Untitled Sermon (3)

The Beginning of the End

The Beginning of the End

2 Kings 23:28-24:20

In 1921 David and Svea Flood went with their two-year-old son from Sweden to the heart of Africa, to what was then called the Belgian Congo. This missionary couple met up with the Ericksons, another young Scandinavian couple, and the four of them sought God for direction. In those days of much devotion and sacrifice, they felt led of the Lord to set out from the main mission station to take the gospel to the village of N’dolera, a remote area. This was a huge step of faith. There, they were rebuffed by the chief, who would not let them enter his town for fear of alienating the local gods. The two couples opted to build their own mud huts half a mile up the slope. They prayed for a spiritual breakthrough, but there was none. Their only contact with the villagers was a young boy, who was allowed to sell them chickens and eggs twice a week. Svea Flood—a tiny woman only four feet, eight inches tall—decided that if this was the only African she could talk to, she would try to lead the boy to Jesus. And she succeeded! Meanwhile, malaria struck one member of the little missionary band after another. In time, the Ericksons decided they had had enough suffering and left to return to the central mission station. David and Svea Flood remained near N’dolera to carry on alone. Then, Svea found herself pregnant in the middle of the primitive wilderness. When the time came for her to give birth, the village chief softened enough to allow a midwife to help her. A little girl was born, whom they named Aina. The delivery was exhausting. Svea Flood was already weak from bouts of malaria so the birthing process was a heavy blow to her stamina. She died only 17 days after Aina was born. Something snapped Inside David Flood at that moment. He dug a crude grave, buried his 27-year-old wife, and then went back down the mountain with his children to the mission station. Giving baby Aina to the Ericksons, he snarled, “I’m going back to Sweden. I’ve lost my wife, and I obviously can’t take care of this baby. God has ruined my life!” With that, he headed for the port, rejecting not only his calling, but God Himself. Within eight months, both the Ericksons were stricken with a mysterious malady and died within days of each other. Baby Aina was then turned over to another American missionary family who changed her Swedish name to “Aggie”. Eventually they took her back to the United States at age three. This family loved Aggie. Afraid that if they tried to return to Africa some legal obstacle might separate her from them, they decided to stay in their home country and switch from missionary work to pastoral ministry. That is how Aggie grew up in South Dakota. As a young woman, she attended North Central Bible College in Minneapolis. There she met and married Dewey Hurst. Years passed. The Hursts enjoyed a fruitful ministry. Aggie gave birth first to a daughter, then a son. In time, her husband became president of a Christian college in the Seattle area, and Aggie was intrigued to find so much Scandinavian heritage there. One day she found a Swedish religious magazine in their mailbox. She had no idea who had sent it, and of course she couldn’t read the words, but as she turned the pages, a photo suddenly stopped her cold. There, in a primitive setting, was a grave with a white cross—and on the cross were the words SVEA FLOOD. Aggie got in her car and drove straight to a college faculty member whom she knew could translate the article. “What does this article say?” The teacher shared a summary of the story. "It is about missionaries who went to N’dolera, Africa, long ago. A baby was born. The young mother died. One little African boy was led to Jesus before that. After the whites had all left, the boy all grown up finally persuaded the chief to let him build a school in the village. He gradually won all his students to Christ and the children led their parents to Him. Even the chief became a follower of Jesus! Today there are six hundred believers in that village, all because of the sacrifice of David and Svea Flood." Aggie was elated! For the Hursts’ 25th wedding anniversary, the college presented them with the gift of a vacation to Sweden. Aggie sought out her birth father. David Flood was an old man now. He had remarried, fathered four more children, and generally dissipated his life with alcohol. He had recently suffered a stroke. Still bitter, he had one rule in his family: “Never mention the name of God! God took everything from me!” After an emotional reunion with her half-brothers and half-sister, Aggie brought up the subject of her longing to see her father. They hesitated.... “You can talk to him, but he’s very ill now. You need to know that whenever he hears the name of God, he flies into a rage.” Aggie walked into the squalid apartment, which had liquor bottles strewn everywhere, and slowly approached her 73-year-old father lying in a rumpled bed. “Papa,” she said tentatively. He turned and began to cry. “Aina!" "I never meant to give you away!” “It’s all right, Papa,” she replied, taking him gently in her arms. “God took good care of me.” Her father instantly stiffened and his tears stopped. “God forgot all of us. Our lives have been like this because of Him.” He turned his face back to the wall. Aggie stroked his face and then continued, undaunted. “Papa, I’ve got a marvelous story to tell you!" "You didn’t go to Africa in vain. Mama didn’t die in vain. The little boy you won to the Lord grew up to win that whole village to Jesus! The one seed you planted in his heart kept growing and growing! Today there are 600 people serving the Lord because you were faithful to the call of God in your life!" "Papa, Jesus loves you. He has never hated you or abandoned us.” The old father turned back to look into his daughter’s eyes. His body relaxed. He slowly began to talk. And by the end of the afternoon, he had come back to the God he had resented for so many years. Over the next few days, father and daughter enjoyed warm moments together. A few weeks after Aggie and her husband returned to America, David Flood died. And a few years later.... Aggie and her husband were attending an evangelism conference in London, England, when a report was given from Zaire (the former Belgian Congo). The superintendent of the national church, representing some 110,000 baptized believers, spoke eloquently of the Gospel’s spread in his nation. Aggie could not help going to ask him afterward if he had ever heard of David and Svea Flood. “Yes, madam,” the man replied in French, his words being translated into English. “Svea Flood led me to Jesus Christ! I was the boy who brought food to your parents before you were born. In fact, to this day, your mother’s grave and her memory are honored by all of us.” He embraced Aggie for a long time, sobbing. “You must come to Zaire! Your mother is the most famous and honored person in our history.” When Aggie and her husband went to N’dolera, they were welcomed by cheering throngs of villagers. Aggie even met the man who had been hired by her father to carry her down the mountain in a hammock-cradle. Then the pastor escorted Aggie to see her mother’s tomb with a white cross bearing her name. She knelt in the soil to pray and give thanks to God. Later that day, in the church, the boy turned pastor read.... “I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” John 12:24 “Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy.” Psalm 126:5 📷

