The Judgments of God

Recently I have felt some heat over statements I have made either by mouth or through e-mail in response to the murder of the Kansas abortionist George Tiller. The basic premise of my statements were that I was not all that bothered by the events of his death, though as a Christian anytime someone whose eternal salvation appears tenuous at best dies without having made a confession of Jesus as Lord, and I think we can make that inference based on the life he lived (though I cannot nor would ever be able to read a man’s heart, I leave that to God) then we must feel some sadness over a soul ending up on the bad end of eternity. I also am very pleased that his clinic will now be closed permanently. I have also suggested that it is possible, I say possible, that the event could have been a result of the judgment of God coming down upon him for his unrepentant acts of killing the unborn. As I listened to some of the responses I have been led to go back to the Bible to first of all be sure that I was not misrepresenting God in any thing I say and that my statements had Biblical basis. Please make careful note: I am not saying that anyone should be going out and killing abortionists.

What has bothered me most is that as I listen to what others have said, I am concerned that the average Christian does not understand the basic attributes of God. All we ever seem to hear is that God is love. Yes, He is, that is for sure a scriptural fact. But God also hates sin and He is a just God as well. Without going too deep and long into theology, it is still important to understand that Jesus had to die and shed His blood and then be resurrected so that we can enter into God’s most Holy presence. Simply put He cannot, by His nature, allow sin to go unpunished. Jesus paid the price for us, but that only applies to those who have accepted His free offer of salvation. I don’t wish to spend time here; if we are anything more than a brand new believer we should have knowledge of this. See Hebrews 5:12 if you wish.

What I would like to do here is simply offer some scripture to provide a background into why I believe my suggestions are within the boundaries of legitimate Biblical theology. Please understand I am not a Bible scholar, but I do have a passion for seeking the truth of the Word of God. I believe every word in the Bible to be inspired by God and to be truth. The Bible is the authority upon which I base my entire theology and my goal, though I fall short, is to live a life based on its precepts and the commandments God has provided within its pages. If you are reading this and are not in agreement with my belief on the Bible’s authority, then we are probably best to just mutually agree that we will never agree. To anyone reading this who is a Catholic, it is my understanding that your leadership does not give total and complete authority to the Bible, but I know many Catholics who give the Word the authority that I believe it must be given. I guess my main question to those who don’t is to ask then, how do you determine what parts you throw out and what you keep, but that is not a debate I am currently interested in taking up.

I do not want anyone to be misled nor do I want to dishonor God in anything I say. If I do so in this writing or anywhere else in my life, I pray that God will provide me grace and then wisdom to correct any errors I make. I don’t believe the subject matter we are looking at is a matter of salvation, but is simply an important topic to consider and to seek clear Biblical counsel on. There are many reasons that it is important to develop a good sound theology in this area, however unless someone would like to dispute that, I will not delve into that area at this time.

Let us now review some scripture and as I present that, I can say that unless I specify other, all text is from the NASB translation. I encourage each of you to read other translations and to consider looking at various commentaries to consider some of the theological viewpoints that can be considered. Mostly I suggest that you go to your Church leadership as well if you have questions about the scriptures you will read here. I will try and stay mostly on pure scripture, but occasionally I may throw in a comment or two. Believe the Word, test and examine anything I say against scripture. If I highlight something in red, then it is particular to this discussion. Please consider reading the entire sections of scripture to understand the context of the verse. I am only including the main point I am making and do not like doing that, but for the sake of brevity I give you responsibility for verifying that context isn’t causing a problem with the true meaning and point. Actually my hope is that each of us would begin reading the entire Bible through on a regular basis and that we understand that we need to view scripture in light of scripture and that we learn of the way the Old Testament actually connects with the New Testament.

First let us look at Judges 9:22-25 (NASB):

Now Abimelech ruled over Israel three years.
Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech, so that the violence done to the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might come, and their blood might be laid on Abimelech their brother, who killed them, and on the men of Shechem, who strengthened his hands to kill his brothers. The men of Shechem set men in ambush against him on the tops of the mountains, and they robbed all who might pass by them along the road; and it was told to Abimelech.

Now look at Judges 9:50-57 (NASB):

Then Abimelech went to Thebez, and he camped against Thebez and captured it. But there was a strong tower in the center of the city, and all the men and women with all the leaders of the city fled there and shut themselves in; and they went up on the roof of the tower. So Abimelech came to the tower and fought against it, and approached the entrance of the tower to burn it with fire. But a certain woman threw an upper millstone on Abimelech's head, crushing his skull. Then he called quickly to the young man, his armor bearer, and said to him, "Draw your sword and kill me, so that it will not be said of me, 'A woman slew him.'" So the young man pierced him through, and he died. When the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, each departed to his home. Thus God repaid the wickedness of Abimelech, which he had done to his father in killing his seventy brothers. Also God returned all the wickedness of the men of Shechem on their heads, and the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal came upon them.

