08. God's Sovereignty Over Sickness, Death, and...

Chapter 8 God’s Sovereignty Over Sickness, Death, and the Curse

See now that I, even I, am he, And there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal; And there is none that can deliver out of my hand (Deuteronomy 32:39). Our God wounds and kills! Does that make you uncomfortable? For many people, it is very uncomfortable. Most feel that only Satan or men wound and kill. But they are only vessels; only God has all authority in heaven and earth (Matthew 28:18). God does all these things because He is the righteous judge. God is truly working on us from both directions. He sent the curse to turn us from sin, and He sent our Savior to deliver those that do. He says, “I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal.” This motivates us to please, fear, and obey Him. When God sends the curse to bring repentance, can man deliver from it without repentance? That is what the sinner wants, blessing without repentance. Man has sought out many inventions to try to circumvent repentance, but they have all come back to curse him. Are we stronger than God? God said, “There is none that can deliver out of my hand.” This is contrary to the deception of the world, but it is God’s purpose for the world to be deceived in this. We cannot get anyone out from under a curse except through the Gospel. Sometimes God is merciful, but we cannot guarantee God’s deliverance to those who do not walk under the blood. Those ministers who are in agreement with God will administer His gifts of healing, deliverance, and provision to the ones who are in line for God’s blessings through repentance, faith, and justification.

God, through Paul, delivered a man to Satan to bring him to repentance. (1 Corinthians 5:5) To deliver such a one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. Whether we understand it or not, the purpose God turns some over to Satan or demons is good. They chasten and cause some to count the high cost of sin. It is important that we understand that it is God who ultimately is in charge. Otherwise, we had better start fearing the devil. If the devil ever has authority to do what he wants to do, we have reason to fear him, but Jesus forbids that. (Luke 12:4-5) And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body (Satan and demons through men), and after that have no more that they can do. (5) But I will warn you whom ye shall fear:Fear him, who after he hath killed, hath power(Greek: “authority”)to cast into hell. We are not to be afraid of the vessels that God uses. Only God has authority to cast into hell, after He has killed. Have we ever heard it said, “God does not cast anyone into hell”? There is a shred of truth to that. The demons may cast in, but the Lord has the authority. He alone are we commanded to fear. The reason that God can tell those who follow Him to “be anxious for nothing” (Php 4:6) is because He is always in control.

God is never wrong. People blame God for the death of a loved one or some other tragedy, but He is always right in what He does. We must realize that God has bound Himself with His Word. (Psalms 119:89) For ever, O Lord, Thy word is settled in heaven. Once He says something, He must stand by it, or He is a liar and breaks His word. If He makes a condition in the Word for His benefits, we must meet that condition. The Gospel “is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth” (Romans 1:16). Can we expect God’s provisions without believing His Word? Many unbelieving “Christians” endure much hardship because they have not met the condition. Then they say, “It must not have been God’s will to deliver, heal, or bless me.” Jesus never said that God’s will was the reason His people did not receive these things. He said, “Because of your unbelief”; “As thou hastbelieved, [so]be it done unto thee”; “Thy faithhath made thee whole”;and“According to your faith be it done unto you.” In His own home town, Jesus could not do many mighty works because of their unbelief (Matthew 13:58; Mark 6:5).

If we have a problem, we should blame ourselves. (Galatians 6:7) Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. (Matthew 7:2) For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete (give out), it shall be measured unto you. If we were living in unforgiveness and yet praying for God to heal our body, would not God have to break His Word in order to heal us? (Matthew 6:15) But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. (James 5:16) Confess therefore your sins one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. Can we expect God to give to us when we will not first give? (Luke 6:38) Give and it shall be given unto you. What God does is right and righteous. Those who start out believing in the sovereignty and good purpose of God do not question God. They believe God is in control and trust Him. If we deal with the cause, we will not have to deal with the curse.

Why is it that we see the devil mentioned so seldom in the Scriptures, but yet so often he is on the lips of Christians? They are constantly saying that the devil did this, and devil did that. He is only an angel (Greek: “messenger”), but the world and the worldly church have made him a god, the “god of this world.” He is a created being used to bring to pass God’s purposes. Jesus through His sacrifice took away the devil’s “power of death” (Hebrews 2:14) for those who believe. He never had the authority of death. Authority is the right to use power. (1 Samuel 2:6) The Lord killeth, and maketh alive:He bringeth down to Sheol,and bringeth up. Death and life are in the hand of the Lord, not any other. But again, that does not negate our responsibility. (Proverbs 18:21) Death and life are in the power of the tongue. We need to be careful to agree with God’s Word that we fall not under the curse (Revelation 22:18-19). (Numbers 14:28) …As ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you. (Matthew 12:37) For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. God reacts to the way we react to His Word. Everything is subject to the Word God has spoken, even His own will. (Psalms 138:2) …thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name. God puts the Word first, as a standard to trust even above His own name, which in Hebrew means “character and authority”. God wants us to know that He puts His Word above any desire or purpose that we might think He has. But His Word is His desire and purpose.

(1 Samuel 2:7) TheLord maketh poor, and maketh rich: He bringeth low, he also lifteth up. Many Christians think that it is by their own wisdom or by hard work alone that they prosper. We are all taught from an early age that to have a prosperous life you must seek out all the worldly means to be “successful”. However, God says, “Seek ye first his kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you (Matthew 6:33). If we seek first the world, we will do without the kingdom, but if we seek first the kingdom, we will have our needs met. (Php 4:19) And my God shall supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. God will supply our every need to further His Will and kingdom in our life. He will also do this for us while we promote His kingdom in the lives of others. By the grace of God, I was doing this when God told me, “You are never going to work for man again.” The Lord showed me that I was to promote His kingdom in Pensacola, Florida. Since I had no way to buy a house and car and I had stayed away from debt for many years, I asked the Lord to freely give these to me there. Within six months, He had given me what I had asked, however, He did have me give the house and car that I had away. He has been providing for us ever since. So you see, I believe God will supply our every need. Who fed and cared for the wives and children of the disciples as they followed Jesus for 3½ years and afterwards? Paul said that they had wives in 1 Corinthians 9:5, and where there were wives there were children in those days.

