When God Judges Societies

Theology and Politics from a Conservative, Biblical Perspective

Throughout the Old Testament, we see God’s judgment numerous times throughout. Often (though not exclusively), His anger is directed at the very nation He created; Israel/Judah. On other occasions, God directs His judgment onto nations that came against Israel/Judah, even when they were allowed to do so by God Himself for judgment.

This appears to be a consistent method of how God worked and continues to work. The problem for many of us (myself included), is that when we see the same type of things happening in ancient Israel happening today (idolatry, overt evil, corruption from leaders, lawlessness, etc.), we, like the Israelites of old, cry out to God wanting Him to right wrongs.

Many of us see the absolute corruption and evil meted out by corrupt federal, state and local government officials today and it makes our blood boil. While we have faith in God, we are sometimes beside ourselves with frustration and unbelief that this type of abject corruption is occurring in America.

With all the Christians throughout America and the world praying for God to “do something,” why doesn’t He move? I’d like to suggest that the stage is being set for God to intervene and actually do something. However, what He may end up doing will not be what many to most actually want to see happen. But how has God worked in the past?

Let’s consider a few Old Testament sources to see how God has reacted to the increasing level of evil and corruption that occurred then. God has His own ways of doing things that are not necessarily our ways.

In the small book of Habakkuk, we learn that the prophet bemoans the fact that God seems to do absolutely nothing with the growing level of corruption and evil on display then through the leaders of Judah and other nations.

The book of Habakkuk starts off immediately noting the prophet’s complaint (Habakkuk 1:2-4).

2 O Lord, how long shall I cry,
And You will not hear?
Even cry out to You, “Violence!”
And You will not save.
3 Why do You show me iniquity,
And cause me to see trouble?
For plundering and violence are before me;
There is strife, and contention arises.
4 Therefore the law is powerless,
And justice never goes forth.
For the wicked surround the righteous;
Therefore perverse judgment proceeds.

Sound familiar? Habakkuk cries out because of the growing level of violence he sees throughout the land. He seems frustrated because God doesn’t seem to care and does nothing. Do you feel like that?

Everywhere he looks, the prophet sees iniquity, plundering and growing violence against innocent people. He notes there is continual strife and contention increasingly. He also states the law seems powerless with no true justice. Why? The answer is in the second part of this same verse 4: “For the wicked surround the righteous, therefore perverse judgment proceeds.”

This was back in Habakkuk’s day, around 640 BC. He was likely a contemporary of “…Zephaniah and Jeremiah, and possibly even of Ezekiel and Daniel. He probably prophesied no later than the end of Josiah’s reign (640–609 B.C.).”[1] We are talking about a time roughly 3,000 years ago. Interestingly, the situation during his day is remarkably similar to our day.

Habakkuk was very frustrated with all the corrupt leaders in Judah. He was tired of the fact that the average Jewish person had little to no recourse against the rich and powerful. Everywhere he looked, he saw evil people taking advantage of and lording it over the average person, with that person having little to no recourse in the courts. In fact, the rich and powerful often controlled the courts as they do today in many cases. Because of this, unfair or “perverse” judgments were handed down by those in power against the innocent.

Today, we see Leftwing judges meting out either extremely harsh sentences to conservatives or letting hardened criminals go free. We watch people in the UK being arrested and sent to prison for a post on their social network, while rapists are literally released back into the public. This is a sign of the perverseness that has gained control of our courts.

So if things today appear much the same as they did in Habakkuk’s day, what can we actually expect God to do? Will He simply swoop in and clean up the corruption and take out the trash? He certainly could, but again, that does not appear to be His modus operandi. God often uses what appears to be very naturally occurring situations to deal with a problem.

Habakkuk voiced his complaint to God. In Habakkuk 1:5, we learn the Lord’s reply.

Look among the nations and watch – be utterly astounded! For I will work a work in your days which you would not believe, though it were told to you.

Interesting and sounds hopeful, doesn’t it? If we stopped reading there, we might be tempted to think God was promising to simply go in and clean house by ridding Judah of its corrupt leaders, as if by magic. If we thought that, we’d be wrong.

Habakkuk 1:6 tells us “For indeed I am raising up the Chaldeans, a bitter and hasty nation which marches through the breadth of the earth, to possess dwelling places that are not theirs.” God goes onto tell us more about the nature of these Chaldeans. In essence, they were to be dreaded for their viciousness. God was promising to bring the Chaldeans against Judah in order to eradicate the corruption of those who lead Judah (including the priesthood). It would seem simply like one nation overtaking and conquering another nation, but it was God behind the scenes directing affairs to bring His judgment against Judah’s perverse leadership.

In Habakkuk 1:9, God tells the prophet that the Chaldeans literally love violence; “They all come for violence; their faces are set like the east wind. They gather captives like sand.”

So it seems when God judges a nation, He often does so by bringing a more powerful nation against another nation. When all is said and done, Judah would eventually be able to rebuild and start over with hopefully honest and caring leaders.

So how does this connect with today’s world and especially with America? I think the connection is obvious. We know beyond doubt that the corruption, evil and assault on the average person today is something that has grown exponentially over the past few years, fueled by Marxist tenets (or what Patrick M. Wood calls the Omniwar, mutli-pronged approach to destroying a nation). Nothing seems to be able to change it and in fact, things continue to worsen.

Amos (and Micah) paint similar pictures. The prophet Amos makes the point that things were so bad during his day that the prudent person simply chose to keep quiet rather than take on the system (Amos 5:13). They knew that even though they were in the right, the system would devour them because it was so corrupt and self-serving.