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READ vv. 23:28-30

Things are not always as they appear. Our 2003 Toyota Sequoia is the best vehicle the family has ever had. 308 km, other than routine maintenance, I haven’t had to spend a dime on it. Just put new tires all around to get it ready for more years of summer holidays and winter driving. I wouldn’t hesitate to drive it anywhere – across the continent, if I could take out a new mortgage to afford the gas.

A little over a month ago, it started doing a strange wobble when you drove it – got very sloppy. I thought it was nothing, after all - it’s proven itself invincible. Well, I got down on the ground and looked underneath – and it turns out, there is a large section of rust on the frame. A stabilizer bar has pulled right away from the chassis. I drove it gingerly from repair shop to repair shop and everyone who took a look at the vehicle, no sooner saw the damage, than said, “Won’t touch it.” The one shop in town that would even consider it – said it would take more money to repair the frame than the vehicle is worth.

The engine starts every single time … the body looks great …. But things aren’t always as they appear - the foundation is rotten – and so the vehicle is useless.

That’s a lot like life in our world today – we in Canada are living in relative comfort …sure - inflation hurts, but compared to the rest of the world, we recognize that we have it very good. We are blessed to live in this country.

But if you get down and take a look underneath … do you think the foundation, the underpinning of our life together as a country - can support a future of peace and delight?

Or in your own life – you are here today and you look so good on the outside, washed up, cleaned up, smelling great …. But if anyone asked, you would be the first to admit – ‘the foundation doesn’t match the exterior’ … I’m broken.

The nation of Judah is in that place. Josiah, the king came to the throne – he led the people back to the Lord. The Temple has been cleaned up, fixed up and the great worship of the Passover Feast has been celebrated for the first time in forever … The future looks rosy. But we soon find out that things are NOT as they seem.

1 HEARTBREAK, 23:28-30

Our text, this morning, begins with bad news. Josiah is dead. Pharoah Neco of Egypt, is on his way to join forces with the king of Assyria in battle against Babylon. Josiah sets up at the city of Megiddo - which is a mountain pass that you have to travel through if you are going to get from Egypt in the south - to Assyria in the north. This is Josiah’s chance to make a new name for for his people - to show Egypt that he’s not going to be pushed around.

Everything is in place for an epic battle between the king of God’s people and the dominant force in the region that Egypt has become.

