The media has begun calling the war in Ukraine, “Putin’s War.”
Nobody knows how Putin’s War will end, but everyone should know what happens to the proud, to those who think they are in control and that their power has been obtained by their accomplishments.
God alone controls the world.
Others who think they do will be humbled, be it Russia, NATO, America, or anyone else.
The LORD makes a promise to the proud:
Ezekiel 17:24: “I the LORD bring down the tall tree and I exalt the low tree.”
In the Bible, people are often compared to trees.
“The person who delights in the LORD will be like a tree planted by streams of water” (Psalm 1:3).
When the LORD promises to “bring down the tall tree,” He is repeating a theme that occurs throughout the Bible.
God promises to bring down the proud. He hates pride (Proverbs 6:16-19). The promise to bring down the proud person and to exalt the humble person is a promise that is repeated by the Messiah. Jesus said,
“For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled by the LORD, and those who humble themselves will be exalted by the LORD” (Luke 14:11).
Let me show you an example from history of how God strikes down the tall tree.
In 722 BC, a powerful and proud Assyrian king conquered northern Israel and other kingdoms. This Assyrian king wiped out Samaria, the capital of northern Israel. The king took captive the Hebrew men from northern Israel and brought them to Ninevah (capital of Assyria) as slaves. He then brought men from other nations into northern Israel and ordered them to take the Hebrew women as their wives.
The “half-breed” descendants of these marriages were the people called “Samaritans” by the Jews in Jesus’ day. Jesus, born a Jew, did not follow the local custom of avoiding Samaritans. Humility never sees oneself as superior to others. Jesus went through Samaria rather than around it, and one of the classic stories of how Jesus heals wounded people is Jesus bringing real life to the Samaritan woman at the well.
But I digress.
The powerful king of Assyria ruled over an equally proud Assyrian people. Listen to what this proud king said of himself and his accomplishments.
“By the strength of my hand I have done this,
and by my wisdom, because I have understanding.
I removed the boundaries of nations,
I plundered their treasures;
like a mighty one I subdued their kings.
As one reaches into a nest,
so my hand reached for the wealth of the nations;
as people gather abandoned eggs,
so I gathered all the countries;
not one flapped a wing,
or opened its mouth to chirp.” (Isaiah 10:13-14).
Ancient Assyria reminds me of modern America.
Our land is filled with proud people and proud rulers. We boast of our economy and wealth. We brag about our sports teams and entertainment. We humbly serve no one but ourselves. We demand equal outcomes and shake our fists at those who oppose us. Even demonstrations are filled with rage as tall trees bow to none and demand others bow to them.
We are a country of tall trees.
The LORD never changes. “I the LORD bring down the tall trees.”
Listen to what the LORD did to the people of Assyria:
“The angel of the LORD went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand of the Assyrians. When the people got up the next morning–there were all the dead bodies” (II Kings 19:35).
The LORD struck down the mighty and proud Assyrian people and their king.
When you were in Sunday School and read how “the angel of the LORD” came and struck down the Assyrians, you probably imagined some creature with two white wings holding a sword in his hand putting to death the Assyrians.
That’s not how the LORD brought down the Assyrians.
The LORD used a disease.
In Isaiah 10 the proud Assyrian king flaunts his power to the proud Assyrian people. The LORD initially responds to the arrogant king by reminding him that the king and his proud people are in the LORD’s hand and not the other way around. And then, true to His promise of “bringing down the tall tree,” the LORD tells the Assyrian people how He will bring them down.
“Does the ax raise itself above the person who swings it,
or the saw boast against the one who uses it?
As if a rod were to wield the person who lifts it up,
or a club brandish the one who is not wood!
Therefore, the Lord, the LORD Almighty,
will send a wasting diseaseupon his sturdy warriors…
and the remaining trees of his forests will be few.”
Ouch.
God seems to have humbled America over the last two years.
God will soon humble proud leaders in Europe.
Rest assured, you may not understand how Putin’s War will end, but the promise of God is sure:
“God humbles the proud and raises up the humble.”
That’s the theme of the entire Bible.
I am hopeful that all of our family and friends, and anyone coming across these writings will take it all to heart ❤️
It is worthy to save and keep reminded of the outcomes of our behavior.
