Why Must the Lord Return When He Does - God's Version of Enough
is Enough
There are many ways that God enters into judgment with both
individuals and entire nations. There is only one reason why he
enters into judgment and that is rampant immorality and sin. The
nations have followed the same path as ancient Israel. Like
Israel they sought God for a time, but when they were secure and
full they started backsliding into every imaginable sin. God
then sent prophets, preachers and messengers of every kind and
description. If their warnings went unheeded, which they did in
most cases the judgments given by the messengers came against
them.
When the people were tired of the lack of goods or the captivity
or the warfare they began to seek the prophets and messengers
again, but this time for the means to get right with God again.
A microcosmic example of this in our recent past would be what
happened right after the destruction of the Twin Towers in New
York on nine eleven. People started going back to church in
droves and church attendance reached record levels. But already
we are showing signs of slipping again. The call to defeat
terrorism by just returning to what we were doing before was
taken more seriously than the call to return to God.
When a people, Jew or Gentile begin seeking God again their lot
usually improves depending on how serious they are. This same
vicious cycle is repeated over and over throughout history by
almost every nation or people on the earth. Judgments come when
people pass over the mark God has set for them. God is patient
and slow to anger and it is amazing that he lets them go as far
as he does in some cases. The longer a nation or people persist
in their collective backsliding the more it strengthens them to
continue in that pathway. Because sentence against an evil work
is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men
is firmly set in them to do evil. Ecclesiastes 8: 11
The second coming will surprise more people than it will please.
The promise of his second coming seems a long way behind us, and
some would like to believe that it will not take place for
several more millennia. What seems like a very long delay is one
of the chief reasons they will he caught off guard and it is one
of the world's major excuses for unbelief. The apostle Peter
covers this in 2Peter 3:3-4... Knowing this first, that there
shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own
lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming! For since
the fathers fallen asleep, all things continue as they were from
the beginning of the creation.
How God judges sinful nations is the greater variable than why.
He will use anything at his disposal in nature such as floods,
drought, wild animals, plagues and general pestilence. He also
uses internal collapses in the infrastructure and the financial
well being of a nation. One of the more common ways he enters
into judgment, is to bring another nation against the violators
in all out warfare. He uses one nation's fury in all out war or
surprise attack to chasten the offender or to send a wake up
call. What is most amazing of all is that the nation that is
doing the judging may not even be as righteous or Godly as the
nation being judged. The ancient Babylonians were not lovers of
the God of Israel at all, but God used them to judge Israel. Not
only did they come under chastisement from this pagan nation but
the fact that they were so idolatrous was particularly offensive
to the self righteous Jews of that time. Babylon's godlessness
was part of the humiliation attached to the judgment and they
knew it.
A major difference at the end times is that no nation is in a
position to judge any other nation. They have all gone into
perdition. They all have decided to become part of the new world
order and follow the antichrist. Since there are no nations able
to enter into judgment for God, He has to do it himself. In
other words at that time the whole world has passed the mark God
has set, and only God can enter the judgment. It is the
worldwide fall of nations that is the primary factor or what
actually precipitates the second coming of Christ.