For most of the twentieth century, churches sang a short song that many believed was true. The first verse was “Every promise in the book is mine, every chapter, every verse, every line; all are blessings of His love divine, every promise in the book is mine.

The second verse adds this- “By his stripes the book says I am healed, until the day of redemption I’ve been sealed; to prosper and be healed is right in line, every promise in the book is mine.”

Many who sang this song found, after a while, that every promise, chapter, verse and line in the Bible did not become blessings and promises that would always come true. Further, to prosper and be healed every time did not follow.

For example, Psalm 91:2–3, “I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust. Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare [hidden trap or device that explodes when a person unknowingly steps on it = in our time the equivalent to stepping on an IED explosive device in war] and from the deadly pestilence [disastrous pestilence [plague, epidemic, pandemic like COVID].”

Further, in Psalm 91:10ff., “no harm[damage, injury] will befall you”… “no disaster[tornado, hurricane, cyclone, serious accident] will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways…They will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone [that is, trip over a stone breaking or spraining your foot].”

The reality is that we do not always experience these promises. So, what were David and other OT writers who made similar promises talking about? Did they not live in the real world where there are many problems that affect both believers and unbelievers? What was the nature of the Old Testament promises God gave to Israel?

The promises of Psalm 91 and many more Old Testament writings came from the promises God gave to Israel alone. The promises came true when the people faithfully obeyed the Law of Moses and repented and confessed their sins immediately when they failed. As Paul wrote in Romans 9:4, “the people of Israel. Theirs is the… covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises.”

What incredible promises did God give to Israel four thousand years ago in the law of Moses? Deuteronomy 28:1–6, “Now it shall be, if you diligently obey the LORD your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I command you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. “All these blessings will come upon you and overtake you if you obey the LORD your God: “Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country. “Blessed shall be the offspring of your body and the produce of your ground and the offspring of your beasts, the increase of your herd and the young of your flock. “Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. “Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.”

Further in Deuteronomy 28:7–12 “The LORD shall cause your enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before you; they will come out against you one way and will flee before you seven ways. “The LORD will command the blessing upon you in your barns and in all that you put your hand to, and He will bless you in the land which the LORD your God gives you. “The LORD will establish you as a holy people to Himself, as He swore to you, if you keep the commandments of the LORD your God and walk in His ways. “So all the peoples of the earth will see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they will be afraid of you. “The LORD will make you abound in prosperity, in the offspring of your body and in the offspring of your beast and in the produce of your ground, in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers to give you. “The LORD will open for you His good storehouse, the heavens, to give rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hand.”

However, another part of the Old Covenant warned of what would happen to them if they did not follow God faithfully. Deuteronomy 28:63ff, “Just as it pleased the Lord to make you prosper and increase in number, so it will please him to ruin and destroy you. You will be uprooted from the land you are entering to possess. Then the Lord will scatter you among all nations, from one end of the earth to the other. There you will worship other gods — gods of wood and stone, which neither you nor your ancestors have known. Among those nations you will find no repose, no resting place for the sole of your foot. There the Lord will give you an anxious mind, eyes weary with longing, and a despairing heart. You will live in constant suspense, filled with dread both night and day, never sure of your life. In the morning you will say, “If only it were evening!” and in the evening, “If only it were morning!” — because of the terror that will fill your hearts and the sights that your eyes will see. “

A quick observation of our times shows clearly that the promises to Israel for their obedience and disobedience are not promises that we experience. In fact, Jesus is clear that just because we follow Him as the Jews followed the law does not mean we will have a prosperous, disease free, plague free [like Covid] life. 1 Peter 1:6, “now for a little while you have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.” Specifically, he wrote in 1 Peter 2:20–21, “If you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.”

So, how do we understand this difference between OT Covenant promises to Israel and NT promises in our times under the New Covenant? We need to look into God’s Promises given to believers during our New Covenant times.

To start, we need to think Biblically about Satan, God’s evil foe, and his evil spirits. Satan was somewhat active during the long 4000 years of the Old Testament period, but interestingly he [under the names Satan and the Devil] is mentioned only three times in the OT compared to over 60 times in the New Testament.

What changed during Jesus’ time? Jesus said as recorded in John 14:30, “I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming.” This prediction referred to the work of Satan beginning with intensity in Judas Iscariot who brought about the death of Jesus and continuing with his evil work against Jesus’ followers and in the world.

In our times, as Peter notes in I Peter 5:8, “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

In the Old Tesatament the work of Satan and his evil spirits was limited and under submission to God. Why? Because God had promised to protect his people, Israel, and all who followed Him, including some Gentiles who joined them. He only brought judgment when they continually disobeyed. Satan is never described in Old Testament times as a roaring lion constantly seeking all Israelis whom he may devour, because he was not allowed to do so.

