GOD'S SOVEREIGNTY/CONTROL
OVER MANKIND

The purpose of our study today is to determine how all encompassing God's control is over the human race. I have substituted the word "control" in place of the word theologians usually use, "sovereignty." Why? Because it is easier to understand as we are more familiar with the word "control." For example, when a person or situation begins to deteriorate (go bad or sour) and things begin to get crazy, we sum it all up by saying, "things are really getting out of control here." The meaning is very clear. The person and/or situation is unpredictable. No one knows for sure what is going to happen next. There are no restraints, borders or limitations...no control. Everyone is basically at the mercy of lunatic killers, bombs, tornadoes, hurricanes and earthquakes. In other words, pretty much what the world is coming to now on a daily basis. Insurance companies call natural aberrations or disasters of nature "ACTS OF GOD." California and much of the world wait nervously for another earthquake, not knowing for sure when or where the next killer quake will strike.

The question many people are asking is: "Where is God?" As the world approaches its final crisis, billions of people all over this planet are searching for the answers to many of these very questions. Will we be able to help them? They are looking wistfully to heaven, wondering what kind of God is in charge of our universe. If you have been puzzling over some of these same theological questions this article may be of help to you.

Does God know what is going on? Many religious people have often replied sarcastically to me: "Well, of course He does. He is the one who is bringing these earthquakes and other disasters to punish sinners." Others reply, "No, this is not correct. God brings some disasters but Satan causes some too."

I would like to suggest a third alternative which I have written and preached about now since the fall of 1976. Every year the Lord has revealed more and more light on this subject. During the last few weeks He has led me to think and study about how intimately He is involved in our personal lives; especially in regard to all the bad things that happen to people, Christians and non-christians alike. In this article I want to talk to you about this particular aspect of God's character.

Although our Creator does not send or cause disasters at any time, past, present or future. He is, nevertheless, "sovereign" over all the matters of mankind, permitting, preventing, directing and determining in the affairs of our world. "Above the distractions of earth He sits enthroned. All things are open to His divine survey and from His great and calm eternity He orders that which His Providence sees best." MH 417. Through the prophets God has declared over and over again in His Word that He is responsible for everything that happens. In Psalm 78:49 we learn that God is the one who claims responsibility for the ten plagues upon Egypt. Evil angels brought the plagues but God claims to have "sent" them. A better translation would be that He "allowed or permitted" these plagues. In Isa. 45:5-7 God claims that He causes and/or brings both light and darkness, good and evil. In the New Testament we learn from the life of Jesus that Satan is the cause of all sickness, disease, oppression and disaster. See John 8:44; Luke 13:16; Acts 10:38. EGW confirms this over and over again.

As much as this understanding may help us feel better about God in that we can now see He is not the angry God we thought He was randomly punishing His children according to the whims and various feelings of His unpredictable temperament, it has a tendency to draw a picture in our minds of a God who is not totally sovereign or in control after all but is sitting on His throne or pacing back and forth in His royal chamber/throne room wringing His hands and crying out in despair, "Oh, what am I going to do next? The wicked down there on planet earth are so rebellious. If my chosen elect don't get their act together soon the whole earth will soon be destroyed." Friends, this is not my heavenly Father. He just doesn't operate that way. He knows exactly what He is doing at all times.

Although all Christians do not accept this picture I find more and more religious people coming to the conclusion that God does not have total control...that from the time Adam and Eve left the garden He has been running this planet the best He knows how but when things get out of hand He uses His power to destroy in order to remedy the situation. This, they say, is what He did at the time of the flood, and is an example of what He will do again very soon when He returns to planet earth. Only this time He will destroy the earth with fire. I have written extensively about these end-time events (eschatology) showing from the true meaning of the Scripture as well as the SOP, that God's fire is not destructive and He is not the one who burns up the earth in the last days nor when He comes again in the clouds of heaven. But because the Hebrew writers always make God responsible or place the blame on Him we have naturally thought that God was indeed causing these disasters.

What a shock I had in the fall of 1976 when the Lord led me to begin memorizing in the Psalms, beginning with Psalm 2. When I came to Psalm 5:10 I realized God permitted evil but was not the one who was actually doing it. "Destroy thou them O God, let them fall by their own counsels." I wept with a joyful relief as I began to realize my precious Jesus had never hurt or killed anyone in the entire history of the universe. But this was only the beginning. As the months and years have gone by my ongoing research has led me to record, video tape and publish hundreds of sermons, articles several manuscripts and two major books on this never ending subject of the character of God. It is very clear from both the Bible and the writings of EGW that the final message to go to the world is the character of God. See TM 50; COL 414, 415. Each article the Lord leads me to write takes us deeper into the heart and/or mind of God where He reveals, ever deeper and more profound truths about Himself and His ultimate plan for the human race.

