God is sovereign over the affairs of man. He allows evil because man is sinful, the root cause of evil. He even uses man’s evil to achieve His plan going forward. 

The Book of Revelation tells us about the End Times. Will God give us ample warning of its coming? I believe so. He will do it with “signs”, especially as evil intensities. History itself is a sign of His sovereignty. He allows evil because man, by his own freewill, is sinful and the root of evil. God could stop all evil by killing all sinners but chose not to. Nevertheless, God uses man’s evil to bring about good. The following slides show how God achieved good out of evil. 

In Luke 21, Jesus uses the fig tree as an example of how there will be recognizable signs of what is to come, and that the kingdom of God is approaching. Without signs, even the change of seasons would pass by unnoticed. The End Times will not occur unnoticed. Nevertheless, God is sovereign, and nothing can happen without His permission. God had a plan. 

As we are told in Ephesians 6, we are in a state of spiritual warfare. We live in a state of “parade ground rest” or one of "basic training" preparing for battle. Even if the End Times doesn’t occur in our lifetime, the path is being laid out, one step at a time. 

Eph. 6:12 lays out the scope of the battle, even within our national capitol. As we are told in Ephesians, Satan and his fallen angels are active in this battle, for the very heart and soul of the United States of America. They are powerful, but God’s forces are greater and more powerful.  

As we are told in Ephesians, our biblical response is to put on the full armor of God, so that when the "day of evil" comes, we are prepared to stand our ground as His Church--the Body of Christ. 

Paul describes our weapons of defense, as the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the gospel of peace, and the shield of faith. As the inspired Word of God, the Holy Spirit wouldn’t describe it if they weren’t prayerfully available. 

Last but not least, we are to put on the helmet of salvation through faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ; and use the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, while praying for all the saints in our church and across the nation. It’s also a civic responsibility to combat evil in the public square, and support righteousness. 

God overcomes evil to accomplish His plans for good. 

Judas, one of the 12 apostles, betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. Not a surprise to Jesus, being foreordained by God. Judas followed his own sinful motives and desires, but God used it to accomplish His plan of redemption. Jesus paid the sin-debt of those who profess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, because we are incapable of doing so ourselves. Do you profess Jesus as your own Lord and Savior? Your eternal destiny depends on it. 

The Jewish religious leaders, the Sanhedrin, to retain their positions of power and prestige, put Jesus on trial because of His popularity with the people. His miracles did not convince them, but only instilled a desire to be rid of Him. They had no authority to kill Christ and brought Him to the Roman authorities. Again, man intended evil for his own gains, but God used it as part of His plan for our redemption. 

The Sanhedrin demanded the death of Christ. Pontius Pilot, fearful of Jewish threats that might reach the emperor about a man claiming to be king. Thus, he ordered the death of Jesus for his own purposes. He did not want word to get back to Rome that he was not keeping things under control. God used Pilot’s sin to implement His own plan for our redemption. 

If Judea was not under Roman jurisdiction, there would be no crucifixion, which was a Roman punishment. The Jewish leaders would have condemned Jesus to death by stoning. Would we then be wearing a stone around our neck instead of a cross? God had a plan, which included the cross that highlights the depth and consequences of sin against His holiness, for which He had to pay the price because it is beyond our means to do so. Give thanks for His love and mercy. 

Jesus paid our sin-debt in full, with suffering to such a degree and intensity, that we couldn’t even imagine. Yes, sin has consequences, even our sins. Jesus carried the full weight of them on Himself on the cross. God has a plan. A plan that stretches across time and eternity. 

As prophesized by Jesus in Luke 19:41-44, the Jewish rejection of the Messiah was punished with the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD by the Romans. Prior to Judah’s destruction, Christianity was viewed as a Jewish sect. With the destruction of Jerusalem and scattering of the Jews, Christianity stood on its own merit, no longer seen as a Jewish sect. The Apostle Paul, discarding his Hebrew name, Saul, using instead his Latin name, Paul, to bring Christ to the Gentile world. 

What is traditionally believed to be the temple mount, there is not a stone left standing of the Jerusalem temple. Some believe the temple was in the City of David not far removed from that site; and that this is the site of the Roman Fort Antonia. Either way, there is not a stone left standing of the Jerusalem temple on either site, as prophesied by Jesus in Luke 19. His words were a warning and a sign of what was to come, and did occur in 70 AD. God had a plan.

