400 YEARS—40 YEARS—70 YEARS—1900 YEARS
Tough times for the people Israel, the Children of Israel (Jacob).

Times of slavery
Times of deliverance
Times of wandering, for doubt
Times of repentance, for idolatry
Times of scattering

– – –

400 years of slavery in Egypt—then miracles of deliverance

40 years of wandering in the wilderness—then the Promised Land, for real

70 years of captivity in Babylon—then returning and rebuilding

1900 years of scattering worldwide—then national restoration in their own, original land—Israel
– – –
It is good,
It is obvious,
It is imperative,
It is commanded,
PRAY FOR THE PEACE OF JERUSALEM
NOW !

(This article picks up a few significant side tracks along with the main question.)

++ Can God put the screws to One of His Own, when it is necessary to turn him, and bring him back around to obedience ?
That is question one.

++ If God tightens the screws to make His Dear Child change, does that mean He overrides the person’s free will ?
That is question two.

++ Can the above reasoning of theology apply to groups, churches, nations ?
That would be question three.

– – –

I don’t think a person can deal with questions one and two with theological reasoning, unless you’ve been to God’s woodshed, face-to-face with your own wickedness (no bland generalities as in corporate confession and absolution), and wrestled over it with your sinful nature, until you come clean before God where He wants you.

The questions address a Christian, “One of His Own”, “His Dear Child”, living with something displeasing to God.
More that once, God talks about wickedness in His People.
Each of us must pray, if we dare, if we mean business, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me (test me) and know my thoughts; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (response of my free will)

He knows our hearts, our thoughts, we don’t, until He pours it on thick sometimes, tightens the screws, and gets our attention.
Many Christians exercise free will in advance and never consider praying the verse above.

* * *

If you want to go deeper, deep in the Word of God on this:
From Lamentations 3:22-32 (consider reading the whole chapter).
“Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“Therefore I hope in Him!”

The Lord is good to those who wait for Him,
To the soul who seeks Him.
It is good that one should hope and wait quietly
For the salvation of the Lord.
It is good for a man to bear
The yoke in his youth.

Let him sit alone and keep silent,
Because God has laid it on him;
Let him put his mouth in the dust—
There may yet be hope.
Let him give his cheek to the one who strikes him,
And be full of reproach.

For the Lord will not cast off forever.
Though He causes grief,
Yet He will show compassion
According to the multitude of His mercies.”

* * *

Paul—
Did God force Saul on the Damascus road ?
First of all, Saul was the enemy of Jesus (not One of His Own), dead set on getting rid of Jesus’ followers.
Actually, God asked Paul, “Why?” for starters.
“Saul, why do you persecute me ?”
Saul responded, “What should I do, Lord ?”
Sounds like free will intact, under pressure.
Thank God for the results, for all of us.

Nebuchadnezzar—
Despicable tyrant turned into a ‘believer’—talk about some serious screws from the Almighty.
The Bible just tells the story, and the results.
Do read it for yourself, believe it (Daniel 4).
Just remember, a caution, from the Bible about the word ‘believe’:
“The devils also believe, and tremble.”
“I know who you are, the Holy One of God !”—–A demon said that, before Jesus cast him out.

– – –

Question three:
Can God put the screws to groups, churches, nations—and override their free will ?

Well, reading the historical accounts of God’s dealing with His Chosen People Israel, without adding any rationale, the answer is YES—as in half of the Old Testament and beyond.
Seems like sometimes God forced them to turn around—no choice, no free will ?
Wait a minute, they exercised their free will to not repent plenty of times—and paid, and then paid some more.

But where we get into dilemmas and trouble, is in perennial debate whether commands, promises, punishments with Israel apply to us.

I take personal issue with highly intelligent, learned theologians who determine which verses apply only to people at that time, and which verses we can take for comfort and promise and warning today.
That implies that you have to know what they know, and reason like they reason, to know how to read the Bible, particularly the Old Testament.

If—
“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
Then—
Every Christian can read the Bible with enthusiasm and confidence in the above declaration, just like they experienced new, 500 years ago.
The Reformation was Revolutionary, for that reason (reading the Bible for themselves) more than any other. (read a lot on Reformation on this site)
Let’s not miss it today.
Or else we fall into repeating the millennial trap of history, depending more on those who “know more” to tell us what God says.