Prayers for our country and the behavior of our leaders (if you want to call them that!!)
Has God humbled America over the past 2 years? I really don’t see signs of that.
I was reading your previous article. While reading, I kept thinking of Ukraine. The rest of the world paints itself in blue and yellow form the comfort of their computer screens, yet the president of Ukraine refuses evacuation, asks for ammunition and stands behind his people. Bravery. Courage. Leadership. Somehow, his people are holding back the Russians and costing Putin more than he calculated. The humble, the lowly may triumph. But…..
The US continues to have leaders that fail to see the error of their ways — teaching young children sexual deviancy couched in “save the children from depression”, failing to recognize or acknowledge how the draconian masking rules (children as young as 2????) have harmed children far more than anything else. Forcing an experimental vaccine into the arms of babes because — what scientific reason? Manipulating the data so that we have a bunch of people fearing a virus for their children that has done far less harm to children than common influenza (elderly, obese, etc is a whole different story). We now have the guy in charge of nuclear waste in the US fragrantly displaying what I can only call hedonistic behavior and because our ruling elite have made *almost* everyone a class capable of being victimized, we are being asked to accept that sort of hedonistic behavior less we be accused of being some sort of *blank*-phobe.
How, exactly, do you see that God has humbled America?
Wade,
This Post reminds me of a guy in a flood was on his rooftop that refused all help because God was going to take care of him. After he drown, he complained to God, and God told him He sent two boats and a helicopter.
If God controlled the world, He sure has it in bad shape. If we were robots, why did he let Hitler do what he did?
You said, “God seems to have humbled America over the last two years.” Are you blaming God for what our President has done?
Scriptures Showing Security of Believers
Scriptures from NLT
1. John 3:16 “For God loved the world so much, that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone that believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”
2. John 3:36 “Anyone who believes in God’s Son has eternal life.”
3. John 5:24 “I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.”
4. John 6:39 “And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them up at the last day.”
5. John 10:27-29 “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and He is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand.”
6. 1 John 5:11-12 “This is what God testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the God’s Son does not have life.”
7. 1 John 5:13 “I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life.”
8. Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”
9. Romans 8:38-39 “I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow; not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below; indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
10. Romans 10:9 “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
11. Romans 11:29 “For God’s gifts and his call can never be withdrawn.”
12. 2 Corinthians 5:17 “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”
13. Ephesians 1:13-14 “And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believe in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago.”
14. Ephesians 2:8 “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.
15. Ephesians 4:30 “And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.”
16. Philippians 1:6 “I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”
17. Colossians 1:22 “Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without fault.”
18.1 Timothy 1:16 “But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life.”
19. Titus 1:2 “This truth gives them confidence that they have eternal life, which God; who never lies; promised them before the world began.”
20. Titus 3:5 “He saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit…and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.”
21.Hebrews 13:5 “Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have, for God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.”
22. 1 Peter 1:23 “For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal living word of God.”
23. Jude 1:24 “Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault.”
Wade,
“Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. “I will give it all to you, he said, “If you will kneel down and worship me.” (Matthew 4:8-9 NLT)
Wade, this would NOT have been a temptation if the devil was lying. Therefore, God does not control the world; it belongs to the devil.
This week, Judy was in our driveway, and a man stopped and wanted to buy our 40-foot-high slide for his grandkids. 🙂
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/cold-war-thinking-isnt-working
Scriptures Showing Security of Believers
Scriptures from NLT
1. John 3:16 “For God loved the world so much, that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone that believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”
2. John 3:36 “Anyone who believes in God’s Son has eternal life.”
3. John 5:24 “I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.”
4. John 6:39 “And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them up at the last day.”
5. John 10:27-29 “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and He is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand.”
6. 1 John 5:11-12 “This is what God testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the God’s Son does not have life.”
7. 1 John 5:13 “I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life.”
8. Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”
9. Romans 8:38-39 “I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow; not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below; indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
10. Romans 10:9 “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
11. Romans 11:29 “For God’s gifts and his call can never be withdrawn.”
12. 2 Corinthians 5:17 “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”
13. Ephesians 1:13-14 “And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believe in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago.”
