Singled Out by God - Obadiah and Revelation 9
Obadiah tells us how God singled out the nation of Edom for destruction. In fact, it was a complete destruction. There is not a country of Edom today, and there is no people-group that identifies itself as the Edomites or the descendants of Esau. God did away with them because of their pride and their lack of support for the nation of Israel. God specifically singled them out for this punishment.
This goes against what a lot of people believe about God. Many people think God loves everyone, and He will bless everyone. They think that everything bad comes from Satan. That is not the truth. God does decide to punish certain people or groups of people. We need to fear God in the sense that we never want to be singled out by God for His destruction.
In Revelation 9 we read about more of the judgments of God on the earth at the end of time. These judgments are against those who do not have the seal of God. In other words, these painful attacks come against those who do not belong to the Lord by faith. He will single them out for great pain and finally one third of them will die. I am not sure what kind of creatures or weapons John is describing, but they are very effective in bringing pain and death. God doesn't fool around. When He decides the time is right to single out people for punishment, He brings it swiftly and completely.
At the same time, God singles out people for His protection and blessing. He singled out Israel, even though He had to punish them. He did not destroy them. There is a country named Israel today. There are Jewish people all over the world. This is true because God has singled them out for His blessing. The same is true for Christians. Many people have tried to stamp out all Christians over the years, but they have never been successful, because God has singled out believers for His protection. Yes, some have been killed for their faith, but God is watching over His church, and He will do what is best for it. I pray that we will see the seriousness of being singled out by God for destruction or protection, and we would seek to live in right relationship with Him.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Jonah and Revelation 10.
This goes against what a lot of people believe about God. Many people think God loves everyone, and He will bless everyone. They think that everything bad comes from Satan. That is not the truth. God does decide to punish certain people or groups of people. We need to fear God in the sense that we never want to be singled out by God for His destruction.
In Revelation 9 we read about more of the judgments of God on the earth at the end of time. These judgments are against those who do not have the seal of God. In other words, these painful attacks come against those who do not belong to the Lord by faith. He will single them out for great pain and finally one third of them will die. I am not sure what kind of creatures or weapons John is describing, but they are very effective in bringing pain and death. God doesn't fool around. When He decides the time is right to single out people for punishment, He brings it swiftly and completely.
At the same time, God singles out people for His protection and blessing. He singled out Israel, even though He had to punish them. He did not destroy them. There is a country named Israel today. There are Jewish people all over the world. This is true because God has singled them out for His blessing. The same is true for Christians. Many people have tried to stamp out all Christians over the years, but they have never been successful, because God has singled out believers for His protection. Yes, some have been killed for their faith, but God is watching over His church, and He will do what is best for it. I pray that we will see the seriousness of being singled out by God for destruction or protection, and we would seek to live in right relationship with Him.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Jonah and Revelation 10.