Kingdom prosperity is not the world’s prosperity. (Proverbs 13:7) There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing. We have not been put here to make ourselves rich or to make the old man prosperous. We have been put here to make the spiritual man prosperous. Jesus and the disciples are our examples. They had no love for the things of the world (1 John 2:15). As much as the prosperity folks would like to make Jesus rich because of His seamless garment or to jam that camel through the eye of the needle, it cannot be done in honesty. The Lord gives authority to the devil to tempt us with riches. (Matthew 4:1) Then wasJesus led up of the Spirit into the wildernessto be tempted of the devil. (Matthew 4:8-9) Again, the devil taketh him unto an exceeding high mountain, and showeth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; (9) and he said unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. The devil offered Jesus all the things of the world if He would serve him. (Matthew 6:24) No man can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. This is God’s way of finding out who loves Him and weeding out His flock. Those who use faith to be rich are asking to be deceived. In 1 Timothy 6:5-11, the believer is commanded to be content with food and covering and to flee the love of money which leads astray from the faith with the temptations of many foolish and hurtful lusts. The rich hoard up someone else’s food and supplies for vanity. According to God, there is just enough supply on earth to feed everyone. (Ecclesiastes 5:11) When goods increase, they are increased that eat them; and what advantage is there to the owner thereof, save thebeholding [of them] with his eyes? Starving people will point their fingers on judgment day.

God sent the curses to motivate men to repent and obey Him. Here is the portion of the curse that indicates who sent it. (Deuteronomy 28:15) But it shall come to pass,if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day, thatall these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee. (Deuteronomy 28:20-22) The Lord will send upon thee cursing, discomfiture, and rebuke, in all that thou puttest thy hand unto to do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the evil of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken me. (21) The Lord will make the pestilence cleave unto thee, until he have consumed thee from off the land, whither thou goest in to possess it. (22) The Lord will smite thee with consumption, and with fever, and with inflammation, and with fiery heat, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish. (Deuteronomy 28:24-25) The Lord will make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed. (25) The Lord will cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies; thou shalt go out one way against them, and shalt flee seven ways before them: and thou shalt be tossed to and fro among all the kingdoms of the earth. (Deuteronomy 28:27-28) The Lord will smite thee with the boil of Egypt, and with the emerods, and with the scurvy, and with the itch, whereof thou canst not be healed. (28) The Lord will smite thee with madness, and with blindness, and with astonishment of heart; (Deuteronomy 28:35-36) The Lord will smite thee in the knees, and in the legs, with a sore boil, whereof thou canst not be healed, from the sole of thy foot unto the crown of thy head. (36) The Lord will bring thee, and thy king whom thou shalt set over thee, unto a nation that thou hast not known, thou nor thy fathers; and there shalt thou serve others gods, wood and stone.

Notice that the Lord will send the curse. Why is it that the worldly church says that God does not do these things? Why and how does God do this? (Deuteronomy 28:47-48) Because thou servedst not the Lordthy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, by reason of the abundance of all things; (48)therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies that the Lord shall send against thee. God uses enemies to administer the curse on the rebellious. It is black or white. If we are not serving the Lord, we are serving our enemies that the Lord sends. The Lord sends the curse and the enemy for chastening. That is the part the devil, demons, and the wicked play. It is the Lord taking credit, so we know we have to fear the Lord, and serve Him with joyfulness and a glad heart, by reason of abundance of all things.

Some might think their particular curse is not listed in Deuteronomy 28 and is, therefore, not under the Lord’s dominion. (Deuteronomy 28:61) Alsoevery sickness, and every plague, which is not written in the book of this law, them will the Lord bring upon thee, until thou be destroyed. OOPS! (Proverbs 3:7) …Fear the Lord, and depart from evil. Those who fear and repent have every right to claim the sacrifice of Jesus for deliverance from the curse. (Galatians 3:13-14) Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us; for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: (14) that upon the Gentiles might come the blessing of Abraham in Christ Jesus. What was the blessing of Abraham? (Genesis 24:1) …And the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things. Glory to God! The entire curse that was due us was put on Jesus. All we have to do is repent and believe. We have been blessed in all things.

(Numbers 14:11-12) And the Lord said unto Moses, How long will this people despise me? andhow long will they not believe in me, for all the signs which I have wrought among them? (12) I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a nation greater and mightier than they. It is not as though we do not have an example of God doing this. In Noah’s day, God did just that and repopulated His earth with Noah’s sons. Our text is speaking about the time when the twelve spies entered into Canaan’s land. God had promised Canaan’s land to His people. It was “The Promised Land.” The ten spies brought back the evil report that they were not able to go up and take the land from the Canaanites. This angered God because He had told them that He had given them this land.

Canaan’s land is a “type” of our body. Both that land and our body are made from dirt. (1 Corinthians 3:9) For we are God’s fellow-workers: ye are God’s husbandry (Greek: “tilled land”), God’s building. God wants the fruit of Christ, the spiritual man, to grow up in His land. God warns those who have partaken of His Spirit and Word to not fall away as land that does not bear fruit. (Hebrews 6:7-8) For the land which hath drunk the rain (Spirit and Word) that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them for whose sake it is also tilled, receiveth blessing from God: (8) but if it beareth thorns and thistles, it is rejected and nigh unto a curse; whose end is to be burned. God curses the land that does not bear fruit. For those who have been born again, God has given us this land (body) to be totally controlled by the spiritual man. God sent the Israelite, the spiritual, born again man, to take the Promised Land from the Canaanites, who represented the lusts of the flesh, the old man. The names of the tribes of Canaan in Hebrew describe the lusts of the flesh (Genesis 10:15-18). Their kings represent the principalities and powers that rule over the flesh.

