♦ Introduction ♦
The word JUDGE occurs 191 times in 170 verses in the King James Authorized Version of the Holy Bible. The first time it is used, God is the Judge of a NATION, not individuals, cf Genesis 15:14. (This could make a good trick question because probably many would guess that it was used in the Adam Leaves Eden story.)
The word JUDGMENT occurs 294 times in 285 verses in the KJV. The first time that it shows up explains Why God Chose Abram.
For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him. Genesis 18:19
The first time that instruction is given regarding How to Judge and Making Judgments is in Leviticus 19:15.
Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour.
The requirements are fairness and righteousness. God had commanded Moses to tell this to the people as He was founding the nation of Israel. To round out our introductory foundation, I am add two more points as "givens." 1. One of God's roles is that of Judge. 2. His judgments are always consistent with His character, including but not limited to Goodness, Truthfulness, and Righteousness.
♦Funneling Down ♦
Practically anything can be judged: art, behaviors, chickens, foreign gods... Judgments take many forms: favorable/unfavorable, connection/separation, fecundity/famine, tranquility/tempests... And judgments run a scale from mild to moderate to severe. There are also timing factors; "Justice delayed is justice denied" is a legal maxim. The point being that righteous judgment is better viewed as multi-dimensional, not as a linear cause→effect.
Today we are considering a judgment of nations, the USA in particular. The form we will be talking about is unfavorable mocking. I think it will become self-evident that we are pegging on the psychotic fool end of the scale. It is hard to think of a more extreme example than what we currently have in the United States—maybe Nebuchadnezzar during his seven years of madness was a bit further gone; at least Mr. Biden still has someone to trim his nails for him.
♦ Precedent in Scripture ♦
Isaiah 23:8-9, using the Passion Translation
8
Who has planned this for imperial Tyre, who once wore her crown?
Your merchants were nobles,
and your traders were honored by the world.
9
Yahweh, the Commander of Angel Armies, has planned it!
His plan is to eliminate the pride of your presumed splendor
and to humiliate the honored of the world.
In this Learn-From-History moment, there are patterns and types where Tyre correlates with the US. In the physical, both Tyre and the US had an upper-class that was respected (by other men) for its wealth in world markets. Spiritually, these merchants share the same vices, chief among them being pride. Tyre was to be humbled by bringing them to disgrace. Has the Lord purposed, in the words of the Amplified Classic, "to defile the pride"of these elite and "to bring (them) into dishonor and contempt?"
Psalm Two - Poetry in IV Acts.
Act I. - Verses 1-3 The Nations speak; they are plotting to break free from God!
1
How dare the nations plan a rebellion.
Their foolish plots are futile.
2
Look at how the power brokers of the world
rise up to hold their summit
as the rulers scheme and confer together
against Yahweh and his Anointed King, saying:
3
"Let’s come together and break away from the Creator.
Once and for all let’s cast off these controlling chains
of God and his Christ!"
Act II - Verses 4-6 God the Father speaks; and His tone of voice is derisive laughter.
4
God-Enthroned merely laughs at them;
the Sovereign One mocks their madness!
5
Then with the fierceness of his fiery anger,
he settles the issue and terrifies them to death with these words:
6
"I myself have poured out my King on Zion, my holy mountain."
Act III - Verses 7-9 The Son speaks; sharing what the Father told him.
7
"I will reveal the eternal purpose of God.
For he has decreed over me, 'You are my favored Son.
And as your Father I have crowned you as my King Eternal.
Today I became your Father.
8
Ask me to give you the nations and I will do it,
and they shall become your legacy.
Your domain will stretch to the ends of the earth.
9
And you will shepherd them with unlimited authority,
crushing their rebellion as an iron rod smashes jars of clay!'"
Act IV – Verses 10-12 The Holy Spirit Speaks; outlining a comforting way of escape— if they will listen and act quickly.
10 "Listen to me, all you rebel kings
and all you upstart judges of the earth.
Learn your lesson while there's still time.
11
Serve and worship the awe-inspiring God.
Recognize his greatness and bow before him,
trembling with reverence in his presence.
12
Fall facedown before him and kiss the Son
before his anger is roused against you.
Remember that his wrath can be quickly kindled!
But many blessings are waiting for all
who turn aside to hide themselves in him!"
Some cross-references
Psalm 37:13We do not commonly think of God as "sneering," and yet, there it is. And each time, the mocking laughter is brought on by prolonged disrespect, even when warned.
but the Lord laughs, seeing that their day is coming.
Psalm 59:8
But You, O LORD, laugh at them; You scoff at all the nations.
Proverbs 1:25-26
because you neglected all my counsel, and wanted none of my correction, in turn I will mock your calamity; I will sneer when terror strikes you.
♦ What Mocking Judgment Looks Like ♦
It is a fair question, "When God is laughing on His heavenly throne, as described in Psalm 2:4, what does it sound like on earth?"
It will sound and look like a public spectacle. Foolishness will be on open display.
