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Sons Of Thunder, Or Sons Of God?
One of the most distressing things about these tragedies is that within 24 hours of the event taking place there were website postings and emails circulating from Christians, concluding that these disasters were the judgment of God upon those communities because of their sins. We must reject this conclusion because it fails four different tests. 1) It Fails The Common-Sense Test Self-appointed prophets blamed the Victorian fires on the decriminalization of abortion. But it was politicians in Melbourne who passed that bill, not the innocent families in the bush whose lives were lost. Similarly, after the 9/11 terrorist attack upon the United States some Christian leaders said pagans, abortionists, feminists, gays and lesbians were to blame. But there have always been pagans, abortionists, feminists, gays and lesbians; not only in the United States but in most countries of the world. If God judged the US for these things, why didn’t He do it before and why hasn’t He done it to other nations? The Queensland floods were blamed on Australian Foreign Minister, Kevin Rudd who called upon Israel to join the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and allow UN inspectors access to its nuclear facilities. Supposedly, God flooded three-quarters of Queensland just because Kevin Rudd did this and is from that State. This gives a whole new meaning to the phrase “God moves in mysterious ways”! A similar rationale surfaced after the Christchurch earthquake. Another person who is regarded as a prophet said that before the earthquake he called the church leaders to bring their congregations together to publicly give thanks that no one had been killed in the previous earthquake five months earlier. Their failure to respond resulted in the deadly earthquake in February 2011! It seems that every major catastrophe becomes an opportunity for self-styled prophets to connect the event to specific sins within the community. But Jesus taught that such theology fails the common sense test (see Luke 13:1-5). 2) Often It Fails The Prophetical Test The Bible tells us that we are to test prophecies (Deut.18:22; 1 Cor.14:29). That which is false is to be exposed and rejected. If a prophecy is unscriptural or fails to come to pass then we are not to listen to those who purport to speak in the name of the Lord. In some cases those who are prophesying God’s judgment in these calamities have a poor record regarding previous predictions. They have failed the prophetical test and disqualified themselves. 3) It Fails The Biblical Test One of the biggest problems in the Church is a failure to rightly divide the Word. The phrase to “rightly divide” comes from the Greek word orthotomeo which is made up of two single words, temno = to cut, and orthos = straight. The meaning of orthotomeo is “to cut a straight path.” When we cut something, we divide it into two parts. The Word of God is in two parts – Old Testament and New Testament. The cross of Jesus cut a straight line between these two covenants. We don’t live in a theocratic nation like that of Old Testament Israel, which was in a covenant with God nationally. Under such conditions judgment was pending the nation when they strayed from God’s Law, and prophets were sent by Him to warn them of this. But we are living in the gospel age. Under the old covenant divine judgment was executed because there was no sacrifice for the people’s sins. But now Christ has died for the sins of the whole world and whilst many still have not received forgiveness, it is salvation that is pending throughout this age - not judgment. Yes, there is a day of judgment coming at the end of the age for those who are without Christ, but this is the day of salvation, the day of grace (see 2 Cor.6:1&2). This is what we are to proclaim to this generation. Jesus did not come to condemn the world but to bring salvation (Jn.3:16-17). Our mission, too, is one of reconciliation (2 Cor.5:18&20). We are to go forth beseeching people, pleading with them to be reconciled to God through Christ. Another reason why the view that these disasters fail the Biblical test is that born again believers died in the Victorian fires and the Christchurch earthquake. The Bible makes it clear that God will not judge the righteous with the wicked (see Gen.18:35). For example, before He could bring judgment upon Sodom and Gomorrah He sent an angel to physically take Lot out of that city. Though a compromiser, Lot was nonetheless righteous. And just as God would not judge Sodom whilst Lot was there, so He will not judge the righteous with the wicked because their judgment has already taken place at the Cross. 4) It Fails The Spirit Of Christ Test When Jesus was rejected by a Samaritan village, James and John asked Him if they should call down fire upon the village, just as Elijah did. Jesus’ response is most revealing. “But He turned and rebuked them, and said, ‘You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them’” (Luke 9:54-56). He called them the “Sons of Thunder”! Zap-happy prophets have no idea of the true heart of God towards the sinner. They mistake their intolerance towards them as God’s! They have fashioned a God according to the image of their own hearts. It is God’s goodness that leads a person to repentance, not threats of judgment (Rom.2:4; 2 Pet.3:9,16). Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com Ken Legg is pastor of New Beginnings Christian Church on the Gold Coast of Australia. He has authored several books, including This Is The Life! (How To Establish Your Heart In The Grace Of God), It's Not What You Eat That's Making You Sick But What's Eating You, etc. You can sign up for Ken's free ezine, Grace Roots, on his website at www.small-groups-ministry.com/Bible-Studies.html |
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