Today, ten out of twelve ministers bring the evil report that we are not able to take this land. They teach that we should be satisfied to be forgiven but that we cannot expect to be sanctified of the lusts of the flesh in order to rule this land for God. In this type, God is clearly telling us to take up the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word (Hebrews 4:12), put to death the old man that lives in our land, take over his house, and raise our own crops (fruit of the Spirit). (2 Corinthians 7:1) Having therefore these promises (sword of the Word), beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. God would not tell us to do something that we cannot do by faith in Him. (Galatians 2:20) I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I (the old man or Canaanite) that live, but Christ (the new man or Israelite) living in me. To those who do not believe the good report, God “will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them.”

Joshua and Caleb believed that the Promised Land was theirs and that they could take it from the Canaanite. (Numbers 14:9) Only rebel not against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defense is removed from over them, and the Lord is with us: fear them not. The old man is bread for the new man. The spiritual man grows as he devours the old man. Since they occupy the same territory, the old man has got to die so that the spiritual man can live and grow. For those who believe, the Lord has removed the defense of the old man.

(Joshua 1:3) Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, to you have I given it, as I spake unto Moses. The Word of God is also a type of the land of promise. Every promise that we stand on, God is going to give it to us. I am not a denominational person, but I have shared in these churches. It is clear to me that each sect believes a portion of the Word, which yields the promised benefit. Members of these sects are being delivered to believe increasingly more of the Word and consequently to receive increasingly more of the benefits. Today much of what we hear in the churches is the evil report. Their thinking is that we cannot act in faith that God will heal, provide, sanctify, or deliver from the curse because we do not know His Will. To them I say, “Get in the Word and find out His Will so that you do not do without.” God in His sovereignty says, “To you have I given it.”

(Genesis 7:4) For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living thing that I have made willI destroy from off the face of the ground. Why would God destroy the whole earth? (Genesis 6:12) And God saw the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth. So it is in our day. (Matthew 24:37) And as [were] the days of Noah, so shall be the coming of the Son of man. Today if we say that God is the one that is causing the destruction that is coming, people would be offended. Until our mind is renewed with the Word, we think that man is basically good and not deserving of such treatment. God is about to prove the fallacy of this thinking.

God sees man as a beast. Man, obviously, is capable of things that even beasts do not do. Contrary to the apostate theologians, man has no preeminence above the beasts. (Ecclesiastes 3:18-19) I said in my heart, It is because of the sons of men, that God may prove them, and that they may see that they themselves are but as beasts. (19) …yea, they have all one breath (Hebrew: “spirit”); and man hath no preeminence above the beasts. Notice that unregenerate man is one spirit with the beasts. Some say that beasts do not have spirits, which is also false. (Ecclesiastes 3:21) Who knoweth the spirit of man, whether it goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast, whether it goeth downward to the earth? As you can see, all beasts do not go down and all men do not go up. “Breath” in these verses is the Hebrew word for the spirit of beasts (Genesis 7:22; Psalms 104:29-30). They say that man is a higher creation because he has a soul and the beasts do not. False! (Genesis 1:30) And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the heavens, and to everything that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life (Hebrew: “soul” [see also: Job 12:10; Leviticus 17:11]).

God says that unregenerate man is no higher than an animal. (Ephesians 2:3) Among whomwe alsoall once lived in the lust of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind, andwere by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. Before we knew God, the only good thing about us is that we made good dirt for God to throw His seed into. Our dirt is no better than the next man’s dirt. (Romans 9:21) Or hath not the potter a right over the clay,from thesame lump to make one part a vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor? Individually, we ask, “God, why would you choose me?” It is purely election. We think, “There has got to be something different about me.” Well, maybe a few things. (1 Corinthians 1:27-29) But God chose the foolish… the weak… (28) the base… and the…despised, did God choose… (29) that no flesh should glory before God. Our old man is no better than the pagan’s old man, who will never know God and will reject Him all of his life. God chose our old man to be a surrogate mother for His spiritual man that He sows in us by the Word from above. That is the old fleshly man’s primary value to God. God does not want the fleshly old man but the fruit that is born in him. (1 Corinthians 15:50) …Flesh and blood can not inherit the kingdom of God. (John 3:3) Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except one be born anew (Greek: “from above”), he cannot see the kingdom of God. The Lord destroyed all mankind except Noah and seven others! (Genesis 6:8) Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. That means he did not earn or merit God’s salvation. It is only those who have found grace through faith and are bringing forth the fruit that are building the ark of Jesus. The judgments on Egypt were a type of the tribulation judgments coming on the world. In the Exodus, only those who ate all of the Passover Lamb, which was a type of Christ, were passed over in judgment (Exodus 12:9-11, Exodus 12:29-31). They had to “let nothing of it remain until the morning.” “Its head (mind) with its legs (walk) and with the inwards thereof (heart)” had to be eaten. Those who take into their being all that Christ is and does through faith in the promises are passed over by the curse of sin and death. (Exodus 12:23) Forthe Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side-posts,the Lord will pass overthe door,and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you. Contrary to popular opinion, it was the Lord who passed over the Israelites who lived under the blood and slew the Egyptians. The destroyer was on His leash. The moral of the story is fear the Lord and live under the blood through faith. (Psalms 91:1) He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

(Psalms 111:10) The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. If we are obedient, we need not fear. Fear is only a means to an end. When we are willfully disobedient, we need the fear of God. Sins of ignorance (Romans 5:13; Romans 7:8-9) and sins of failure (Romans 7:19-25) are under the blood. However, we cannot claim the sacrificial benefits if we walk in premeditated sin. (Hebrews 10:26-27) Forif we sin willfullyafter that we have receivedtheknowledge of the truth,there remainethno more a sacrifice for sins, (27) but acertain fearful expectation of judgment.... Jesus bore all sin; He also bore the penalty for all sin, except willful disobedience. Notice that there is “no more a sacrifice” for that sin. We should have “acertain fearful expectation of judgment.” Many have been lied to about the cleansing of the blood. (1 John 1:7) But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanseth us from all sin. The blood cleanses the one who walks in the light of the Word, not in the darkness of willful disobedience. For willful disobedience, we are promised certain judgment. We pay the penalty for this sin here and now, as in the following verses: (Matthew 18:34-35) And his lord was wroth, anddelivered him to the tormentors (demons), tillhe shouldpay all that was due. (35) So shall also my heavenly Father do unto you, if ye forgive not every one his brother from your hearts. God will use the demons to make us pay for a sin of the will. (Matthew 5:25-26) Agree with thine adversary quickly, while thou art with him in the way; lest haply the adversary deliver thee to the judge (God), and the judge deliver thee to the officer (demon), and thou be cast into prison. (26) Verily I say unto thee, thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou have paid the last farthing. The prison here is spiritual bondage to sin and the curse, administered by the demons. Jesus came “…to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening [of the prison] to them that are bound” (Isaiah 61:1). Willful disobedience throws us back into the prison from which Jesus delivered us.

