How God Works with National Leaders

GOD rules in the kingdom of men
and may raise up people who will serve Him that really don't know that they serve Him

Fred R. Coulter—November 12, 2016

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Greetings, everyone! Welcome to Sabbath service. This is the Sabbath after the election, and many things transpired that a lot of people really didn't understand. It was not what men have done. If we look at the Scriptures, we will see that God has done it!.

One of the things that is necessary is the fulfillment of Scripture, and, I believe, more time to preach the Gospel. It says, 'This Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached as a witness in all the world to all nations' (Matt. 24:14). That's a broad statement. We don't know how much that means; we don't know how thorough that is. Then it says that it's going to be 'published among all nations' (Mark 13:10). God has certainly done that, and continuing to do it!

Let's see what God says. Remember, everything on earth is under the control of God through His angels, and Satan the devil and the fallen angels. Keep that in mind. There is nothing that goes on that God does not know!

When Daniel was asked to interpret what the dream was, and the meaning of the dream, for King Nebuchadnezzar, and that was after praying to God. This is dealing with the physical governments of This world, and the people of the world. God is interacting in this to carryout His will. The epistle from King Nebuchadnezzar is to all people, nations and everything, and is preserved in the Bible for all readers to read.

Daniel 2:18: "That they… [Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego] …might pray for the mercies of God in heaven concerning this secret, that Daniel and his companions should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon."

The king had made an outrageous claim. He said, 'I had a dread, called the astrologers and wise men and said, 'You tell me the dream and you tell me the interpretation.' They said, 'No one can do that!' You do it or you're going to lose your heads! They valued their heads! Daniel found out about it and asked for some time and they prayed.

Verse 19: "Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision. And Daniel blessed the God of heaven. Daniel answered and said, 'Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and might are His. And He changes the times and the seasons…'" (vs 19-21). So, if there's repentance, He always acknowledges that.

"'…He removes kings and sets up kings….'" (v 21). So, the election was really in the hands of God! That was also based on some other facts concerning the people and so forth.

"…He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding. He reveals the deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with Him" (vs 21-22). Then Daniel explains the whole thing that took place.

He had this dream, Daniel 4:24: "This is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the Most High…'" What does God say about His Word? My Word stands forever!

"…which has come upon my lord the king: That you shall be driven from men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and you shall be made to eat grass like oxen. And you shall be wet with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over you until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men and gives it to whomever He will" (vs 24-25). God is the One Who determines it!

Jeremiah 23:18: "For who has stood in the counsel of the LORD to see and hear His Word?…." There are a lot of Protestants who adhere to a good deal of the Word of God. There are a lot of Protestants who are into the ecumenical and all of the perversions and things like that; that's another group. Over here then are the Churches of God. The Churches of God have a higher calling and a higher duty to do the things that God wants them to do in Truth, and God will bless them as they yield to Him.

Verse 19: "Behold, the tempest of the LORD has gone forth in fury, a whirling tempest. It shall fall grievously upon the head of the wicked. The anger of the LORD shall not return, until He has executed and until He has performed the purposes of His heart; in the latter days you shall understand it perfectly" (vs 19-20). That's the time we're living in now.

Verse 21, God says: "I have not sent these prophets, yet, they ran; I have not spoken to them, yet, they prophesied. But if they had stood in My counsel and had caused My people to hear My words, then they would have turned them from their evil way and from the evil of their doings" (vs 21-22).

I bring that out from this point of view: Religious Leaders Meet and Pray Over Donald Trump (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uk4c2uoOF3o) this was 42 days before the election when it looked like the coup de gras of the guillotine had fallen upon him with all the things that they dug up from his past. So, they all gathered together, and you'll see the picture of it. They're all praying over Donald Trump. This also had to be a moment of repentance for him. So, you can go there and see it and hear their prayers.

These are those of the Protestants who are for Jesus and not against Him! You tie that together with what happened, and you have a very interesting set of circumstances.

God is the One with His unseen power that controls everything that goes on within the choices that He has given to us. There are always choices! We don't know how many people in the Protestant ranks are searching for the Truth.

I got an interesting phone call from a woman who meets with a whole group that varies between seven and nineteen people, and they get together on Friday night, so I told them if they could do it on Thursday, I'd come. They are searching and searching and they are tired of going to church. She told me about all the different churches she went to, and all the things that are going on: the lies and things like that.

There is also another group of people that God is dealing with to call. We're not going to set ourselves up and think we're the great ones to do this and that. No! We have our part, all the other Churches of God have their part, and if these Protestants… and there are some churches that we've reported are converting from Sunday to Sabbath. There may be a lot of things going that we don't know anything about.

The whole problem with the human mind is that the deceitfulness is, 'I am the center of the universe.' That's not so! We look and see the power of God and know that everything is in His hands.

