God is sovereign over all of history and time, without exception. All of history, from the time of creation (Genesis 1:1), until the very end of time (Revelation 21:1), is laid out before God! History is not a series of independent events, but everything fits into God’s Providential plan; both good and evil. God is not the author of evil, nor is evil a surprise to God. Evil is the consequence of man’s sinful thoughts and deeds.
We don’t generally think of history as God’s Providential plan, but it is from Adam and Eve in Genesis to the very End Times in Revelation, all of history including the rise and fall of empires and nations is deemed by God’s Sovereignty. Is today's America on a different path than historic America, one without God's guidance and blessings?
Let’s begin here. Alexander the Great conquered the regions shown on the map, making Greek a common language for the entire area, which made sharing the New Testament Gospels and Epistles, written in Greek, possible for sharing Christ across what would become the Roman Empire, and beyond. Just as English is generally spoken and understood throughout much of the world today, Greek was universally understood and spoken across the entire region at that time, which paved the way for spreading the biblical message of Jesus Christ and sharing the written Word via the Epistles (N.T. letters). But God went a step further….
Afterwards, God gave rise to the Roman Empire as shown on the map, where the Greek language was more common than Latin used mostly for formal occasions, government business, and legal documents.
Rome conquered the region and established a standard of Roman justice and peace under Roman military protection.
Not only did Rome build an empire, they also built a network of roads (red lines) across the Empire as shown on the map (red arrow). The very roads traveled by Paul in his missionary journeys that made sharing of the Gospel possible. Without the roads and Pax Romana, the Gospel never would have left Judah in the Middle East. God’s sovereign decree? Absolutely,
Many of the conquered people across the Roman Empire became an integral part of the Empire, with many even serving in the Roman army. The city of Rome itself became a cosmopolitan metropolis of many ethnicities and tongues many of whom, if not most, spoke Greek, even the Roman elite. Just as we see in certain large cities like New York and London in Great Britain.
God used both Greek and Roman conquests to lay the foundation for the New Testament written in Greek, and as such, sharing of the Word of God across the entire Roman Empire and beyond, and much later via the Greek Orthodox Church spreading the Gospel far beyond the borders of the Roman Empire.
Map shows the Apostle Paul’s missionary journeys, all of which followed the Roman roads and sea lanes protected by Rome, as had been determined and decreed by God.
Mary and Joseph lived in the City of Nazareth, yet the birth of the Jewish Messiah as prophesized in the Old Testament was Bethlehem, situated within the Tribe of Judah (Micah 5:2). The second chapter of Luke tells us that Roman Emperor Augustus ordered a census throughout the Roman world that every person had to travel to the town of their ancestors for the census to be taken. Both Mary and Joseph were of the tribe of Judah. Again, God used Rome to fulfill Micah’s messianic prophesy.
As shown on map, Joseph and Mary with child, traveled around Samaria, as did the other Jews, making the trip that much longer. Map on left shows modern day Israel. Today, Bethlehem is located in the West Bank, with a 53.9% Muslim population.
Man’s evil demands for self-promotion, demanded the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, routed in religious and political pride and hatred against anything that could interfere with their authority and prestige, yet it was part of God’s Providential plan for salvation. Without Roman occupation of Israel/Judah, Jesus may have been stoned to death by the Jewish leaders. Crucifixion was of Roman authority. Without Rome, the symbol of Jesus’ death may have been a rock and not a cross; God deemed otherwise.
They meant it for evil, but God meant it for good. From the beginning of time that was God’s plan for us, to provide Himself as Savior because we were incapable of doing so ourself, just as Adam and Eve, even under perfect conditions, failed to abide by one single command. There is no way we could have done any better. Thank you, Lord Jesus. Amen.
In the early centuries of Christianity, while Christianity spread across the Roman Empire, many believers in Jesus Christ faced persecution and even martyrdom. Why did God allow it? How did God use man’s evil for good? During those years, man did not join the church for social reasons or fellowship, only those who truly professed Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, even under the threat of death. So, where’s the good? Only those who truly professed Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, under the power of the Holy Spirit, joined the Church, the Body of Christ. They shared the true Gospel message. It was neither watered down, not made user friendly. It challenged the pagan culture with the true Gospel of saving grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
With the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD by the Romans, and tearing down of the Jewish Temple, the entire nation of Jews was destroyed with many of them being sold into slavery, and many more dispersed across the entire region. Israel basically disappeared from the map. What was God’s Providential plan? To punish the Jews and write them off? Or to restore them after a couple of thousand years? Does the USA have anything to do with God’s plan for Israel?
