GOD DOES NOT CHANGE

What does God have to say about the wicked?

I all realize that it is definitely God’s will that all come to repentance, but it may not set too well with some as to what the Bible has to say about those who do evil.

[II Peter 3:9] The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

He was this way in the Old Testament. He wanted none to perish! He is this way in the New Testament. As it says in [Malachi  3:6] For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. God has never changed! Old Testament to the New Testament, God is the same. He said so! We can believe it or not, but it is still true!

With this in mind, let us look at what the Bible has to say about the wicked. I’m going to start with verses from the New Testament, and then we will go back to the Old Testament.

Looks what Jesus says when He was talking to the Pharisees:

[Matthew 12:34] O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.

[Matthew 12:39] But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:

[Matthew 12:45] Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.

Jesus has some rather choice words for these lost people. Did He say that He did not like what they were doing? No, I’m not so sure He did, but He did call them snakes, evil, and adulterous. He did not chide them for sinning,  He chided them for being sinners.

In the fifteenth chapter of Matthew, He is talking about the scribes and Pharisees, when He says:

[Matthew 15:14] Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.

Note carefully what He says here. It seems to me Jesus has given up on these people. I didn’t read that He said to go mingle with them, and maybe you can show them the right way.  I didn’t see that He said to wait for a better day or that maybe it was just the wrong day to confront these people.  After all, maybe they were just having a bad day.  No, He said to let them alone! Stay away from them!

In the Gospels He is talking to the scribes and Pharisees and has this to say to them:

[Matthew 15:7] Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,

[Matthew 15:14] Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.

[Matthew 16:3] And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?

[Matthew 17:17] Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me.

[Matthew 22:18] But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites?

[Matthew 23:13] But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. [23:14] Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation. [23:15] Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves. [23:16] Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor! [23:17] Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? [23:19] Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?

[Matthew 23:23] Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. [23:25] Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. [23:24] Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. [23:26] Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. [23:27] Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. [23:29] Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous,

[Mark 6:7] He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

[Luke 9:41] And Jesus answering said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you, and suffer you? Bring thy son hither.

[Luke 11:44] Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware of them.

[Luke 12:56] Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not discern this time?

Now you can say that He didn’t like what they were doing, but He seems to be saying more than that in these verses.

There are only a couple of times in the New Testament that we find that Jesus was angry.  The first instance is in the book of Mark:

[Mark 3:1] And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand. [3:2] And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him. [3:3] And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth. [3:4] And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace. [3:5] And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other. [3:6] And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him.

Jesus had just healed the  hand of a man in the synagogue on the Sabbath day. In theirs hearts, the people who watched did not  like the thing that Jesus had done. But Jesus knew their hearts, and He was angry. Not just angry at the sin, but angry at the people themselves.

The only other time that it is stated that Jesus was angry is mentioned in all four Gospels. This is where Jesus was casting out the money changers in the temple.

[Matthew 21:12] And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, [21:13] And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.

[Mark 11:15] And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves; [11:16] And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple. [11:17] And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.

[Luke 19:45] And he went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought; [19:46] Saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves.

[John 2:13] And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, [2:14] And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: [2:15] And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables; [2:16] And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise.

Jesus was aggravated with the people. Yes, he was mad at what they were doing to his house, but he was also angry with them. He chastened them for what they were doing, and He directed His Holy anger towards them.

Let’s now take a look at the first chapter of Romans. God is talking about lost people, those “who hold the truth in unrighteousness”. Because, the “invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen (by them) - they are without excuse:”. Very sad words follow in the next verses:

[Romans 1:24] Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: [1:25] Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. [1:26] For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:

God not only does not like the sin, He does not like the sinner. I know this is astounding! But what do these verses say? We can’t just ignore these verses because they may not agree with what we thought! God wants lost people to be saved, but at ‘some’ point, He gives them up!  Note verse 28:

[Romans 1:28] And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;

Let’s consider another verse from Romans:

[Romans 12:9] Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.