14. Ephesians 2:8 “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.
15. Ephesians 4:30 “And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.”
16. Philippians 1:6 “I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”
17. Colossians 1:22 “Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without fault.”
18.1 Timothy 1:16 “But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life.”
19. Titus 1:2 “This truth gives them confidence that they have eternal life, which God; who never lies; promised them before the world began.”
20. Titus 3:5 “He saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit…and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.”
21.Hebrews 13:5 “Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have, for God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.”
22. 1 Peter 1:23 “For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal living word of God.”
23. Jude 1:24 “Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault.”
Wade, the similarities are astonishing when the America of this era is viewed through the magnifying glass of eras of governments who have come and gone. Eras of scholar’s have left us life lessons which have been tried and failed and tried and succeeded. Sounds like those who lived and died declaring what only God could have birthed in their hearts, never lived to witness the fruit of their conviction. God alone knows and understands the resolve in the heart of a man, or woman who is so convinced of a truth that has been instilled in their soul that they will sacrifice not only their lives but be willing to stand firm without witnessing the affect their words will have on future generations. No man stands alone in the truths that matter the most. God continues to build His truth upon truth,
through the words and lives of men who have counted the cost and willingly continue to speak the truth deliberately, and with conviction. Thank you Wade for stirring my heart to miss a beat as I read about myself and the cost so many have paid for me to embrace what it means to be an American, saved by grace. Stand secure Wade and keep the Faith. Truely, God’s people stand in the gap between this generation, and the next.
Mary Ann
Wade,
My record of your 206 Posts from 11-21-19 to 1-16-22 had 7,838 comments. The average comments per post was 38.
That was when you printed comments that people could read and share their joys, disagreements, and problems. (Today, our house is without water because our well is not getting electricity.)
Yep – our new site doesn’t allow free-flowing comments – we hope to have that FIXED by the summer as well as the ARCHIVE updated!
Wade
I am confused about where the evangelical community stands on topics like Putin and NATO these days.
Has something changed since the time of the administration of President Trump?
Please know that I am aware that the evangelical community does mourn the slaughter of Ukrainian civilians, women, and children, which is heart-breaking, yes.
I would appreciate some clarification if there is any real change since the time that Putin was praised by some in the ‘conservative’ movement and on Fox News. I HOPE with all my heart that Putin has finally revealed himself so fully that there can be no mistake about ‘who he is’. He has told us by his actions.
Thanks for any comments that might help.
Hey to REX RAY! Hope you are as well as can be and staying safe. I hope you can heat your home with wood and have a supply of bottled water until all returns to ‘normal’.
WADE: I’m so glad for the comments section to be ‘working’. Thank you so much. Stay safe and well and in Our Lord’s keeping that only good may come for you and yours.
Wade,
Today (March 10), I made it to 90 years old.
Our Dad, Dave Ray, was in World War I, and stayed on the ‘front’ in Patton’s 4th Armored Division as a chaplain until World War II was over.
Medics told Dad they could not prevent a soldier from dying. He told Dad, “Yesterday, I thought I’d be killed. I asked Jesus to save me. He stepped into my heart. I was so happy I thought I’d live forever; don’t know why I was hit today, but tell my mother I’ll meet her in heaven.”
His mother was heartbroken when informed her son was killed in action. She knew he wasn’t a Christian. A letter from Dad arrived later. She wrote Dad, “You’ll never know how much your letter meant to us!”
Patton wanted to declare war with Russia because they were worse than Germany. He said they would quickly surrender because their supplies were exhausted.
https://www.businessinsider.com/churchill-world-war-iii-invade-russia-german-army-2016-12 “Churchill was anti-Communist and wanted to start World War III with Russia.”
Wow – Rex, you have the GREATEST stories. I apologize for missing your birthday yesterday! I have been traveling from before sun-up to midnight! I know the lack of commenting is frustrating for you, but please be patient. If I lose the election on June 28, 2022, I can focus more on comments and updating archives. As it stands right now, I am writing for Istoria as much as I can, speaking at churches on weekends (from Scripture, not anything about politics 🙂 _ and then doing campaign events in the evening. It’s a busy time!