No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
1 Corinthians 10:13, NKJV (emphasis added)
This verse has a narrow context, that of dealing with temptation to sin while living in a sin-cursed world. It may have a much broader application, and that’s what I would like to explore.
God judged the world for its wickedness in the days of Noah. We know that Noah was “perfect in his generations” but that does not mean he was morally pure or sinless. Rather, this suggests that Noah was genetically untainted. But Noah and his family were sinners like us, and they needed an escape from God’s judgment. God provided the ark, a way of escape for Noah, his family, and we presume “whosoever will.” Eight souls were saved; the rest perished in God’s righteous judgment.
The Jews in the days of Jeremiah were wicked people and came under God’s judgment. God raised up Nebuchadnezzar and the Chaldeans to judge His people. But God also provided a way of escape. Jeremiah told the people they could surrender to the Chaldeans and escape with their lives. Some of the Jews were already living in exile in Babylon, and God had already told the Jews they would be taken out of the land – one way or another – for seventy years. Not surprisingly, the Jews in Jerusalem preferred the soothing message of their false prophets, rejected the word of God from Jeremiah, and were destroyed by “the sword and famine and wild beasts and pestilence” (Ezekiel 14:21).
As we move forward in Jewish history about 600 years, Jesus pronounced judgment on the Jews and Jerusalem once again. He said the city and the Temple would be destroyed, and the people would be held accountable for all the righteous blood shed from Abel to Zechariah (Luke 11:51). But once again, God provided a way of escape. Jesus warned those who would listen that when they saw Jerusalem surrounded by armies, to simply drop everything and run. Jesus gave them a time frame – “this generation” – which we know to be 40 years. He told them what to look for: advancing armies (in a parallel passage He called it “the abomination of desolation” – compare Luke 21:20 and Matt. 24:15). Those who heeded His warning escaped. The rest endured horrific hardship (read Josephus) and were destroyed, sold into slavery, or dispersed into the world as homeless vagabonds.
In the U.S. in 1741, Jonathan Edwards lamented the lethargy in the church and the apathy many self-identified Christians displayed toward spiritual realities, and he preached what was arguably the most powerful “awakening sermon” ever delivered on American soil. His closing comment merits our attention:
Therefore, let every one that is out of Christ, now awake and fly from the wrath to come. The wrath of Almighty God is now undoubtedly hanging over a great part of this congregation. Let every one fly out of Sodom: “Haste and escape for your lives, look not behind you, escape to the mountain, lest you be consumed.”
Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, Jonathan Edwards, 1741
Edwards’ warning was directed to religious church-attenders who were “out of Christ.” In our day, it’s people who identify as Christians, live good clean lives, maybe even go to church, but are self-centered. It’s their time, their money, their stuff, their career, their reputation, what makes them feel safe and comfortable and happy. Who is the “lord” of a life like that? This is a life that is saturated by temptation, and the person living it may not even suspect that it’s a life that needs to be ESCAPED FROM.
If you spend more time watching TV than you spend in prayer and Bible study, you need to ask yourself “why?” If the scriptures seem dry and they don’t really talk to you, you should ask yourself “why?” If you hope things will get “back to normal” and this end-times stuff seems unreasonable, you should ask yourself “why?” You may want to turn off the noise and try to discern who is REALLY the lord of your life.
Appeal for action
This post is intended to be a STARK WARNING to anyone who will read and THINK. We were told in the book of Revelation about the fierce judgments of God that would come upon this planet. Those judgments are here. The Four Horsemen are arriving. The actions of the world’s governments and various “health organizations” make no sense medically, but make perfect sense when viewed as an intentional global GENOCIDE. The elites of this world have already told us they think the world is over-populated. They want to kill over six billion of us, according to the Georgia Guidestones. They mean it for evil.
But God means it for judgment and ultimate good. We have been adequately warned, but once again, God has provided an escape. He has promised that those who trust Christ and abide in Him will be delivered. This is not Christ as a means to an end, or Christianity as an insurance policy. This is a complete surrender to Christ in every area of life. Repent and believe the gospel. The gospel message is that Jesus Christ is LORD.
What are you going to do about it?
Leave a Reply