David sinned willfully with Bathsheba. When he repented, Nathan the prophet said, “The Lord also hath put away thy sin” (2 Samuel 12:13), but he also said, “The sword shall never depart from thy house” (2 Samuel 12:10). In other words, I forgive you but you will have to pay the penalty. This proved true, for David lost three sons and many people. His own son Absalom won the sympathy of the people and usurped the kingdom. David had to flee for his life. We do not spank our children for failure or mistakes, but for willful disobedience. Paul said, “For the good which I would I do not: but the evil which I would not (willed not), that I practice. But if what I would not (willed not), that I do,it is no more I that do it, but sin which dwelleth in me” (Romans 7:19-20). Paul was failing God in a sin that his will was against. Notice that he hated the sin and was not accounted guilty; the old sin nature was guilty. When we are against the sin, God takes our side against the sin. He takes the side of the spiritual man against the old man. In this state, Paul cried out to the Lord. (Romans 7:24-25) Wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me out of the body of this death? Then he accepted God’s promise of deliverance by faith. (25) Ithank God through Jesus Christour Lord. Jesus bore the curse of the sin for a person who, like Paul, is repentant.

(Luke 14:33) So thereforewhosoever he be of you that renounceth not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. Jesus did not say that we have to sell everything that we have, but we do have to renounce everything that we have. That is different. We have to renounce ownership. We are no longer an owner or ruler of our rights, will, or property; we are now stewards. Our commitment to God needs to be total. We need to put everything into God’s hands and let Him tell us what to do with it. I believe that is what Ananias and Sapphira’s story is about. (Acts 5:1-4) But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, (2) and kept back [part] of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles’ feet. (3) But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thy heart to lie to the Holy Spirit, and to keep back [part] of the price of the land? (4) While it remained, did it not remain thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thy power? How is it that thou hast conceived this thing in thy heart? thou has not lied unto men, but unto God. In a time when the church was giving up all luxuries in order to meet the needs of the brethren, these two acted as though they were doing likewise. They thought that they were lying to man, but they were lying to the Lord. (Matthew 25:40) …Inasmuch as ye did it unto one of these my brethren, [even] these least, ye did it unto me. Their commitment to the body was not what they wanted people to believe. As a result, God struck them dead. (Acts 5:5) And Ananias hearing these words fell down and gave up the ghost: and great fear came upon all that heard it. Then Sapphira came in. (Acts 5:9-10) But Peter [said] unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to try the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them that have buried thy husband are at the door, and they shall carry thee out. (10) And she fell down immediately at his feet, and gave up the ghost. God, through Peter, spoke a prophetic word that gave authority to Satan to kill them.

I am convinced that this is happening today. Since people see only natural reasons for death, they do not think that God is responsible, and therefore do not fear. God uses natural methods. Who knows what killed Ananias and Sapphira? Maybe they died from heart attacks. Some in the church today get sick and die for the same reason, lack of honest commitment to God and the body of Christ. Their sin is defiling the body. Their death may not be as dramatic as that of Ananias and Sapphira. In those days, God was honoring and defending a pure church; not so today. Many tares came into the Church as Jesus said would happen. “Church” means “called-out ones.” It is not a building full of uncommitted people. A great fear came upon the church of Ananias’ day. They saw the hand of God on hypocrites trying to falsely join those who were separated from the world. (Acts 5:11) And great fear came upon the whole church, and upon all that heard these things. Even the lost feared God and His people. They had enough respect not to join them without Christian commitment. (Acts 5:13-14) But of the rest durst no man join himself to them: howbeit the people magnified them; (14) and believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women. The Church in these last days through tribulation will once again be holy. God will defend her from the pollutions of the worldly. Many will be added to the Lord.

Some who were coming together for the Lord’s Supper in Corinth were disrespecting the body, living after the lusts of their flesh. They filled themselves up on the bread and getting drunk on the wine while the poor brethren did without (1 Corinthians 11:20-22). Paul had to remind them that this was not just a ceremony. (1 Corinthians 11:26) For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink the cup, ye proclaim (show forth) the Lord’s death till he come. When we eat the bread and drink the cup, we are saying, “We are partaking in the body and blood of Christ. We are partaking in His death and life.” When they claimed to be under this commitment, but their greedy actions proved the opposite, God brought judgment upon them. (1 Corinthians 11:27-30) Wherefore whosoever shall eat the bread or drink the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall beguilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. (28) But let a man prove (examine) himself, and so let him eat of the bread, and drink of the cup. (29) For he that eateth and drinketh, eateth and drinketh judgment unto himself, if hediscern not the body. (30) For this cause many among you are weak and sickly, and not a few sleep (died). They were being chastened and some died. They were not truly being an example of the Lord’s death while their flesh was so obviously alive. They were neither considering the body of Christ nor their conscience. (1 Corinthians 11:31-32) Butif we discern ourselves, we should not be judged. (32) But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world. Most of the Church considers sickness and death torments of the devil rather than chastening from the Lord, therefore, they have no reason to repent.

