Bible Question:

How can a nation know God is testing and judging it?

Bible Answer:

Most nations and their leaders view secularism as being neutral relative to religion. But the truth is a person is either for Christ (a Christian) or against Christ (unsaved). Secularists are not just religiously neutral. They do not want to submit to Christ. For Jesus said,

He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. John 3:18

This means that when a nation drifts away from God, it is anti-God. It should not be surprised if and when God tests it and eventually punishes it. The question we are concerned about is, “How can a nation know God is testing or judging it?
How can a nation know God is testing or judging it? <
In Jeremiah 17:10 God, Himself, says that He searches the heart of every individual—man and woman. He tests the mind. Then He repays them according to their ways and deeds.

“I, the LORD, search the heart,
I test the mind,
Even to give to each man according to his ways,
According to the results of his deeds.”
Jeremiah 17:10 (NASB)

The Hebrew word for “test” means “to try, to test, to examine, or to probe.” That is, God probes and examines every man and woman. He knows the thoughts of man (Psalm 94:11). The tests demonstrate the truth of their character. Then He rewards them according to their ways and deeds. Galatians 6:7 warns us,

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. Galatians 6:7 (NASB)

Proverbs 11:18-19 states,

The wicked earns deceptive wages,
But he who sows righteousness gets a true reward.
He who is steadfast in righteousness will attain to life,
And he who pursues evil will bring about his own death.
Proverbs 11:18-19 (NASB)

God also tests nations. He tests them so that they will demonstrate if they are evil. Their behavior is recorded in God’s books.  Then He will use this information against them on the day of judgment (Revelation 20:11-14). Examples of God testing a nation are given in many passages in the Bible. For example, in Exodus 16:4 we read,

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether or not they will walk in My instruction.  Exodus 16:4 (NASB)

Notice that God stated that He would test them. He gave them bread from heaven and told them to take only enough food for one day. It was a test. They failed the test. They ate more than He commanded. Other examples of God testing a nation are Exodus 17:7; Numbers 14:22-24 and Hebrews 11:17.

God tests a nation so that it can demonstrate it’s willingness to obey Him. God already knows how a nation will respond. Its response will prove to others it is an evil nation. How it responds will be used to justify God’s punishment of it.

2 Samuel 24:1-17 and 1 Chronicles 21:1-17 reveal one way in which God tests an evil nation. Together the two passages reveal that God tests nations by testing the leader of the nations. 1 Chronicles 21:1-17 reveals that God may give permission to Satan to test the leader(s) of the nation.

Jeremiah 18:6-10 gives us a divine principle that God punishes a nation when it pursues evil. If He was planning to punish a nation and then it turns away from evil, He will not punish it.

Conclusion

So, how can a nation know God is testing or judging it? The answer is that when a nation has a choice between obeying or disobeying God’s command, it is being tested. God gives the nation time to repent and change for God is slow to anger (Numbers 14:18). But if it does not repent, it will eventually be punished. The rise of homosexuality is a sign of God’s judgment (Romans 1:24, 26, 28). The rise of various evils including the worship of sex is a sign of God’s judgment upon a nation. The rise of crime is the abandonment of God’s ordained purpose of nations (Romans 13:1-5). God’s purpose in establishing nations was to suppress evil. The list is long of evil that exists in our world. Some nations are already in the process of being judged. The question we can ask, “Is when will God finally destroy some of these evil nations?”

Suggested Links:

Why is the book of life opened at the white throne judgment?
What is the Book of Life and the Book of the Living?
Where is God’s justice today? – Does He care about all the nations?
Is America Being Judged Already?
Is God impartial? He treats people differently.