With the destruction of Jerusalem, the Jews scattered across the Roman world and beyond, as shown on the map. Satan meant it for evil, but God had a Plan. 

After the death of Jesus Christ, the Gospel message of salvation was carried across the Roman world. Map shows the extent of the pagan Roman Empire. The gospel began to spread throughout the Gentile world initially by the apostle Paul. In accordance with God’s plan, it would not remain pagan. 

Constantine, became a Christian through a vision leading him to victory, thus becoming Emperor in 313 AD. He issued the Edict of Milan in 313, which proclaimed religious tolerance for Christianity. In 395, Emperor Theodosius I (r. 379–395) decreed Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire. Nevertheless, sin prevailed in man, and the Church itself turned against pagans and Jews. Christianity eventually became as much political as it was religious. God still had a plan, yet sin still had consequences.  

Rome declined over time with internal strife, division and conflict, with self-serving leaders and motives. The Roman Empire met its own destruction in 476 AD by Germanic tribes who invaded across the Empire’s northern frontier border, opening it up to other invasions across Italy. The Germanic tribes invading Italy were exposed to Christianity, not otherwise possible. Yes, God had a plan and still does.

The apostle John prophesied that there would be many antichrist, such as Nero in the 1st century, and Hitler in the 20th century.  

Adolf Hitler was pure evil. He began his rise to power in 1933, with a continued and intense hatred of the Jews. Out of that hatred, he initiated the Holocaust for their extermination.   

Under Hitler’s rule of Germany, violence against the Jews broke out. Kristallnacht, (German: “Crystal Night”, called Night of Broken Glass or November Pogroms, November 9–10, 1938, when German Nazis attacked Jewish persons and property. The name Kristallnacht refers to the litter of broken glass of Jewish owned businesses, left in the streets.  

Even with violence against the Jews, Germany’s Christian leaders were silent. When the Church is silent, evil will prevail. What is the role of the Church in today’s America? Should we follow the same path of silence as a church and as individual Christians? What is God’s plan? We know He has one. 

At the close of WWII and defeat of Nazi Germany, the Jews were liberated from the death camps. Most of whom desired to flee Europe. The Holocaust was meant for evil, but God used it to return them to the Land promised first to Abraham, then Isaac and Jacob. God had a Plan. 

With the devastation in Europe, many European Jews fled the European continent. God’s plan overcame Hitler’s evil. returned the Jews to their homeland, which otherwise would not have happened. God isn't finished with the Jewish nation. They are back in their Promised Land because of the Lord prophesying their return. 

God doesn’t renege on His promises, even when man falls short. He brought the Israelites home. He sees all of history from the beginning to the end and knows everything there is to know. There are no surprises and consequently His promises stand. 

The Mandate for Palestine was a League of Nations mandate for British administration of the territories of Palestine and Transjordan, both of which had been conceded by the Ottoman Empire following the end of World War I in 1918. After the failure of the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine, the 1947–1949 Palestine war ended with Mandatory Palestine divided among Israel, the Jordanian annexation of the West Bank and the Egyptian Protectorate in the Gaza Strip. 

After the British withdrawal, Israel declared its statehood. President Harry Truman immediately recognized it as such giving it legitimacy on the international stage. Yes, God had a plan and America was very much part of that plan, destined to be a world leader after WWII. 

The 1948 Palestine war was fought in the territory of what had been at the start of the war British-ruled Mandatory Palestine. It is known in Israel as the War of Independence. In May 1948, the State of Israel’s creation having been declared on the last day of the British Mandate, which became the Arab-Israeli War as shown on the map. God gave them the victory as He had in the Old Testament. God had a plan. 

Only because God still has a plan for modern-day Israel. It’s very creation and existence was and is by the grace of God and His protective hand. 

Yes, Israel’s creation and continued existence, being surrounded by avowed enemies, is a modern-day miracle, because God has a plan. The sovereignty of God is undeniable over the course of history and man’s trek toward the End Times. 

The message we see in history is that God is sovereign over the affairs of man. He has a plan for His people and His Church. We are to be mindful and prayerful resting in His sovereign care and love.

End of this Week's Posting