GOD AND THE NATIONS

This morning I attempted to answer Linda’s, Sylvia’s, and Hope’s questions about the third heaven. Tonight, I am going to attempt to answer a question Anthony asked in Sunday School Class a couple of weeks ago? He asked this question. Does God establish nations? My answer is yes, and I am going to show you the answer as found in the Bible. We are going to have two main passages from which all of our pieces of evidence will spring from. Are you ready.

Deuteronomy 32:8 “When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance and divided the human race, he set the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of the people of Israel.”

Romans 13:1 “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except by God, and those that exist are put in place by God.

I. GOD’S PRIORITY IN ESTABLISHING THE NATIONS

God has a priority that He uses to establish the nations of the world. The first priority is that all nations are established according to God’s purpose for _________________.

That is exactly what Deuteronomy 32:8 says. The nations of the world are set according to Israel. It does not matter which nations possess the lands of the Abrahamic Covenant now. Those areas belong to Israel.

What does that phrase “when God separated the children of men” mean? ________________________________________________________________________________________.

Biblically, there is an interesting connection that can be made between the passages in Deuteronomy 32 and Romans 13. In the Old Testament, Israel is described as the ____________ of God. (Hosea 2:19)

Hosea 2:19 “And I will take you(Israel) as my wife forever; I will take you as a wife for myself in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy.”

In the Old Testament, Israel is described as the wife of God. In the New Testament, who is the bride of Christ? _____________________. (Ephesians 5:25-27)

Ephesians 5:25-27 “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for her; in order that he might sanctify her by cleansing her with the washing of water by the word; in order that he might present to himself the church glorious, not having a spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she may be holy and blameless.”

The obvious connection is that the relationship between Christ and the church is the same as the relationship between a husband and wife, or how that relationship is supposed to be. How does all this tie together? God establishes nations to carry out the plans He has for ___________ and the ____________.

Paul says in Romans that those put in authority are put there by God, and as a Christian I should always remember Habakkuk 1:5 “Look among the nations and see; be astonished and astounded. For a work is about to be done in your days that you will not believe if it is told.”

II. ISRAEL’S POSITION IN THE GOD’S PLAN OF NATIONS

Genesis 12:1-3 “The Lord said to Abram: Go from your land, your relatives, and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, I will bless you, I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, I will curse anyone who treats you with contempt, and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

Israel is the nation of God’s ______________. Make no mistake about that. It is the nation of Israel that is going to be blessed with an inheritance during the Millennium.

If you want to understand what Israel is promised as an inheritance, look at this map. This map is a picture of what the Bible describes in Ezekiel 40-48. Looking at the map I handed out will make this clearer. You will see the map is an upside down T. At the intersection where east, west, north, and south meet, you will see a little red dot. That little red dot is Jerusalem.

In the Bible, it is Israel that is the center of the earth, and all directions and places are measured from her position as being in the center of the map according to God. (Zechariah 13:8-9, Daniel 11:40-43)

Let me share some Bible passages that prove it.

Zechariah 13:8-9 “In the whole land— this is the Lord’s declaration— two-thirds will be cut off and die, but a third will be left in it. I will put this third through the fire; I will refine them as silver is refined and test them as gold is tested. They will call on my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are my people’, and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.’ ””

Daniel 11:40–43 ““At the time of the end, the king of the South will engage him in battle, but the king of the North will storm against him with chariots, horsemen, and many ships. He will invade countries and sweep through them like a flood. He will also invade the beautiful land, and many will fall. But these will escape from his power: Edom, Moab, and the prominent people of the Ammonites. He will extend his power against the countries, and not even the land of Egypt will escape. He will get control over the hidden treasures of gold and silver and over all the riches of Egypt. The Libyans and Cushites will also be in submission.”

I could give you more examples, but I hope you understand. It is not Ole Glory or God Save the Queen that is the center of the globe according to God. It is Israel. Israel has the pole position in God’s plans for the nations.

III. GOD’S PROVIDENTIAL SOVEREIGNTY IN ESTABLISHING NATIONS

We are going to conclude by looking specifically at some nations that were established by God and at why God established those nations. You must remember that Habakkuk said that God works through the nations, and Paul said that all authority comes from God, so obviously, that means that God has established certain nations for certain purposes, and He will continue to do so until Jesus returns.

Remember also that nations were and are being established according to God’s purposes regarding Israel and the church.

A. EGYPT

Egypt was established by God specifically. When a person thinks of Egypt, undoubtedly, one of the first thoughts that pops into that person’s head is a thought about the plagues of Egypt.

You might not realize what all was at play in Egypt, but thankfully, you have access to a great history teacher.

Egyptian history can be broken down into three main stages, and a fourth stage that is very important in understanding the Bible.

The first stage of Egyptian history is called the __________________. In the Bible, there were some very important things that happened during the Old Kingdom, primarily this one prophecy was given toward the end of the Old Kingdom which lasted from about 2,700 BC - 2200 BC. (Genesis 15:13)

Genesis 15:13 “Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know this for certain: Your offspring will be resident aliens for four hundred years in a land that does not belong to them and will be enslaved and oppressed.”

500 years before Moses was born God told Abraham that his descendants would be enslaved and oppressed in a land that did not belong to them. What have we said? That all nations are established by God in regard to the boundaries of Israel. His desire was that His people claim their inheritance, and since that promise had already been made, technically, by this time, they should have claimed what was theirs, but something happened.