Given this perspective, how are we to think about the promises of the OT in our time? We all have Christian family members and friends who haven’t lived long lives, who haven’t been saved from the COVID pandemic, and haven’t experienced the promises David wrote about. A good friend of ours from Greenwich, Conn., Pueo Shiporo, a dedicated Polish believer, a faithful deacon, who had a heart for God, died a while back of COVID at Yale University Medical Center, while under the best care available. Many other believers have died of COVID and numerous other physical ailments.

So why are all these Old Mosaic Covenant promises to Israel in the Bible if not for us? They show God’s ability to make and keep his amazingly protective promises to obedient Israel while they lived in a world of heinous sin and trouble, and awaited the coming of Messiah, Jesus Christ. God preserved the line that would bring Jesus into this world.

For us who live in the same kind of world of sin, He works differently beginning with Jesus’ coming. The fundamental difference between God’s promises to the OT believers and the NT promises to us requires us to recognize that Israel lived in a very physical world of evil nations and people. Their battles were against flesh and blood people of other sinful nations and sometimes sinful people within Israel who oppressed them, killed them, stole property from them, mistreated them in court, etc.

For us, our world is not like the closed off Jewish national population where all lived adjacent to each other under the law of God given to Moses. We are scattered all over the world and live among the nations of the world. While we have physical skirmishes both individually and nationally with the unsaved people of the world and sometimes even with unfaithful believers, our battles on a day to day basis are not largely physical.

It is at this point that we make an important distinction between us and Israel. Our little kingdom of believers is not physical but spiritual, a kingdom of faith. We do not function in a particular location in the world but are everywhere where believers live. As Jesus taught, “The kingdom of God is within you.”

Our purpose is not to huddle together in one place or even in local churches, but to go into all the world and be the light of Jesus and the present the gospel everywhere. We venture into the world that is under the control of the kingdom of the world system run by Satan. The Church of Jesus Christ is not a protected nation.

Comprehensively the Apostle John wrote in 1 John 5:19, “We know that we are the children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.” However, concerning believers, Paul wrote in Colossians 1:13–14, “he[Jesus] has rescued us from the dominion[ the ruling authority, official jurisdiction] of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

However, we fight the battle within our minds, hearts and emotions as Ephesians 6:10ff., “be strong in the Lord and in is mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood [as those under the Old Covenant were], but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms[the hierarchy of Satan’s kingdom and his servants]. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground… with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

So, fundamentally, the promises of God in the NT are given in the context of this spiritual battle we fight not against flesh and blood people in wars. Our battle is against Satan and his evil spirits who attack us as a roaring lion. We have no promised protection from ever having to concern ourselves with him. We are not insolated from his attacks as in a physical refuge and fortress.

If we have no direct promise of always automatically being delivered from the roaring lion, what are we promised?

A. God’s Promises in an Active Spiritual Warfare Context

Since our warfare is not largely physical like Israel’s, the promises of God addressed for us are largely spiritual in nature; some are repeats of OT promises which sometimes confuses us about the difference between Old and New Covenant promises

Hebrews 13:6, “So we can confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?’” This verse is taken from Psalm 56:11 and 118:6 — an exact quote for our times. But the kind of help is basically different — not help in physical war as was Israel’s situation where they were never killed if obedient as a nation. However, many obedient Christians have been killed in wars during the church age, even now up to 90,000 per year according to the Center for the Study of World Christianity.

What kind of promises does God give us under the New Covenant? The first and foremost promise is eternal salvation by grace through faith. 2 Timothy 1:1, “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, according to the promise of [eternal] life that is in Jesus Christ”.

The Holy Spirit’s presence within is promised to all believers. He is our source of help in defeating the spiritual attacks of the Evil one, Satan, and his minions. Ephesians 1:13, “Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit” And what will he do? John 14:16, “I will ask the Father and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever- the Spirit of truth.”… vrs. 26, “the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” 16:13, “when the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth.”

Believers are also given promises that enable us to grow toward maturity in our faith. 2 Peter 1:3–4, “His divine power[the power of the Holy Spirit within] has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” Notice these NT promises are not given to shield us from the war, but to strengthen us so that we might, through the process, be increasingly partakers of the divine nature [that is, become more like Jesus].

Believers also have prayer promises. 2 Corinthians 1:10–11, “He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.”

2 Thessalonians 3:2–3, “pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men… the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.” We are not totally protected as Israel was, but have a measure of protection through praying for one another as Satan roars seeking to devour us.