Isaiah 40:12: "Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out the heavens with a span?…." Think of all that that requires.

I'm trying to wrap my mind around one fact: Why did God create man and woman last? He created everything else first, because everything else was necessary before He created man and woman. Then He gave them the world and said to multiply and replenish the earth, and have dominion over the fowl of the air, the fish of the sea, etc. What a tremendous gift God has given.

Everything I look at things on NatGeo about the universe or the depths of the oceans… God really created a lot of weird looking things down there at the bottom of the ocean. God has a purpose for all of it!
How does God provide air and oxygen for every living thing? and make it so abundant and so available that we don't even have to think? What would it be if you had you had to stop and think every time you had to take a breath? It would be a terrible situation!

Verse 13: "Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD, and who was His counselor that he might instruct Him?" Very important! Remember Job? Every single thing that Job did was what God commanded. What does God say when we do all that is commanded? We're unprofitable servants! So, Job had to learn that lesson. Who is he to tell God what to do?

I hope some of these religious leaders that prayed for Trump are really serious about what they are doing, and begin to understand some of the rest of the Word of God. If their thoughts are that way toward God and they're pleading to God to help and empower Donald Trump, and so forth, and if they really mean it and are sincere, God will hear that prayer.

Remember that before God called you and you prayed your first prayer. Were you converted? No! Did God hear it? Yes! So, that's how God deals with all people. That also should help us understand our calling, that how great it is that we—all of the people of God from the beginning to the end—have been called to bring the rule of the Kingdom of God on the earth!

Think of that! As human beings being transformed into spirit beings. It all starts with from a speck of dust to a son of God!

All of those who have doctrines who think that they're going to tell God what to do, they better read:

Verse 14: "With whom did He take counsel, and who instructed Him and taught Him in the path of judgment, and taught Him knowledge, and made known the way of understanding to Him?"

Job tried that! He said, 'Hey, I want to go to court; I want to have an umpire put his hand on the shoulder of God and my shoulder and tell God how righteous I am.' Well, you know what happened to Job; he really had to repent.

Can you imagine having boils from the top of your head to the bottom of your feet, and the only relief you had was because God told Satan that 'you can't take his life'? The only medicine you had was a potsherd to scrape the puss and some ashes to throw on it. That still didn't keep the flies from coming and laying eggs. And Job looked at himself and said, 'I the worms destroy this body.' What are you going to do when you look at your arms and maggots are eating you up?

He was in terrible condition, but he learned his lesson and repented. Always remember that! How bad can you get? Job started out, 'I'm perfect.'

Sidebar: I made a comment to someone about human nature, and this person is grown up and hasn't gotten in trouble and all of this stuff. I said, 'You know, the human mind is deceitful above all things.' The answer was, 'I'm not that way.' Does that not tell you how difficult that our job is going to be in the Millennium when everybody is obeying?

It gave a new light to me: What is it that we're going to have to do? Because if they go to the right hand or the left hand, we tell them 'here's the way to walk in it.' I'll let you think on that; I have no answer, yet. If you've been totally good all your life, how do you repent? That's the question! I don't know!

Verse 17: "All nations before Him are as nothing…" So, all that Satan the devil in the temptation amounted to NOTHING!

"…and they are counted by Him as less than nothing, and vanity. To whom then will you compare God? Or what likeness will you compare to Him?" (vs 17-18). Then he talks about all those who make the idols.

Verse 22: "It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers; it is He Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in; Who brings the rulers to nothing; He makes the judges of the earth as vanity" (vs 22-23).

I don't know of any other President—and at that time he was just a candidate for President—who had a group of religious leaders pray over him to overcome his own weaknesses and to serve the people, and that he would be dedicated to doing that if he won the election.

I'm sure that as vain as Donald Trump is that was a humbling moment, and probably—not spoken—confession of sin to God. Remember, God always honors repentance.

Verse 25: 'To whom then will you compare Me, or who is My equal?' says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high, and behold…" (vs 25-26). Isn't it a shame that we have so many lights in the cities that you really can't see the stars.

"…Who has created these things, Who brings out their host by number? He calls them all by names by the greatness of His might, for He is strong in power; not one fails" (v 26). That's awesome, indeed!

So, when we think about ourselves, and think about what's going on in the world, and think about how we need to lead our lives, understand that God is doing many more things that we just don't even understand!

Then He says, v 27: "Why do you say, O Jacob, and O Israel you speak, 'My way is hidden from the LORD and my cause is disregarded by my God?' Have you not known? Have you not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, does not grow weak nor weary? And His understanding no one can fathom. He gives power to the weary; and to him with no might, He increases strength. Even the young shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall; but those who wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint" (vs 27-31).