In about 2,200 BC, the Old Kingdom was overtaken by a group of people called the _____________. This event is also found in the Bible. They were used by God to establish someone by the name of Joseph who saved Israel from starvation. (Genesis 41:41-43)

Genesis 41:41-43 “Pharaoh also said to Joseph, “See, I am placing you over all the land of Egypt.” Pharaoh removed his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand, clothed him with fine linen garments, and placed a gold chain around his neck. He had Joseph ride in his second chariot, and servants called out before him, “Make way!” So he placed him over all the land of Egypt.”

If you do not know history, you might think this was just some random event, but it was not. God led the Hyksos to take over Egypt to establish ________________, but the people of Israel were not to remain in Egypt. They were to go onto the Promised Land, but because they prospered under the Hyksos, they wanted to remain, so God overruled in the situation, and there is an interesting little verse that shows the changing of the guard as Egypt moves into its Middle Kingdom in about 2,000 BC. (Exodus 1:8-10)

Exodus 1:8-10 “A new king, who did not know about Joseph, came to power in Egypt. He said to his people, “Look, the Israelite people are more numerous and powerful than we are. Come, let’s deal shrewdly with them; otherwise they will multiply further, and when war breaks out, they will join our enemies, fight against us, and leave the country.””

When the new king arose in Egypt, the Israelites were treated _________________. It was during this time that the pharaoh ordered all male babies to be executed. God was trying to get his people to repent. They had fallen for the trappings of Egyptian society with its many gods and painted up city women, and God was chastising them to bring them back into the fold, and finally they called on God. Can you say amen to the power of ________________? You cannot be delivered from sin without _______________ from sin. (Exodus 2:23-25)

Exodus 2:23-25 “After a long time, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned because of their difficult labor, and they cried out, and their cry for help because of the difficult labor ascended to God. God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. and God saw the Israelites, and God knew.”

God heard their cries. He heard them call on Him, and He knew what He had to do.

You are familiar with the fact that God used a series of plagues in an attempt to get pharaoh to let the Israelites go, but there was a specific reason for the plagues.

Exodus 7:5 “The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the Israelites from among them.””

When God judged Egypt, it served two purposes. First, it was in response to the _________________ of Israel, and second, it was so that the Egyptians would ______________ the God of Israel.

B. Babylon

I am going to have to get in road gear, but I want to prove to you that God raised _______________for the purpose of judging Judah. (Habakkuk 1:5-11)

Habakkuk 1:5-11 “Look at the nations and observe— be utterly astounded! For I am doing something in your days that you will not believe when you hear about it. Look! I am raising up the Chaldeans, that bitter, impetuous nation that marches across the earth’s open spaces to seize territories not its own. They are fierce and terrifying; their views of justice and sovereignty stem from themselves. Their horses are swifter than leopards and more fierce than wolves of the night. Their horsemen charge ahead; their horsemen come from distant lands. They fly like eagles, swooping to devour. All of them come to do violence; their faces are set in determination. They gather prisoners like sand. They mock kings, and rulers are a joke to them. They laugh at every fortress and build siege ramps to capture it. Then they sweep by like the wind and pass through. They are guilty; their strength is their god.”

God raised Babylon specifically to ______________ Israel. Remember all nations are established according to the wife of God, Israel, and the bride of Christ, the church. Now, it seems harsh that God would use evil for His purposes, but it is God who reigns supreme. (Isaiah 46:9-10)

Isaiah 46:9-10 “Remember what happened long ago, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and no one is like me. I declare the end from the beginning, and from long ago what is not yet done, saying: my plan will take place, and I will do all my will.”

C. The United States of America

In 1620, 141 Pilgrims set sail across the Atlantic Ocean coming to a new and unknown land, and sometimes we say they came for religious freedom, to escape religious persecution, but that is not exactly true. Each male aboard those three ships signed a document called the _______________________ which opens with this phrase: “In the name of God, Amen.”

A little further down the Mayflower Compacts contains these words: “Having undertaken for the Glory of God and advancement of the Christian faith.”

Dear friend, you can call me a dreamer if you want, but let me tell you what God did. God moved on a group of Christians to come to this new land, and he put on their heart the desire to share the Christian faith and to give God the glory, and that is exactly what happened as countless millions have been saved by the missionary activity of Christian churches, groups, and missionaries that were sent forth from this nation. In the name of God, Amen.

But that was not only reason God established the United States of America. God established the United States of America for the purpose of making sure that the Jews were not annihilated by Nazi Germany and He used the United States of America to secure Israel in their own land which Jesus Christ said would be the last sign that needed to be fulfilled before the end of the age. (Matthew 24:32-35) Some of us do not realize how miraculous it was that Israel was re-established. Israel had not been an independent state since ______________ when the Romans conquered it.

Matthew 24:32-35 ““Learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see all these things, recognize that he is near—at the door. Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”

It is God who gives the _______________ to rule, and it was God that carved out a nation on the North American continent because God knew that He would use that nation to re-establish His people.

Dear friend, I could go on and on throughout the Bible and show you how God establishes nations. I have not even mentioned Rome, the Revived Roman Empire, the Kingdoms of the South, the Kingdoms of the East, and the Russian Federation. God has established and will continue to establish nations. He establishes nations for His purposes regarding the church and Israel.