God is just as able to defend those who are obedient. He prepared a spiritual ark in Zion when the enemy came in like a flood and conquered Israel and Judah (2 Kings 18:11, 2 Kings 18:13). Just as in the case of Noah, a remnant escaped to repopulate God’s land. (2 Kings 19:30-31) And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward. (31) For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and out of mount Zion they that shall escape: the zeal of the Lord shall perform this. Those who were in this ark were safe from the rushing of the floodwaters. The things that have been are the things that will be (Ecclesiastes 1:9). History must repeat so get in the ark of safety. (2 Kings 19:35) And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the Lordwent forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyriansa hundred fourscore and five thousand:and when men arose early in the morning, behold,these were all dead bodies. The Lord killed 185,000 who did not know Him. That is not even a big city today. Oklahoma City grieved over the deaths of less than 200 people, in a city with a population of over 500,000. We look at this as a terrible thing, and it is. But the Lord is right when He does this, as right as He was in Noah’s day. Those in the Murrah Building or the World Trade Center Towers who abided in the ark of Christ could not die. Some just changed addresses! Heaven is not bad, folks. Those people are happy in the arms of Jesus. (Psalms 116:15) Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. Some in those catastrophes escaped physically as those in Zion or the ark. They were warned not to go or miraculously escaped. This will happen for many who are not under the curse through faith in the promises. Many have had dreams or visions of cities and nations being nuked. Over sixteen million people live in the greater New York area for example. Many will one day be killed in the first real world war. (Jeremiah 25:32-33) Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great tempest shall be raised up from the uttermost parts of the earth. (33) And the slain of the Lord shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the face of the ground. Notice that the Lord takes credit for cleansing the earth of the wicked.

(Revelation 5:1-5) And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the back, close sealed with seven seals. (2) And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a great voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? These seals are the seals of judgment that will wipe out much of mankind. (3) And no one in the heaven, or on the earth, or under the earth, was able to open the book, or to look thereon. (4) And I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open the book, or to look thereon: (5) and one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not; behold, the Lion that is of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath overcome to open the book and the seven seals thereof. The Book of Revelation prophesies about judgments that will kill a quarter of mankind (Revelation 6:8), and later a third of mankind (Revelation 9:15, Revelation 9:18), and still later all of the wicked (Revelation 20:7-9, Revelation 20:15). In Revelation 5, John was crying because no one had been found worthy to open the seals of judgment. Then he was told that Jesus, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, had overcome and was found worthy to loose the seals of judgment. Why is it so important to kill so many? It is because of the world’s treatment of God’s people. (Revelation 6:9-10) And when he opened the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of them that had been slain for the Word of God, and for the testimony which they held: (10) and they cried with a great voice, saying, How long, O Master, the holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? At this time, the earth will have become polarized and there will be an orgy of persecution against the saints. The saints themselves will be pleading for God to wipe out this worldwide beast who will be making war on His people. In 1 Samuel 4, the Israelites and the Philistines were at war. The Lord showed me that this is a type for our lives. The Philistines represent the carnal or fleshly man, and the Israelites represent the spiritual man. These two men are constantly at war. (Galatians 5:17) For theflesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are contrary the one to the other;that yemay not do the things that ye would. In 1 Samuel 4:11, the Philistines captured the Ark of the Covenant. The Israelite is the rightful possessor of the Ark of the Covenant. If we are saved, our “Ark of the Covenant” is our spirit because inside our spirit is the presence of God. In this war, the Philistines captured the Ark. The five Philistine lords tried to park the Ark in each of their five leading cities. In every city to which they took the Ark, the curse of God would fall on the people, and the people would get tumors and die. When our carnal (fleshly) man takes the Ark of the Covenant where he wants, instead of where our spiritual man should take it, the judgment of God falls on us. Sometimes even death! This is the curse of sin and death. (1 Samuel 5:6) But thehand of the Lord was heavy upon themof Ashdod, andhe destroyed them, and smote them with tumors,even Ashdod and the borders thereof. It is God’s hand and His curse that He uses to turn us from going our own way instead of following the Ark. Everywhere that the carnal man took the Ark of the Covenant, the curse of God was evident. “The way of transgressor is hard” (Proverbs 13:15).

(Romans 8:13-14) For if ye live after the flesh, ye must die... (14) For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. When the Ark leads us, we are sons, and when we lead it, we are cursed. The Ark led Israel through the wilderness, just as we are to be led through this world. God uses the carrot and stick method. The five lords of the Philistines represent the five senses that rule the carnal man. When we walk after the flesh, we are walking after our carnal senses instead of our spiritual senses. (2 Corinthians 5:7) For we walk by faith, not by sight. The Bible teaches us that maturity is having our “senses exercised to discern good and evil” (Hebrews 5:14). This is what Jesus called having eyes to see and ears to hear. There are brethren in the kingdom of heaven of all spiritual ages. When you came to the Lord, you were so eager to find out about Him. It was God when you woke up and God when you went to bed. It was God who was on your mind all day long. Right! That intense desire to know and serve God is never supposed to leave us. That is walking after the Spirit. Your interest is God. In this type, the curse on the carnal man for taking dominion over the spirit eventually brought repentance. (1 Samuel 5:10-12) And it came to pass, as the ark of God came to Ekron, that the Ekronites cried out saying, They have brought about the ark of the God of Israel to us, to slay us and our people. (11) They sent therefore and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines, and they said, Send away the ark of God of Israel, and let it go again to its own place, that it slay us not, and our people. For there was a deadly discomfiture throughout all the city; the hand of God was very heavy there. (12) And the men that died not were smitten with the tumors; and the cry of the city went up to heaven. Notice that the “hand of God” was against the carnal man who took authority over the Ark of God. We are the temple of God. We are not to take His temple where He does not want to go or do with it as we like. They sent the Ark back with a sin offering for the five lords and the carnal men of the five cities that they ruled over. Then the curse was lifted.