With this quick review, let us now go deeper into the heart of God by examining some familiar Scriptures more closely. "I form the light and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things." Isa. 45:7. In vs. 5 He also says, "There is none else, there is no God beside Me." This is an awesome truth in which we can begin to unravel the mystery of iniquity and Godliness both at the same time. God tells us over and over again that He alone is in charge of everything that is going on in this earth---both the good and the evil. The Hebrew word for "evil" in this context simply means that God is in charge of all the changes that are constantly taking place. He claims to be in charge of all of the roller coaster rides of this life. It does not mean wickedness, per se, for God never is wicked. But He allows certain events to occur which He controls and through which He ultimately works His perfect will. The word "create" should be translated "permit" for God is explaining here that He is in charge or control of all the ups and downs of life, the fevers, the chills when one is ill, the pain when a person has cancer, a bad back or a simple headache. Yes, He claims to be in control when we are sick or when we are well...when we are alive and at the time of our death. He is intimately involved in the hurricane, the car accident and the plane crash. He is with people when they go to prison and when they are released. God is in charge at all times and in all places when people are conceived in the womb, legitimately or otherwise. He is sovereign over where they are born, who their parents are and all of their relatives. Let's look at Psalm 139. In this majestic chapter God's Spirit moved upon the writer to explain how intimately He is involved in our every thought and action.

"O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit or stand. When far away you know my every thought. You chart the path ahead of me, and tell me where to stop and rest. Every moment, you know where I am. You know what I am going to say before I even say it. You both precede and follow me, and place your hand of blessing on my head." LB. And these are only the first five of 23 verses!

I know that some people think this Psalm applies only to the righteous because David is the author who is talking about his own personal relationship with God. As true as that may be David was not always a "good" and "righteous" man. He not only killed people in battle he committed adultery and had Uriah murdered in an attempt to cover up his sin. This Psalm, therefore, gives us important insights into God's dealings with every single one of His creatures.

In Isa. 45 God declares that His guiding hand was upon Darius the Mede even though Darius did not even "know," serve or worship Jehovah. The same is true of Nebuchadnezzar as well as every king in the earth. Actually, the same is true of Lucifer (Now Satan). Read Ezek. 28 and Isa. 14 and notice how God is telling Lucifer that He can read his mind and tell him his future. Actually, the Creator is trying to warn His fallen angel of the dangers that lie ahead of him just as Jesus tried to warn Judas and Jerusalem where they were headed. But they would not listen and had to learn the hard way.

Next, let us go to Isaiah 46:9, 10. "Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure." Beloved, if there ever was an awesome text pregnant with ultimate meaning and purpose, this is it.

First of all, God tells us that He knows all of the future as well as He knows the past. "For I am God...and there is no other like me who can tell you what is going to happen. All I say will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish." Isa. 46:9, 10. LB. The RSV says, "My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose." The NAS (probably the most accurate of all translations) says, "My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all my good pleasure."

In the light of all the tremendous suffering that has taken place in the past and is still going on today all around the world I hesitate to say that God is taking pleasure in all of this suffering...unless the real meaning is that He takes pleasure in the fact that through this suffering will emerge a perfected humanity...a finished creation that He envisioned from day one. In Isa. 53:10 we read "Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him." What does this mean? What is God saying? That the suffering and death of His dear Son PLEASED HIM? That it gave Him pleasure??!!! Impossible! Such an interpretation borders on blasphemy. So, there has to be another meaning that will fit and harmonize with God's perfect, non-violent, character of love. Is it possible that God took PLEASURE or was pleased with the final outcome of His Son's death which He could see would result in TOTAL, 1,000% victory over sin, death and the grave, forever and forever. In other words, it was not God's perfect will for Jesus to suffer and die on the cruel cross, but it was God's will for all mankind to be saved. Jesus asked His Father three times...praying and sweating blood in Gethsemane...that the cup of death (which contained all of the sins of the world) be removed. I have gone into great detail about this in my book, "INTO THE FATHER'S HEART." It was not a selfish request.

Jesus knew that drinking the cup would cause Him to be separated from His Father. This He wanted to avoid, if possible, for in His humanity He could not see through the portals of the tomb to the other side. But He also knew that if He permitted Himself to be crucified the entire universe would totally reject Lucifer and his angels which, of course, is exactly what did happen. So, He prayed three times that if it were possible to save the human race and make the demonstration that needed to be made to the universal counsel to vindicate His Father's Name against all of Satan's lies...that if it were possible for this to be accomplished without His trial, torture and crucifixion that this horrible cup be removed. As we now know, the cup was not removed, but an angel from heaven, Gabriel, (DA 693) was sent to strengthen Him mentally and physically so He would be able to drink the cup. He was told that the entire universe was watching and of all the souls that would be saved as a result of His sacrifice. I know that many SDAs reading this may be angry with me because I am teaching that Jesus' tremendous sacrifice will result in the salvation of all of God's creatures. I would only ask that each person examine his/her motives. Why do you want the Bible to be interpreted in such a way so that God will not be totally victorious over all sin and sinners? Why would you not want Jesus' prayer on the cross to be answered, "Father, forgive them for they don't know what they are doing." ? Every prayer of Jesus was perfect and inspired and has been or will be answered completely in the ages to come. On page 826 of "Desire of Ages," the author gives us a most insightful interpretation of Isa. 53:11 regarding the satisfaction of Jesus in regard to His sacrifice. "He shall see the travail of His soul (how much He suffered) and shall be satisfied." My question for you, dear reader, is this: Would Jesus be satisfied with anything less than total victory? With anything less than every single one of His creatures being restored to His great heart of love? I don't think so. In fact, I now believe it is impossible. Why? Because the Creator knew from the beginning what would happen to everyone of His angels and every human being before He brought them into existence. And He knew what it would take to bring His creation to perfection. Now, here is the quote: "He (God) would have us bear testimony to the fact that He cannot be satisfied until the HUMAN RACE are reclaimed and reinstated (like the prodigal son) in their holy privileges as His sons and daughters." DA 826. I would like to underscore, so as to draw your attention to the word 'FACT' that the servant of the Lord categorically states that God wants us to "bear testimony to the fact that He cannot be satisfied" with anything less than the whole or entire human race being reclaimed and reinstated. It seems to me that a God who would create beings He knew in advance would not turn out right and whose only destiny would be eternal suffering in hell-fire or eternal separation in a conscious darkness or just out right extinction at the close of their allotted probationary time, would have to be a very selfish, self-serving, cruel and despotic God to say nothing of sadistic.

