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THE ARM OF FLESH

 

“With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles…” 2 Chronicles 32:8[a] (Amplified Bible)

 

These are words King Hezekiah of Judah spoke to the captains of war he had chosen to defend the nation against Sennacherib the King of Assyria. And they clearly indicate that he had his head screwed on straight! Even though they were facing an army that vastly outnumbered them—the preceding verse (32:7) tells us the basis for Hezekiah’s bravery:

 

“Be strong and courageous. Be not afraid or dismayed before the king of Assyria and all the horde that is with him, for there is Another with us greater than [all those] with him” (Amplified Bible, emphasis mine).

 

Approximately a hundred and fifty years earlier, the same sentiment was expressed by the Prophet Elisha to calm his frightened servant:

 

 “When the servant of the man of God rose early and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was around the city. Elisha’s servant said to him, Alas, my master! What shall we do? Elisha] answered, Fear not; for those with us are more than those with them 2 Kings 6:15-16 (Amplified Bible, emphasis mine).

 

Then in New Testament times the Apostle John said:

 

“Little children, you are of God [you belong to Him] and have [already] defeated and overcome them [the agents of the antichrist], because He Who lives in you is greater (mightier) than he who is in the world1 John 4:4 (Amplified Bible, emphasis mine).

So in light of these tremendous promises to God’s people, why should any of us be so foolish as to think our safety depends upon who is elected President of the United States? Do we not understand that “the powers that be are ordained of God” (Romans 13:1, KJV) and those who occupy that office (along with every other position of leadership in the world) have been put there by Him? My friends, we serve an absolutely sovereign God and nothing on Earth escapes His attention and control.

 

“And all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing. And He does according to His will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay His hand or say to Him, What are You doing?” Daniel 4:35 (Amplified Bible, emphasis mine).

As I have stated quite a few times in previous articles, exercising the right to vote is very important, but Christians must not succumb to the false notion that the fate of the world rests on our shoulders! God is still in complete control of the situation and if He ordains that someone is going to occupy a certain position—our votes can help to get the job done—However, if it is not His will to select the one we are convinced is right for the job, no amount of patriotic zeal and political involvement on our part will change the outcome.

“For not from the east nor from the west nor from the south come promotion and lifting up. 7 But God is the Judge! He puts down one and lifts up another” Psalms 75:6-7 (Amplified Bible).

 

[Note of interest: this verse tells us that promotion and lifting up does not come from the east, west, or south. So by the process of elimination we know that there is only one direction left: it has to come from the throne of God situated in the uttermost north. We find this confirmed in the Book of Isaiah where we also learn that someone wants to occupy that position who obviously transcends the immediate context of the King of Babylon (established in Isaiah 14:4)—an entity who can only be Satan, the enemy of God:]

 

“And you said in your heart, I will ascend to heaven; I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will sit upon the mount of assembly in the uttermost northIsaiah 14:13 (Amplified Bible, emphasis mine).

 

But Satan is a “bulldog on a leash” and cannot harm a hair on our heads without God’s permission! So if the greatest supernatural being God created is powerless to circumvent His sovereign will, why do we insist upon wringing our hands when our choice for political office is not elected?

 

Are we really so naďve as to believe that politicians in general and Presidents in particular will (or can, for that matter) fulfill their grandiose campaign promises? To hang upon every word of a particular party or candidate and think the overall climate in Washington is going to change for the better if they are put into office is way beyond mere naiveté! As the title of this article suggests, they only possess an “arm of flesh” and are severely limited in what they are capable of doing—even with Satan’s help. So if they are secretly pursuing an agenda designed to destroy our national sovereignty by merging us into a “New World Order” (about which I have absolutely no doubt), it cannot come to fruition without God allowing it!

 

According to Bible prophecy the antichrist is going to rule the world during the seven year Tribulation Period. Therefore, it should come as no surprise to us when we see political, religious and financial movements taking place that are obviously necessary for his world government and religion to emerge. And being armed with the knowledge that God has planned for all of it to take place, we can face the future with the confidence that sufficient grace will be provided for us to persevere.

 

Our nation is currently suffering from a financial crisis of historical proportions and engaged in a global war on terrorism that makes the financial drain on the economy much worse. The new President will have to deal with monumental problems and even though all signs point toward his continuing with business as usual where the promotion of a New World Order agenda is concerned, it is the duty of Christians to pray for him.

“First of all, then, I admonish and urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be offered on behalf of all men, 2 For kings and all who are in positions of authority or high responsibility, that [outwardly] we may pass a quiet and undisturbed life [and inwardly] a peaceable one in all godliness and reverence and seriousness in every way. 3 For such [praying] is good and right, and [it is] pleasing and acceptable to God our Savior” 1 Timothy 2:1-3 (Amplified Bible, emphasis mine).