For the past week, I have been posting a series of memes on Facebook to illustrate this. The topics have included, (a) a proposal to cut Border Patrol funding by a Billion Dollars at a time when illegal border crossings and trafficking are at all-time highs, (b) the Secretary of Education refusing to answer congressional questioning about how many genders there are, (c) grant money for child-friendly prison visits, (d) Chuck Schumer trying to claim there was massive voter suppression despite record-breaking numbers of ballots were cast, (e) a transsexual winner of a beauty pageant lamenting how hard it is to find a dress that fits, and (f) that the U.S. media scored top dishonors in the "least trustworthy" category in a poll comparing 46 countries.
There was a lot to choose from, and some instances were so gross that they were unusable, not even satire sites would go there. For example, currently passed and awaiting a signature is an Illinois bill that requires free feminine hygiene products be placed in both girls' and boys' school bathrooms for grades 4 and up. I guess the state legislators have forgotten the immature antics of teenage boys, or they have no vision of how such items will be "put to use. (Can you say *hazing*?) At any rate, state Sen. Karina Villa displayed her intellectual acuity by arguing that in passing this, the taxpayers would be helping to "end poverty." Seriously? Putting maxi-pads in boys bathrooms will end poverty? Who voted for her?
I never used Joe Biden as an example for those memes, because frankly, that would have been too easy. Typing "biden gaffes" into any search engine will provide hours of reading material, there are that many. As long as the nation tolerates these as bloopers rather than realistically recognizing that many of them are divine judgments, we remain Total Failures at having spiritual discernment.
♦ God's Mocking Judgment of the USA ♦
The wicked scheme against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them, but the Lord laughs, seeing that their day is coming. Psalm 37:12-13
USA - The acting administration has been a wicked train wreck about to happen since the first hours of its illegitimate reign. First up was bringing back abortion. Close at its heels came the reopening of the borders to facilitate trafficking of drugs, sex, and weaponry. The list of war-on-America decisions continues: stopping the keystone pipeline, halting border wall construction, reinstating Paris Climate Accords, restoring relations with a the globalist (God-hating) United Nations and its World Health Organization power mongers, a return to the CFR's Iranian nuclear deal...
World - International relations also deteriorated quickly. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's team got a 20-minute dressing down from the Chinese during "negotiation" in Anchorage, AK, last March. More recently, Putin laughed at Biden's weak boasting during the G7 meetings in Cornwall, England, UK. Earlier, during the election-steal, North Korea's press called Biden a rabid dog who is greedy for power and deserves to be beaten to death.
The Prophets - And that makes a beautiful segue into what the prophets are hearing, which is the Lord calling Biden a jackal. Jesus called the Pharisees "vipers,' so calling Biden a "jackal" is not the least bit out of character. The prophets' voices should carry special weight in this season because of — precedent. Whenever the government of ancient Israel began going sideways, God would raise up prophets to instruct and/or warn the king. They were to work as a team; that's God's order for governance until Christ returns; when it doesn't happen it is because men chose to reject God's best. That happens often. (The Deep State went apoplectic when Mr. Trump showed interest in checking to see what Paula White might say.) God's design was to have a seamless alliance between what we might label 'church and state.' Anyway, being called a "Jackal" qualifies as a mocking judgment.
♦ What Comes Next? ♦
Like sin itself, God's judgment of sin in the Age of Grace has been progressive. At the early end of things, we are given an opportunity to judge ourselves cf 1 Corinthians 11:31 if we judged ourselves properly, we would not come under judgment. Also at the front end of the scale is the use of conscience; when children have a support system of parents and mentors they learn self control. But in this life there is always someone or something coming at us, and as we learn from the Parable of the Soils, Mark 4:19, the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desire for other things will make the way thorny if we neglect the weeding. Decent people get led into sin while evil persons pursue it. Judgment intensifies, and God will not strive with man forever. Mocking judgments are near the far end of the scale. By this time, hearts are obstinate and rebellious. Psalms, Proverbs, and Isaiah all speak of people who are "following their own devices," a time when God has turned them over to their own thoughts and intentions. God will stand back, let them have their way, and then laugh at them. Mocking judgment signals the last chances for the stubborn hearts to repent before he unleashes full fury and wrath.
The answer to what could come after mocking judgment is the fierceness of God's fiery anger.
♦ Conclusion ♦
It is sad, really. But I believe America chose this stage of judgment for herself. Jesus taught men to "do to others as you would have them do to you." This is the essence of the Law and the Prophets. Quite frequently, and in full character, God uses this standard to judge men. They fall into the same pit they have dug for their enemy. cf Psalm 35:8 We see this in the story of Haman who was hung on the gallows he built for Mordecai. cf Esther 7:10 We see this principle preached in the Gospels, "in what measure you measure, it will be measured to you." cf Matthew 7:2, Mark 4:24, Luke 6:38.
For four long years the media relentlessly mocked our President. And whether they liked it or not, Donald J. Trump was legitimately placed in the office of President, and God's anointing was upon him. The radical Left, with full aiding and abetting from both legacy broadcast media and big tech social media, have been engaged full-on in kicking against the pricks. cf Acts 26:14, meaning to resist authority, and in this case, the authority placed by God Himself.
But God has declared that His Spirit will not strive with men forever. cf Genesis 6:3 At some point "the cup of iniquity" becomes full and God says, "Enough!" In this final meme I tell what I think will likely happen. Below that is a link to how Newsweek covered the debate that I refer to.