I wonder if that's getting into the resurrection! Who is going to carry us up to the Sea of Glass? The angels! It talks about eagles! We can also apply it to us today. Maybe God is going to call more young people into the Church, because look at all the rest of us. We need the strength from God! We need to take care of ourselves the best we can, that's our part. If we do our part God will do His part!

Perhaps if these evangelical religious leaders God begins to work with more, how many of their parishioners will they bring to repentance, or prepare to be part of the 144,000 (Rev. 7)? There are so many things way beyond what we can plan, conceive of or work out ourselves. God thinks from beginning to end. The most we think of it meal to meal. Delores and I have a new motto: every Sunday cook up a lot of food, then we have leftovers the rest of the week. Not entirely!

Amos 3:1: "Hear this word that the LORD has spoken against you, children of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt, saying, 'You only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore, I will punish you for all your iniquities. Can two walk together unless they be agreed? Will a lion roar in the forest when he has no prey? Will a young lion cry out of his den if he has caught nothing? Will a bird fall into a trap on the ground, when there is no bait for it? Will a trap spring up from the ground, and nothing at all be caught? If a ram's horn is blown in a city, will the people not also tremble? If there is a calamity in a city, has the LORD not also done it?" (vs 1-6).

Now, I want you expand v 7. This is why there are other people who give different warnings in different fields that alert people of problems that are going to come, though they are not prophets of God. If they are speaking Truth, Truth always originates with God.

There are people who are talking about what's going to happen financially, climactically—the climate—the climate change is not what they claim it is.

Verse 7: "Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing unless He reveals His secret unto His servants the prophets." Those are the ministers in the Church. We'd better be very careful we don't get caught up in vanity and our ways and our own ideas. That's why I have the cowbell. Some people wonder what the cowbell is. That's if I give my opinion, it's not dogmatic from God. It may or may not be right. That's warning!

Amos 4:4: "'Come to Bethel and transgress; to Gilgal and multiply transgressing at Gilgal…. [where they have their 'religious' centers] …And bring your sacrifices for the morning, your tithes for three years; and offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving from that which is leavened, and cry out; call out the voluntary offerings, for so you love to do, O children of Israel!' says the Lord GOD" (vs 4-5).

Why is it that the American people, in spite of everything that is said, believe that there is a God to the point of about 90% of the population. But what do they do? They do everything we just read! They give God a little attention and then go out and do what they want to do.

So, God says, v 6: "'And I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and lack of bread in all your places, [#1]yet, you have not returned to Me,' says the LORD." We've seen that happen.

• Did this not happen during the Great Depression? Yes, indeed!
• Has it not happened in other places? Yes, indeed!
• Did it not happen in WWI and WWII to the children of Israel? Yes, indeed!

Verse 7: "And I have also withheld the rain from you…" We're starting our seventh year of drought in California. We had two days of mighty rain. In Sacramento they said they got four inches of rain. It stopped and now we have the most beautiful weather in the world. Everyone says, 'Oh, what lovely weather.' Yes, until you run out of water!

Verse 8: "'So, two or three cities wandered to one city to drink water, but they were not satisfied; [#2]yet, you have not returned to Me,' says the LORD."

All of these things are an opportunity for people to turn to God. Remember what happened in the Church, all the problems that we went through? Every one of those things that occurred were an opportunity to repent, but it didn't happen.

Verse 9: "'I have stricken you with blasting and mildew. When your gardens and your vineyards, and your fig trees, and your olive trees increased, the creeping locust devoured them; [#3]yet, you have not returned to Me,' says the LORD. 'I have sent the plague among you after the manner of Egypt; I have slain your young men with the sword, and have taken away your horses. And I have made the stench of your camps to come up into your nostrils; [#4]yet, you have not returned to Me,' says the LORD. 'I have overthrown some among you as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and you were like a firebrand plucked out of the burning; [#5]yet, you have not returned to Me,' says the LORD. 'Therefore, I will do this to you, O Israel; and because I will do this to you, prepare to meet your God, O Israel!'" (vs 90-12). That's quite a statement!

Now, if Trump stays humble but strong and does things that are right, God will extend time for us. If He does, we really better get in and do what we know we need to do.

Just like God said five times, "…yet, you have not returned to Me…" what does He do? He still offers them a way out!

Amos 5:1: "Hear this word which I take up against you, even a lamentation, O house of Israel. The virgin of Israel has fallen; she shall rise no more; she lies forsaken on her land. There is none to raise her up, For thus says the Lord GOD, 'The city that went out by a thousand shall leave a hundred, and that which went out by a hundred shall have ten left in the house of Israel,' for thus says the LORD to the house of Israel, 'Seek Me, and you shall live'" (vs 1-4)—seek God!

Remember, 'Ask and you shall receive, knock and it shall be opened, seek and you shall find' (Matt. 7). Same as it is here, "…Seek Me, and you shall live."