In reality, it would be nothing less than a set up for the sole purpose of showing the rest of the universe who is really boss and if they didn't toe the line He could do the same thing to them. I don't think that kind of scenario would generate very much true worship and devotion. Yet, that is precisely the kind of God most of the religions of the world have created with their theology. Is it any big surprise that there is so much anger and rebellion in the world toward this concept of God and those who claim to represent Him? In fact, EGW says that this is the bottom line problem with the world. Listen: "It is the darkness of misapprehension for God that is enshrouding the world. Men are losing their knowledge of His character. It has been misunderstood and misinterpreted." COL 415.

While I am inserting points here from EGW I might as well go ahead and give you some more. I didn't plan to do this but the Lord has impressed me this morning (7-16-95) to share this with you. I am sure you, like myself, want the facts. Right? Right! Ok. Here is what Gabriel told Jesus would happen to Satan if He would drink the cup. "The angel came not to take the cup from Christ's hand, but to strengthen Him to drink it, with the assurance of the Father's love. He came to give power to the divine-human suppliant. He pointed Him to the open heavens, telling Him of the souls that would be saved as the result of His sufferings. He assured Him that His Father is greater and more powerful than Satan, that His death would result in the utter discomfiture of Satan, and that the kingdom of this world would be given to the saints of the Most High. He told Him that He would see of the travail of His soul, and be satisfied, for He would see a multitude of the human race saved, eternally saved." DA 693, 694.

Now, let me make some comments about this quote. First of all, I want you to notice that Gabriel did not tell Jesus that His sacrifice would give Him and the Father a LEGAL right to kill and/or destroy Satan and all of His evil angels along with the priests and rulers who were going to crucify Him. No, that is not what the angel said. This is very important, especially in the light of the doctrine that Christ's death on the cross was simply to satisfy the claims of the law. Certainly Jesus' death was enough to satisfy the legal claims of the law or at least the carnal interpretations that had been made from them that God demanded not only the blood of animals but even the blood of His own Son before He would forgive the human race. There have been many blasphemous things spoken and written against the Name and character of our God but I put this one right near the top of the list if not at the very top. Rom. 5:10 tells us that it is not the death of Jesus that saves us but His life.

But notice what the angel told Jesus would happen to Satan as a result of His death. "He assured Him...that His death would result in the utter DISCOMFITURE of Satan, and that the kingdom of this world would be given to the saints of the Most High." DA 693. This word discomfiture is very interesting. It is not even in the Random House Thesaurus because it is an old word that is seldom used today. But Webster's unabridged still gives a two word definition of "confusion; embarrassment." An illustration would be, "The man resigned the task in discomfiture and despair." The point is, EGW did not say Christ's sacrifice would destroy Satan. I Cor. 1:19 quotes Isa. 29:14, "For it is written, 'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent." The word for destroy here can be taken in a literal or symbolic sense, as in English, depending on the context. For example, we might say, "When my wife told me she had been having an affair it just killed me." We understand the man was deeply hurt but he was not "destroyed." But he might have said, "the news of my wife's affair just destroyed me." We use this same expression in various ways. When a football team beats another team the sports editor might write, "The Tigers destroyed the Lions last night by a score of 67 to 10." We know the members of the Lions football are still all alive and well. The same is true in the Bible with the word destroy. We know that Jesus "destroyed" Satan at the cross by permitting Himself to be nailed to the tree. But Satan is still "Alive and well on Planet Earth," to borrow a phrase. So, we need to dig deeper for the real meaning.

Paul helps us considerably in Col. 2:14, 15. "Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross: AND HAVING SPOILED PRINCIPALITIES AND POWERS (Eph. 6 proves this refers to Satan and his angels) He (Jesus) made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it (Himself)." The key word here is "Spoiled," which simply means "To divest, put off or spoil." Divest is from an Old French word "devestir (des-, from + vestir which is from the Latin word Vestire, to dress.) So, what Jesus did at the cross was "undress" Satan. In other words Christ disrobed him. He divested or stripped off his mask and pretended garments of holiness so Satan stood naked before the universe as a murderer, killer, liar and thief, etc. And this is basically what "discomfited," means. The original meaning of "discomfit" actually was simply "to defeat." But its meaning was slowly changed to "disconcert." The word disconcert simply means to "frustrate and upset another's plans." And isn't that just what Jesus did at the cross? Precisely! Exactly!