Finally, how do we apply the Old Testament promises as we read them? We have to convert the Old Testament setting and promises so they are appropriate for our time, from physical promises to spiritual promises. When promises like God always being with us and being our helper are taught in both OT and NT, we need to recognize that God directly led Israel by the words of the prophets and helped them by giving them constant victories in their physical warfare. In our time we are directly helped by the truths of Scripture along with the counsel of the indwelling Holy Spirit in order to experience constant “victories” in our spiritual warfare[the attacks of evil that attempt to draw us into following our sinful human desires and losing the battle].

Rather than putting on physical armor as Israel did to go out and win battles God promised they would as long as they were walking in obedience to the law, as Ephesians 6 notes- we are to put on our spiritual armor- belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, sword of the Spirit[the word of God].

Another section for application is Psalm 1- “Blessed is the man whose… delight is in the law of the Lord[OT Mosaic Law] and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season… Whatever he does prospers.” Once again, the promise to Israel for those who delighted in the Law of Moses was prosperity according to the Deuteronomy 28 and the physical blessings for obedience.

For believers in our times, as we delight in the teachings of Jesus and follow them, we will prosper spiritually with the spiritual fruit of the Spirit when we suffer with disease, illness, accidents, and the like.

Another OT favorite of believers in 2 Chronicles 7:14, given by God to Solomon as he took the reigns as king over Israel, “If my people [Israel] who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear [their repentant prayers] from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land[of the problems due to their sin- drought/disease/ insects that destroy their crops]. Once again, the repeated Deuteronomy 28 promise to Israel of physical healing of their land was promised through repentance and obedience.

But for us, that does not mean the United States will be spiritually forgiven and healed if the church — also called the new people of God in 1 Peter 2:10- will humble ourselves, pray, seek Gods’ face and turn from our wicked ways.

All of these actions- humbling, praying, seeking His face and turning from our wicked ways are repeated in the NT, but not for the healing of our country because the church does not have a land and country promise from God as Israel did.

So, as you read the OT promises, remember to convert the interpretation of the passages which enlighten us about how God dealt with Israel into applications that fit the NT setting.

Especially remember when listening to someone teach the OT to not believe everything they say you should when parts of it may very well be only for Israel and the rest needs to be converted to the spiritual truths for our time.

Again as 2 Timothy 2:15, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” [that is, the old from the new]

You’ll have to do some solid thinking to develop the right application of the OT passages. In time, I believe you will feel more comfortable rather than struggling when some passages don’t seem to fit the experiences of life in our church age.

Most people believe God hears all their prayers whenever they take time to speak to Him. The 2003 movie “Bruce Almighty”, starring Jim Carey, gave everyone a reality check on that idea. The movie presents an average guy, Bruce, who was frustrated with God for not answering his prayer for a particular job promotion. While he was yelling in his rage, the movie shows God coming down and endowing Bruce with divine powers. Then God challenges him to take on His job.

Soon Bruce received an avalanche of prayer requests from all over the planet. He quickly realized he had no idea how to answer them all individually. He decided to give everyone whatever they asked for, including his own prayer. The result brought momentary happiness for many, but then chaos on the earth.

The obvious problem for God if He hears and tries to answer everyone’s prayers is that different people pray for opposite outcomes. When two teams are playing for national championships, the Super Bowl, the World Series, numerous other intra-state or city rivalries, God can’t fulfill the desires of all those praying for their teams to win. When two people are praying for a particular job promotion, God can’t cause each one to succeed when there is only one job. From a biblical perspective, God doesn’t care who wins, but how each player participates, competes and treats others.

This predicament raises some basic questions. First, does God have any qualifications that must be met for Him to hear and answer prayers? If we use the Creator and ruling God of the Bible as the One to whom we pray, we must have a relationship with Him for Him to hear us. The problem for humanity in this regard is that all are separated from a relationship with God due to our violations of His righteous and just laws. Isaiah 59:2, “Your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear your prayers.” Later, in Ephesians 4:18, “They (all humanity) are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.”

Fortunately, there is a solution to the problem of separation from God that causes Him to not hear the prayers of all humanity. Our sins must be forgiven by God in order for us to be reconciled to Him. To be reconciled to God, the Bible is clear that we must admit we have sinned against Him by violating his laws. Then we must believe in the death of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, as the payment God required for us to be forgiven and overcome the separation. Romans 5:10, “when we were enemies (due to sin), we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son”. Colossians 1:21–22, “you that were alienated and enemies in your mind by sinful works, yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh (Jesus) through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight”.

This is God’s plan for reconciliation. Jesus said as recorded in John 14:6, “I am the way (to God), the truth (about how to be reconciled to God) and the life (provider of a living relationship with God); no one comes to the Father, except through me.” Regarding prayer, God require all people to be reconciled to Him before He will hear their prayers. Proverbs 28:9, “If anyone turns a deaf ear to my instruction, even their prayers are detestable.”

