Good Change for the Changed

The ability to get along with one another broke down. They turned to their idols, charmers, mediums and sorcerers for help, but they were no help. Their nation fell into the hands of a cruel ruler…

“I will set Egyptians against Egyptians; everyone will fight against his brother, and everyone against his neighbor, city against city, kingdom against kingdom. The spirit of Egypt will fail in its midst; I will destroy their counsel, and they will consult the idols and the charmers, the mediums, and the sorcerers. And the Egyptians I will give into the hand of a cruel master, and a fierce king will rule over them,” says the Lord, the Lord of hosts.” [1]

What should they have done that they did not do? They should have repented of idol worship and of occultism. Destroyed the objects connected to false gods and occultic practices! That’s what the Ephesians did after they heard God’s Word…

“Many who had believed came confessing and telling their deeds. Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of them, and it totaled 50,000 pieces of silver. So the Word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.” [2]

When irreligious leaders commanded the apostles not to share God’s Word with people, Peter responded, “We are His [God’s] witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him.” Rather than succumb to the apostasy that was destroying people, Peter and the apostles declared, “We ought to obey God rather than men.” [3]

The Lord has promised in His Word that proud propagators of evil will be brought low. A day is coming when they will no longer be able to hurt those who serve Him.

“There shall by no means enter it [the celestial city] anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life” [4]

The Lord is going to separate the bad from the good. The good being those who profess God’s Messiah Jesus and have His Holy Spirit abiding in them.

“Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets but threw the bad away. This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” [5]

[1] Isaiah 19:2-4
[2] Acts 19:18-20
[3] Acts 5:29, 32
[4] Revelation 21:27
[5] Matthew 13:47-50