Now, let me ask you a question. Why do you think Jesus is keeping Satan and his angels alive all this time? Do you think it is just to prove that He is right and Satan is wrong so He will have justification and a legal right in front of the onlooking universe to execute Satan, his angels and all of the lost as a last great, grand finale to prove how perfect, right and just He is? I don't think so. In fact, I think it would have just the opposite effect for instead of serving and worshipping Christ out of love they would serve Him out of fear. So, in the light of the cross Christ had a much higher motive and grander purpose for all of his creatures. I want to share a Scripture with you about God's ongoing love and care for all the evil angels. Jude 6. "And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath RESERVED in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day." Now, what do you think that word "reserved" means in the original? I looked it up in Strong's, 5083. It is from "teros," which simply means "to guard (from loss or injury by keeping the eye upon, preserve, watch." Paul and Peter both use this same Greek word in Rom. 11:4 and I Peter 1:4 in a most positive sense of God reserving 7,000 for Himself or reserving our inheritance for us in heaven. That certainly places that text in a new light. In the past we have interpreted that to mean that God was holding these evil angels in some sort of prison until the end of the world when He would burn them up either forever and ever or until they no longer existed. But instead the Lord is allowing them to continue on in their blind obedience and servitude to Satan. Yet, God is guarding them, watching over them and permitting and preventing in their lives the same as in every other being's life for the purpose of discipline and education. Eph. 3:10 indicates they are even learning about God by observing the church. That should not surprise us when both the Bible and EGW inform us that the angels are still learning.

Listen to these insightful words: "Not until the death of Christ was the character of Satan clearly revealed to the angels or to the unfallen worlds. The archapostate had so CLOTHED himself with deception that even holy beings had not understood his principles. They had not clearly seen the nature of his rebellion...the UNVEILING of his character was the more difficult, because of the exalted position he had held with the Father." DA 758, 759.

God in His great foreknowledge knows the precise time when all of His creatures are ready for advancement in their understanding of Him. He alone is patient and wise enough to wait for that perfect and precise moment when He choose to reveal Himself.

I want to share a Scripture with you about God's ongoing love and care for all the evil angels but before I do that I want to tell you about a concept I learned many years ago that has been a real blessing to me through the years. At the bottom of a newsletter I was reading one day I read these words and I believe this is an exact quote: "At any given time/moment in the history of the universe everything is happening just as it should." I read it again and then a third and fourth time trying to absorb the fullness of this incredible revelation about the sovereignty of our Wonderful God. As the deeper implications began to sink in the Lord quietly spoke to my mind. Michael, you don't have to ever worry or be afraid of anything (Rom. 8) for I am always in control and everything is happening just as I knew it would and have planned it all out from the very beginning. Of course, I was sort of dazed and in a state of shock for awhile. Not long after this I listened to a tape in which this man said that everything that happens in this world is supposed to happen and the proof of that is that it did happen. Then he said that everything that is spoken or said was supposed to have been said. Again the proof was that it did get spoken or said. It took me a little longer to process those thoughts. But eventually all of these ideas began to crystallize in my mind as I built a Scriptural foundation for them based on God's total knowledge of all things in advance and His right as Creator to guide and direct, permit and prevent in all of the affairs of men and angels, good and bad. I recalled what Elder Paul C. Huebach taught us at WWC from 1956-1960. EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS IS NOT GOD'S WILL, (perfect will) BUT NOTHING CAN HAPPEN TO DEFEAT GOD'S WILL. Because the Lord knows ahead of time what is going to happen He is able to guide, manage and direct all of our affairs and happenings in such a way so that both the good and bad are always working toward the final goal of a perfected humanity. Only the Creator could manage such a project. And at every stage of development God is watching to see how things are progressing. Of course, He is sad sometimes, as the Bible tells us and then other times He is laughing and happy as the Bible tells us in various places. "He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh." Psalm 2. This is in reaction to man's resistance and rebellion against His love. Just as a father laughs at His children's antics sometimes, especially when they are very small, so our Heavenly Father has His moments of laughter too for we are made in His very image and likeness. But He also speaks to them in His wrath. God's wrath is not when He strikes the sinner down with disease or a lightning bolt but Paul tells us in Rom. 1:16-28 that God's wrath is when He gives man up or over to His own immoral perversions. God removes His restraints, takes His hands off and permits man to destroy himself.

We are promised that nothing can happen to us that is too great for us to bear. I Cor. 10:13. In fact, the Lord has counseled us to thank Him and praise Him for all things, Eph. 5:20 and I Thess. 5:18. Jesus was always thanking and praising His Father. He was continually pointing out how seeming tragedies were for the glory of God. The man born blind from birth (John 9) and the death of Lazarus (John 11) are two examples. But the ultimate example is His own death which event He described as being "glorified." John 12:23; 13:31, 32. What an example to us. When we are tempted to gripe and complain let us praise God for all things, just as Jesus did, and thus glorify our heavenly Father.