Verse 5: "But do not seek Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal, and do not pass to Beersheba; for Gilgal shall surely go into exile, and Bethel shall come to nothing. Seek the LORD and you shall live…" (vs 5-6). This is what we have to be preaching now:

• seek the Lord
• repent
• understand what it is
• understand what God is doing

"…lest He break out like a fire on the house of Joseph…" (v 6). Stop right there!

• Who comprises the house of Joseph? Ephraim and Manasseh!
• What happened on June 23rd in the UK? Brexit took place!
• Is God giving them a chance? Undoubtedly!
• What happened here in the U.S. on Nov. 8?
• Why did it happen to Ephraim and Manasseh?
• What does God have in mind?
• Does He have it in mind that if we amend our ways and begin seeking Him, there will be more who will be able to be converted and be brought into the Kingdom of God? Yes, indeed! Whatever God wills!

Also, if He gives a space of time, and it is dependent upon them to return to God the way that they should, and they don't do it, they can never say that God didn't give them a chance!

Verse 8: "Seek Him Who created the Pleiades and Orion, and Who turned the deep darkness into the morning, and Him Who darkened the day into night. Seek Him Who calls for the waters of the sea, and pours them out on the face of the earth—the LORD is His name."

Verse 14: "Seek good and not evil, that you may live; and so the LORD, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as you have spoken…. [notice what has to happen]: …Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate…." (vs 14-15). In modern language this would be reforms.

• Will there be reforms in education?
• Will there be reforms in government?
• Will there be reforms in business?

• Is that seeking good? Yes!
• Is that hating evil? Yes!

"…establish judgment in the gate…"—appointing judges who interpret the Constitution the way it should be interpreted. And for a carnal nation God was with them in writing it.

Remember that in 1620 at Jamestown, Virginia, when they landed there to start that colony, their first prayer was—because they understood that there was a vast landmass—that they dedicated this land and nation to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I want you to think about that, because only out of a America is the Gospel preached in the way that it should. Even though there are all these divisions of nominal Christianity in the Churches of God, we need to follow what Paul said, 'Some preach the Gospel of contention and some out of a good heart, but nevertheless, I am glad that the Gospel is preached (Phil. 1); because God is the One Who has to call to repentance.

(go to the next track)

It's not how you start, it's how you finish! Let's look at some things concerning that, some kings of Israel and Judah.

SAUL:

Remember how Saul started out:

• he was chosen by God
• he was taller than everybody else
• he was very humble and shy

God selected him and that's who the people wanted. That was a at a very critical point in Israel's history, a very low point indeed. Saul was the first king of Israel. Here's how that came about:

Read the history leading up through the book of Judges, which says at the end that 'in that time everyone did what was right in their own eyes, and there was no king in Israel.' Samuel was old at this time. The people were fed up with it; the leaders were fed up with it, so they came to Samuel:

1-Samuel 8:1: "And it came to pass when Samuel was old, he made his sons judges over Israel. And the name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second was Abiah, judges in Beersheba. Yet, his sons did not walk in his ways…" (vs 1-3).

What happens? Whenever the leaders go bad, the people go bad; it just works that way.

"…but turned aside after dishonest gain and took bribes and perverted judgment" (v 3). Sounds like 'District of Corruption'—liars and deceivers.

Verse 4: "And all the elders of Israel gathered themselves and came to Samuel to Ramah. And they said to him, 'Behold, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.' But the thing was evil in the eyes of Samuel when they said, 'Give us a king to judge us.' And Samuel prayed to the LORD. And the LORD said to Samuel, 'Hearken to the voice of the people in all that they say to you…'" (vs 4-7).

That's very interesting. Remember, sometimes if you ask for something—even though it's not quite right—God may give it to you. If there's one thing we all need to learn here, all of us, is that we need to yield to God and not be lifted up in things that aren't right or get carried away with our importance, because it always has consequences!

Verse 9: "'And now hearken to their voice. Only, you shall surely protest solemnly to them, and show them the kind of king who shall reign over them.' And Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who asked a king of him. And he said, 'This will be the manner of the king who shall reign over you. He shall take your sons and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and his horsemen….'" (vs 9-11).

Going to have an army and he's going to inscribe them into his service.

"…And they shall run before his chariots. And he will appoint commanders over thousands, and commanders over fifties, and some to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and make his weapons of war and weapons for his chariots" (vs 11-12). That's what we have today.

This reminds me of the palatial land that Queen Elizabeth lives on, and all the things that are given to her. She has the best of the best! A little irony: Elizabeth I saw the rise of Britain. Elizabeth II is overseeing its decline. She virtually has no other option, because Prince Charles is a dud! You can't put him on the throne, so she is going to take her vitamins, do her exercise, take care of herself and live to be 105! (joking) Then she will decree that Prince William become king! Does that sound like a reasonable proposition?

