Why Do Nations Fall and Rise

Why do nations fall and rise? Simply put, they are not God. God allots to nations of people opportunities to be blessings to others or to be curses. People have freewill. What do we do with that which God provides?

People can tell lies and deceive or tell the truth and be helpful. People can take or refuse bribes. People can give or withhold justice. People can embezzle or safeguard funds entrusted to them. People can promote harmony or foment division. People can pursue beneficial or destructive agendas. People can save or destroy lives.

What can individuals do to influence their communities to do good?

God’s answer is to listen to Him and to speak for Him. Throughout the Bible, God’s prophets learn insights from God and reveal these revelations to others. The prophets, apostles and Jesus all spoke words from God to kings, authority figures and common people. Whether people listened to them or not, they never stopped pursuing a more perfect way for their communities.

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 says, “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.”

Some people may seem to be “above the law.” Not so! It will be worse for them if they escape justice on earth and meet God without knowing Him here below. That’s the worst possible scenario! In Revelation 3:19, Jesus declares, “Those whom I love, I rebuke and discipline. So, be earnest and repent.” William Barclay wrote, “Jesus’ great love was expressed in His rebuke. It is, in fact God’s final punishment to leave a person alone.”

The Lord was merciful to Israel via Ezekiel. He prophesied for God to them.

“Now the Word of the Lord came to me, saying: ‘Son of man, set your face toward the mountains of Israel, and prophesy against them, and say, O mountains of Israel, hear the Word of the Lord God! Thus says the Lord God to the mountains, to the hills, to the ravines, and to the valleys: Indeed I, even I, will bring a sword against you, and I will destroy your high places. And I will lay the corpses of the children of Israel before their idols, and I will scatter your bones all around your altars. The slain shall fall in your midst, and you shall know that I am the Lord.’” Ezekiel 6:1-3, 5, 7

Ezekiel’s community had given themselves over to worshipping idols that they made with their own hands. They did this idolatry on the mountains around Israel. So, the Lord called Ezekiel to speak His Word against those mountains so that those mountains would become places of the dead so that people would know that the Creator of heaven and earth alone is God.

Jesus alluded to this prophecy when He told His disciples in Mark 11:22-24 about faith to bring mountains down. He had just come out of Jerusalem where the religious leaders rejected Him. Why would they reject God’s Messiah? The answer is that they thought of themselves as the gods of religion. The religious leaders needed someone with a personal relationship with God... someone with faith in God’s power to bring them down from their high perches.

Just as Jesus had twelve disciples who followed Him and listened to Him, the Lord told Ezekiel that He had a remnant of followers in His day...

“Yet I will leave a remnant, so that you may have some who escape the sword among the nations, when you are scattered through the countries. Then those of you who escape will remember Me among the nations where they are carried captive, because I was crushed by their adulterous heart which has departed from Me... they will loathe themselves for the evils which they committed in all their abominations. And they shall know that I am the Lord; I have not said in vain that I would bring this calamity upon them.” Ezekiel 6:8-10

Romans 2:4 says that God is rich in kindness, forbearance and patience. His lovingkindness leads some among an idolatrous people to see their horribleness towards Him and to loathe their behavior, and to come to the place where they KNOW that He is God.

“Thus says the Lord God: Pound your fists and stamp your feet, and say, ‘Alas, for all the evil abominations of the house of Israel! For they shall fall by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence.’” Ezekiel 6:11

I found this verse interesting because recently I have been praying that God would stomp His feet and cause some of the mighty perpetrators of evil in the USA to fall from their high perches of power so that goodwill and brotherly love in Christ can prevail in our nation. I have also been praying for my neighborhood community to come together in Christ. Only Christ empowers people to work together as one for the good of everyone.

“Now the end has come upon you, and I will send My anger against you. I will judge you according to your ways, ...then you shall know that I am the Lord!” Ezekiel 7:3-4

The worst possible scenario for anyone is to be judged according to our ways. We have all sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. We justly deserve to be condemned. Therefore, we should all repent of our sins and turn to God in Christ Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins. We need Him to fill us with His Holy Spirit so that by HIS power, we can live a new life.

“They will throw their silver into the streets, and their gold will be like refuse; their silver and their gold will not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the Lord; they will not satisfy their souls, nor fill their stomachs, because it became their stumbling block of iniquity.” “I will turn My face from them...” Ezekiel 7:19, 22

The bottom line of the ledger is not gold, but God’s face... His favor! Gold is used for paving roads in heaven. Something to walk on! What all nations need to do is to seek God’s favor.

“Therefore I will bring the worst of the Gentiles, and they will possess their houses; I will cause the pomp of the strong to cease, and their holy places shall be defiled. Destruction comes; they will seek peace, but there shall be none. Disaster will come upon disaster, and rumor will be upon rumor. Then they will seek a vision from a prophet; but the law will perish from the priest, and counsel from the elders.” “...I will do to them according to their way, and according to what they deserve I will judge them; then they shall know that I am the Lord!” Ezekiel 7:24-27

Sadly, if a nation or community refuses to listen to God and continues to pursue evil deeds, they will be brought down very low. Then, in their humbled position will look for prophets, law givers and wise counselors, and not find them. It will take time to recover from the consequences of their evil ways, but they can recover if they pursue the Lord and ask Him for His forgiveness.

Ephesians 6:12 says, “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

This verse reminds us that our battles are not always physical or visible. There are dark spiritual forces at work to keep people from seeing and acting upon the truth.

2 Corinthians 4:4 says, “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the Gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

Let us pray for our communities to have the blinders removed from their eyes so they can see Jesus and want to be like Him.