– – –

More on question three . . .
The same Old Testament history, HisStory, clearly records how God uses any nation to accomplish His purpose, even raising up a godless nation to punish His People, then using another to crush that same evil nation.
Fact is, He’s running the big show—we’re not.
Remember that, when trying to figure it all out, with your own spin.
Be sure to read the whole story of Nebuchadnezzar, how God used him to punish His People, and then did a rare, one-of-a-kind move to give this despicable, narcissistic dictator an opportunity under pressure, to repent.
Nebuchadnezzar did have to acknowledge the God of heaven, but did he declare Him to be his God ?

– – –

What about America today and question three ?
America runs a close second to Israel in chosen by God, trusting God, blessed by God, faithful to God, used by God to spread His Kingdom.
Only God knows how America’s story will play out, whether we will survive the natural consequences and God’s punishment for our national wickedness.
We pray for revival, for this sinking ship that already hit icebergs (sacrificing children, vile affections, forgetting God).
I’m afraid that that prayer is like Israel on the way to exile praying for a quick turnaround.
NO—seventy years for repentance and revival and restoration (prerequisites, in that order).

– – –

God works in the affairs of nations.
God only works in the hearts of individual people.
God only works His Ways in His People who have given their hearts to Him.

This article is all about a Child of God giving Him all authority in everything without question or reservation.

– – –

Free will under pressure may be forced to say God is God.
Free will under pressure may not be forced to surrender to God.

– – –

Soul searching—
Each of us is capable of resisting accountability to God, and rationalizing how we think God should deal with us.
We don’t want to give up our wicked ways, and God shouldn’t use force to make us.
We don’t want God to tell us, and show us, that we have wicked ways.
In fact, we don’t believe we have wicked ways.
The old line, “I’m a good person” is alive and well—no, alive and sick—in each of us.

– – –

FOR NOW—
God does not overrule our free will to reject accountability to Him, for now.

BUT ONE DAY—
“One day every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess, that Jesus Christ is Lord.”

Four dates—

11-9-38 Germany—organized in a day

12-7-41 Pearl Harbor—no warning

9-11-01 America—no warning

__-__-23/24 Day of Disaster—?surprise?—no excuses

Very few terrorist attacks are so clear ahead of time, almost documented in advance, as the coming Day of Disaster across the United States.
You have to use great effort to purposely ignore the signs, the opportunity, the groundwork in place NOW, for the worst day in American history.
Everything is set, except broadcasting the date.

Many are sounding general warnings over and over (like a broken record) about the open border invasion—few are speculating aloud and describing the details of the consequences, which are not a mystery.
Who is telling us how to get ready ?
Our enemies have a handful of options available simultaneously to bring this country to its knees overnight, and they have their people in place all over this land to carry it out.
What’s coming is the ultimate example of something so unthinkable we can’t afford to think about it, so we don’t.
– – –
Israel has unified population, bomb shelters, sirens, iron dome, military readiness, decisive leadership, willingness to fight.

America has unprepared, unprotected, divided population, weakened military, dubious intelligence, absent leadership, welcome invasion, willingness to surrender.
– – –
Disastrously, most Americans are still thinking and hoping some government leaders will rise and save us.
That is not happening, and we have no time to wait.

Our enemies also know they have no time to wait—AND THEY WON’T.

– – –

Four dates—

++ 11-9-38 Kristallnacht—Hitler gave the order, and a day later “The Night of Broken Glass”—massive, organized terrorism on Jews, their homes, their businesses, their synagogues.

++ 12-7-41 Devastating attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese, brought America full scale into WWII.
– fool me once . . .

++ 9-11-01 One-of-a-kind terrorist attack on New York, Washington, Pentagon, plus.
– fool me twice . . .

++ 10-7-23 Hamas terrorists used old, untrackable ‘non-technology’ communication and outsmarted latest intelligence.

++ __-__-23/24 Day of Disaster—Next Time—Will it be the Last Time ?—Will it be the Worst Time ?—Likely.
– – –
Terrorists, the devil’s terrorists, emphatically, madly call for death to Israel (death to Jews), death to America (death to Christians).
Are we going to take them seriously, before it’s too late.

SOMEBODY, PLEASE, TELL US WHAT TO DO !