SIN, JUDGEMENT AND MERCY: THE BATTLE FOR NIGERIA
(week 03/14)
OLUBI JOHNSON
2 Samuel 21:1 NKJV: Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year; and David inquired of the LORD. And the LORD answered, “It is because of Saul and his bloodthirsty house, because he killed the Gibeonites.”
2 Samuel 21:4-6 KJV: And the Gibeonites said unto him, We will have no silver nor gold of Saul, nor of his house; neither for us shalt thou kill any man in Israel. And he said, what ye shall say, that will I do for you. (5) And they answered the king, The man that consumed us, and that devised against us that we should be destroyed from remaining in any of the coasts of Israel, (6) Let seven men of his sons be delivered unto us, and we will hang them up unto the LORD in Gibeah of Saul, whom the LORD did choose. And the king said, I will give them.
2 Samuel 21:14 KJV: And the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son buried they in the country of Benjamin in Zelah, in the sepulchre of Kish his father: and they performed all that the king commanded. And after that God was intreated for the land.
Here we see a 3-year famine afflict the land of Israel because of the sin of Saul killing the Gibeonites.
God was intreated for the land only after judgment had been executed upon the house of Saul.
In the same way today, the sins of the church: the present day bloody house of Saul, the sins of our politicians and the sins of our forefathers are having a profound effect on the political and socio-economic landscape of Nigeria.
Nigeria is a paradox: a country with tremendous human, material, mineral and financial resources but has not been able to achieve its potential!
Why?
There is divine judgement and satanic affliction on the nation because the sins of the church, the leaders, the people and our fathers and forefathers!
Psalms 107:17 NKJV: Fools, because of their transgression, And because of their iniquities, were afflicted.
Only the MERCY OF GOD has reduced the effect of this judgement hitherto and preserved us from total destruction and it will be only an INCREASE OF THE MERCY OF GOD on the nation that will totally remove the effect of God’s judgement and so cause Nigeria rise to her FULL potential and fulfill her prophetic destiny: hence this present truth prophetic message!
In the Old Testament, God’s judgement on Israel was removed by 2 things:
1. David’s prayer and intercession.
2. Judgement on the house of Saul.
In the New Testament in Nigeria today and in our personal lives as Christians, God’s judgement or chastening (Ps. 89:31-32) and satanic affliction will only be reduced and subsequently totally removed by:
1. Our prayer and intercession based on the atoning sacrifice of the Lord Jesus (in the New Testament, we do not need to have people die to atone for sin: Christ has already died for all! (1 Jn. 2.2)).
2. Our forsaking of sin in our conduct.
2 Chronicles 7:14 KJV: If MY (not the people of the world) people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, AND TURN FROM THEIR WICKED WAYS; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Proverbs 28:13 KJV: He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.
James 2:13 NKJV: For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
As I write, there is an INTENSE BATTLE GOING ON IN THE HEAVENLIES OVER NIGERIA as the nation celebrates her centenary (1914-2014).
In the manifold wisdom of God, we see a prophetic type of this war in
Revelation 12:7-11 NKJV: And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, (8) but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. (9) So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. (10) Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. (11) And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.
The church must prevail in this spiritual war to cause salvation, strength, the Kingdom of God and power of His Christ to be made manifest in Nigeria.
In our article next week, we will see how to do this in more detail.