The difficulty we have as humans with these Scriptures is that we “feel” like the loving Father God of the universe will always hear our prayers. We think praying to God is like a child on earth talking to his father. We often hear people say that “we are all children of God.” If that were true, He would surely listen to and honor His children’s requests.

The problem is that no human born into this world is automatically a child of God. All must become children on God according to His plan for reconciliation. As the Apostle John said concerning Jesus in John 1:12, “as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:” Galatians 3:26 reiterates, “you are all sons and daughters of God through faith in Christ Jesus”.

Once we become children of God by receiving and believing in Jesus, we have the right to pray. Hebrews 4:14–16, “let us hold fast our confession (of faith in Jesus as our savior from sin)… let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace (in prayer) that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

However, just being reconciled to God so we are no longer separated from Him doesn’t mean He will hear and answer all believers’ prayers. There are two more qualifications. First, the reconciled believer must be on good terms with Him; that is, have no active sin against Him that has not been confessed and forgiven. Numerous verses in the Bible underscore this qualification for believers as well as unbelievers.

In past ages when all Israel lived in their land, they were God’s chosen people. However, God warned them at times concerning their lack of righteousness and justice in accordance with His laws. Whenever they were sinning, their prayers were not heard and answered. Psalm 66:18, “If I regard iniquity[sin] in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.” Micah 3:4, “Then they will cry out to the Lord, but he will not answer them…he will hide his face from them because of the evil they have done.” Proverbs 28:9, “If anyone turns a deaf ear to my instruction, even their prayers are detestable.” Lamentations 3:42–44, “We have sinned and rebelled…[so] you have covered yourself with a cloud so that no prayer can get through.”

After Jesus came to earth, died for sinners and then was resurrected back into the presence of God, the same qualifications continued to apply. As an example, James 4:3, “When you ask God, you do not receive because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”

The last of the three qualifications for receiving answers to prayer is found in 1 Corinthians 10:31, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do (including praying), do it all for the glory of God.” What is the glory of God? It is the demonstration of God’s righteous and just character and standards. We should pray for His help as we attempt to be examples of Jesus within ourselves and outwardly toward others.

Some will say in response to these requirements — “You mean I have to be perfect in order for God to hear my prayers?” No, we simply have to have the foundational relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ, have all of our known sins confessed and forgiven, and make it our goal to live for the glory of God. God wants to interact in prayer with those who are cleaned up from all known sins and are living for Him. The biblical word for confession means “to agree with God” when we have thought, said, or done something that is wrong. Then we are ready to pray and are in a position for God to hear us and give righteous answers to our prayers.

After reviewing Kim Kardashian’s comments about her prayers, I said to myself something like “I wonder if she understands under what circumstances God hears and will answer her prayers. She first needs to humble herself before God, confess and reject her sinful ways, and believe Jesus’ death is the only way to have her sins forgiven and to enter into a right relationship with God. Then, on a daily basis, she needs to study the Scriptures about the righteous life standards God desires. After that, she needs to form the habit of confessing of any known violations of Scriptural truths and requirements as soon as she becomes aware of them.” As Micah 6:8 summarizes, “O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”

Since these are the qualifications God requires before he hears any prayers with a view to answering them, the question is: Out of all the prayers expressed by humanity toward God, how many meet His standards so they are actually heard and answered?” Of course, no human knows the actual number or percentage of prayers that are heard and answered.

However, in general, if all the prayers are added up from those who have no relationship with God, plus those that are praying while clearly living sinful lives, and those who are praying for things for themselves rather than for help in doing what honors God; without doubt many, many prayers that people think God is taking seriously, He is not hearing at all.

The time for many of us to refine our view of prayer so that we are properly prepared from God’s perspective is now. The question we should answer is: “Am I maintaining the Biblical standards for God to hear and answer my prayers?” Something to think about.

But how does he think humans developed our current human condition? Briefly, two million years ago after earlier life forms evolved into humans, another evolution of humanity occurred over several hundred thousand years. That evolution added to people’s kind, generous and loving ways a side of human personalities that became aggressive, competitive, and selfish. This addition to individual’s personality resulted from what became known as human consciousness. People became self-conscious and conscious of the world around them. They developed intellectual curiosity and desire to pursue more than just being kind, generous and loving.

This new addition to their inner lives became the cause of all human conflict — including competition and self-centeredness. So now this two million year old “human condition” is clearly engrained in the DNA of every person. And what is Dr. Griffith’s answer to reversing our destructive human condition? It is rather simple in concept- 1- help people understand the biological origins of their human condition, and 2- encourage people to use their consciousness and intellectual ability to advance civilization with the help of their pre-conscience emphases on kindness, generosity and love.

