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"Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth:" Pro 24:17

“It serves them right!” Is the natural man’s response to the judgment of God upon our enemies. Before we shoot out the lip and run our mouths about others, we should realize God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked. Israel’s enemies rejoiced in her destruction and God judged them. Several chapters of Ezekiel are reserved for the Gentile enemies of Israel because they rejoiced in Israel’s destruction.

God’s word is a sharp two-edged sword, and it cuts two ways and lays bare the thoughts and intents of the heart. Israel was judged because she acted like the Gentile nations around her. If her judgment was so severe, why would her enemies rejoice when God judged her so harshly? Because they were ignorant of God’s holiness and the wrath that was heaped upon them. They were faithless and unbelieving. They were under a delusion that their gods had prevailed over the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Little did they know, God was keeping account of their dealings with God’s people.

The same holds true to this day in the world geopolitical maneuvering around Israel and the Middle East. Israel spiritually is as hard to the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ and her messiah as ever. Nonetheless, God has a plan for her. It will be painful but produce the peaceable fruit of righteousness at length.

We can see in the way politicians and nations revile, hope and rejoice in Israel’s destruction that they have no understanding of God’s will for Israel nor the judgment that is heaped upon them. Persia, aka Iran, and its Hamas organization is a perfect illustration of this current reality.

Our hearts’ desire

The Christian does not rejoice in the destruction of Israel’s enemies nor the failings of God’s chosen people to receive their messiah. Rather, like Paul, our hearts’ desire and prayer for those who are lost, both Jew and Gentile is that they be saved. God’s wrath abides on both Jew and Gentile if they do not find mercy, grace and forgiveness at the foot of the cross of Christ.

The Biblically literate Christian understands what time it is, they recognize the coming of the Lord is nearer than when they believed and that judgment is pending upon all those who mock and scorn the Lord Jesus Christ and his gospel. We should not want those who fight against God to face his wrath. In due time they will have a full cup, they will deserve it and it is sad our gospel didn’t get to them on time.

The worldly and the religious alike will read a post like this (if they would even take the time) and think -- as I used to -- who does this guy think he is?

How self-righteous and narrow minded to think his way is the only way, or his take on the Bible is the only way history will play out. To them I would say, I understand. Read the Bible for yourself, read it in its historical context and you will find what I say is true. If you will give the scripture the benefit of being true even in its historical context, you will then be convinced of its prophetic veracity. There is only one way, one truth, one life and one God and his name is Jesus Christ. He died on the cross for our sin and the sins of the world and now commands all men everywhere to repent because the next thing on his prophetic calendar is the destruction of the Gentile powers and the reconciliation and restoration of Israel as the chief nation among the nations of the earth.

If you don’t receive the true gospel, the Bible warns you will be deceived by a false gospel that will sound very much like the one Christians preach today only fulfilled in the man of sin, the sin of perdition. Wrath abides in the children of disobedience, and it doesn’t matter what nation, tribe and tongue they are. However, grace and truth rest with Christ. He loves you and wants to reconcile you today, so you are saved from the wrath to come.

Today is the day of salvation. Believe upon the name of the Lord and be saved. They didn’t believe Noah and they didn’t believe Lot, but that did not change the fact that judgment was coming to the world and salvation is offered through one man and it is Christ Jesus, the hope of glory.