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Joyce Porter
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Posted: 10/16/2012 at 8:16pm
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A few days ago the Lord gave me this scripture as one to
meditate on:
2 Kings 21:16 NLT
16 Manasseh also murdered many innocent people until
Jerusalem was filled from one end to the other with
innocent blood. This was in addition to the sin that he
caused the people of Judah to commit, leading them to do
evil in the Lord’s sight.
What really resonated within me after reading this text
is the innocent blood being shed. I considered the many
instances in the Bible where the Lord was upset about
innocent blood being shed. Manasseh had sacrificed his
son to an idol god. Cain killed Abel his brother out of
jealousy. I thought about America and how much we have
fallen short and how awesome God's grace and mercy has
been towards us.
When I asked the Lord today what he would say to me and
again I received the same scripture. I believe the Lord
is addressing the shedding of innocent blood that has
happened in our nation from violence in the towns and
cities as well as abortions and other areas of violence.
The shedding of innocent blood, never ends well. I
believe that we all should pray for God's mercy in this
area. Perhaps the Lord will hold back whatever judgement
he has planned.
Psalm 25:6
Remember, LORD, your great mercy and love, for they are
from of old.
Habakkuk 3:2
LORD, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your
deeds, LORD. Repeat them in our day, in our time make
them known; in wrath remember mercy.
Hosea 6:6
For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of
God rather than burnt offerings.
Romans 9:16
It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort,
but on God’s mercy.
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Daniel Jackson
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Posted: 10/16/2012 at 8:53pm
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We know that God can do no unrighteousness for He is a righteous judge; who executes righteous justice. We can not fear His judgments in the earth because He keeps us safe through His mercies and compassion for us. Even while He brings judgments upon the wicked.
He shows Him self strong on our behalf. He battles in the earth for us. His wrath and curse rest upon the doers of evil. While His blessings rest upon His people. A righteous people can ask the Mighty One to cleanse their land of evil doers. And do no wrong in doing so for He said He would do such things. And His people need not fear His judgments coming upon the earth around them. His warfare is on their behalf. The Mighty One Of Old is righteous in battle.
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Sherry Mohr
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Posted: 10/16/2012 at 8:53pm
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16 Manasseh also murdered many innocent people until
Jerusalem was filled from one end to the other with
innocent blood. This was in addition to the sin that he
caused the people of Judah to commit, leading them to do
evil in the Lord’s sight.
Hi Joyce,
I believe the Lord is speaking of what is happening and about to happen in His physical/spiritual church. There will be a split and the physical church will shed the blood of many in the spiritual church through the words they speak. Religion, represented by Manasseh; God’s own, represented by Jerusalem; and those that have been led into error by religion being represented as the people of Judah.
I’m sure there are others here that can add to this.
In His love for all mankind and His creation,
sherry
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Janine Nicole
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Posted: 10/17/2012 at 4:57am
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Daniel,
Is'nt it His heart that none should perish? I am wondering what is the heart of this prayer to cleanse the land of evildoers? God's heart is that they repent and be cleansed of their iniquites..just as we once were, we were all once disobedient and walking in darkness and ignorance..I am just curious where you are going with this?
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Daniel Jackson
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Posted: 10/17/2012 at 6:57am
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Janine thank you. We might interpret God's warfare in fleshly terms. Yet He is able to battle for the hearts of men that they might turn from their ways. If however they are unrepentent and do not heed His call then after His patience has long endured He executes His judgments He forewarned them of. Which is unpleasant but foretold in His word nontheless. Whatever He does will be just. When the enemy comes in like a flood He raises up a standard against him.
We know naturally that the killing and murdering in the land can not be allowed to flourish else evil doers will run amuck. And good people will perish as evil comes to rule. For this cause we have law enforcement and we find our nation going to war sometimes.
"Who shall not fear thee O Lord and glorify thy name? For thou only are holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest." Revelation 15:4
I lived in a small town where every month for years at least one murder a month was in the local paper. This is Barbourville KY. So what is a soul to do but take this matter to the Lord? Only He is able to find and up root the evil that hides and lurks in the darkness.
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Daniel Jackson
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Posted: 10/17/2012 at 8:11am
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"And the Lord spake unto his servants the prophets saying Because Manesseh king of Judah hath done these abominations and hath done wickedly above all that the Amorites did which were before him and hath made Judah to also sin with his idols. Therefore thus saith the Lord God of Israel Behold I am bringing such evil upon Jerusalem and Judah that whosoever hears of it both his ears shall tingle." 2 Kings 21:10-12
What is interesting to note here is that the means God used to bring this judgment to pass was to unleash Manesseh upon Jerusalem as you see in verse 16.
The people followed Manesseh and his ways without repenting. And Manesseh in reality was their spiritual enemy. But they chose the evil doer over God. So God unleashed their spiritual enemy upon them in this before unheard of way. And although it is a fearsome thing. It was God's prescription or judgment. And although it sounds very mean it was a righteous judgment and was not unjust of God.