Verse 14: "And he will take your fields and your vineyards and your olive yards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. And he will take a tenth of your seed and of your vineyards, and give it to his officers and to his servants" (vs 14-15)—he's going to tax them 10%.

You know how that always, politically, works out. Then 12%, 15%, and we have a war and we have to go to 30%. That's not enough and we have to sell bonds and so forth and here we are today!

Verse 16: "And he will take your male slaves and your slave-girls, and your finest young men, and your donkeys, and put them to his work. He will take a tenth of your sheep, and you shall be his servants. And you shall cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, and the LORD will not answer you in that day" (vs 16-18).

God gave them the warning! There it is! Is this what you want?

Verse 19: "But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, 'No, but we will have a king over us. And we shall be, also we, like all the nations…'" (vs 19-20). Remember what the 'globalists' were trying to do with these nations of Britain and America, meld them into a one-world government and be like all the other nations.

No! God doesn't want that, so He's giving us a bit of a reprieve here. Think about that! Isn't it interesting that today the man that all the experts in America said could never be elected as President of the United States. Everyone in the world was against him. All of the media! All of the establishment! And how many people! Yet, he won, and it had to be the hand of God to do it!
I think if you watch this prayer meeting that's online, that will tell you that must have an awful lot to do with it. This must have occurred sometime before the third debate. Remember Trump's statement on abortion, and everyone said that this was the strongest statement on abortion. He said he wanted to gradually outlaw it. He has had this council of ministers for quite a while in helping him reach out to the people, the evangelicals and so forth.

So, this was a bigger deal, with God involved in it, than just saying it had to be 'the hand of God.' There had to be some repentance, some humbling, some instruction, and miraculously Trump stayed on message for his part. Against all odds, he won!

Here against all odds, the people rejected what Samuel said; they wanted a king; v 20: "'And we shall be, also we, like all the nations, so that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.' And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he repeated them in the ears of the LORD. And the LORD said to Samuel, 'Hearken to their voice, and make them a king.' And Samuel said to the men of Israel, 'Every man go to his city'" (vs 20-22).

Then what happened? Saul was chosen! That was quite a thing. What were the conditions that God would continue to bless Israel even after having a king? If he would obey the voice of God, lead the people properly, God would keep His covenant with Israel! So, God made a modification to the covenant.

Saul starts out really good, everybody is with him. This is also quite a lesson in how we need to yield to God and follow His instructions and not amend them in our own mind and change them later on.

Samuel was sent by God, and he said, 1-Samuel 15:1: "And Samuel said to Saul, 'The LORD sent me to anoint you to be king over His people, over Israel. And now listen to the voice of the words of the LORD.'" Remember that the simplest command in the Bible is: Obey My voice!

We've got it all written down in print, and God is not going to come down here and speak it again. When Christ returns it's going to be the greatest thing that has ever happened, but the most disastrous that this earth has ever experienced.

Verse 2: "Thus says the LORD of hosts, 'I will punish Amalek for that which he did to Israel, how he set against him in the way when he came up from Egypt'"—400 years later! Does God keep His word? Yes, indeed!

Verse 3 "Now, go and strike Amalek, and completely destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and donkey." People read that and ask: How can a God love do that? Because they know nothing about a second resurrection!

Verse 4: "And Saul gathered the people together and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen and ten thousand men of Judah. And Saul came to a city of Amalek and lay in wait in the valley. And Saul said to the Kenites, 'Go! Depart!….'" (vs 4-6)—we have nothing against you.

Verse 7: "And Saul struck the Amalekites from Havilah, as you come to Shur, which is over across from Egypt. And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive…. [What was the command of God? Kill all!] …And he completely destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword" (vs 7-8). So, in his mind he said, 'I've done it!' But he didn't!

Verse 9: "But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the fatlings and the lambs…"—human reasoning again: 'Look at all those good sheep and oxen, why would we kill them and leave them here and put them up in a heap and burn them. Why don't we take the best. That's a good one, let's take this one; there's a lot of steaks on it.'

"…and all that was good, and would not completely destroy them. But everything that was vile and feeble they completely destroyed. And the Word of the LORD came to Samuel saying, 'It repents Me…'" (vs 9-11).

What does this whole episode involve? Choice! Samuel told them what to do, Saul had the choice. This applies to anyone in any position of authority to either lead the people, guide the people, or whether you're in the Church of God or not. It applies to all the ministers and elders. You must obey the voice of God! Don't go doing your own ideas!

What was one of the main things that killed Ambassador College? Same thing as here. 'Our colleges are not accredited and our diplomas are not worth very much; we've got make our colleges accepted with the league of colleges so they had to bring in teachers who were not in the Church, not converted, and bring in classes that were not necessary for the Bible in order to be accepted by the world! The college of God did not need the approval of the world!

