A QUESTION
A PASSAGE
AN ANSWER
A PASSAGE
QUESTION
What I believe about 2 Chronicles 7:14?
PASSAGE
Let me quote it first and then respond.
2 Chronicles 7:14
(14) If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
ANSWER
* I believe it.
* But it is not a verse that is an open ended promise to all people, about all lands, throughout all of time. The passage was specifically given to Israel, concerning Israel as God's nation. Even then, it was conditional.
* Today, God does not have a nation in the same sense that He claimed Israel to be, "His people." God has a people, a kingdom of righteousness, peace and joy, but not a kingdom of national borders, with appointed and anointed leaders, who are subjects to His rule and His law. The Church is not a worldly nation.
* I believe the principles of this promise are on the table for America, but it is not a blanket promise and there is no guarantee that America will be saved.
* In fact, it is certain that America, and the other nations of this world, will fail. This world will fail, even after Jesus reigns for one thousand years in Jerusalem. The end is already known. If America or any other nation does get delivered from the power of darkness, it will be a short lived reality, because the Bible already reveals ultimate failure, collapse, destruction of this world, and then there will be a New Heaven, New Earth and New Jerusalem, which will never fail.
* I believe it is good to pray for and work toward America's salvation. But we must not put our hope in America. Instead, Americans, and everyone else, needs to put their hope in Jesus. Jesus is coming back, but not to a faithful world. He is coming back, to execute judgment. He is coming back to rule, for 1,000 years, and then His earthly kingdom will come the end, and the world will be destroyed by fire. Then comes the Great White Throne Judgment and the casting of the lost into the Lake of Fire, forever, and finally, the New Heaven, New Earth and New Jerusalem.
* God can do what He wants to do, and He will do what is right for Him to do. If God wants to raise up the sinking ship of State, America, He can, but here is what I think is going to happen instead.
The ship (America and every other nation) is sinking. Christians are the on a rescue mission to save (evangelize and convert) the drowning (the unsaved). We are supposed to be bringing the lost into the Old Ship of Zion (the Church), rather than re-float this earthly regime. If God keeps America afloat, it is not for the purpose of making it unsinkable, it is simply to give more people time to abandon their temporal hopes in a worldly kingdom and turn to Jesus for eternal life.
This is not a lack of faith on my part. It is simply living in line with what God tells us about the future.
2 Peter 3:4-14
(4) And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
(5) For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
(6) Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
(7) But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
(8) But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
(9) The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
(10) But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
(11) Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
(12) Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
(13) Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
(14) Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.
A PASSAGE
AN ANSWER
A PASSAGE
QUESTION
What I believe about 2 Chronicles 7:14?
PASSAGE
Let me quote it first and then respond.
2 Chronicles 7:14
(14) If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
ANSWER
* I believe it.
* But it is not a verse that is an open ended promise to all people, about all lands, throughout all of time. The passage was specifically given to Israel, concerning Israel as God's nation. Even then, it was conditional.
* Today, God does not have a nation in the same sense that He claimed Israel to be, "His people." God has a people, a kingdom of righteousness, peace and joy, but not a kingdom of national borders, with appointed and anointed leaders, who are subjects to His rule and His law. The Church is not a worldly nation.
* I believe the principles of this promise are on the table for America, but it is not a blanket promise and there is no guarantee that America will be saved.
* In fact, it is certain that America, and the other nations of this world, will fail. This world will fail, even after Jesus reigns for one thousand years in Jerusalem. The end is already known. If America or any other nation does get delivered from the power of darkness, it will be a short lived reality, because the Bible already reveals ultimate failure, collapse, destruction of this world, and then there will be a New Heaven, New Earth and New Jerusalem, which will never fail.
* I believe it is good to pray for and work toward America's salvation. But we must not put our hope in America. Instead, Americans, and everyone else, needs to put their hope in Jesus. Jesus is coming back, but not to a faithful world. He is coming back, to execute judgment. He is coming back to rule, for 1,000 years, and then His earthly kingdom will come the end, and the world will be destroyed by fire. Then comes the Great White Throne Judgment and the casting of the lost into the Lake of Fire, forever, and finally, the New Heaven, New Earth and New Jerusalem.
* God can do what He wants to do, and He will do what is right for Him to do. If God wants to raise up the sinking ship of State, America, He can, but here is what I think is going to happen instead.
The ship (America and every other nation) is sinking. Christians are the on a rescue mission to save (evangelize and convert) the drowning (the unsaved). We are supposed to be bringing the lost into the Old Ship of Zion (the Church), rather than re-float this earthly regime. If God keeps America afloat, it is not for the purpose of making it unsinkable, it is simply to give more people time to abandon their temporal hopes in a worldly kingdom and turn to Jesus for eternal life.
This is not a lack of faith on my part. It is simply living in line with what God tells us about the future.
2 Peter 3:4-14
(4) And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
(5) For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
(6) Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
(7) But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
(8) But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
(9) The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
(10) But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
(11) Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
(12) Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
(13) Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
(14) Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.
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