Chessmen in the Hands of God
"Chessmen in the Hands of God!"
(Why Are the Wise So Unwitting?!)
Here is one of the more curious verses in all of the New Testament...
"And it is true that the citizens of this world
are more shrewd than the godly are." - Luke 16:8
In light of this truth from the mouth of Christ, how is it, then,
that the "citizens of this world", antichrist in mind and heart,
choose to validate God's Word with every move they make?!
I first became aware of this blessed irony while staring open-mouthed at a photograph of the new world headquarters of the EU in Brussels, Belgium.
In the 11th chapter of Genesis, God instructed men to fill the earth, but a group of people got together and pridefully declared:
"Let's build a great city with a tower that reaches to the skies - a monument to our greatness! This will bring us together and keep us from scattering all over the world."
We all remember how swiftly God's judgment fell on those wicked men who chose to do the opposite of what God had commanded. How is it, then, that the brilliant minds that conceived the EU chose to reproduce the symbol of Babel's rebellion and to echo its war-cry on the official EU poster!?
EU Poster and Motto: "Many Tongues - One Voice!"
As if that weren't enough, take a look at the official EU coin minted in 2002...
The bible describes a great harlot, seated on a beast. This image is clearly explained in the Book of Revelation, chapter 17, as a symbol of great demonic power. The EU has chosen this image as its official symbol!
We can all attest to the intelligence and the sophistication of many of this world's leaders. Don't these "shrewd" men see that they are revealing their wolves' teeth even as they seek to hide beneath their sheepskins? Don't they see that they are fulfilling Bible prophecies of Christ's 2nd coming?
Perhaps this strange phenomenon can be better understood by recalling a few examples from the first coming of Christ upon the earth...
Did the Roman soldiers desire to fulfill the Jewish scriptures? Of course not!
Yet that is exactly what they did when they gambled for Jesus' robe at the cross!
"They divide my clothes among themselves and throw dice for my
garments." - Psalm 22:18
The Romans had no knowledge of the Jewish prophecies, so perhaps we can conclude that it is simply ignorance of the scriptures that causes men to sin.
But I submit to you that there is something more at work here...something divine.
Being Jewish, I have sometimes asked myself: "Did the Jewish leaders of Jesus' day have an interest in helping to establish his authenticity?" Of course not!
Yet that is exactly what they did when they let the Romans crucify him!
By so doing, they made possible the fulfillment of two messianic prophecies from their own Torah! No wonder Jesus called them "blind guides"!
"Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands..." - Isaiah 49:16
"I will pour out a spirit of grace and prayer on the family of David and on all the people of Jerusalem. They will look on me whom they have pierced and mourn for him as for an only son." - Zechariah 12:10
Those same rabbis who condemned Jesus could have quoted the verses above by heart and yet they became important pieces in the fulfillment of the very prophecies that prove Jesus to be the Christ! Clearly, it is not just ignorance which has blinded the eyes of God's opponents. There must be something more.
We must still present an answer to the question we have been examining...
"Why are the ' wise' so unwitting?!"
As always, we find our answers in God's wondrous Word! Here are 7 passages presented here for your consideration...
"But the wicked will continue in their wickedness, and none of them will understand. Only those who are wise will know what it means." - Dan. 12:10
"...because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God... it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so..." - Rom. 8:7
"So God will send great deception upon them, and they will believe all these
lies. - 2 Thessalonians 2:11
"...evil people and impostors will flourish. They will go on deceiving others, and they themselves will be deceived." - 2 Timothy 3:13
"But people who aren't Christians can't understand these truths from God's Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them because only those who have the Spirit can understand what the Spirit means. We who have the Spirit understand these things, but others can't understand us at all." - 1 Cor. 2:14,15
"But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who push the truth away from themselves... Claiming to be wise, they became utter fools instead." Romans 1:18; 22
But the rulers of this world have not understood it; if they had, they would never have crucified our glorious Lord. But we know these things because God has revealed them to us by his Spirit, and his Spirit searches out everything and shows us even God's deep secrets. - 1 Cor. 2: 8,10
The Bible gives us ample evidence that it is the pride of the wicked that has already brought them under His judgment in the form of self-deception. Without the help of the Holy Spirit's light, the citizens of this world, no matter how "shrewd", cannot recognize truth!
Some15 years ago, I had dinner with an unbelieving Jewish cousin of mine. He had been living in Israel for about 25 years prior to this occasion. At the time, he was employed as a full Professor at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem; well published, well traveled and internationally well respected in his field. I could not help but ask this intelligent man one simple question...
"Are you aware that the Temple Mount in Jerusalem is soon to become the focal point of contention in the entire Middle East and eventually the world?"
I will never forget his swift reaction...scornful, condescending laughter!
It is just such deception and arrogance that will soon produce
an Israeli peace treaty with the Antichrist himself!
My poor cousin will likely approve.
I submit to you that Satan's earthly agents are mere chessmen in the hands of our "Grandmaster God", and the delusion which God has sent to them has rendered them as ignorant of the Lord's plans as carved pawns which have eyes that cannot see and ears that cannot hear!
I invite you to visit my website at www.certainsigns.com . Just in the last few weeks, I have added 2 new "certain signs" visible to believers scanning the chessboard through the lens of bible prophecy. Our God is always 3 steps ahead of his opponents as He positions the pieces into place for His end-game scenario!
| Very soon, the enemies of God will hear 3 horrific words... |
| "Check and mate!" |
| Very soon, the people of God will hear 3 glorious words... |
| "Come up here!" |