Verse 11: "'It repents Me that I have set up Saul to be king, for he has turned back from following Me and has not performed My commandments.' And it grieved Samuel, and he cried out to the LORD all night."

Saul called for Samuel and asked him what he had done. Saul said, v 13: "'…I have performed the commandment of the LORD.' And Samuel said, 'What then is this bleating of the flock in my ears?…. [Are they resurrected from the dead?] …And what is the sound of the herd which I hear?' And Saul said, 'They have brought them from the Amalekites, for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen to sacrifice to the LORD your God….'" (vs 13-15). That all makes it 'good' (sarcasm). Equivalent today: I robbed a bank to give it to the Church.

It's interesting that that Saul said, "…to the LORD your God…." Not my God. And "…for the people spared…" Does that sound like Gen. 3? The serpent did it, I didn't do it! Why did you do this, Eve? The serpent! Why did you do this, Adam? It was the woman! If You hadn't made that woman for me, I wouldn't have done it!

"'…And the rest we have completely destroyed.' And Samuel said to Saul, 'Stay and I will tell you what the LORD has said to me tonight.' And he said to him, 'Speak on.'" (vs 15-16). Perfect lesson right here, and I hope 'the Donald' has some of this after what he's gone through:

Verse 17: "And Samuel said, 'When you were little in your own sight, did you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? And the LORD anointed you king over Israel. And the LORD sent you on the way and said, "Go and completely destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until you destroy them." Why then did you not obey the voice of the LORD? Why did you fly upon the spoil and do evil in the sight of the LORD?'" (vs 17-19).

Verse 20: "And Saul said to Samuel, 'Yes, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have completely destroyed the Amalekites. But the people… [don't blame me; it's not my fault] …took from the spoil, of the flock and herd, the best of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the LORD your God in Gilgal'" (vs 20-21).

Verse 22: "And Samuel said, 'Does the LORD have as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice! To hearken is better than the fat of rams, for rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft… [that's the exact kind of attitude that the United States government has been in for a long time] …and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry….'" (vs 22-23).

Notice what happens; here's how people become, as Jesus said, 'They hear but do not understand! They see but do not perceive' because it's automatic living law! It's because they didn't obey.

"'…Because you have rejected the Word of the LORD, He has also rejected you from being king!' And Saul said to Samuel, 'I have sinned, for I have disobeyed the commandment of the LORD and your word because I feared the people and obeyed their voice" (vs 23-24). Not supposed to do that!

Verse 25: "And now please pardon my sin and turn again with me so that I may worship the LORD.' And Samuel said to Saul, 'I will not…'" (vs 25-26). Finally he relented and did.

Verse 28: "And Samuel said to him, 'The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you this day, and has given it to a neighbor of yours who is better than you. And also the Glory of Israel will not lie nor repent, for He is not a man that He should repent.' Then he [Saul] said, 'I have sinned. Please honor me now before the elders of my people and before Israel, and turn again with me. And I shall worship the LORD your God'" (vs 28-30)—all in vain!

After they did that, v 32: "And Samuel said, 'Bring here to me… [remember he was old] …Agag the king of the Amalekites.' And Agag came to him cautiously. And Agag said, 'Surely the bitterness of death is at hand.' And Samuel said, 'As your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women.' And Samuel cut Agag in pieces before the LORD in Gilgal" (vs 32-33). That was the sacrifice!

AHAB:

Now let's look at another one; this is one of my favorites, and also a good one for you to remember if you think that your sins are really grievous against God and that He won't forgive you.

The story is this: the wife of Ahab was Jezebel who was the daughter of the priest of Baal. Ahab wanted the vineyard of Naboth, but he was told he couldn't get it. So, he caused Naboth to be killed so he could take possession of it, and Jezebel was behind it, to give it to him as a present. So, he took it!

1-Kings 21:17[transcriber's correction]: "And the Word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 'Arise, go down to meet Ahab the king of Israel in Samaria. Behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth where he has gone to possess it.'" Gottcha with the goods!

Verse 19: "And you shall speak to him, saying, "Thus says the LORD, 'Have you killed and also taken possession?'" And you shall speak to him saying, "Thus says the LORD, 'In the place where the dogs licked the blood of Naboth, dogs shall lick your blood, even yours.'" And Ahab said to Elijah, 'Have you found me, O my enemy?' And he answered, 'I have found you because you have sold yourself to work evil in the sight of the LORD…. [really did himself in] …"Behold, I will bring evil upon you and will utterly sweep you away, and will cut off from Ahab him who pisses against the wall, both bond and free in Israel. And I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the provocation with which you have provoked Me to anger, and made Israel to sin."'" (vs 19-22).