This answer to the human condition relieves humanity of guilt by realizing our dysfunction is biologically/genetically based so is not our fault. Once relieved of guilt, people can be free to embrace their pre-consciousness values and also help civilization advance in good and helpful ways. However, when asked how long it will take for this world transformation to take place? He didn’t know since the human condition is so deeply established.

So, what should the Christian response be to Dr. Griffith’s World Transformation Movement? What is wrong with his thinking?

Somewhat fascinating about Dr. Griffith’s theory are the general parallels of his views to biblical accounts. For example, he believes there was a time in the past when people on the earth were kind, generous and loving by instinct. There was no conflict. While Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden prior to their disobedience regarding eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they had an idyllic experience of sinless communion with God. Arguably, it would have involved kindness, generosity and love.

Secondly there was a later time when humanity started being aggressive, competitive, and selfish. Notably, the first instance of such behavior was Cain’s jealousy of Abel, which led to Cain killing him.

Thirdly, the inner struggle between good and evil developed from there as Dr. Griffiths proposes. The Scripture says in Genesis 4:6–7, “Then the Lord said to Cain, Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”

What does Dr. Griffith make of this parallel? He refers to the biblical account of Adam and Eve as a metaphor of his evolutionary based theory. A metaphor is used when a writer wants to draw similarities between one event or person and another.

Where does Dr. Griffith’s theory depart from the biblical account? Clearly, Genesis 1–4 speaks of God directly creating all things, including Adam and Eve. They were not a product of several stages of evolution. Further, the Bible declares the animosity between humans began with Adam and Eve’s sin of eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and their resulting sin natures. They did not become sinners by evolution of their personalities to where they finally had consciousness and the ability to act out of self-interest. Finally, the ongoing conflict, aggressiveness, and selfishness of humanity was and is not the product of evolution, but of sins committed by their giving into the desires of the world, the sinful nature and the devil.

The final great departure of Dr. Griffith’s theory from the biblical record is his view of how the world will be transformed. The reason he couldn’t predict when his movement would completely transform the world is that it can’t and won’t. Transformation from a Christian worldview occurs by the renewing of a believer’s mind to prove what God’s will is in every situation [Romans 12:1–2] and that done by the power of the Holy Spirit within [2 Corinthians 3:18–19].

So, we might say to Dr. Griffith, “Nice try, but your theory isn’t true and won’t work.”

Slayer, the extreme heavy metal band of early 2000, mixed punk, hardcore metal, and pop styles. One of their more well-known albums was “God Hates Us All”. Lyrics from the first song in the album goes like this — “God hates us all, God hates us all, You know it’s true God hates this place. You know it’s true he hates this race, We hold these truths to be painfully self-evident, All men are not created equal, God hates us all.”

They stopped doing concerts after the album Repentless was released. The lyrics of the first song were — “Arrogance, violence, world in disarray Dealing with insanity every day I hate the life, hate the fame, hate the scene… Can’t take society any more- intensity, anarchy, hatred amplified”. In 2019, their lead singer Tom Araya had to retire due to neck injuries from head banging on the floor during their concerts.

Is it true? Does God hate everyone? In one respect he does. Romans 1:18, “The wrath of God [not just upset, unhappy, angry, or frustrated, but more like livid, furious, irate, and incensed] is being revealed against all the godlessness and wickedness [not just some] of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness”. And Psalm 5:5–6, “The arrogant cannot stand in your presence. You hate all who do wrong… The bloodthirsty and deceitful you, Lord, detest.” God doesn’t just hate sinful behavior but everyone whose life pattern is characterized by continuous sin. It is hard for people in our times to take these statements seriously. However, Tom Araya was right in his observation of one side of God.

However, nowhere in Scripture does it say, “God is hate”. Rather, throughout is the theme, “God is love”. He doesn’t love just some people but everyone he also hates. John 3:16 states, “God so loved the world [all humanity].” He unconditionally showed that love by dying on the cross for the sins and the sinful people he hates. As John the Baptist declared of Jesus in John 1:29, “Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world [everyone].” That’s the unconditional part which shows God expressed his love for all by sending Jesus to pay the penalty we all deserved for our sins.

The challenge for mankind is that God doesn’t allow access to his love unconditionally. Universalists believe everyone is forgiven of their violations of God’s holiness, righteousness, and justice because he took away their sins unconditionally by paying the penalty for sin by dying on the cross. That view is contradicted by immense amounts of Scripture that state repentance for sin and personal faith in Jesus Christ are essential for anyone to have access to and experience his love. As the rest of John 3:16 notes, “whoever believes in him [his only Son Jesus] shall not perish but have eternal life.” As Jesus went on to say as recorded in John 3:18, “Whoever believes in him [Jesus’ death as the only payment for the judgment due them for their sin] is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned [to eternal separation from God in hell] already.”

