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The Most High rules in the Kingdom of Man
THE MOST HIGH RULES IN THE KINGDOM OF MAN
When younger, having little knowledge of the Bible, because of pursuing my own desires and pleasures, put me in total ignorance of the true God, His plan for humanity and life. A quest for fulfillment and satisfaction in this life finally dawned on me that no matter what was done nothing seemed worth while.
When becoming aware of the vast difference between the haves and the have nots of the world, knowing this life was far from being happy, so asking, why did some people and nations seemed to live under a curse and most of the people in the United States reaped blessings, comfort and wealth.
Wondering if there was any design or purpose to it all. Was it just the luck of the draw between the blessed and the cursed or was there some reason and purpose behind it all?
It was not until years later, when studying and learning to understand God's word, the Bible, that I was among the people who had received the birth right promises God made to Abraham. Abraham was promised that his descendants would be as the sand on the seashore. “And said, By Myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies...” (Gen. 22:16-17).
This promise was passed on to Jacob and his descendants which would include a Nation and a Company of Nations. “And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and He called his name Israel. And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins; And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land” (Gen. 35:10-12).
Later Jacob blessed the Sons of Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh and there is no doubt that their descendants are the Nations of Britain and the United States today. “And he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day, The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth. And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him: and he held up his father's hand, to remove it from Ephraim's head unto Manasseh's head. And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this is the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head. And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations. And he blessed them that day, saying, In thee shall Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh: and he set Ephraim before Manasseh” (Gen. 48:15-20).
God has kept His promise. He has made the descendants of Israel “High above all Nations which He hath made, in praise, and in name, and in honour; and that thou mayest be an holy people unto the LORD thy God, as He hath spoken” (Deut 26:19).
So it was by the hand of God, according to His will and His purpose that the people of the United States have enjoyed the wealth and prosperity above all other nations.
The Bible reveals that God has controlled the Destiny of all Nations through out History. He has the power to control nations and individuals, regardless of what the sceptics think or believe. This truth is revealed in the Bible by the prophet Isaiah. “Behold, the Nations are as a Drop in a bucket, and are counted as the small dust on the Balance. Behold, He lifts up the isles as a very little thing. It is He that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in: That bringeth the princes to nothing; He maketh the judges of the earth as vanity”(Isa 40: 15, 22-23).
The prophet Daniel described how Nebuchadnezar, King of Babylon, had to learn this lesson the hard way. Daniel warned the King that he would become insane, be driven out of power and made to dwell with beasts and to eat grass as an oxen for seven years. After twelve months, King Nebuchadnezar boasted how he had built this great Babylon by his power and for the honor of his majesty! “That they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over thee, till thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever He will. The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honor of my majesty?” (Dan 4:25, 30).
While the words were still in his mouth a voice from heaven said, (31“The Kingdom is departed from you!” “...Your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the fields-Until you know that the most high rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomsoever He will” (Dan 4:25). God was the ruler of heaven and earth in antiquity and He is the ruler of the affairs of men today. Abraham Lincoln, recognized in history as one of the greatest presidents of the United States, was aware that the almighty God was the power that was guiding the development of this great [or once great] country. The leaders of today would do well to remember his words concerning the great God who has so richly blessed us.
April 30, 1863 - President Lincoln appointed a National fast Day, it reads in part “It is the duty of Nations as well as of men to own their dependence upon the over ruling power of God, to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history: that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord.”
God's word reveals to us the blessings of obedience. “If you shall hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord your God, to observe and to so all His commandments which I command you this day, that the Lord your God will set you on high above all nations of the Earth. And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God” (Duet. 28:1-2).
It is obvious to the world that the United States has been blessed above all Nations. With all of the resentment and hatred vented against this country, there are still millions of people trying to come here. There are not millions of people trying to leave! Making reference to one more speech made by President Lincoln, that certainly described the attitude of so many Americans today. “We have been the recipients of the Choicest bounties of heaven. We have preserved these many years in peace and prosperity. We have grown in members, wealth, and power as no other nations has grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which has preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these Blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us.!”
President Lincoln understood that it is God that rules over the Nations. He understood that man is responsible for his actions and that nations, like individuals are subject to punishment and chastisement for their sins.
In the Bible, God warns us of the consequences of disobedience. “But it shall come to pass, it you will hearken unto the voice of the Lord your God, to observe to do all His commandments and His statutes, which I command you this day, that all these curses shall come upon you and over take you” (Deut 28:15). The subsequent verses go on to discuss some of the curses that we are suffering from today.
After the horror of September 11, 2001 there were many that refused to acknowledge that we could be responsible for this attack. This is not to say the terrorist are not guilty, because they are. They are evil murders.
But in light of Deut. 28, God says we will be cursed if we fail to obey His commandments. Shortly after the attack, two well known religious leaders made reference to that and were immediately taken to task for it by many in this country who resented that our national sins could be responsible. It was not “politically correct” so they were forced to back off. But it is still a fact that our country is suffering because as a nation “we have forgotten God,” to quote President Lincoln.
A brief look at what is happening to our great country shows that we need to mend some fences. Fifty percent of the marriages in the United States fail. Child abuse and neglect is rampant. The result is that crime is soaring for teens between 14 and 17 years of age. You need only to watch the news to know this is true. Also, the merchandising of videos and CD's that are filled with sex and violence are a corrupt influence on the youth of America. It is clear that we are producing a generation of super predators without a consciousness of right and wrong. The United States has the largest prison population on Earth, approximately two million inmates. Five times that of England, six times that of Canada, and seven times that of Germany. Multiple thousands of innocent children are lost each year to abortion. Racial tensions has now spawned a “New” Black Panther Party. Many are pushing for homosexual marriages and illegal aliens are demanding their “rights.” Not a very encouraging picture for the most blessed nation on earth.
Because of these conditions, many Americans live in despair and even turn to suicide. In the last decade, 300,000 Americans have taken their own lives. Suicide is the eighth leading cause among adolescents. Our country is rampant with violent crimes. It is a little known fact that fifty percent more Americans kill themselves than are murdered! These statistics were reported by the San Diego Union Tribune, January 11, 2002.
We truly are living in “perilous times.” It hurts to see the decay of this great land that has been so good to us and many around the world. As more people and Nations establish themselves as our enemies, their gloating over the demise of the United States will be short lived. Most people of the world are unaware that it is the Almighty God who makes and unmakes Nations. The great hope for all of humanity is for God's Kingdom to come. He alone can stop the suffering and madness of the current world conditions. God has always been in control and He is today. Very soon the whole world will know that “the most High rules in the Kingdom of Men.”
James D. Carlisle
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