Rev. Don Campbell
Isaiah 13-17
THOUGHT FOR TODAY, July 16, 2019
“GOD’S HAND IN HISTORY
History and theology are two different disciplines in the halls of academia as well as on the street corner and in many pews of the churches. God’s hand has been in history since Genesis 1:1 and will remain so when history is no more. Embedded in his oracle against Assyria, Isaiah announced: “This is the purpose that is purposed concerning the whole earth, and this is the hand that is stretched out over all the nations. For the Lord of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back?” (Isaiah 14:26-27)
What follows is from the pen of Burton Coffman (1905-2006) and is taken from his commentaries published by Abilene University and available online at StudyLight.org
What is this “purpose” which applies to the whole earth? It is simply this: nations that become excessively wicked are in turn defeated and destroyed by other nations; and specifically, those nations which exalt themselves against God are repeatedly, one after another, doomed and crushed.
Is it still being done? Are not the proud nations today getting by without punishment for their pride, ambition, and self-exaltation? It may appear, now and then to be so; but in the larger movement of history, the hand of God is still clearly visible. The Emperor of Germany, Kaiser Wilhelm loved to refer to himself as the “All Highest”; but look at what happened to him. Prior to that, the French Revolutionists installed “The God of Reason” to take the place of the Lord. They began “a new era,” so they thought, and even changed the names of all the months in the year; but today no one on earth knows what the new names are, except by his reference to an encyclopedia! Since the evil French nation had their revolution, their government has fallen forty times, and for years and years, their country was crushed under the heel of invaders.
It was no different with Nazi Germany. The Fourth Reich was to last a thousand years. God split open the ugly heart of Nazism and spilled its filth upon the ground, split the nation in two; and the troops of their destroyers are still deployed in their cities! Yes, God still rules in the kingdoms of men (Daniel 4:25)!
Just recently, as this is being written [1/7/89], the Emperor of Japan has been buried, not as a god, worshipped by millions of people, which was surely his status in World War II, but as an ordinary mortal. Thus, our generation has just seen a “god” formally relinquish his title and became like all other men, mortal, perishable, and destined at last for the grave. This remarkable renunciation and transformation took place aboard the Battleship Missouri during the take-over of Japan by General Douglas MacArthur.
The reference is to the following statement issued by the emperor: “The ties between Us and Our people have always stood upon mutual trust and affection. They do not depend upon mere legends and myths. They are not predicated on the false conception that the Emperor is divine, and that the Japanese people are superior to other races and fated to rule the world. (official translation)”
If the end has not come by then, when the third millennium rolls around, God’s purpose for the nations then in existence will be as firm as in the days of Isaiah. The question is “Which ones will that be?”
CONNECTIONS
1. When the third millennium rolls around in 81 years—if it does, we will be history. How can we be sure that on the day of our death, we die on the right side of history?
2. What will those who die on the wrong side of history do when the end comes (Revelation 6:12-17)?
