twelfth Imam mysteriously disappeared in the 9^th century.  Shiites believe that the twelfth Imam will reappear as their Mahdi (Savior) to rule the coming final caliphate.

     Iran’s previous president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claimed to be the one chosen to usher in the return of the 12^th Imam.  He so stated while addressing the United Nations.

     The present supreme leader in Iran is Shiite Muslim cleric Ali Hosseini Khamenei.  Even though Khamenei is a religious cleric, as supreme leader he has authority over executive, legislative and judicial branches of government as well as authority over Iran’s military and media.  He was not elected by the people, rather by a religious ‘council of experts.’

     And while Iran’s president is elected by the people, each candidate must be vetted and approved beforehand by another council of clerics.

     Even though there are major differences between the Sunnis and Shiites, primarily in the definition of leadership, both sects accept the authority of the Quran, hadith, and sunna.  Also both sects accept the five pillars of Islam.

     Sunnis far outnumber Shiites with a ratio approximating 4:1.  The recent war in Iraq resulted in a power reversal from Sunni to Shiite which triggered major sectarian violence.

     Briefly, another ‘sect’ in the region is comprised of Kurds.  They are predominately Sunnis but include other minority religious groups including Jews and Christians.  Their geographical area is known as Kurdistan which can be defined as a geo-cultural or transnational region, meaning Kurdistan covers portions of southeastern Turkey, northern Iraq, western Iran, and northern Syria.  The Kurds are generally neutral or independent.

     Back to Islam.  The last Islamic caliphate consisted of the Ottoman Turks.  The caliphate sided with Germany in WW1 and was defeated.  They reemerged as the Republic of Turkey.  Pious Muslims were disenchanted with the resulting secularism and the Muslim Brotherhood was born.  The Brotherhood is extremely active around the world today, including the United States.

     How does all this affect Christianity today?  Many well respected Muslim scholars contend that their Prophet Muhammad is a descendant of Ishmael.  Inasmuch as Muhammad was born 500 years after the Bible was completed, that lineage cannot be Biblically confirmed.

     The Bible does, however, describe Ishmael and tells that he was the progenitor of 12 Arab tribes.  Also recall the Biblical description of Ishmael.

     “He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.”  Genesis 16:12 NIV

     Bible students have no reason not to take Islam at their word concerning Ishmael. 

     There is, however, a Biblical challenge for Islam.  Five hundred years before Islam was born, Jesus, the Son of God, spoke in the final verses in the Bible.

     “For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book:  If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book…”  Revelation 22:18 NKJV

     Future history will reveal and confirm the truth.

     Thrun’s book entitled: ‘America’s Vision vs. God’s Standard of Justice’ has much more to say about the Biblical future of the nations in the Fertile Crescent.