Notice above: God used the woman who threw the stone on Abimelech’s head leading to his death to “repay his wickedness”. Then listen to this, “Also God returned all the wickedness of the men of Shechem on their heads, and the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal came upon them.”

Read about the consequences God instituted in Deuteronomy 28. Here are some of the points:

Deuteronomy 28:15 (NASB) "But it shall come about, if you do not obey the Lord your God, to observe to do all His commandments and His statutes with which I charge you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:

Deuteronomy 28:20-24 (NASB) "The Lord will send upon you curses, confusion, and rebuke, in all you undertake to do, until you are destroyed and until you perish quickly, on account of the evil of your deeds, because you have forsaken Me.
"The Lord will make the pestilence cling to you until He has consumed you from the land where you are entering to possess it.
"The Lord will smite you with consumption and with fever and with inflammation and with fiery heat and with the sword and with blight and with mildew, and they will pursue you until you perish.
"The heaven which is over your head shall be bronze, and the earth which is under you, iron.
"The Lord will make the rain of your land powder and dust; from heaven it shall come down on you until you are destroyed.

Deuteronomy 28:45-46 (NASB) "So all these curses shall come on you and pursue you and overtake you until you are destroyed, because you would not obey the Lord your God by keeping His commandments and His statutes which He commanded you.
"They shall become a sign and a wonder on you and your descendants forever.

Please take time to read all of Deuteronomy 28.

Next I call attention to Judges 3:15-30:

Judges 3:15-30 (NASB) But when the sons of Israel cried to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer for them, Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjamite, a left-handed man. And the sons of Israel sent tribute by him to Eglon the king of Moab.
Ehud made himself a sword which had two edges, a cubit in length, and he bound it on his right thigh under his cloak.
He presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab. Now Eglon was a very fat man.
It came about when he had finished presenting the tribute, that he sent away the people who had carried the tribute.
But he himself turned back from the idols which were at Gilgal, and said, "I have a secret message for you, O king." And he said, "Keep silence." And all who attended him left him.
Ehud came to him while he was sitting alone in his cool roof chamber. And Ehud said, "I have a message from God for you." And he arose from his seat.
Ehud stretched out his left hand, took the sword from his right thigh and thrust it into his belly.
The handle also went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade, for he did not draw the sword out of his belly; and the refuse came out.
Then Ehud went out into the vestibule and shut the doors of the roof chamber behind him, and locked them.
When he had gone out, his servants came and looked, and behold, the doors of the roof chamber were locked; and they said, "He is only relieving himself in the cool room."
They waited until they became anxious; but behold, he did not open the doors of the roof chamber. Therefore they took the key and opened them, and behold, their master had fallen to the floor dead.
Now Ehud escaped while they were delaying, and he passed by the idols and escaped to Seirah.
It came about when he had arrived, that he blew the trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim; and the sons of Israel went down with him from the hill country, and he was in front of them.
He said to them, "Pursue them, for the Lord has given your enemies the Moabites into your hands." So they went down after him and seized the fords of the Jordan opposite Moab, and did not allow anyone to cross.
They struck down at that time about ten thousand Moabites, all robust and valiant men; and no one escaped.
So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land was undisturbed for eighty years.

I am not using this section of scripture to compare any situation including the man who killed Tiller. I am using it to demonstrate that God has at times used men to accomplish His purpose and to illustrate Biblical example of an attribute of God that we are afraid to look at some times. Just note that this man was used as a “deliverer.”

How about 1 Samuel 15:1?

1 Samuel 15:1-3 (NASB) Then Samuel said to Saul, "The Lord sent me to anoint you as king over His people, over Israel; now therefore, listen to the words of the Lord.
"Thus says the Lord of hosts, 'I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he set himself against him on the way while he was coming up from Egypt.
'Now go and strike Amalek and utterly destroy all that he has, and do not spare him; but put to death both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.' "

This verse seems pretty clear that for those who choose to hurt God’s chosen people, it is possible to have a strong measure of wrath brought down upon them by the direct order of God.

1 Kings 13:26 (NASB) Now when the prophet who brought him back from the way heard it, he said, "It is the man of God, who disobeyed the command of the Lord; therefore the Lord has given him to the lion, which has torn him and killed him, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke to him."

Not all things that happen in this world may just be freak accidents or for those who believe in it, bad luck.

Ok at this point you may be saying “But that is all Old Testament stuff, we’re under the New Testament.” Well, I could spend time showing the direct correlation of the Old and New Testaments and how they tie in. I won’t do that for the sake of brevity and it isn’t even necessary here. I am trying to demonstrate by scripture that the wrath of God is a dangerous thing for the disobedient and to also offer that while God is love and he is longsuffering, there is some kind of point where, by His nature which is to Holy and unable to tolerate unrepentant sin, He can and does take punitive action. It is also a Biblical fact that God does not change. The covenant He has made with His people did, but God and His nature did not. Malachi 3:6 says, "For I, the Lord, do not change….”