Therefore, no one Jesus died for will be unconditionally accepted by him without meeting the condition of faith in his provision for their sins. Most of the people in the world that Tom Araya refers to as those God hates are not experiencing His love because they choose to live evil lives without faith in Jesus. They choose to disregard God’s righteous and just standards which causes the horrendous conditions that exist in the world today. As Paul said as recorded in Acts 14:16 about idolatrous, sinful people, “In the past he [God] let all the nations go their own way.” And later in Romans 1:28–31, “just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy.” This is a comprehensive list of all the ugliness in the world Tom Araya wrote and sang about.

The questions some raise is- Why did God give people over to their own terrible ways? Why didn’t he place a behavior governor within humans to allow only some less heinous, more acceptable, patterns of conduct than we see? His monumental decision to create humans with the freedom to choose how they would live is the foundation of all the evil and the good in the world. His decision created a monumental responsibility for humanity to choose the best way of life for everyone or do what pleases only themselves individually. The Psalmist declared in Psalm 115:16, “The highest heavens belong to the Lord, but the earth he has given to mankind.”

The tragedy of Tom Araya’s life is that apparently either no one introduced him to the love of God from the Bible or he heard and rejected it in favor of the hatred of God only. Had he chosen to spread the message of the love of God through Jesus Christ and help liberate many from the tragedy of their self-centered lives, he could have rescued himself from his head-banging life of despair.

The place where God has the edge over humanity is in relation to knowledge. He knows everything. Omniscience captures the breadth and depth of his knowledge. David S. Schrock in his article in Via Emmaus explains omniscience- “Omniscience is a word that describes the reality that God knows everything — everything past, present, and future; everything in heaven or on earth; everything real and everything potential.”

Given the technological developments of our times with regard to computer storage capability and speed, we can store and recall massive amounts of knowledge within seconds. I googled “computer storage” and immediately, that is .57 seconds, 2,860,000,000 mentions became available. It would take months to simply recall and try to remember all that is known in computer data bases about computer storage. Our human brains don’t have the ability to store for instant recall all of the knowledge of just this one subject.

With omniscience, God knows all that can be known about everything and has it readily available for application every moment.

Enter Anthony Levandowski. In the past, he worked for Microsoft on their WayMo project involving driverless cars. He was a very smart AI [artificial intelligence] engineer.

One day, Anthony’s mind wandered off into the thought that maybe AI could replace God. So he started The Way of the Future church in 2015. His idea was that a super intelligent computer could replace the need for God by providing all the wisdom people would ever need to live successfully. His “church” would be a network of likeminded people without the need for church buildings and typical church worship and service. The dream was for the AI Church lead computer to develop someday so it would have feelings, become self-aware and make decisions.

Rather than praying to it, people could just type or talk in questions and receive immediate knowledgeable and wise answers. When fully realized, the world would reach singularity, a point where the computer’s intelligence would exceed human ability, greatly changing and controlling human reality. The “mini-god” would be in control.

The great challenges he faced brought him down to present reality in several ways: first, how can all available information on every subject from every ethnic group on the planet be collected in the AI lead computer. According to Ethnologue, there are 7,151 known languages in the world. The vast majority have not been translated into English.

Secondly, converting all knowledge into a common language, like English, would be a massive challenge. To further complicate the process, of the 7,151 languages, Scriptsource has concluded 917 have no written form. Translaters estimate it will take until 2050 before every language will be in written form. That would be required before the supreme computer would have all known knowledge.

Then every language will have to be translated into every other language so everyone would have access to all the knowledge. Therefore, the lead computer would not be able to be “fully informed” until well beyond 2050.

When we delve further into the question of whether or not an AI computer will ever be able to know what God knows, the process becomes impossible. Why? Because God knows all the details of the future. A computer has no way of knowing the future that has not yet occurred. Using probability theory, a computer might estimate what the future could look like, but not with certainty.

Further, a computer could not be certain which of many alternative choices each person might make. That would require the computer to have a database of all knowledge each person would have at each stage of life, with which he/she would make decisions. Even with all that knowledge, the computer could still only estimate which decisions would be most likely.

Given all these limitations, the lead computer could only be a finite “mini-god” compared to the infinite, omniscient, omnipresent God of the Bible. As 2 Samuel 7:22, “How great you are, Sovereign Lord! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you.”

Further, what happened to Anthony Levandowski underscores the truth that God will not allow competitors to succeed. Job 5:12–14, “He[God] thwarts the plans of the crafty so that their hands achieve no success…the schemes of the wily are swept away. Darkness comes upon them in the daytime…” After he set up The Church of the Future, God enabled his life to become very complicated. He could not fulfill his dream.