Before Jesus comes again God's people are going to go through a special time of persecution, trial and tribulation. But God will use this to perfect our characters. Christ will give us tremendous victories not only over our own carnal natures so we may glorify our heavenly Father but He has even promised that our worst enemies who are trying to destroy us will come to us and admit we are indeed the children of God. Listen: "Take note! I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say they are Jews and are not, but lie, behold I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and learn and acknowledge that I have loved you." [Isa. 60:14; 49:23; 43:4]. What an incredible future God has for those who remain faithful to Him in this last hour of earth's history.

In Luke 14 Jesus gave two examples to illustrate the importance of planning ahead and therefore, counting price of whatever project you have envisioned. He spoke to the multitudes about the cost of discipleship and how it would require taking up a cross. Then He told two stories. The first is about a man who plans to build a tower. Jesus said that if the man did not plan ahead he might not be able to get past the foundation before he ran out of money. "All who observe it began to ridicule/mock/laugh at Him." Vs. 29. The second story is about a king who is planning to go to battle against his enemy. Jesus said that the king needs to decide whether or not he can win the battle against an army of 20,000 when he only has 10,000. If he decides that he cannot win then he needs to try and negotiate a peace settlement. I believe Jesus gave these parables to enable us to see that He carefully planned ahead when He created planet earth. He knew exactly what He was doing when He laid the foundation of this earth and He is, in fact, still in the process of completing, perfecting and bringing to pass "Project humanity" on planet earth. "For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus." Phil 1:6. In the original Greek this verse would read like this. "He who began a good work in you will keep on perfecting it until the day of Christ Jesus." The "Concordant Literal New Testament" translates vs. 6 thusly: "having this same confidence, that He Who undertakes a good work among you, WILL BE PERFORMING it until the day of Jesus Christ." So, here we have built into the original Greek language itself the concept of progressive revelation. This definitely suggests that God's work of redemption is not only ongoing until the Second Coming but extends into future ages. As the Lord leads we will expand more on this concept later. The main point I am trying to make here is that Jesus always saw into the future and realized the larger picture regarding God's ultimate plan for the human race.

Yes, He looked beyond the cross to that great day of victory celebration John describes in Rev. 15:2-4. "Who shall not fear (respect) thee, O Lord, and glorify thy Name? (assign to you your true character). For thou only art holy: for ALL NATIONS shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments (decisions) are made manifest (revealed)." This then is the fulfillment of Phil. 2:6-11 which Paul predicted would eventually take place in the great final judgment day in the coming Age of the Ages when God will finally be TOTALLY VICTORIOUS and triumphant...ALL IN ALL.

"And when ALL things shall be subdued unto him...that God may be all in all." I Cor. 15:28.

"THE LAST ENEMY THAT SHALL BE DESTROYED IS DEATH." 1 Cor. 15:26. This amazing statement declares that the worst enemy God has is death itself. Death is not a person but a state of being or condition. And how does God overcome or destroy this enemy? By killing all of His enemies? Would that destroy death? Of course not! It would only embellish and enshrine it; institutionalize it, thus declaring that God is a death God after all, as Satan claims and failed to do away with this condition.

Let me ask you a question. How do you destroy the darkness in a room? Do you shout at it? Shoot it with a gun? Set off a bomb or spray it with some kind of special formula? Ridiculous! So, how do we get rid of the darkness? You all know the answer because it is so simple...YOU TURN ON THE LIGHT. And what happens to the darkness? It instantly vanishes into thin air. Nothing has been destroyed. Only the condition of the room has changed. It has been blessed and improved. So, it will be in the great judgment day when the glory of God fills the earth with the truth and light of His eternal love.

Now, let's make a simple parallel. If a person were dead spiritually or physically how would you go about destroying that condition of death? Or if a person were sad or sick how would go about destroying that sadness and sickness? You would destroy it by helping the person come back to life and get well and happy. The first thing you would probably want to do is tell your friend about God's power to heal him and offer to pray with him/her and have some Bible studies. If healing isn't immediate as it often was in the Bible you should consider other options which might include taking your friend to a doctor or a hospital. It might involve encouraging him/her to eat a good diet and take specific vitamins.

We know that when Jesus was here on earth He not only fed the 5,000, He healed people right and left without any kind of discrimination whatever. In one case he healed ten lepers. Only one returned to thank Him and that ex-leper was not even an Israelite or part of the Jewish nation. So, Christ healed without respect or bias of persons. He treated everyone the same. Proverbs 28:21; Rom. 2:11; Eph. 6:9; Col. 3:5; James 2:1; I Pet. 1:17 all admonish us to treat all people the same...to not have prejudice or respect of persons. In Matt. 5:39 Jesus taught His followers to "Turn the other cheek," and "go the extra mile" for those who "compel" you to go one mile. He said that the old law taught "Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute." vs. 45, 46. And why did Jesus advocate such attitudes and actions? Because He wants us to be exactly like His Father in heaven.