Verse 23: "'And the LORD also spoke of Jezebel saying, 'The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.' He who dies of Ahab in the city, the dogs shall eat. And he who dies in the field, the birds of the air shall eat.' But there was none like Ahab, who sold himself to work wickedness in the sight of the LORD, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up" (vs 23-25).

Verse 26: "And he did very abominably in following idols, according to all that the Amorites did, whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel. Then it came to pass when Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes… [sign of repentance] …and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth and walked softly. And the Word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 'Do you see how Ahab humbles himself before Me? Because he humbles himself before Me, I will not bring the evil in his days. But in his son's days I will bring the evil upon his house'" (vs 26-29)—and he became a servant.

Let's understand how God uses men as His servants, though they may not know Him:

Jeremiah 25:1: "The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah. It was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; the word which Jeremiah the prophet spoke to all the people of Judah and to all the people of Jerusalem, saying" (vs 1-2). Here he is, kind of a little defense for himself.

Verse 3: "From the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, even to this day… [here he is in the 23rd year of his 40-year ministry] …that is the twenty-third year, the Word of the LORD has come to me, and I have spoken to you, speaking again and again. But you have not hearkened. And the LORD has sent to you all His servants the prophets, again and again and sending them again and again; but you have not hearkened nor bowed down your ear to hear. They all said, 'Turn again now, each one from his evil way, and from the evil of your doings, and dwell in the land that the LORD has given to you and to your fathers forever and ever'" (vs 3-5).
For 23 years he said, 'You want to go into exile or do you want to live here? You want to be slaves in another land, or do you want to live in your own land.' This is kind of like it is right now with America. How close are we to disasters that would put us in positions like this?

Verse 6: "'And do not go after other gods to serve them, and to worship them, and do not provoke Me to anger with the works of your hands; and I will do you no harm. Yet, you have not hearkened… [hear to obey] …to Me [God]' says the LORD, 'so that you might provoke Me with the works of your hands, to your own hurt.' Therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts, 'Because you have not heard My words, behold, I will send and take all the families of the north,' says the LORD, 'and Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant…'" (vs 6-9).

Nebuchadnezzar didn't know that he was a servant of God. I mean, I think that a little later when he wrote the epistle in Dan. 4 he did learn a few things. Does God raise up people who will serve Him that really don't know that they serve Him? Yes!

"…and will bring them against this land, and against its people, and against all these nations all around you. And I will completely destroy them, and make them a waste, and a hissing, and everlasting ruins" (v 9). Did that not take place? That became one of the most desolate places on earth!

Sidebar: I was watching something excavations in Egypt, and these were undoubtedly were from some of the plagues that God brought upon the Egyptians, because there were whole families huddled together; their skeletons. When God says that He's going to do it, He'll do it! But He always excepts repentance, like He did with Ahab.

SOLOMON:

As we already covered during the Feast of Tabernacles, Solomon went astray and He told Solomon that He was going to take away the ten tribes of Israel.

1-Kings 11:28: "And the man Jeroboam was a mighty man of war. And Solomon, seeing that the young man was industrious, he made him ruler over all the charge of the house of Joseph. Now, it came to pass at that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah from Shiloh found him on the way. And he had clothed himself with a new garment. And the two of them were alone in the field. And Ahijah caught hold of the new garment that was on him [Jeroboam], and tore it in twelve pieces. And he said to Jeroboam, 'Take ten pieces for yourself. For thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, "Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and will give ten tribes to you"'" (vs 28-31). Then he's going to spare Jerusalem and so forth.

Let's see what God told Jeroboam, v 35: "But I will take the kingdom out of his son's hand and will give it to you, ten tribes. And to his son I will give one tribe, so that David My servant may have a light always before me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen for Me to put My name there. And I will take you, and you shall reign according to all that your soul desires, and shall be king over Israel" (vs 35-37).

This is quite a thing, because this shows how the choices of the leaders affect the people. Again, we're dealing with how God dealt with Jeroboam. Notice what God promised him:

Verse 38: "And if you will hearken to all that I command you and will walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight to keep My statutes and My commandments, as David My servant did, then I will be with you and build you a sure house, as I built for David, and will give Israel to you."

You know what happened. They had the confrontation—after Solomon died—between Jeroboam and Rehoboam. Rehoboam the king—who was going to be over the small kingdom in Jerusalem—there was a rebellion with the northern tribes because they came and said, 'Hey, your father is taxing us too much. It should have been 10%, but you're taking everything. 'If you will reduce the taxes, we'll stay with you.'

A good example: It's not what people will, it's what God wills!

So, Rehoboam went to the elders and said, 'What shall I do?' They said to lower the taxes and they'll stay with you. He went to the young men and the smart alecks said—sounds like the administration that is outgoing in Washington, D.C—lay it on them!' Rehoboam came back and said to the people of the ten tribes, 'My little finger will be heavier on you than my father's thigh.' Jeroboam said, 'To your tents, Israel!'