That being stated let us look at what the New Testament does say about judgment and God.

1 Corinthians 10:1-22 (NASB) For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea;
and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea;
and all ate the same spiritual food;
and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ.
Nevertheless, with most of them God was not well-pleased; for they were laid low in the wilderness.
Now these things happened as examples for us, so that we would not crave evil things as they also craved.
Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written, "The people sat down to eat and drink, and stood up to play."
Nor let us act immorally, as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in one day.
Nor let us try the Lord, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the serpents.
Nor grumble, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer.
Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.
Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall.
No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.
Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.
I speak as to wise men; you judge what I say.
Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ?
Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread.
Look at the nation Israel; are not those who eat the sacrifices sharers in the altar?
What do I mean then? That a thing sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything?
No, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons.
You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.
Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? We are not stronger than He, are we?

In many different places the New Testament gives us warnings. Romans 1 & 2 are quite clear. Jesus speaks often warning of the results of unbelief and un-repentence. My personal favorite warning comes from the Apostle Paul in Galatians 6. It says:

Galatians 6:7-8 (NASB) Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.
For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.

The Book of Revelation is an entire book of warnings about the coming times. Yes, I know Jesus came not to "judge the world, but to save the world.” But that was last time. The next time Jesus returns there will be judgment.
Revelation 19:11-16 (NASB) And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war.
His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself.
He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.
And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses.
From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.
And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, "KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS."

His judgment is not to be taken lightly:

James 2:13 (NASB) For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.
At this you say “OK, judgment is coming but what does that have to do with Tiller? How could you say based on the New Testament God could possibly have been involved in his death? That judgment is reserved for the end of the days.

To that I ask you; Explain the story of Ananias and Sapphira to me.

Acts 5:1-11 (NASB) But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property,
and kept back some of the price for himself, with his wife's full knowledge, and bringing a portion of it, he laid it at the apostles' feet.
But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land?
"While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God."
And as he heard these words, Ananias fell down and breathed his last; and great fear came over all who heard of it.
The young men got up and covered him up, and after carrying him out, they buried him.
Now there elapsed an interval of about three hours, and his wife came in, not knowing what had happened.
And Peter responded to her, "Tell me whether you sold the land for such and such a price?" And she said, "Yes, that was the price."
Then Peter said to her, "Why is it that you have agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out as well."
And immediately she fell at his feet and breathed her last, and the young men came in and found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband.
And great fear came over the whole church, and over all who heard of these things.

All Ananias and Sapphira did was lie to the Holy Spirit and hold back some money for themselves. They were taken out of this world for not being totally truthful and it says that “great fear” came out of it. This seems clear to me that God, though He loves his people, sometimes does things for His Glory and to accomplish His will, even if we don’t like it.

This little study is not an exhaustive one. Yet in this short study clearly we can see that there is something known as “the wrath of God” and He has and thus could again be free to exercise His wrath on both the saved and the unsaved in any way He sees fit. Yes, I know we can also prove by scripture that God is love, longsuffering and full of grace. I agree. I am very grateful He is or I would be in huge trouble. But we cannot ignore the basic nature of God in His entirety, even if we worry that this makes Him look mean or unloving. Just because he is just and disciplines His children does not mean that He isn’t loving as well. For some in the world preaching the love of God is all they need to come to repentance and the gift of salvation. But for others, they do not respond. We must be confident in God’s sovereignty and realize that some are in serious danger of eternal damnation and need to be warned. We must be prepared that to some there will not be eternal salvation, but instead a lake of fire is that the end of the road. Jesus, Himself said in Matthew 7:13-14 (NASB) "…the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it."For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

I could go on and on with this but the onus is on each of us to search the scriptures ourselves and to “work out our salvation with fear and trembling.”
In conclusion I hope this has helped you understand why I say that God could have been a part of this process in which Tiller is no longer on this earth. I can’t say God was for sure, but I can say that God will and has used this incident to His good and to accomplish His will. I hope all of you again understand I am not in any way supporting the murder of anyone. I am just saying that by the writings in scripture it is clear to me that God is not to be “mocked” and we should entertain a healthy fear of His judgments and understand His nature and subsequent intolerance of un- repentant sin.

If you are not a serious student of the Word, please consider doing so. Please consider reading the entire Bible from beginning to end and to seek help in understanding the way that both the Old and New Testaments fit together. Thru the Bible with J. Vernon McGee is an excellent option. His works are available in print and online in both written and in audio form. I have purposely avoided using outside commentaries and other writings as I want to stay within direct Biblical quotes.

Pray and ask God for truth and His wisdom and the Holy Spirit will "…will teach you all things…” John 14:26

Pray for me and ask God to correct me in any way I have misrepresented Him and His Word.

God Bless All of You!
Mike Wood