Jews attempting to escape from Jerusalem’s destruction with their lives and even to avoid Roman slavery, spread across much of the region, and even beyond, as shown on the map, with subsequent persecutions, and century later, even Nazi Germany death camps. A new wave of antisemitism is beginning to raise its ugly head across much of the world, even here in the USA (something we will explore at a later time).
Nazi Germany’s conquest of Europe was almost complete in 1942, until the intervention of the United States in WWII that changed everything. God’s plan? Absolutely.
Adolf Hitler brought a reign of terror across the Western world! Satan meant it for evil, yet God used it for good not otherwise possible as noted on the following slides.
This photograph speaks volumes about evil under Hitler and the Nazis. Hitler’s Holocaust and the murder of six million Jews, including children and infants, was influenced by Satan, and intended for evil, yet God used it for good that would not otherwise have happened. It was this very evil that led to the creation of the State of Israel. Europe’s Jews were successful and comfortable as Europeans and would never have seen Israel, mostly barren desert land, as an alternative lifestyle or desired destination. I see much of the abortion industry in the same way, a willful killing of innocent children. How long will God tolerate it?
Coming out of the Depression, and with recent memories of the cost in wealth and lives lost in WW1, most Americans strongly objected to entering the war in Europe. But those opinions were changed on December 7, 1941.
By God’s Sovereign decree, America did enter the war. What brought America into the War was Japan’s bombing of Pearl Harbor on Sunday, December 7, 1941, yet God would use the United States to destroy the evils of Nazi Germany.
On December 11, 1941, just a few days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Adolf Hitler, an ally of Japan, declared war on America. Little did he realize or understand the consequences of that decision. America was not a superpower at that time but became one as a result of that war.
Without U.S. intervention in the war, experts believe Nazi Germany would have defeated the European allies, including Britain, resulting in the ultimate conquest and occupation of Europe and beyond, including the Middle East with total annihilation of any remnant of Jews in the region.
On June 6, 1944, a combined force of 156,000 US, British and Canadians landed on five beaches of Normandy, France, a 50-mile stretch heavily fortified by the Germans, which led to the ultimate conquest of Nazi Germany.
Without America’s intervention, all of the Jews in the countries and regions conquered by the Nazis, would have been systematically exterminated. But God determined otherwise with America’s entry into the war. I can’t help but wonder, is that the very reason God created and richly blessed America as an independent and sovereign nation, just as He gave rise to the ancient Roman Empire? Perhaps the next slides will shed some light on that question.
By the Sovereign Decree of God, Satan and Hitler meant the Holocaust for evil, but God deemed it for good, to return the Jews, destined for death in the Holocaust, to the land promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
On May 14, 1948, David Ben-Gurion, the head of the Jewish Agency, proclaimed the establishment of the State of Israel. U.S. President Harry S. Truman recognized the new nation on that same day. Which brings us back to the very existence of the United States. Because of America's power and prestige on the world stage, it was the American president’s recognition of Israel that gave the new State of Israel legitimacy. Was this God’s plan for America?
God’s conversation with Job. Everything, and I mean everything, is in accordance with God’s decree and Providential plan, even that there is a United States. Are we still under His guidance and protection as "One Nation under God"?
The Apostle Paul tells the signs of the culture in the last days. Is America moving in that direction? We need to continue praying for America, that God does not withdraw His mercy. The attached link will take you to the "End Time Signs" in our Generation (10.5 minute video). https://youtu.be/k9lwfrGBfck
The birth of the United States came at great cost and personal sacrifice by those early generations of patriots. God placed just the right people, in just the right place, at just the right time in history. Was it an accident of history or part of God’s providential plan? Is there a connection with the rebirth of Israel? We will explore that further next week.
Could we have become a sovereign nation without God, without Him decreeing it as such? Will we continue as "One Nation under God"? Will we realize how we got here and how turning away from Him has brought an increase in all kinds of evil? We will continue to explore God’s sovereignty over man and history next week.