Remember how we saw that God used Satan to move David to number Israel? (2 Samuel 24:1) And again the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them, saying, Go, number Israel and Judah. Then God brought judgment for the sin that He moved David to do. (2 Samuel 24:15) So the Lord sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning even to the time appointed; and there died of the people from Dan even to Beersheba seventy thousand men. Christians have thought that putting good men over them would in many ways keep them from judgment. When God was angered with Israel, He moved David, “a man after His own heart,” to bring them into a place of judgment where God killed 70,000 Israelites. There is no possible way we can insulate ourselves from judgment if we need it. If God can use a good man, just think what He can do with the apostate leadership the Church has now! The leadership in this land is here to bring us into judgment. They are putting people to sleep with their prosperity, all fly away, and once-saved-always-saved doctrines. They are here to keep people pacified until they fall off the edge, having never become disciples of Jesus. Everyone who is deceived by these leaders will be without excuse because they have had the Book. If we trust in man, we are in trouble.

God judges those who take credit for His work. (Acts 12:21-23) And upon a set day Herod arrayed himself in royal apparel, and sat on the throne, and made an oration unto them. (22) And the people shouted, saying, The voice of a god, and not of a man. (23) And immediately an angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: andhe was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost. As I was meditating on these verses, I came to the conclusion that our priorities are messed up. Herod had killed John the Baptist and James, and now he was persecuting the Church. God did not kill Herod for these seemingly very good reasons. Herod was killed for taking the glory that belongs to God. God’s purpose was fulfilled in these deaths and persecutions. God does not get angry when His purpose is fulfilled. Jesus said that we have to lose our life to gain our life. This losing of our old life can be the death of the flesh as we live or the death of the flesh when we physically die. (Psalms 116:15) Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. God is not going to cry over the death of the flesh in His saints. He is going to rejoice to now have perfect fellowship with them in the kingdom because the flesh is dead. Jesus used the term “enter into life” (Matthew 18:8) concerning the death of the saints. It is so foolish to question God when we do not see the big picture as He does. (Isaiah 57:1-2) The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart; and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil [to come]. (2) He entereth into peace; they rest in their beds, each one that walketh in his uprightness. The most important death to us is the death of the carnal man, who is the enemy of God (Romans 8:7). The spiritual man is being released from bondage as he dies. God let Herod live while he was crucifying the flesh of His saints. He killed him because he glorified himself instead of God. In another way, death is the enemy of the spiritual man while we live. Those who are born again but walk after the flesh will spiritually be “twice dead, plucked up by the roots” (Jude 1:12). You have to be twice born to be twice dead. These people in their falling away “crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh” (Hebrews 6:6). How can we crucify Jesus again? It says “to themselves.” In us the spiritual man is “Christ in you.” Christ is put to death in us when we give life to the carnal man by obeying him. (Romans 8:13) For if ye live after the flesh, ye must die. Whichever man we obey we strengthen. Have you ever heard of the black dog–white dog scenario? If you feed the white dog (spirit), he whips the black dog (flesh), but if you feed the black dog (flesh), he whips the white dog (spirit).

While Paul was preaching to the proconsul, a false prophet called Elymas was withstanding him. (Acts 13:9-12) But Saul, who is also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, fastened his eyes on him (10) and said, O full of all guile and all villainy, thou son of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord? (11) And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand. (12)Then the proconsul, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord. The proconsul received a “teaching of the Lord” by seeing Elymas struck blind for standing in the way of the Gospel. We do not get any teaching of the Lord, if we think that the devil is responsible. The “hand of the Lord” was upon Elymas. This teaching convinced the proconsul to not resist the Gospel for himself or those under his authority, and the Gospel prospered. Who makes people dumb or deaf or blind? God picked Moses, who according to his own confession was not a man of eloquent words. But God assured him that He was the one who made his mouth and that He could make it work. (Exodus 4:11) And the Lord said unto him, Who hath made man’s mouth? Or who maketh a man dumb, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? God takes credit for making people dumb, deaf, seeing, or blind. If we steer around these Scriptures, we end up not only with a different God, but also without the necessary fear of Him. With this thinking, God’s people get more stiff-necked, or hardened to God’s chastening. Ultimately, false teachers and the curse ruin their lives.

If you or someone you know has one of these infirmities and are tempted to be angry with God because of this revelation, remember that God works all things together for our good. We all have things to overcome; these things can make us both humble and strong. Some have spiritual difficulties while others have physical difficulties. Muscles gain strength by resistance. Conquering these curses by faith will make us strong. We have to overcome the thinking that it is the will of God to keep these infirmities. God made Moses’ mouth, and He would make it speak for him. (Psalms 34:19) Many are the afflictions of the righteous; But the Lord delivereth him out of them all. We must have the same Jesus as we see in the Word. (Hebrews 13:8) Jesus Christ [is] the same yesterday and today, [yea] and for ever. Jesus healed these infirmities in the Gospels, and He heals them today. My wife and I were both healed of eye infirmities. Several in our assembly no longer wear glasses.

(Leviticus 14:33-35) And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, (34) When ye are come into the land of Canaan, which I give to you for a possession, and I put the plague of leprosy in a house of the land of your possession; (35) then he that owneth the house shall come and tell the priest, saying, There seemeth to me to be as it were a plague in the house. In Leviticus 14:49-53, a sacrificial atonement is made for this leprous house that is the same as the atonement for a man with leprosy in Leviticus 14:4-7. That lets us know that this house symbolizes the natural man that we live in. The Scriptures elsewhere teach that men need atonement or covering for sin, which is what leprosy symbolizes. Leprosy corrupts a man much like sin. The owner of the house would have to call a priest to inspect the house. The infected stones were removed and thrown in an unclean place without the city. New stones were put in and the whole house was scraped (Leviticus 14:40-42). The house was then reinspected. If the leprosy had spread, the entire house ultimately was torn down and all the stones discarded (Leviticus 14:45). Does that sound like something God might do with the unfaithful who have been taken over by sin? First, we have to confess the sin in our house and deal with it. Then the bad stones need to be replaced with new stones. Finally, the mortar of the house was scraped inside and out to make sure there was no trace of the leprosy. We need to do likewise. (2 Corinthians 7:1) Having therefore these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. The scrapings of sin were discarded in an unclean place without the city. Later, if the priest reinspected and found the leprosy (sin) throughout the house, the only way to finally get rid of the leprosy (sin) was to destroy the whole house and dump it in the unclean place without the city. Some obvious verses come to mind. (Revelation 22:14-15) Blessed are theythat wash their robes, that they may have the right [to come] to the tree of life, and may enter in by the gatesinto the city. (15) Without are the dogs, and the sorcerers, and the fornicators, and the murderers, and the idolaters, and every one that loveth and maketh a lie. (Matthew 7:26-27) And every one that heareth these words of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand: (27) and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and smote upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall thereof. This is all God’s plan to prove who will be counted worthy of the kingdom. Those who truly believe the Word will use it to be sanctified and will keep His commandments.