But there’s not epic battle … it seems that there’s no battle at all, actually - look at v. 29: “Pharaoh Neco … went up to the king of Assyria, king Josiah went to meet him… and Pharaoh Neco killed him at Megiddo as soon as he saw him.”

Well - that’s kind of a letdown. But more than that - it’s devastating for the people of God. This is the best king since David himself. This is the one who has brought a Reformation to Judah, rediscovered the book of the covenant and tore his clothes in repentance, when he heard how far his people are from what God intended. He destroyed false worship in his day and celebrated true worship. With the first Passover Feast celebrated since the days in their ancient past, when Joshua led the people into the Promised Land, Josiah has led Judah into a new golden age.

Now see him there - the king, on whose shoulders the hopes of God’s faithful people rested .... he’s gone - his cold, lifeless corpse lying on the floor of a chariot as heartbroken servants carry his body back home to Jerusalem where he is buried in his own tomb.

2 EGYPT FLEXES, 23:31-35

With Josiah gone, v. 30 tells us that the people of Judah select his son, Jehoahaz – and put him on the throne. In fact, notice how the text describes it: “They TOOK Jehoahaz and ANOINTED him and MADE HIM king in his father’s place.”

The poor guy seems helpless – he’s the OBJECT of the verbs here. The people have decided. They want HIM to be king – so they make that happen. Now Jehoahaz is 23 at the time, but he’s not Josiah’s eldest son. So why this choice? Well, he’s old enough to have displayed something – so there’s clearly something about him that leads the peple to believe that, out of the sons of the late, great king Josiah –THIS is the one who will carry on with the reformation – the policies of righteousness, or he will keep pushing back against Egypt . …. Something tells them that ‘THIS ONE will lead our nation back to greatness!”

But any high hopes are quickly dashed. Verse 31 tells us that Jehoahaz only reigns for 3 months. And, it’s just as well that he doesn’t last long on the throne – because he is NOT like his dad. Verse 32, “He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD – as his fathers had done.”

Jehoahaz actually doesn’t have time to do much destruction, though, because Egypt is flexing its muscles.

By the way – do you notice that you aren’t hearing much about Assyria any more? Great, mighty, advanced, vicious, horrifically violent Assyria, that has been terrorizing so much of the known world for centuries now – the superpower that destroyed the northern 12 tribes of Israel … its power is waning. Egypt’s Pharaoh is on his way north to help the king of Assyria in battle when he kills Josiah – that means Assyria needed his help. And that’s what Pharaoh gave him. We won’t be hearing about Assyria any more.

Egypt’s Pharaoh is flexing now. He comes back from his campaign with Assyria and sets up headquarters north of Judah in Syria – that’s because this is HIS turf now. One of the first things Pharaoh Neco does is to send men down to Jerusalem, to drag the new king Jehoahaz out of bed, out of his palace, out his capital city of Jerusalem and out of his COUNTRY … he drags him up north to the land of Hamath and, vv. 33-34 tell us: READ vv. 33-34

Do you see what’s going on here? The Exodus is over/ reversed!

The Pharaoh of Egypt has decided, “You work for me now. I want taxes paid to Egypt AND, I’m going to decide who your king is.”

Pharaoh says, “I don’t like the one you have, so I’m going to replace him.” He puts a new king, of his OWN choosing, on the throne of the supposedly sovereign nation of Judah! And if that wasn’t enough – he changes his name – a sure sign of control.

“What’s your name, ‘Eliakim’? Not anymore – From now on you will be known as Jehoiakim.” How humiliating for a once-proud people.

Then Pharaoh takes the previous king down to Egypt … in chains, where he dies. This is the first exile from Judah to die abroad. Do you see the unraveling of redemptive history unfolding before your eyes?

…. God’s people – back in the land of Egypt … back in the house of bondage?!

Now, let’s take a look at this new king, Jehoiakim. Being that he is a king, chosen by a foreign ruler, you don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes to foresee that he’s probably NOT going to be a chip off the old block of his godly, courageous dad, Josiah. And if it’s your suspicion that he’s going to be more like his great-grandfather Manasseh than his dad … then you would be correct.

READ vv. 35-37

“… He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD.”

