Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Will America Recognize God's Judgment and Repent?

As Daniel read the scroll of Jeremiah, he understood that he and all the Jews were in exile in Babylon because God was punishing them. God had decreed seventy years of punishment, and 67 years had already passed. Daniel didn't start packing and celebrating, he started grieving and confessing the sins of his people. After he did so, Gabriel encouraged him with the “seventy sevens” prophecy of the coming Messiah who would “finish the transgression, and [to] make an end of sins, and [to] make reconciliation for iniquity” (Daniel 9:24). And the Jews did return to Israel.

God sent Nathan, the prophet, to confront king David of his sins of adultery with Bathsheba and killing her husband. Nathan prophesied that though David committed adultery in secret, a “neighbor” would have sex with David's wives in broad daylight; and because David used the armies of Ammon to kill Uriah, war would never depart from his house, and the child conceived in adultery would die (2 Samuel 12). David fasted and mourned until the death of the child. As king David ran into the foothills when Absalom took over his palace and slept with his concubines on the rooftop, a Benjamite began to curse him and hurl stones at him. Though David could have easily killed him, he stated, “It may be that the LORD will look on my affliction, and that the LORD will requite me good for his cursing this day” (2 Samuel 16:12). In 1 Chronicles 21 is the record of David's sin of taking a census, and God offering him a choice of punishments to be taken out upon the people of Israel.

God punishes sin. The sins of leaders, like David, effect the people they lead. And the repentance of leaders, like Daniel, can restore their people. Jesus spoke about judging cities for their sins (Matthew 11:20-24).

Today, president Obama tried to get Netanyahu to stop building on Israel's own land in order to make more land concessions for 'peace'. From Mississippi to Tennessee, people are experiencing heavy flooding, and eight have already died from flooding in Georgia. The first person to see the correlation of 'natural' disasters to US meddling in Israel was John McTernan, and has been verified at http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/t/tenmajorevents.htm. He sees Obadiah 1:15 as the key: “For the day of the LORD is near on all the heathen: as you have done, it shall be done to you: your reward shall return on your own head.”

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