(Matthew 13:37-38) …He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; (38) and the field is the world; andthe good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; andthe tares are the sons of the evil [one]. We are likened to seeds sown in the world. The dirt of this world represents corruption, and yet it is Jesus’ carefully tilled soil, created to kill the husk of the seed so that the life within will come forth. All the dirt is involved in God’s plan, including the wicked. Those who insult us and persecute us are part of this dirt. Even the people that fall away are part of God’s plan because they are an example and a warning to the righteous.

(Lamentations 3:25-26) TheLord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. (26) It is good that a man should hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord. We should patiently wait under the dirt of many adverse situations, for the time will come that the Lord will save us if we walk by faith. (Lamentations 3:27-29) It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. When we are young in the Lord, we tend to act more impulsively instead of patiently enduring the yoke of the dirt of corruption around us. (28) Let him sit alone and keep silence, becausehe hath laid it upon him. Let us not fight with the dirt. God has put this yoke upon us for the seed to bear fruit. (29) Let him put his mouth in the dust, if so be there may be hope. In other words, let us speak humbly so that there may be hope of deliverance from the yoke of the corruption around us. (30) Let him give his cheek to him that smiteth him; let him be filled full with reproach. Many are not cooperating with God’s plan; they are disobedient to Jesus’ commands to “resist not him that is evil” (Matthew 5:39) and to “turn the other cheek.” This is part of God’s plan, to humble us and crucify the old nature in us. It is part of the yoke. (Lamentations 3:31) For the Lord will not cast off forever. There are times when it seems like the Lord has forgotten us. Yes, but we would not want Him to dig us up before we sprout!

(Lamentations 3:32-33) For thoughhe cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his loving kindnesses. (33) Forhe doth not afflict willingly (Hebrew: “from the heart”), nor grieve the children of men. God is not taking pleasure in the judgment of the wicked or the chastening of His children. God is doing many things that pain Him, but He is doing them to bring about the necessary end. When we see God taking the credit for all these things, do not think that God is hard. If we do, it is because our understanding is still incomplete.

He takes no pleasure in the creation or destruction of the wicked, but He does take credit for both. (Proverbs 16:4) The Lord hath made everything for its own end (Some manuscripts say: forHis own purpose.): Yea, even the wicked for the day of evil. The wicked are necessary to be examples of God’s righteous judgment and to chasten the elect in the “day of evil”. To God, the few who are righteous are worth far more than a whole world full of the wicked. The Bible says, “The wicked are a ransom for the righteous” (Proverbs 21:18). A ransom is the price that must be paid for someone’s freedom. God has determined that the creation of the wicked is a price that must be paid to bring the righteous out of bondage. (Matthew 24:9) Then shall they deliver you up unto tribulation, and shall kill you: andye shall be hated of all the nations for my name’s sake. We are hated so that the name (Greek: “character and authority”) of the Lord may be manifest in us. This is exactly what God did to the Egyptians’ hearts in order to separate Israel from them. (Psalms 105:25)He turned their heart to hate his people, to deal subtly with his servants. God will cause the world to hate us for His “name’s sake”. God’s nature is manifest in those who are separated from the world through tribulation. When He is through doing this work in our life, He delivers us. (Psalms 106:10) And he saved them from the hand of him that hated them, and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.

(Job 5:17-18) Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth. Therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty. (18) For he maketh sore. And bindeth up; He woundeth, and his hands make whole. Our God is sovereignly, intimately involved in our upbringing. He has not left us to the “free will” of evil. He works all things together for our good. Correction in the form of making sore or wounding comes from His loving hands, and after we have been corrected, He will bind up our wounds and make us whole. Happy is the man who will be corrected easily, by God’s Word instead of His chastening. (Proverbs 29:19) A servant will not be corrected by words; for though he understand, he will not give heed. The foolish will not be corrected and will continue to bring destruction on themselves. God must turn us in our short lives and before we wreak havoc on ourselves and others. For lack of repentance many must sadly be taken out. God sent the curse, and God sent Jesus to deliver us. These are two hands of the same loving Father. (Psalms 90:3) Thou turnest man to destruction, And sayest, Return, ye children of men.

Many churches teach that God uses wounds and judgment to bring people to a place of humbleness, but that is where they stop. They leave the poor chastened person without hope of deliverance. What father chastens without end? And if he does, it is because there is no repentance. (Psalms 34:17-19) [The righteous] cried, and the Lord heard, And delivered them out ofall their troubles. (18) The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart, and saveth such as are of a contrite spirit. (19) Many are the afflictions of the righteous; but the Lord delivereth him out of them all. If we believe that the Lord delivers from all troubles, then in this regard we are justified or reckoned righteous.

Justification or righteousness is by faith. (Romans 4:3) For what saith the scripture? And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned unto him for righteousness. Abraham believed that God would give him a son. Did that have anything to do with salvation? No! God called him righteous because he believed His promise. That was it. God justifies or accounts us righteous for believing His promises. People have tied this justification only to initial salvation rather than the continual deliverance of the soul from corrupt thinking. We need to be justified in all areas of our life, which is what the promises cover. Justification concerning a promise is necessary in order to have it fulfilled. (Romans 4:18) Who in hope believedagainst hope,to the end that he might become a father of many nations… (Romans 4:20-22) yet, looking unto the promise of God, hewavered not through unbelief,butwaxed strong through faith, giving glory to God, (21) and being fully assured that what he had promised, he was able also to perform. (22) Wherefore also it was reckoned unto him for righteousness. What God promised, Abraham believed and therefore was entitled to. God spoke through Elizabeth to Mary.

