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After all, real happiness is
á
spiritual
commodity! The
birthright was only one of TWO major promises God made
to Abraham. The sceptre promise involved not only a
dynasty of human kings.
It
need not have included them at
all- had the Israelites retained and been obedient to Goo
as their King. The sceptre pointed primarily to CHRIST
and spiritual salvation through Him.
Our peoples have basic lessons yet to learn. The TRUE
VALUES are spiritual. Actually, God's law is a spiritual
law. It involves physical acts-but it is based on
spiritual
principies. And it requires God's Holy Spirit dwelling in
the mind to fulfill!
PUNISHMENT implies CORRECTION. Correction means a
change of course.
lt
means REPENTANCE-and repentance
means
turning around
and going the OTHER WAY!
Now, before
l
give you these sensational prophecies,
understand WHY national punishment must come, and
who needs
the correction! ÜNLY those who are sowing
EVIL
need
it-who are transgressing God's right
w
AYS–
God's law! Those, and only those, who are bringing on
themselves the evils that result from transgression.
And UNDERSTAND THIS: Although the NATIONS as a
whole a re to be put through this unprecedented punish–
ment, yet those
individuals
who yield to accept God's
correction
wíthout the punishment
shall be protected from
it! No one need suffer this intense tribulation!
Sevenfold More Plagues
Now notice again what is laid down in Leviticus 26.
After the national birthright bad been withheld 2520
years and
then
bestowed;
after
God
gave
our peoples that
national POWER, and has now, because of OUT national
rebellion against His laws,
broken
the pride of our power;
after
He shall have punished us with unprecedented
DROUGHT and epidemics of disease in its wake, then IF the
British and Americans still continue in their evil ways–
still refuse to repent and turn to their God- He warns:
" ... l will bring seven times more PLAGUES upon you
according to your sins." Read that in the Revised Stan–
dard Version: " ... I will bring more plagues upon you,
sevenfold as many as your sins" (verse 21 ).
What people do not seem to realize is that SIN does
bring upon the sinner the
consequences
of sin-the
plagues of suffering. The Bil;lle defines sin as the trans–
gression of God's law
(I
John 3:4), and the law of God is a
spirituallaw
(Rom. 7:14).
Material Goods Not Enough
Let 's understand this! 1 have said that
money
is not the
source of happiness. Money can buy only material things
or services. :Sut there must be the
spiritual
content, as
well as the physical, to happiness. Material things
alone
do not provide satisfying happiness. God's law is a
spiri–
wallaw.
In Other WOfdS, it is THE WAY tO peace, happi–
ness, abundant well-being. Going that way is what God
supplied to CAUSE real happiness.
16
Conversely, then, can we not see that transgressing that
way is to cause unhappiness, pain and suffering, empti–
ness, heartaches, fears and worries, frustrations? All these
evils
are
caused
by transgressing God's law. The sinner is
really
plagued
with these evils he brings on himself.
Now study again that 21st verse of Leviticus
16.
Pun–
ishment
is
CORRECTION. To
ieach
us the lesson we have
failed to learn by experience, God is going to plague our
peoples SEVENFOLD more than our sins already
have
·
plagued us-sevenfold
more
punishment than we have
brought on ourselves!
Or, as the Authorized Yersion says, "seven times more
plagues upon you
according to your sins."
Sevenfold
INTENSITY of punishment-OF CORRECTION!
Slavery Once Again
Notice now verses 23-25 (RSV): "And if by this discipline
you are not turned tome, but walk contrary tome, then
1
also will walk contrary to you, and I myself will smite you
sevenfold for your sins. And I will bring a sword upon
you ... and you shall be delivered into the hand of the
enemy."
SLAVERY once again!
Get the real meaning of this! Our SJNS have brought
punishment. This punishment we have brought on our–
selves.
lf
we still refuse to learn the lesson, and be correct–
ed for our own good, God says, "1 myself will smite you
sevenfold." We have brought the consequences of siN on
ourselves-now God will Himself bring on us sevenfold
more intense punishment- punishment that is CORREC–
TION!
Now read on to verse 27 (RSV): "And if in spite of this
you will not hearken to me, but walk contrary to me, then
I will walk contrary to you
infury
[the seven last plagues
- Rev. 1
S:
1], and chastise you
myself
sevenfold for your
sins.... And I will LAY YOUR emEs
w
ASTE.... And
1
will scatter you among the nations."
God is going to keep multiplying chastening-correc–
tion-upon our peoples
until
they
do
turn from their evil
ways-until they turn
to
the ways thal
cause
peace,
happiness, prosperity, all the
good things!
How UNTHJNKABLE!-that our Maker shall have to
force
our peoples to be happy, to have peace, to be able to
enjoy
prosperity, to yield, to accept-our own choice–
eterna/ liJe
in abundant well-being and JOY for all
eternity!
How UNBELIEVABLE!-that human nature,
desiring
these blessings, has insisted stubbornly in going the way
that
CUtS
them off and
causes
PUNISHMENT- CORREC–
TION-and then refuses to
be
corrected untiJ it is MULTI–
PLIED in
intensity sevenfold!
Yes. sevenfold- three suc–
cessive times!
How GREAT is our God- and WHAT LOVE for our
peoples He expresses, in patiently tolerating and correct–
ing
US
UNTIL we accept His boundless BLESSINGS!
O
(To Be Continued)
The
PLAIN TRUTH June-July 1979