Then They Shall Know!
“Then they shall know that I am the LORD their God, who sent them into captivity among the nations, but also brought them back to their land, and left none of them captive any longer.” (Ezekiel 39:28, NKJV)
What does it Take?
The Lord (Jesus) wants us to know that He is the LORD (or Jehovah) and that He is in charge. Since He is a delegator of authority, and because people are rebellious, He is not always “in control” of what we do nor is He always in control of the nations. Adam and Eve and the nation of Israel have become object lessons of what happens when people do not allow Him to be “in control.” What will it take for us to acknowledge that there is a God who created this world that we live in and Who wants us to worship Him by letting Him be “in control?”
The Nation of Israel
The nation of Israel was in Egypt the prophesied 400 years. Egypt was a place of refuge when Joseph was on the throne. It became a place of bondage when a king arose that did not study history and who did not know the blessings granted Egypt under Joseph. So to obtain blessings in this life it is important to have the right person on the throne. Joseph is a picture of Christ who should be on the throne. The Pharaoh that didn’t know Joseph is a picture of a ruler energized by Satan who brings disaster on those over whom he rules.
The Constant Repetition of this Phrase
This phrase or a close variation occurs somewhere around 80 times in the NKJV of the Old Testament. Often people complain when preachers repeat themselves, but the Lord has the record I am sure with regard to repetition. I think He wants us to know that if we won’t acknowledge Him and worship Him through the agency of grace and forgiveness, then we will get to know Him through the agency of wrath, anger and destruction. For nations that involves pestilence, natural disasters, and war. Because those judgements are prophesied due to the obstinate hearts of those who should know better, when the judgments fall, then those who have rebelled against God will KNOW that Jehovah (and for us the Lord Jesus) is the only God and His warnings should have been taken seriously. But when the judgments come, people are going to realize how wrong they have been, but it seems to me that they come to know the Lord because of their punishment and not because they have trusted the Lord for salvation. They have come to know the Lord when it is too late to avoid calamity. That was certainly the case with the rich man who died and went to hell in Luke 16.
Now is the time to Believe God
God is a merciful, gracious loving God. He understands our sin and has found a righteous way to punish it without punishing us. But to be “saved” from coming punishment (whether it be the coming judgments of the tribulation period or the coming judgments of unbelievers who are eternally judged along with Satan for their rebellion) one must acknowledge that God is right even when that makes us wrong, and trust in the Lord. It is certainly better to know the Lord of the cross who became the man of sorrows than to know the Lord who is coming one day to judge those who have rebelled against their maker.
Question?
We are all going to find out that Jesus is Lord. He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. But are we going to find out Who Jesus is now when He is extending His offer of salvation, or are we going to find out who Jesus is when He comes as an angry Judge. Then they will know that “He is the Lord.” But it will be too late for mercy!
The apostle Paul reminds us that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:10-11 NKJV).
On this Thanksgiving Day, I am so glad that I became a Biblical believer 59 years ago. I am not one who believes I can decide what God to worship. I cannot even decide how to worship the God I worship. I have an instruction manual called the Bible. It tells me how to be sure that I can know the Lord Who saves. We will either know Him as Savior or we will know Him one day as the judge.
Then shall they know that I AM the LORD.
Bruce Collins
Meditation for the weeks of November 13 and 20, 2022