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Janine Nicole
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Posted: 10/17/2012 at 8:26am
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true.. in reality, the purpose of God in using evil is to give us choice to drive out wickedness and for us to have something to over come..only by His strength of course. The wrath of man will never produce the righteousness of God
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Daniel Jackson
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Posted: 10/17/2012 at 10:03am
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Janine it is true that the wrath of men is unrighteous. Only God can work works of justice and we must trust Him to do so when He deems so. And although it might seem fearsome to us that He promises to pour out His wrath and judgments in the last day. He will not remove His grace and mercy from the earth for those who desire to seek and know Him. As it is written "His mercies endure forever." Hence His love will never fail.
We can not however choose only to read the wonderful things of the word and not believe in the prophecies of God's wrath and judgments that John tells us of all through Revelations. And that the Old Testament prophets also told us off when they saw the things coming in the last day. If we do then we have an imbalanced view of the end times. And will end up cursing God for the judgments He pours out. Beside He is more than able to keep us safe and bless us in such times.
One thing that prevails today. Is the matter of imbalance that exist in many ways. Not only in terms of end time views. But in terms of injustice in the church. The mystery of iniquity abounds because most preachers never bothered to look up the word. And hence have come to believe by way of opinion that iniquity means all sin in general. When it is a specific sin. Daniel Webster tells us that iniquity is based upon the root word "equity" which means fairness, balance and justice. Iniquity is a variant of the word "inequity" which means imbalance, unfairness and injustice. Hence preachers allow injustice to flourish because the do not know what iniquity is; and so do not preach about it according to its definition. And so iniquity is also an imbalance view of the word of God also. Hence the mystery of iniquity abounds simply because people have failed to look up the word.
Now the end times will be filled with judgments. The word of God tells us so. And since His word will not fail to come to pass. We have to accept it.
You see it is a righteous thing with God to fulfill His judgments on behalf of us, and cut the days short (meaning that His patience endured long enough, 2000 years since Christ) else no flesh will be saved. But for our sakes He will cut them short on time.
Below we see that the judgments continue on up to the coming of Christ, and that it is a righteous thing with God to reward or recompense men with troubles and tribulations.
Seeing that it is a righteous thing?
2 Thessalonians 1:6-10
"Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe because our testimony among you was believed in that day."
In this day it is time to believe in His mighty power of old once again. And rest assured that it is a righteous thing to do so.
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Janine Nicole
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Posted: 10/17/2012 at 12:14pm
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Amen and if we are secure in His love, we will know that He works all things for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose, we will also rest in and know that is not His will that any should perish, and He has bound all to disobedience that He may have mercy on us all. I think you and I may be on the verge of a misunderstanding:) I do not disagree with you...or maybe I do? lol not sure yet. The Father has been teaching me over the years that His judgements are within and without. Not all is to be taken on a literal level in the word of God. Just because it is not to be taken literally (or maybe fleshly, carnally or with carnal understanding might be better wording). The purpose of God's judgements are to produce righteousness within His creation. It is God's will that mankind be conformed to the image of His Son Jesus Christ. He will use whatever means necessary to accomplish that purpose. It becomes unbalanced when men do not understand that or think that God wants to pour out His wrath so as to destroy men, especially when His word makes it so very clear that is not His purpose. When God's judgements are in the earth the people learn righteousness. Maybe a better question I should have asked is what is your heart in asking God to cleanse the land of evil doers? God's heart is to cleanse the evildoers "land"...what is the evildoers land? Well, it's the body of which is the temple in which the Lord God wishes to rule and reign in...I hope that makes better sense where I am coming from. I also am trying to understand better where you are coming from:)
1 Timothy 1:14-16
14 The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. 16 But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.
The work is already done, as the judgements come into the earth it is our job to show men the good news they were already reconciled to God before the foundation of the world (the Lamb who was slain before the foundation of the world). They were already reconciled at the cross. Our job is to show the truth and pray they respond to the gospel. Their eyes are blinded because they believe the lies of the enemy and therefore do not repent. His judgements are a wake-up call to repent and believe the gospel and be saved. I believe we should pray for evil to be cleansed from the evildoer that is God's heart.
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Daniel Jackson
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Posted: 10/17/2012 at 12:23pm
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Foremost we know that God can cleanse our land of iniquity and evil through the cleansing of men's hearts. For those who will not ever come clean they will endure those things God forewarns us of. And we know some men will do evil right on up to the return of Christ in Revelations 19.
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Janine Nicole
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Posted: 10/17/2012 at 12:42pm
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I agree..this is a sad truth, of only which He can be true judge of. We are just so stinking small lol. Have you ever just stopped and pondered how incredibly tiny our brains are in light of the universe...multiverse for that matter?! woah!!! 
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Daniel Jackson
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Posted: 10/17/2012 at 1:28pm
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Yes Janine we are small and all of us have fallen. But the great news is that He can save us to the utmost. And that He has the whole world in His hands and has it under control and can shake it even - when He needs our attention So it is good that we have a Mighty One in heaven.
Edited by Daniel Jackson on 10/17/2012 at 8:01pm
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Janine Nicole
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Posted: 10/17/2012 at 3:34pm
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Amen and amen again!!
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Daniel Jackson
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Posted: 10/17/2012 at 8:28pm
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I close my comments here with noting that Joyce's selection of verse includes Habakkuk 3:2 which embodies the context of how these threads unfolded:
"in wrath remember mercy"
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Topic: Mercy: A Call for Prayer/Action