Micah is another prophet, who bemoans the fact that the rich spent their money taking advantage of the poor and often got away with it because the courts were compromised in favor of the rich and powerful. Is this any different from what we are experiencing today? Powerfully rich people and corporations control many aspects of governments throughout the world. Just consider Micah 2:1-2 to see how the rich and powerful obsess with evil plans.

So what can we expect? If God does what He has always done, I think we can expect a foreign nation to attack the USA. There’s been a lot of saber rattling over the past number of months where Russia is concerned. The USA (via Ukraine), keeps poking the bear and the bear so far has shown tremendous restraint. But, will something finally trigger Russia’s response resulting in sending out nukes that can reach parts of the United States? I think it’s very possible and could ultimately happen and won’t be an accident.

Throughout history, God has consistently used one nation against another to execute His will. To the observer, it simply looks like one nation rising against another nation. Will God do the same where America is concerned?

Many today think Donald J. Trump is America’s “savior.” He’s unequivocally not, in my opinion, however, if God allows him to be re-elected, there are good things I’m sure he will attempt to do, but not without a major fight from powerfully evil people, if he remains alive of course.

Independent journalist Lara Logan has noted intel given to her that indicates several ground-to-air missiles have been smuggled into the USA by the Mexican drug cartels for assassination teams already here. The target would be Trump’s plane, to blow it and him out of the sky. If God does not want this to happen, it will not happen.

America is forcing God’s judgment. Denying that is ridiculous. It’s not the believer’s fault that this is occurring. It is the fault of very powerful evil people who run roughshod over the Constitution and society to do whatever they want to do. They seek a global government with them as demi-gods. They are protected because of the power that comes from their wealth.

How can God not judge America? How could He judge other cities and nations in history while letting America’s sins go unnoticed? I have no idea what this coming judgment will look like but I’m confident it will come. Will it be a major financial depression, wars and more wars potentially using nuclear arms, exponential rise in crime everywhere, more truly deadly pandemics (or resultant jabs)? Will it be a tremendous increase in demonic activity? All of this and more?

When God comes to the point where He needs to deal with an evil nation, He deals with them indirectly by using another foreign power. There are too many examples in Scripture to say this is not the norm and that seems to hold true up to the time Jesus physically returns. It seems to be the norm and appears to be nothing out of the ordinary from the world’s perspective. But behind what is visible, God’s invisible hand is in the mix, bringing about the desired change and justice He seeks.

The USA continues to be infiltrated by hardened criminals from Venezuela and other nations. Many of the migrants who illegally come to this country are military aged men from China and other nations far from America’s shores. Drug smuggling is also up in a major way as is human trafficking. The USA continues to provide billions of dollars for migrants illegally here as well as supplies to Ukraine in their “war” against Russia instead of actually helping actual Americans. I cannot believe the restraint Putin has shown so far. For such an evil guy, one would think he would have blown Ukraine to smithereens by now, but has not.

Putin knows who is behind Ukraine’s attempts to destroy Russia. It’s the USA, so ultimately, Putin knows that though the USA tries to remain in the background, it’s obvious America is picking a fight with Russia. If America’s poking continues, what do we think Putin will do about that? He’s already told us that nukes are an option.

God will answer the prayers of His children in the way He sees fit; in the way that best fulfills His will. I’m not a prophet and I’ve never claimed to be. But simply basing things on God’s Word and the examples of how He has done things in the past, helps me understand that this appears to be His chosen method of directing human history to accomplish His will without it being obvious.

Time will tell if I’m correct or not. In the meantime, it might do us well to heed the words of this former FBI Staff Operations Specialist and whistleblower Marcus Allen (I cannot believe what this man went through and is still going through!), as he appeared before a congressional hearing.[3] His last words to the committee were these (paraphrased):

• vote!
• arm yourself and be willing to defend yourself
• get to know at least four people in your neighborhood to watch each other’s back
• stock up on food and other necessities
• pray, pray, pray
• live the Christian life

Regardless of how things look in society or how we might feel because of them, we still need to continue to live for Jesus and glorify Him with our lives. I should vote because it can make a difference. I should be willing and able to defend myself and my family from physical harm. Getting to know neighbors is wise because of strength in numbers.

Stocking up on items that may end up being hard to get (either through increased cost, supply chain issues, or both), is also using wisdom. Praying – talking to and with God every day – is what Christians need to be doing. Living the life that glorifies God is a natural outflow of a person who prays to God often.

I truly hope I’m wrong about my assessment of what’s coming. I don’t want war. I don’t want death. I don’t want upheaval. Yet, that appears to be what we are moving toward unless God has different ideas. I want peace. I want to see my grandchildren raised in a place of safety.

In any case, with everything that is increasingly wrong with society today, I do hope you’re taking common sense precautions as you live for Christ. In the end, there’s a high note. Read the entire book of Habakkuk to the end and learn how well things do turn out, which all has to do with God’s will and His timing.

God is God. There is no other. He controls all things for the sake of His will and glory. He knows what He’s doing. There are never any accidents where God is concerned. We can trust Him to do what is right, according to His will.

[1] https://www.esv.org/resources/esv-global-study-bible/introduction-to-habakkuk/

[2] https://bestrealestatemarket.com/real-estate-does-blackrock-own/

[3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tF6XZJ-i4Ww

Theology and Politics from a Conservative, Biblical Perspective

Source: https://studygrowknowblog.com/2024/09/27/when-god-judges-societies/