The Raging Of The Nations
There is a culture war raging in America. The outcome of this conflict could not be more important - it is nothing less than the survival of Western civilization. This is because the roots of this conflict run far deeper than most people realize, and its consequences far more serious. For example, one of the major battlegrounds is over civil rights for homosexuals.
The Gay issue is just one manifestation of what
Psalm 2 describes.
1 Why do the nations rage, And the people plot a vain thing?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying, 3 “Let us break Their bonds in pieces And cast away Their cords from us.”
God’s Response
4 He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The Lord shall hold them in derision.
The Decree
5 Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, And distress them in His deep displeasure: 6 “Yet I have set My King On My holy hill of Zion.”
7 “I will declare the decree: The LORD has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.
The Promise
8 Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession.
9 You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’”
The Warning
10 Now therefore, be wise, O kings; Be instructed, you judges of the earth. 11 Serve the LORD with fear, And rejoice with trembling. 12 Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, And you perish in the way, When His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.
1. They rage
2. They plot
3. They counsel
They Rage & Plot
“Why do the nations rage?”
Whenever the Bible talks about the nations, it means the pagan Gentiles. All the nations except Israel were pagan unbelievers who each had their own gods and found their identity in the doctrines of those gods. This is described as “raging.” It’s like the raging of the sea.
When David wrote this Psalm under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit he had in mind all the nations that he was fighting in order to establish the kingdom of God in Jerusalem. But the Holy Spirit had in mind all nations that reject God and His anointed One. David was God’s anointed one and so is Christ. David was a type of Christ. Just as David was making war to subject the nations to God’s rule, Christ also is doing that now. The Bible says, “He must reign until he puts all enemies under his feet.” God said to his Son through the prophet Isaiah, “The nation and kingdom that will not obey you shall be destroyed.”
Zech 14
Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem [the church] will … worship the King, the LORD Almighty… If any of the peoples of the earth do not … they will have no rain…. The LORD will bring on them the plague he inflicts on the nations (Zech 14:16-19).
The nations that resist the rule of Christ are raging by plotting a vain thing. It says, “Why do the nations rage, And the people plot a vain thing?.”
Every nation of the ancient world had their gods. False gods and idols are described in the Bible as being vain things. Actually, every nation in the world today is a theocracy. Every man has a god he believes in. Even the atheist worships a mental image of what he adores & venerates. Some worship nature; some worship the state; some worship man; and some worship themselves, and some worship the buffoon gods of Mt. Hollywood. Every other religion in the world ends up worshipping the state as the highest authority. That is what God’s word means when the rulers of Jerusalem said, “We have no king but Caesar. Crucify him & give us Barabbas the revolutionary!” This is raging & plotting a vain thing.
Envy Cuts Off The Heads Of All Authority And Traditional Values
Since the French Revolution of 1789, this raging humanism has taken over nation after nation. The aim was to destroy Christianity and the Law of God. They even tried to scrap the seven-day week and replaced it with a ten-day week. They cut off the heads of the rich people & the heads of all historical authority. They bowed to the goddess of reason. You can see from the picture what was meant by “reason.” It meant freedom from moral restraints & God’s authority. This is the aim of the socialists and the secular progressives of today who are trying to change the U.S. Constitution to mean something different from the original intent of our nation’s founders. This is a culture war that has been raging since the Tower of Babel & is intent on dethroning God’s rule.
Ever since the French Revolution of 1789, the nations have been raging & plotting in a brand new way. After the fall of Rome around 500 A.D., France became the 1st nation of Europe to become a Christian nation. But after 1200 years, CHANGE came. 200 years before that, at the time of the Reformation, there were many Calvinists in high places in France. The admiral of the navy was one. But then came St. Bartholomew's Day massacre. 30,000 Calvinist believers were slaughtered in one week. Over the next 200 years they were annihilated or run out of France. One was the father of my great, great grandmother, Mariah Bobo.
Then came God’s judgment. God gave them up and sent a strong delusion. Otto Scott, in his book, Robespierre, The Fool As Revolutionary, describes the conditions in France at that time.
For the first time since the decadent days of Rome, pornography emerged from its caves & circulated openly in a civilized nation… Strange cults appeared; sex rituals, black magic, Satanism. Perversion became not only acceptable but fashionable. Homosexuals held balls… Prostitutes were admired; swindles & sharp business practices increased… the word revolution became common; it no longer created shock but became a respectable, accepted word and idea… And no name was the target of more assiduous & filthy inventions than that of Marie Antoinette, Queen of France.
When Christ arose and sat down on the throne of David at the right hand of the Father, he said, “All authority is given to me in heaven and in earth.” America and all other nations belong to Christ. He has all authority over them. God said to him, “Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel (vs.8-9). God is in the process of dashing the unbelieving nations to pieces. France has been a 2nd class nation for 200 years now. But France is destined to return to Christ once again. This is not the end. Keep your eye on God for the next 100 years. He has some surprises up His sleeve.
America is a Christian nation and belongs to Christ and His people. God’s enemies know this subconsciously. That’s why they can only resort to tyrannical force. They are a minority, but right now they have the power. God has both authority and power, but he has given His enemies the power because of our sins.
Power is what they seek. Power is the watchword. They try to forcefully change the laws any way they can. They are lawless. They don’t care about legitimate authority because they know in their hearts they don’t have it. They are tyrants by nature. To prove it, when they run out of logic, they raise their voices and call names. “The workers of iniquity sharpen their tongues like swords and bend their bows to shoot their arrows of bitter words” (Ps 64:3). They invented a new doctrine called “separation of church and state.”
Why do they rage and plot a vain thing? Because they want to be free from God’s Law. They want to be liberal. They want to be free to use drugs, free to have illicit sex, free to abort babies, free to lie & steal, free to do swear & do whatever they want to do. So they make the government a substitute for God. “Let us break their bands asunder and cast their cords from us.” “God’s Law makes us unhappy” they say. It creates pathologies and it is humiliating. A recent study reported on Fox News says that conservatives are much happier than liberals. They don’t understand that true freedom comes with rules, boundaries, and limitations (to quote the Dog Whisperer). Dogs and humans find our true harmony with nature when we become calm submissive to Christ our pack leader.
In the French Revolution, they paraded a woman through the streets dressed as the goddess of reason. Reason, they said, proves that humans have no moral point of reference, that nothing I think can be more wrong or right than what you think. They said there are no absolutes. They believed that as people became more knowledgeable they would eventually turn away from religious faith.
They Take Counsel Together
They have this thing all worked out. Their professors told them so. David Letterman' jokes and Oprah give counsel. Hollywood agrees. The media agrees. Friendship with the world is enmity with God. The friend of the world is the enemy of God (James 4).
Psalm 2:10-12
10 Now therefore, be wise, O kings;
Be instructed, you judges of the earth.
11 Serve the LORD with fear,
And rejoice with trembling.
12 Kiss the Son, lest He be angry,
And you perish in the way,
When His wrath is kindled but a little.
Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.
Conclusion
What can you do about it? Be not conformed to the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Arm yourself. Be aware of what is happening. Be a Christian soldier. Get educated on the issues. Be ready to give an answer. Attend SS. Read. Grow in grace. Spread the word. Instruct your kids. Give money to the cause of the kingdom. Be a witness. Jesus said, “All authority is given … go therefore and teach all nations…” Go for it. This is what you signed up for. Lay your life on the line. Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. Get excited. Pray for wisdom. Pray for the church to repent. Pray for leaders to arise. Enter the fray. Contend for the truth.
Young or old, you have a task. Uncle Sam wants YOU and so does Jesus. Side with God against yourself and be a victor.
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