To make a long story short, what did Jeroboam do? This is how choice is involved. Once you are given a position, what will you do? I hope 'the Donald' reads this part of the Bible, as well. What will you do?

Jeroboam took council with the elders and  the ten tribes and said, 'Let's set up an altar in Bethel and Dan and build a golden calf and tell the children of Israel that this is their god who brought them out of Egypt. And so that 'we won't lose people going to the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem, we'll have a feast at Bethel in the 8th month on the 15th day, just like the Feast in Jerusalem on the 15th day of the 7th month.

That was his choice! What happened? He was accounted the most evil and wicked man of all the kings of Israel! Read about what happened with all the kings of Israel, and this king did like Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and that became an epitaph of disgrace and dishonor. Not one king of the northern ten tribes turned to God; yet, God dealt with them for 232 years before He sent them into exile!

If that's not mercy, love, patience and longsuffering with intermediate corrections coming along in it… Look at it this way:

• we are preparing for the Kingdom of God
• we are being educated for the Kingdom of God

Dan. 7 says that He is going to give it to the saints of the Most High and not leave the kingdom to other people. What does this mean we should do. Since we can breathe a sigh of relief that if Donald Trump does what he says he's going to do, that we may have a bit of relief and not feel so oppressed.

I don't know about you, but the different things that were coming down on these executive order from Obama are oppressing everybody. So, here's what we need to concentrate on:

• not on our abilities
• not on what we want to do

But yield ourselves to God and ask Him to lead us and guide us in what we need to do! Then individually, because God knows us individually! Every human being He knows, but especially us; He loves His Church, and Christ is the Head of the Church. Here's what we need to be doing with each other and for ourselves at the same time:

Philippians 2:1: Now then, if there be any encouragement in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any deep inner affections and compassions, fulfill my joy that you be of the same mind, having the same love, being joined together in soul, minding the one thing" (vs 1-2). What is the one thing we mind?

• loving God
• keeping His commandments
• developing the character of God
• loving each other

It think that it's very interesting that the way that all of the council of ministers that Donald Trump had came together at a critical time and all prayed for him. That's what we need to be doing for each other.

Verse 3: "Let nothing be done through contention or vainglory, but in humility, each esteeming the others above himself. Let each one look not only after his own things, but let each one also consider the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus" (vs 3-5). To let the Word of God dwell richly in us, and let that rule in our lives!

After recounting all the difficulties and problems and things that Paul had experienced; he had plenty of them; you read what Paul went though. What was the calling of Paul? What did Ananias tell him? You have to suffer in preaching to the Gentiles and the children of Israel, and Paul suffered greatly! Read 2-Cor. 11 all about the troubles that he had.

Here was Paul's mindset. Instead of focusing on what he could do, he was focusing in on the righteousness of God.

Philippians 3:10: "That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; if by any means I may attain unto the resurrection of the dead; not as though I have already received, or have already been perfected; but I am striving, so that I may also lay hold on that for which I also was laid hold of by Christ Jesus" (vs 10-12).

Here's the key and our attitude right here, v 13: "Brethren, I do not count myself as having attained; but this one thing I do… [this is it] …—forgetting the things that are behind, and reaching forth to the things that are ahead." That's what we need to do. You have a bad day today, repent and forget about it tomorrow. Don't dwell on it. Look to God and His blessings.

Verse 14: "I press toward the goal for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. So then… [here is what we need to do]: …let as many as be perfect be of this mind. And if in anything you are otherwise minded, God will reveal even this to you" (vs 14-15)—forgetting it all the things that are behind. You can't change it! You can't redo it! But God can heal! God can give us of His Spirit and of His strength to go forward!

We're very happy that the election came out the way that it did, and we hope that 'the Donald' does really well. That will mean that we will have more time to preach the Gospel, serve the brethren, and that means that more of us will find our place of safety in the grave, rather than going to Petra. And after having soft mattresses to lie on all of our lives, laying on limestone would be really difficult!

Scriptural References:

• Daniel 2:18-22
• Daniel 4:24-25
• Jeremiah 23:18-22
• Isaiah 40:12-14, 17-18, 22-23, 25-31
• Amos 3:1-7
• Amos 4:4-12
• Amos 5:1-6, 8, 14-15
• 1 Samuel 8:1-7, 9-12, 14-22
• 1 Samuel 15:1-26, 28-30, 32-33
• 1 Kings 21:17-29
• Jeremiah 25:1-9
• 1 Kings 11:28-31, 35-38
• Philippians 2:1-5
• Philippians 3:13-15

Scriptures referenced, not quoted:

• Matthew 24:14
• Mark 13:10
• Revelation 7
• Philippians 1
• Genesis 3
• Daniel 7
• 2 Corinthians 11

FRC:bo
Transcribed:11-29-16

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