Anthony and three of his co-workers chose to leave Microsoft and begin their own company focused on developing driverless cars. Uber ended up purchasing his new company. However, Google sued them both for stealing trade secrets and for patent infringements related to driverless technology. Uber fired Anthony when the court found him guilty of trade secret violations which he had not revealed to Uber. “This series of legal entangements led to a criminl charge, an 18 month sentence and $179 million penalty which led to his bankruptcy.”

He became so involved in dealing with all those troubles that he decided to shut down The Way of the Future Church in February, 2021. He didn’t come anywhere close to replacing God; nor will he ever given the limitations of a computer compared to God. No other such attempt will succeed either.

Interestingly, throughout human history, this conflict and division has been common. The dominant ruling class and the class that has been ruled over have continually sparred. In the 15th century AD, two German philosophers/social observers, Karl Marks and Friedrich Engels, thought long and hard about how to solve this ongoing conflict. In their times, kings, successful business leaders, and the elite wealthy class, controlled countries until they were overthrown. After seeing the poverty, poor living conditions and cruel working conditions of the non-elite, Marks and Engels concluded that the great divide had to be confronted. They sided with the non-elites, and promoted class struggle/warfare as the only answer.

However, on the theoretical level, once this struggle yielded an outcome where the wealth and power of the elites was either distributed or destroyed and there was an equal playing field among everyone, the question became- Who will lead the new world order to maintain the equal playing field? Somewhat amazingly, Marx and Engels died before answering that most pressing question. Therefore, to this day no country that has gone through a full socialist revolution and maintained a totally balanced society/culture.

Let’s look more deeply into the ideal world of Marxism. A commonly used summary of his view held that the world should pursue this mantra- “from each according to his ability and to each according to his need.” To reach this ideal, Marx held that no one should personally own any property, land, means of production [machines, computers, etc.] and financial products that secure personal wealth. He observed that the natural tendency of people with productive property is to keep pursuing profits and wealth for themselves. Another tendency of the elite is to hire laborers for the lowest compensation possible. The result was the property owners/users gained more and more wealth and the laborer class remained poor since the largest percentage of the population of nations were in that class. The more such workers there were, the lower the wages stayed because when many people applied for a given job, the owners hired the ones who would work for the lowest pay.

The question for Marx and his co-worker Friedrich Engels was- How can this economic/financial imbalance be corrected so the laboring class could make enough money to meet their needs. They concluded the wealthy class wouldn’t give up their profits/wealth voluntarily to meet the true needs of the poor. The poor class didn’t have the resources to force the wealthy to better care for them. The only solution was class warfare/struggle that would involve the lower class forcibly taking wealth from the elite by any means. The ideal would supposedly result in a fair, financial equality among all people.

They adopted the view of Friedrich Hegel who held that the only way to reform a culture was the analyze the current conditions with all its weaknesses [the thesis], and then break down and replace the weak and unfair conditions by radical class struggle over time [antithesis]. Out of the rubble of the struggle, create the environment for a new form of culture [synthesis- combining the competing ideas into a new theory that would work for everyone].

The problem with Marx and Engels’ theory called socialism was that they didn’t live long enough to establish how the new classless, stateless culture would be constructed and who would lead its formation and implementation. They didn’t define what was the right synthesis. So, as happens with sinful human beings, a new thesis/antithesis/synthesis struggle developed over who would lead the initial theoretical synthesis that would produce the classless, stateless socialist society.

The clear winner was not ideal socialism. The largest derivative of socialism was communism. However, communism didn’t and hasn’t produced anything close to the classless, stateless society envisioned by Marx and Lenin; it only produced autocratic dictatorships. For example, Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, has an estimated net worth of $80,000,000,000. The ten top oligarchs who work with him have an accumulated a wealth of $186,000,000,000. The bottom 25% of Russians, about 36,000,000, earn within the average range of $350–600 per month, or $4,200-$7,200 per year. 20,000,000 of those are living in poverty. Clearly, Russia hasn’t met the Marx/Engels ideal.

Aside from communism, there developed a myriad of types of systems identified as socialism. A small minority have always held to the original model, but they have never gained traction. The largest group have each defined what “from each according to his ability” and “to each according to his need” should look like. There has never been a worldwide consensus.

Long before Marx/Engel’s time, God revealed to Moses his laws for a just society within the nation of Israel. Then came Jesus and his followers who further elaborated on the principles for all people everywhere. Their conclusions centered on each family working to provide for their basic needs, and a legal system that protected them in the process. Those who made a profit more than they needed were to voluntarily and generously give to those in need. 1 Timothy 6:17, “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant not to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God… to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.” Everyone should watch out for others. 2 Corinthians 8:13, “Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality…[where] your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. The goal is equality.” That sounds a lot like the Marxist/Engels ideal of “from each according to their ability and to each according to their need.”

