It's surprising, from an historical pov, that so many on these forums and elsewhere utterly reject any notion of God making covenants with nations today. Clearly, God made a covenant with the nation Israel during the period of the Mosaic Law. That covenant failed, even as the original promise God made to Abraham persisted in connection with Israel.
The importance of this should not be underappreciated. If God made covenants with nations, and not just with individuals, then He still does so today--God does not change. I believe God made many covenants with entire nations in the NT period--they were called "Christian nations." Both king and people embraced the Christian religion, which is tantamount to making a covenant with God on a national basis.
Many complain about this, stating that salvation is an individual thing, and should not be confused with national covenants, when nations obviously contain mixed elements, both believers and unbelievers, both the righteous and the wicked. Why would God make covenants with entire nations since many within that nation do not warrant salvation?
The answer to this is important. God is interested in both individual salvation and social justice. He wanted the social environment to be amenable to righteous living, so that people within the society are not abused, Christian or not, righteous or not.
There is, however, a price to be paid for God making covenants with entire nations, as I just implied--the wicked have to be put up with for some time. Freedom to make choices, both good and bad, must be tolerated. And as a Christian nation gradually dilutes and compromises, the wicked amass until the Christian minority is isolated and abused.
Then it is that due to the increase of lawlessness in a fallen society many people suffer deception and ignorance, needing deliverance and an outreach to bring them back into the knowledge of God. Allowing nations to determine their destiny obviously impacts individuals who suffer abuses and do not automatically lose their salvation when the nation falls--they have simply fallen into ignorance.
What I'm really doing is telling the tale of Israel. Why have they seem to have been abandoned by God for so long? It is because God makes covenants with nations. And nations determine their own destiny with respect to God's covenant with them, ultimately capitulating to the lowest common denominator.
Then it is that the righteous minority is suppressed and the ignorant majority held back from knowing the way back to reconciliation with God. The Gospel does not easily penetrate a nation in which the righteous have their testimony suppressed! When a nation is allowed to choose to go the wrong way, darkness descends upon the entire people, rendering many ignorant concerning the means to reconcile with God.
At some point it requires judgment upon that nation and upon that people to open back up the message of salvation. And due to the fact God does make covenants with nations, international judgment is what must happen to restore the knowledge of God to people who have been kept in darkness by an ungodly majority in each nation.
The importance of this should not be underappreciated. If God made covenants with nations, and not just with individuals, then He still does so today--God does not change. I believe God made many covenants with entire nations in the NT period--they were called "Christian nations." Both king and people embraced the Christian religion, which is tantamount to making a covenant with God on a national basis.
Many complain about this, stating that salvation is an individual thing, and should not be confused with national covenants, when nations obviously contain mixed elements, both believers and unbelievers, both the righteous and the wicked. Why would God make covenants with entire nations since many within that nation do not warrant salvation?
The answer to this is important. God is interested in both individual salvation and social justice. He wanted the social environment to be amenable to righteous living, so that people within the society are not abused, Christian or not, righteous or not.
There is, however, a price to be paid for God making covenants with entire nations, as I just implied--the wicked have to be put up with for some time. Freedom to make choices, both good and bad, must be tolerated. And as a Christian nation gradually dilutes and compromises, the wicked amass until the Christian minority is isolated and abused.
Then it is that due to the increase of lawlessness in a fallen society many people suffer deception and ignorance, needing deliverance and an outreach to bring them back into the knowledge of God. Allowing nations to determine their destiny obviously impacts individuals who suffer abuses and do not automatically lose their salvation when the nation falls--they have simply fallen into ignorance.
What I'm really doing is telling the tale of Israel. Why have they seem to have been abandoned by God for so long? It is because God makes covenants with nations. And nations determine their own destiny with respect to God's covenant with them, ultimately capitulating to the lowest common denominator.
Then it is that the righteous minority is suppressed and the ignorant majority held back from knowing the way back to reconciliation with God. The Gospel does not easily penetrate a nation in which the righteous have their testimony suppressed! When a nation is allowed to choose to go the wrong way, darkness descends upon the entire people, rendering many ignorant concerning the means to reconcile with God.
At some point it requires judgment upon that nation and upon that people to open back up the message of salvation. And due to the fact God does make covenants with nations, international judgment is what must happen to restore the knowledge of God to people who have been kept in darkness by an ungodly majority in each nation.
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