"That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust...Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which in heaven is perfect." Matt. 5:48. Whenever I have heard this text quoted in the past nothing was ever mentioned about loving your enemies. The path to perfection involved being a perfect law keeper in regard to things like paying your tithe, going to church every week on time, thinking the right thoughts and doing the right deeds all of the time. It was never explained that you could obey the letter of the law by saying all the right words and doing all the right deeds all day every day without having one ounce of love for your enemies. The Pharisees were experts at it but Jesus pointed out to them that they had no compassion or mercy for others and these were the really important things in life... "The weightier matters of the law." The inside of their hearts was cold, dead and full of envy, strife and murder which led them to kill Jesus.

Someone may be asking, Well, Pastor Clute, does God really love His enemies? Does He bless them and let them strike Him on the other cheek? It says in Malachi 1:2, 3, 'Was not Esau Jacob's brother? saith the Lord: yet I loved Jacob, And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness.' That doesn't sound very loving to me. The Bible also tells us that David in Psalm 139:21, 22 says that he hates God's enemies with 'perfect' hatred. Now, you tell me why God had those verses in the Bible if He does not want us to hate the evil people in this world who hate Him? And if God doesn't kill or want us to kill bad people why did he help Samson, Israel, David and even Elijah, just before he was translated by the way, to kill wicked people? Please answer that question. Also, if God does not destroy and does not want us to carry a weapon and defend ourselves and kill bad people in these end times why did He command Israel to kill? If you cannot answer these questions please don't bother me anymore with your false teachings about God is love and does not kill.

All of these questions have been asked and answered many times in my books and periodicals. But for those who have not had the opportunity to read these yet, let me answer these questions by establishing some basic principles. First of all, Jesus' words and the acts of His life represent the most perfect manifestation of God's character. Jesus brought a new interpretation of God's law and abolished the old when He gave the sermon on the mount announcing the principles of His kingdom. In Matt. 5 we have a record of this sermon in which He clearly stated that although they had heard certain laws from the past in the days of Moses such as "an eye for an eye and a tooth for tooth, etc." vs. 39. Jesus said this was not His law. So, if this was not His law this can only mean that He did not speak this law. Therefore, if He did not speak these carnal laws which Jesus abolished, who in this world did speak those carnal laws which Jesus nailed to His cross? The truth is that Satan was allowed to give these very "bad" laws, Ezek. 20. But true to form God claimed to be the one giving the law. In verses 24 and 25 the Lord said that because Israel had not "executed" his "judgments" "despised my statutes, and had polluted my sabbaths, and their eyes were after their father's idols. Wherefore I gave them also statutes that were not good, and judgments whereby they should not live. Both the Amplified and NIV versions of the Bible use the phrase "gave them over to." "I also gave them over to statutes that were not good." v. 25. This is similar to Paul's phrasing in Rom. 1:24, 26 and 28 where Paul tells us that "God gave them up," and "God gave them over to a reprobate mind." v. 28. Psalm 78:48, 49 says, "He gave up their cattle also to the hail, and their flocks to hot thunderbolts."

Jer. 2:19 gives us a reason why God allows man to go his own way and do his own thing. These experiences teach them lessons and discipline them. The NEW CENTURY VERSION says, "Your evil will bring punishment to you and the wrong you have done will teach you a lesson. Think about it and understand that it is a terrible evil to turn away from the Lord your God." Here again is proof that all of God's punishments were for the purpose of education and discipline, not for destruction and annihilation forever and ever.

As I have been researching the last few minutes in Strong's Concordance for the original meaning of the Hebrew word, "Hate," I have come across something that is very deep and profound regarding the love of God toward those who reject Him, as in the case of Esau. When we transliterate the actual Hebrew word "Hated," according to Strongs 3404 we have "yer-ee-yaw" which is derived from 3050 which says, "Yahh or Jah, the sacred name, Jah, the Lord most Vehement."

At first I thought there must be a mistake but then I remembered that this is exactly the same Hebrew word used in Song of Solomon 8:6 where Jehovah is telling how passionate and fiery His love for us is. I just double checked it again and sure enough it is Strong's 3050. So, let us go to Song of Solomon 8:6. "Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: (the seal of God in the mind for those who accept Him in the last days: OR) as a seal upon thine arm: (The mark of the Beast, Rev. 14) For love is strong as death: (overcoming even the death that the Mark of the Beast Gives*) Jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most VEHEMENT FLAME." KJV. Please notice with me Ezek. 18:4, "Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die." Here God clarifies two things: 1. He declares that all souls belong to Him and 2. That any soul that sins will die. He is trying to warn people of the suffering they will go through if they do not accept His ownership and line up with Him. The warning about death is not given as a threat of eternal life but as a loving appeal to avoid suffering and death. Other passages make it clear how God will deal with all of those in the judgment. Some will be beaten with many stripes and some with few. None will be beaten or burned for all eternity nor will any be put out of existence or annihilated. These concepts are foreign to the Hebrew mind.