The Egyptians continue to demand their ‘protection’ money, like the mob boss Pharaoh is. So Jehoiakim, like the puppet king he is, puts that burden on the backs of his people He gets the revenue branch of his government together – comes up with a new tax code – and according to each person’s assessment – he takes their silver and gold, puts it all into armoured cars – and sends the vehicles, with load after load, down the highway to Egypt. The nation is losing its financial resources – the king is ‘GIVING’ it away.

Now, you might be thinking, “Don’t be so hard on Jehoiakim: what’s the poor guy supposed to do – what option does he have? Egypt is far bigger and stronger than Judah is.”

Well, that part is true – but there are some things the author of Kings doesn’t tell us about this guy that are filled in by the prophet Jeremiah. You see, Jeremiah is alive and speaking God’s Word, during this very season. He calls out Jehoiakim for his evil – repeatedly.

Jeremiah 22:13-19 -READ:

While the people are being taxed: Taxation without representation – everybody hates that – people throw tea into harbours and start revolutions for stuff like that! And while the citizens are carrying the burden on their shoulders … Jehoiakim is building himself a palatial residence …. And then he REFUSES to pay the builders. This is NOT a man of God – He’s a king just like the other nations that uses his position to enrich himself and climb the social ladder on the world stage.

3 BABYLON RISES, 24:1-7

Let’s carry on to chapter 24. READ vv. 1-7

During Jehoiakim’s reign, Babylon increases its strength. There is a famous battle – the battle of Carchemish, in 605 BC and this is a major turning point in world power. This is where the Pharaoh of Egypt joins forces with the Assyrians to take on the forces of Babylon. One nation taking on two great powers – that tells you something. It tells you something else that the Babylonian forces crush the two nations allied against them and they chase Pharaoh all the way back to Egypt. Babylon is the new, ultimate, super-power of the world.

See the empires rising and falling here: Assyria, Egypt and now Babylon.

The absence of Egypt doesn’t mean that Judah is any MORE free than before. Not at all. God’s people just change overlords – Once it was Pharaoh Neco of Egypt, now it’s Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. With the big rivals gone, the Babylonians can turn their attention to the weaker nations and take whatever they want.

Verse 1 of chapter 24, Jehoiakim is Nebuchadnezzar’s servant for three years – 3 years that mark torment from marauding enemies that Joshua and Solomon had conquered centuries ago. There’s no peace for the nation that has turned its back on the LORD of the universe.

Verse 3 tells us that Judah is paying the price for Manasseh’s sin and you may think, “But that’s not fair! Shouldn’t Manasseh pay for Manasseh’s own sins?”

But Ancient Judah is functioning in exactly the same way as humans in every other time and place. The Bible tells us that we are all born in sin

Jehoiakim proves he deserves judgment for his own rebellion against God, too. Jeremiah 36 tells the story (go ahead and turn there) of the Prophet Jeremiah at this very moment in history. Jehoiakim is on the throne – Babylon is dominating and God gives a word for His people - it’s a message of warning – this is grace – a chance to repent while there is still time.

Well, God gives Jeremiah the words, Jeremiah speaks the words out loud and his secretary, named Baruch – he writes the words down, recording them in a scroll.

Jeremiah 36:3: “It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the disaster that I intend to do to them, so that every one may turn from his evil way, and that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.”

Well, Jeremiah has been banned from the Temple, so he can’t declare the message himself (how wrong is that?!) - but eventually the scroll, inscribed with God’s inspired words to Jeremiah – that scroll makes its way to the king himself. Jehoiakim knows it’s from Jeremiah. So, he has the message read to him as he listens from his seat of authority.

Jeremiah 36:21-26: “Then the king sent Jehudi to get the scroll, and he took it from the chamber of Elishama the secretary. And Jehudi read it to the king and all the officials who stood beside the king. It was the ninth month, and the king was sitting in the winter house, and there was a fire burning in the fire pot before him.

As Jehudi read three or four columns, the king would cut them off with a knife and throw them into the fire in the fire pot, until the entire scroll was consumed in the fire that was in the fire pot. Yet neither the king nor any of his servants who heard all these words was afraid, nor did they tear their garments.

Even when Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah urged the king not to burn the scroll, he would not listen to them. And the king commanded Jerahmeel the king’s son and Seraiah the son of Azriel and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel to seize Baruch the secretary and Jeremiah the prophet, but the Lord hid them.”