(Luke 1:45) Andblessed [is] she that believed; for there shall be a fulfillment of the things which have been spoken to her from the Lord. None of the promises will be fulfilled if we do not believe them. Justification has to come first. (Romans 5:1-2) Being therefore justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ; (2) through whom also we have hadour access by faith into this grace wherein we stand. Faith in the promises gives us access to grace for salvation, healing, provision, or deliverance from the curse. Anytime we are standing in the grace, we are there because we are justified by our faith. When we agree with the Word of God, even before we see it come to pass, God calls us justified or righteous, therefore, we get the blessing of the righteous. (Galatians 3:13-14)Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us; for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: (14) that upon the Gentiles might come the blessing of Abrahamin Christ Jesus;that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. It does not honor God for us to bear a curse that He says was put on Jesus. It angers God that many self-righteously keep a curse because of a false humility, therefore, Jesus suffered their curse for nothing. Those with true humility believe the promises.

(Exodus 15:26) And he said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lordthy God, and wilt do that which is right in his eyes, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases upon thee, which I have put upon the Egyptians: forI am the Lord that healeth thee. The condition for divine health is being humble to God’s Word. God is taking credit for the diseases that the Egyptians get as well as the Israelites. Yet, much of the Church is saying sickness is not from God. They have a one-handed God of blessing only. They reason that Jesus “went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him” (Acts 10:38), which is true. The devil has a legal right to oppress the sinner and the unbelieving “Christian”, but Jesus has a legal right to deliver the repentant believer. The curse is to motivate us to listen to God’s Word and keep the commandments. We cannot pick and choose verses if we want the truth. We have to believe them all and fit them together.

God shares with us what it is to be a good Father. His tough love approach brings pain to the flesh, which causes us to count the cost and to turn before it is too late. (Proverbs 22:15) Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; But the rod of correction shall drive it far from him. (Proverbs 13:24)He that spareth his rod hateth his son; But he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes. (Proverbs 23:14) Thou shalt beat him with the rod, And shalt deliver his soul from Sheol. The “He” in verse (Proverbs 13:24) can be speaking of God or of us. The one who avoids chastening his children “hateth” them. The chastening curse is God’s love toward us. When we are carnal, love does not motivate us, and when we are ignorant, fear does not motivate us. If pain is the only thing that motivates us to stop sinning and start believing, then that is what is necessary, considering that the alternative is damnation.

Jesus, hearing of Lazarus’ death said, “This is not unto death, but for the glory of God” (John 11:4). God always does things for more than one reason. The primary reason for Lazarus’ death was “for the glory of God,” so that the works of God might be seen. We see the purpose that is right under our noses, but God has other, higher motives. (John 9:1-2) And as he passed by, he saw a man blind from his birth. (2) And his disciples asked him, saying, Rabbi, who sinned (Greek: “who was sinning”) this man, or his parents, that he should be born blind? They were suspecting a specific sin that these people were doing that would cause this man to be born blind. Do you know what the religious leaders said to this man after he was healed? (John 9:34) They answered and said unto him, Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out. Did they think that because they were Pharisees or Sadducees, they were not born in sin? No, they were not quite that arrogant.

What was different about this man that caused them to say, “Thou wast altogether born in sins”? Paul said, “All have sinned and have come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Do you suppose it might have had anything to do with a sin that they knew was common to those born blind? It could be that they thought venereal disease caused most blindness. According to Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible, “The blindness from birth spoken of in the Bible was probably opthalmia neonatorum (gonorrhea of the eyes). This has been the prime cause of infantile blindness for centuries.” Listen to what Jesus said. (John 9:3) Jesus answered, Neither did this man sin, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. Jesus was not saying this man and his parents were the first sinless family on earth, for “there is none righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10). God’s primary purpose for this man’s blindness was not because of his sins but for people to see the miracles of God. The secondary purpose was sin.

Jesus commanded a lame man to take up his bed and walk. (John 5:14) Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing befall thee. That does not sound like Jesus believed that sickness or the curse would come upon you if you had no sin. How can the curse of sin (Deuteronomy 28) come on a man that is not a sinner?

Some would argue that Job had not sinned because God called him “a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and turneth away from evil” (Job 1:8). Job also denied that he was guilty of any outward immorality, which was true. His three friends were wrong to accuse him because “they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job” (Job 32:3). God rebuked them for not speaking the truth and commanded them to sacrifice (Job 42:7-9). The fourth man Elihu addressed Job for six chapters and was never corrected by God (Job 32-37). His assessment of Job was that “he justified himself rather than God” (Job 32:2). To this, God Himself agreed in His address to Job. (Job 40:8) Wilt thou even annul my judgment? Wilt thou condemn me, that thou mayest be justified? God corrected Job for four chapters (Job 38-41). Job “was righteous in his own eyes” (Job 32:1).

How does Job’s self-righteousness square with God’s first opinion of him as an upright man? God was speaking faith about Job because of his right standing through blood sacrifice. (Romans 4:17) …God, who giveth life to the dead and calleth the things that are not as though they were. He declares the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10). God speaks faith about us as His method of creation. As we walk in the light we have, God calls us righteous because of the blood of Jesus. Job was walking in the light that he knew; that which he did not know was under the blood. Through tribulation, God reveals to us ugly things we did not know about ourselves. As we confess and renounce these, we are cleansed and continue to stay in right standing with Him (1 John 1:7-9). Job was being delivered of the sin nature by chastening. God’s purpose is to use the chastening of the curse to glorify us in His eyes.

God uses the curse to glorify Himself and His Son in our eyes. Jesus tarried two days when told Lazarus was sick. (John 11:4) But when Jesus heard it, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified thereby. (John 11:6) When therefore he heard that he was sick, he abode at that time two days in the place where he was. Jesus arrived late (John 11:39) to serve God’s purpose. (John 11:40) Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou believedst, thou shouldest see the glory of God? This miracle glorified God, causing many to believe Jesus (John 11:43-45).