Are some people evil? Sure, I know people can do evil, but are some people evil themselves? God says so!  In fact, God says in the last chapter of Romans that we are to avoid these people:

[Romans 16:17] Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. [16:18] For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.

God is righteous!

[Exodus 15:3] The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name.

[Exodus 15:6] Thy right hand, O LORD, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O LORD, hath dashed in pieces the enemy.

[Numbers 16:21] Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.

[Numbers 16:35] And there came out a fire from the LORD, and consumed the two hundred and fifty men that offered incense.

We see that Israel’s continued disobedience will  be punished by a world-wide  dispersion  of the people:

[Deuteronomy 28:63] And it shall come to pass, that as the LORD rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you; so the LORD will rejoice over you to destroy you, and to bring you to nought; and ye shall be plucked from off the land whither thou goest to possess it. [28:64] And the LORD shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone. [28:65] And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the LORD shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind: [28:66] And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life: [28:67] In the morning thou shalt say, Would God it were even! and at even thou shalt say, Would God it were morning! for the fear of thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see.

For the sins of Manasseh, God said the following:

[II Kings 24:4] And also for the innocent blood that he shed: for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; which the LORD would not pardon.

In other places, He also said:

[Psalm 1:1] Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

[Psalm 2:4] He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the LORD shall have them in derision.

[Psalm 5:5] The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity. (The Bible does not say that He hates their works, but the workers themselves!)

[Psalm 5:10] Destroy thou them, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions; for they have rebelled against thee.

[Psalm 7:13] He hath also prepared for him the instruments of death; he ordaineth his arrows against the persecutors.

[Psalm 11:5] The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth. (He hates more then just wickedness!)

[Psalm 26:5] I have hated the congregation of evil doers; and will not sit with the wicked.

[Psalm 28:4] Give them according to their deeds, and according to the wickedness of their endeavours: give them after the work of their hands; render to them their desert.

[Psalm 34:16] The face of the LORD is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.

[Psalm 34:21] Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate.

[Psalm 59:5] Thou therefore, O LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel, awake to visit all the heathen: be not merciful to any wicked transgressors. Selah.

[Psalm 59:13] Consume them in wrath, consume them, that they may not be: and let them know that God ruleth in Jacob unto the ends of the earth. Selah.

[Proverbs 1:28] Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:

[Proverbs 6: 16] These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: [17] A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, [18] An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, [19] A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren. (He did not say He hates “the fact that one looks proud”, “the words of a liar or even the lie”, “the fact that someone’s hands shed innocent blood”, “the fact that someone’s heart devised wicked imaginations”, “the fact that someone’s feet were swift in running to mischief”, or “discord, although I am sure He hates discord among His people”. He hates the person, their proud looks, their lying tongue, their cruel hands, their wicked heart, their feet, all liars, and antagonists.)

[Ecclesiastes 3:8] A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

In perhaps God’s final prophecy concerning the dispersion of Israel, He says:

[Amos 9:1] I saw the LORD standing upon the altar: and he said, Smite the lintel of the door, that the posts may shake: and cut them in the head, all of them; and I will slay the last of them with the sword: he that fleeth of them shall not flee away, and he that escapeth of them shall not be delivered. [9:2] Though they dig into hell, thence shall mine hand take them; though they climb up to heaven, thence will I bring them down: [9:3] And though they hide themselves in the top of Carmel, I will search and take them out thence; and though they be hid from my sight in the bottom of the sea, thence will I command the serpent, and he shall bite them: [9:4] And though they go into captivity before their enemies, thence will I command the sword, and it shall slay them: and I will set mine eyes upon them for evil, and not for good.

[Psalm 7:11] God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.

[Nahum 1:2] God is jealous, and the LORD revengeth; the LORD revengeth, and is furious; the LORD will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies. [1:3] The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.

[I Peter 3:12] For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.

I all realize that it is definitely God’s will that all come to repentance, but it may not set too well with some as to what the Bible has to say about those who do evil.

[II Peter 3:9] The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

NOV. 9, 2006