See the king on his throne, cozied up to the fire on a cold winter afternoon, with scissors in hand … snip, snip, snip. A KING of the people of God – confronted by the Word of God – and not only does he not repent of his rebellion – he cuts the Bible to pieces and throws it, bit by bit, into the flames. This is the HEIGHT of rebellion.

And I can’t help but see a parallel in our day – when a country with the official motto, from Scripture – “He shall have dominion from sea to sea”, will not allow the Bible those words are from, to be distributed in public schools.

Back in 2 Kings 24, Jehoiakim dies – God’s done with him and sweeps him off the stage of history with not a word of praise. Even in his day – it wasn’t too late to stop God’s hand of judgment.

Jehoiakim is replaced by his son JehoiaCHIN – and if his name sounds a lot like his father’s – the evaluation of his character is also the same. Verse 9: “And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father had done.”

He only lasts 3 months though, since Babylon decides to move into the neighborhood.

4 JERUSALEM FALLS, 24:8-20

READ vv. 10-17

The watchman on the city wall is the first to see them coming – specks on the distant horizon, at first – but they get closer and closer, the size of the oncoming force becomes more and more intimidating.

The Babylonian forces part and stream like an line of ants around a large piece of food. And they set up camp. This is a siege. And when the world’s most powerful military surrounds your city, choking every exit and entrance … well you know it’s all over. It’s only a matter of time until it’s over for you.

When the king of that superpower, Nebuchadnezzar himself, shows up at the party – then you don’t have a chance – not in your strength – not if you aren’t willing to get on your face before the LORD, like Hezekiah had done generations ago when it was the Assyrians out there.

Jehoiachin decides he doesn’t want to prolong the pain, so the massive gates of Jerusalem open from the inside, and there stands the king, his mother, his servants, all of his staff and cabinet officials. They walk out of the city as the king of Judah, willingly gives himself up.

They are all taken, bound, and led off to Babylon.

But that’s not enough for Nebuchadnezzar. In Verse 13 – all the treasures of the temple and the palace are gathered up and carried away.

Stop for a moment and let the impact of this hit you with appropriate force. This is a sobering sight. Piece by piece the temple that Solomon had built – the glory of all Israel … piece by piece the temple is de-constructed by the Babylonians and Solomon’s famed gold, that people from around the world traveled to see and admire for themselves … that gold is being carried off into foreign coffers.

See another reversal of God’s redemptive history here – We saw a reversal of the Exodus with Jehoahaz …. Now we see a reversal of the glory of God’s presence in the Temple. The GLORY has departed. What is a nation when God’s glory moves out?

And as if to emphasize that fact – vv. 14-16 describes how Nebuchadnezzar carried away more than just the royalty and the gold … he carried away, v.14, ‘all Jerusalem’– all the mightiest warriors, all the skilled tradesmen … everyone considered ‘valuable’ with a skill to market or a brain to use – they are all rounded up and carried away. In this crowd – see Daniel and his friends who became known as Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego … they are all taken from their home. By the time Babylon finishes skimming off the cream of Judah’s human crop – nobody is left in Judah, as v. 14 puts it, “… except the poorest people of the land.”

Nebuchadnezzar puts a new puppet on the throne in Jerusalem – Mattaniah, whose name he immediately changes to Zedekiah … who is no more godly than his recent predecessors. We will talk more about him next week.

But for now, when we get to the end of chapter 24, can you feel the gloom hanging heavy over this page of Scripture? The GLORY of Israel is gone. The hopelessness is thick.

5 ACCORDING TO THE WORD

We get to the end of chapter 24 and maybe your head is spinning. Empire after empire, king after king … rising and dominating.

If you are living in around 600 BC, and you love God and worship Him in a country of people that are supposed to – but doesn’t – where do you find hope? It’s a big question that many thoughtful people in OUR day are asking: “Where is hope to be found? IS THERE hope?”

On one side of your field of vision you see mighty world powers, strutting across the stage, gaining more and more power

… and if you look across to the other side – you see leaders, supposed to be continuing the inheritance of truth that they inherited … but you see them driven by greed and a lust for power, instead.

And it seems that no matter how much you speak the truth, in love and try to warn of what lies ahead …. As fast as you share God’s Word, it’s almost as if they are taking that word, cutting it to pieces and throwing it into the fire. There is no fear of God before their eyes.