* Special note: I am aware that the phrase "As a seal upon thine arm" is possibly used by the author of Song of Solomon as an example. God is saying to us, Just as you might have a literal seal placed on your arm for purposes of identification by your master, if you are a slave, or by yourself, I want you to set (put, place or Mark) Me (Jesus) in your heart/mind just as clearly and literally as a seal would be placed on your arm. Just as a literal seal on the arm would be a continual reminder of the master who placed that seal on him so Christ wants us to give Him first place in our minds 24 hours a day. I have taken some literary license, so to speak, here with this parallel in order to help you see that God is not finished with the man/woman who refuses the seal of God and takes the Mark of the Beast. "My love for you is so powerful and my jealousy for your soul is so passionate that no matter what you do to try and run away from me or rebel against me I will never, ever stop loving you. You cannot get away from Me," Psalm 139. In Isa. 28:14-18 God speaks directly to those who make a covenant or deal with death (on purpose to destroy themselves or more than likely to try and survive. Most people will probably be tricked or deceived into it) will not be able to run away from or escape His passionate love for them. He calls out to them saying, Go ahead and reject me with that mark or seal on your arm. I want you to place Me in your heart just as you have placed that mark on your arm. I know that you have made a covenant with hell and death and it is too late for Me to do anything about it. Well, I have news for you. I will disannul and cancel your pact with the devil. You will never escape my love so why don't you come to Me now for why do you want to keep on 'kicking against the pricks' (thorns or needles) and hurting yourself like this.

Now, let's look at the Amplified version: "Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm; for love is strong as death; jealousy is as hard and cruel as Sheol (the place of the dead). Its flashes are flashes of fire, a most vehement flame--a very flame of the Lord! [Isa. 49:16; Deut. 4:24; I Cor. 10:22]." The NAS reads, "The very flame of the Lord (Jehovah)." Each of these references have very deep meanings. For example, let's go to Isa. 49:15. Jesus is asking His people if they think that a woman with her little baby could possibly ever forget it. "Can a woman forget her sucking child that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget (because they are only human beings, but God says) YET WILL I NOT FORGET THEE. (Now comes the real punch line as to why He will never forget Israel and why He will draw them all back to Him in that great final day of Ages of the Ages) "Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me." Isa. 49:15, 16.

Now, if that is not enough to convince you look at vs. 24 and 25. "Can (Is it possible? Nothing is impossible with God) the prey (all of the people Satan has captured as his slaves) be taken from the mighty man, Or the captives of a tyrant (Satan) be rescued? Surely, (or of course), thus says the Lord, Even the captives of the mighty man will be taken away, And the prey of the tyrant will be rescued; For I will contend with the one who contends with you, and I will save your sons (children)." Can you think of anything more awesome? What a powerful, covenant keeping God we have.

The next text is Deut. 4:24. "FOR THE LORD THY GOD IS A CONSUMING FIRE, EVEN A JEALOUS GOD."

In Moses farewell speech to his beloved people he said these words of encouragement to them: "For the Lord your God is a merciful God, He will not fail you OR DESTROY YOU, OR FORGET THE COVENANT OF YOUR FATHERS which he swore to them...Did ever people hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as you heard, and live?" Just before Moses died he learned about God's true character.

In I Cor. 10:22 Paul asks the Corinthian believers if they think they are strong enough to resist or defy the Lord. He asks them if they are ready to suffer the consequences of God's "jealousy" and His "anger" and "indignation." If you compare these terms with those used in Psalm 78:49 you will see what happens when a nation (Israel) or any individual refuses to accept God's salvation. He is turned over or let go and a band of destroying angels begin administering very severe discipline and punishment. But God still calls this His flaming fire of love...his jealous love. These are just a few of the deeper implications of God's love. Read Isa. 6 where Isaiah thinks that He is going to die because he had a vision of the Lord. But instead a beautiful, red, fiery hot, coal off of the altar is placed upon Isaiah's lips. It does not burn him for it is symbolic of the presence and love of God. Instead of dying Isaiah is totally cleansed and given renewed life. This same symbolism of the burning coals of fire is used in Proverbs 25:21. "If your enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat, and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink; [Matt. 5:44; Rom. 12:20.] For so doing you will heap coals of fire upon his head, and the Lord will reward you."

Now, I have a question for all of my amigos and amigas out there who do not understand or accept God's ultimate plan to rescue or reconcile all of His creatures back to Himself in that great and final end time period the Bible calls the "Ages of the Ages." My question is this: Does God love His enemies as He has told us to love our enemies? Does He follow His own rules and admonitions? Does He pray for His enemies and bless them who persecute Him (in the person of His followers)? I would like to suggest that He does all of these things for He is a loving God not a hypocritical God. And when all of the wicked are outside of the city He will feed them and give them drink by pouring coals of fire down upon them just as the Bible tells us, "And fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them." Rev. 20:9. This then is the fiery revelation of His love which will burn in the hearts of all the wicked until it consumes all of the wickedness out of them. There is a parallel to this in Ezek. 28:18 where God tells (Lucifer, his fallen angel, now Satan) that He is going to bring forth a fire from the midst of him that will devour him and bring him to ashes. To take this literally is to miss the point. Ashes has a double symbolical meaning here. First of all, it is a symbol of the end of something. In this case the end of Satan's reign. It also symbolizes the utter defeat of all of Satan's plans. They have all failed. But ashes have at least two other meanings. "It is a purification for sin." Num. 19:9. Paul comments upon this symbolism in Heb. 9:13 that was used in the old testament and had the power to "cleanse men's bodies from sin." It was both a prediction and promise of what the blood of Christ would do...cleanse the world of sin.