Also the following passage sets forth a principle that far too many Christians in our country reject. And the reason for the rejection is probably due to the fact that through our system of compulsory public education we have been taught it is our duty to overthrow any government that would try to oppress us. The Declaration of Independence says so and every American has been led to believe that piece of paper is a sacrosanct document. But where genuine believers in Jesus Christ are concerned, the Word of God is the ultimate authority and overrides such sentiments of the flesh.

 

“Let every person be loyally subject to the governing (civil) authorities. For there is no authority except from God [by His permission, His sanction], and those that exist do so by God’s appointmentRomans 13:1 (Amplified Bible, emphasis mine).

Under God we have the obligation as well as the right to voice our disapproval of tyrannical leadership and use ever legal means at our disposal to fight against it. But rebellion and force of arms is not an option.

 

The irony is that to some degree the political leadership of our nation has always been suspect because of illuminist influence! But regardless of whoever the President and members of Congress may be at any given time—or Governors and legislators at the state level—God put them there and has commanded us to both pray for them and submit to their authority.

 

“Be submissive to every human institution and authority for the sake of the Lord, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, 14 Or to governors as sent by him to bring vengeance (punishment, justice) to those who do wrong and to encourage those who do good service. 15 For it is God’s will and intention that by doing right [your good and honest lives] should silence (muzzle, gag) the ignorant charges and ill-informed criticisms of foolish persons” 1 Peter 2:13-15 (Amplified Bible).

“Remind people to be submissive to [their] magistrates and authorities, to be obedient, to be prepared and willing to do any upright and honorable work” Titus 3:1 (Amplified Bible).

Some continue to take me to task over this position and when I insist it is clearly taught in the Bible, more often than not the retort comes back, “You mean to tell me that Hitler was God’s choice for Germany?” (Stalin for Russia, Mao for China or Sadam Hussein for Iraq, etc.). And my reply has always been, “Absolutely!” My friend, it is not as if the principle is anything new because the Word of God has instances where God judged Israel and appointed Gentiles to rule over them (eg. Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar and Cyrus) and some of them, like Pharaoh, were despicable tyrants:

 

For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, I have raised you up for this very purpose of displaying My power in [dealing with] you, so that My name may be proclaimed the whole world over. 18 So then He has mercy on whomever He wills (chooses) and He hardens (makes stubborn and unyielding the heart of) whomever He wills” Romans 9:17-18 (Amplified Bible, emphasis mine).

There are numerous passages in Isaiah referring to Cyrus, the King of Persia, whom God placed over Israel during their captivity and even referred to him by name before he was born.

 

“Thus says the Lord to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held to subdue nations before him, and I will unarm and ungird the loins of kings to open doors before him, so that gates will not be shut” Isaiah 45:1 (Amplified Bible).

And on one occasion God directed a prophet (Elijah) to anoint a Gentile as the next ruler over a foreign nation: the King of Syria!

“And the Lord said to him, Go, return on your way to the Wilderness of Damascus; and when you arrive, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria” 1 Kings 19:15 (Amplified Bible).

So the principle of God’s sovereignty being exercised by appointing oppressive leaders over His disobedient children is certainly nothing new. And as the churches in our land continue their slide into apostasy (which also happened in Germany prior to Adolph Hitler’s rise to power) do not be surprised if God judges us as a nation and we wind up with a tyrannical dictator who might make Hitler look like an amateur by comparison!

The only viable remedy available to those of us who are not at all happy about the way our country is being led is to bend our knees, unite our hearts in prayer and ask God to rectify the situation. But if it is not His will to grant our request, we must remember that our security is in the Person of Jesus Christ—not those who occupy the White House, enact legislation, and interpret the laws in the “insane asylum on the Potomac.”

 

“In God have I put my trust and confident reliance; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” Psalms 56:11 (Amplified Bible).

 

If you have been born again and received Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, but have been very lukewarm in your spiritual walk with Him, you need to immediately ask Him for forgiveness and for renewal. He will instantly forgive you, and fill your heart with the joy of the Holy Spirit. Then, you need to begin a daily walk of prayer and personal Bible Study.

If you have never placed your trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior, but have come to sense His reality and the approaching End of the Age, and want to receive His FREE Gift of Eternal Life, you can do so now, in the privacy of your home. Once you truly believe in Him as Lord and Savior, you are spiritually Born Again, and are as assured of Heaven as if you were already there. Then, you can rest assured that the Kingdom of Antichrist will not touch you spiritually. If you would like to become Born Again, turn to our Salvation Page now.

We hope you have been blessed by this ministry, which seeks to educate and warn people, so that they can see the coming New World Order Kingdom of Antichrist in their daily news.

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Cutting Edge Ministries, C/O Pastor Ron Riffe
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Gordo, AL 35466

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God bless you