Can there be any hope for God’s People at a time like this?!

Oh, of course there’s hope, Christian. Look at what drives our text, this morning. Sure you see Pharaoh menacing – deposing kings and putting them in chains and dragging them back to Egypt. You see Nebuchadnezzar marching and laying sieges – carrying kings and the holiest objects of the nation, off to Babylon. But the people are NOT driving these world-shaking events. Don’t miss that. So, who is?

Well, God is … through His Word

And the fact that the people are languishing in a land without glory isn’t because God has left …. Quite the opposite …. Its’ because God IS. He is present and He just and He is faithful to His word.

Look at 24:2, “And the LORD sent against him bands of the Chaldeans and bands of the Syrians and bands of the Moabites and bands of the Ammonites and sent them against Judah to destroy it ACCORDING TO THE WORD OF THE LORD that he spoke by his servants the prophets.” Verse 3, “Surely this came upon Judah at the COMMAND OF THE LORD …”

24:13, “(Nebuchadnezzar) … carried off all the treasures of the house of the LORD and all the treasures of the king’s house, and cut in pieces all the vessels of gold in the temple of the LORD …. As the LORD had foretold.”

24:20 brings the chapter to an end, “For because of the anger of the LORD it came to the point in Jerusalem and Judah that HE CAST them out from his presence.”

God has promised that this very day is coming. In chapter 20, Isaiah promised king Hezekiah, “The days are coming, when all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have stored up till this day, shall be carried to Babylon. Nothing shall be left”. The prophetess Huldah told Josiah that because of Manasseh’s evil - judgment is coming and there’s no turning back.

Over and over, right here in the text, we’re being reminded: “THIS IS GOD’S WORK – the Pharaoh’s and Kings of superpowers are pawns in the hands of the Allmighty God, using their human cravings and desires …. To accomplish His purposes. And the purpose of a holy God – is keep His word – and judge evil.

Maybe you’re here this morning and you’re thinking, “Oh boy – here we go! Another Christian preacher, talking about judgment. He’s just lost me.” If that’s what you’re thinking, then you aren’t alone:

Many Americans doubt that there will ever be a final judgment. Consider, for example, the report that LifeWay Research published in 2016, entitled “Americans Love God and the Bible, Are Fuzzy on the Details.” People were asked whether they believed in “a place of eternal judgment, where God sends all people who do not personally trust in Jesus Christ.” More than half the people they surveyed said, ‘No’ – They don’t believe in eternal judgment that involves a place of punishment.

The problem with that is that the Bible says something completely different – Jesus, the One who is often played off against the “Mean-Old Testament God” says differently:

Matt 25:31-32: When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats

Luke 12:4-5: I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!

Rev 20:11-12: Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.

And if you really think about it – you CRAVE judgment – some kind of judgment – Evil is serious; it calls for a very real response. Within our own personal worlds sin is serious. It destroys relationships, it abuses children and the vulnerable, the innocent; it destroys us; it leaves us in bondage.

Trevin Wax:

We in the West have been shielded from the atrocities that so clearly call for judgment. If we had experienced Cambodia's killing fields, Auschwitz, the Gulags, or the Rwandan genocide, we might be more concerned about judgment.

The god who is truly scary is not the wrathful God of the Bible, but the god who closes his eyes to the evil of this world, shrugs his shoulders, and ignores it in the name of "love." What kind of love is this? A god who is never angered at sin and who lets evil go by unpunished is not worthy of worship.

God says, “Judgment is coming. Don’t plan your lives in fear over the rise and fall of threatening nations or politicians here at home. Look up! God is on the throne – accomplishing His purpose – promised in His Word.

The bad news of our text is that – just like ancient Judah – we are, all of us, under judgment. The problem of evil runs straight through the heart of every human being. And we prove it every single day.

The Good News of Christianity is that God is NOT absent – He has spoken by His Word and Jesus Christ has come as the Word of God made flesh.

Because of God, the Son – being ABSOLUTELY PRESENT - paying the price for every sin and failure, on the cross – if you put your trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ, God’s remedy for your problem – then not only do you not need to fear the storms of world events, you don’t need to fear God’s judgment, either – you are shielded from punishment – clothed in the very righteousness of Christ.

Revelation 7:13-14 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. “Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.