Even in mythology ashes were a symbol of resurrection and renewal for out of the ashes of the Phoenix arose a new Phoenix, the legendary bird, similar to an eagle, which was said to burn itself up every 500 years on a funeral pyre. But out of the ashes arose a new Phoenix who carried the ashes of his father to Heliopolis, city of the sun.

With this understanding of ashes in mind many scriptures take on renewed meaning. For example, the righteous walking on the ashes of the wicked in the new earth is simply a symbolism of the redeemed's total victory over death and the grave. For the new earth will be created and arise out of the ashes of the old so in reality everyone will simply be walking upon their own ashes. All tears will be wiped away for the ashes of failure and defeat will have been buried beneath our feet as we dance with joy throughout all eternity. I like this picture better than the traditional idea of the righteous dancing on the graves of all the wicked people in the past who hurt them and rejoicing that they received their just punishment and are dead forevermore. That sounds more like revenge which is not a characteristic God has or that He wants us to cultivate.

Psalm 139:7 the Holy Spirit inspired David to ask this important question: "Where can I go from your Spirit? Or where can I flee from your Presence?" David then faces the fact that he cannot escape from the Presence of God. For God is in heaven, He is in hell, the uttermost parts of the sea and the darkness. In his famous poem, "The Hound of Heaven," Francis Thompson deals with this same issue on a very personal basis. In this poem the author tells how he tried to run away from God. "I fled Him, down the nights and down the days;" But this "Hound of Heaven" continues to follow him throughout his life. It is a very long and involved poem. "All which I took from thee I did take, Not for thy harms, But just that thou might'st seek it in My arms. All which thy child's mistake Fancies as lost, I have stored for thee at home; Rise, clasp My hand, and come!' And then the poem finally ends with these words: "Ah, fondest, blindest, weakest, I am He Whom thou seekest, Thou dravest love from thee, who dravest Me.'" 1891, 1893.

One consistent theme throughout all of the Scriptures and other illustrations we have looked at is God's sovereign and total control over all the circumstances of our lives, good and bad. Coming through loud and clear is the message that God never leaves us even though we may leave Him...God never gives up on us although we may give up on Him. Jesus never forsakes us or breaks His promises (covenant) to us even though we may break our promises to Him.

My final conclusion is that God is constantly and continually speaking to every soul in this earth in His own way and on His own terms. He knows the motives in the heart of every person. He does not explain why He does what He does nor does He ask for our permission or even for our opinion before He does what He has already decided to do. Let me ask you, my friend, Did God ask your permission before you were born, if it would be ok for you to be born into this world? Did He consult you about who your parents would be or your siblings or where you would be born, your sex, color of eyes, height, etc. Of course not.

Well, what about the issue of "Free will?" I personally believe that free choice does not really begin until a person is old enough to understand the difference between right and wrong. This usually takes place about the age of 12...called the age of accountability. Even though God gives human beings a great deal of free choice in certain areas of life, but He is always in control of those choices and decides how many and what they will be. The choices He is most concerned about are those that have to do with our choice to love and serve Him. But even when we choose to refuse to submit to His leading He does not leave us or stop working with us in our lives. We are His forever as we just read in Psalm 139. How long we choose to go our own way and do our own thing is up to us unless He decides to intervene as in the case of Saul of Tarsus.

The bottom line is that everyone will eventually testify that God did everything right and completely vindicate all of His decisions regarding every person on planet earth who ever lived. Rev. 15. Furthermore, God said through the prophet Isaiah, 700 years before Christ was born that He knows the end from the beginning and the beginning to the end. He declares that "My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure." Isa. 46:10. We already know that God has "Pleasure in the death of the wicked" but wills that all men be saved. So, what is it that God takes pleasure in? Isa. 53:11 tells us.

"The pleasure of the Lord (Father) shall prosper (be successful or come to pass) in His (Christ) hand." This has to be during and under His wise leadership and direction during and after the 1,000 years when Jesus leads the 144,000 on a grand tour of the universe, visiting every planet. God is not limited to time or space so He, with His van guard, could project themselves onto every planet simultaneously. So, that is not a problem. The only problem now is in our minds regarding God's ability to do what He has said brings Him joy and pleasure...saving everyone without the loss of one. Beloved, unless we have this larger vision in our minds not only as an understanding of God's power and purpose to save, but as a personal goal ourselves to join with Jesus in this marvelous undertaking I believe the final events of this earth are going to overwhelm us. Therefore, we need to understand the mind, purpose and ultimate plan of God and commit our all to Him today so we will be able to not only survive the final days of this earth's history, knowing ahead of time the big picture and that God will truly win and be "all in all" in the ages to come. May the Lord richly bless you as you dedicate your heart, mind and soul to this worthy endeavor. Pastor Mike Clute.