The problem was that Christians at their time did not fully apply the principles just mentioned. As a result, Marx denounced religion in favor of the socialist class struggle for equality. The need for the Biblical instruction underscored the major human problem with establishing a just society, which was sin. Without a strong moral, ethical, just, Jesus-honoring set of principles applied by a strong moral, ethical, just, and Jesus-honoring set of leaders and laborers, any humanly based structure working for the socialist ideal will not work over the long term. Corruption, greed, dishonesty, exploitation, bribery, laziness, stealing, fraud, immorality and the like inevitably cause societal structures to fail. So, the class struggle will go on until the end of human history.

Sadly, the sin problem has corrupted our democratic, free, capitalistic country. The degree to which our country has adhered to the principles of God’s Word, the Bible, over our history, we have experienced some levels of the ideal. But those principles began to be compromised from the start. Immorality, horrendous slavery, greed, many kinds of financial corruption and payoffs, political manipulation, power grabbing, election tampering, intentionally spread misinformation on all levels, self-serving lobbying, paying to play, tax law engineering for the rich, etc., have all influenced attempts to arrive at a fair and equitable society.

While there have been some serious attempts to structure the laws of our country so they are fair for all, we have never come close to defining and working toward a truly ideal system. Again, the reason for our failure is the sinfulness of humanity. Because of this reality, can we ever expect to have a moral, ethical, and just society that works for everyone? The answer is no.

However, there is hope in the future. When Jesus Christ, the perfect Son of God, returns to earth and takes charge of the world system, the Bible teaches that He will reign on the earth during what is known as the Millennium (meaning 1000 = 1000 years). There are various views concerning what the Millennium reference in Revelation 20 will mean. However, taking the most basic view following literal interpretation, that time is when Jesus will reign on this earth. He will reign for 1000 years.

How will his reign solve the current problems of sin affecting our world since, as 1 John 5:19 notes, “the whole world is under the control of the evil one (Satan)”? If Satan were allowed to continue promoting evil during Jesus’ reign, little would change.

But God has another plan. The apostle John wrote in Revelation 20:1–2 concerning the future, “I saw an angel coming down out of heaven… He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended.” Satan is described in Scripture as a liar, deceiver, schemer, tempter, and murderer. He entices people to sin, inflicts people with disease, creates division and rivalry, stirs up lust, traps us to do his will and much more. All of that will be gone from earth during Jesus’ one-thousand-year reign.

However, the sinful nature of every person who survives the seven-year tribulation preceding the Millennium and will live on the earth in their physical bodies will still be active. Everyone will still sin from the evil motivations of their own hearts. Much has been written about the Millennium when Jesus Christ will reign over the earth. Our interest is on how he will reign. What kind of leadership will he provide? Who will manage the earth under him?

Here is a summary of how Jesus will rule the earth after he returns. Acts 1:9ff. records that, after Jesus spoke to his disciples one last time, “he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight… [ then two angels appeared and said] This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

There will be two stages to his return. First, he will appear in the clouds to take up into heaven all who have believed in him from the time he lived on the earth. 2 Corinthians 5:6–8 notes that while believers are still alive on earth they are “at home in the body and away from the Lord.” But if we die before his return, we will be “away from the body and at home with the Lord.” While in heaven, believers will await the time when they join Jesus in returning to earth in the clouds [but not landing on the earth to stay]. Thessalonians 4:14ff. teaches that “God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep [=died]… and the dead in Christ will rise first.” At that moment, those believers’ dead bodies will rise from their graves and be instantly exchanged for a new body. 1 Corinthians 15:52ff., “we will all be changed- in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye… the dead will be raised imperishable… for the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable and the mortal with immortality.”

Then, 1 Thessalonians 4:14ff. goes on “we who are still alive [when he returns] and are left will be caught up with them [the resurrected dead] in the clouds to meet the Lord [with our new bodies] in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.” Upon going to heaven, the believers will be evaluated by Jesus and given various rewards for degrees of faithful service while on earth. This process will be used by Jesus to prepare those who will later return to earth with him to reign over the earth.

That leads us to consider how Jesus will carry out his reign on the earth. He will establish and communicate to all his righteous and just standards. Isaiah 9:7, “He will reign on David’s throne an over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness.” His standards for conduct will be clear in line with his character. “Jeremiah 23:5, he will be “a king who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land.” Given the technology available now, he will be able to communicate to everyone on the planet. All each person would need is some kind of computer/phone/tablet. He will establish the righteous and just laws for all.

Along with him, there will be rulers. Isaiah 32:1, “a king will reign in righteousness and rulers will rule with justice.” He will have a worldwide Justice Department led by these rulers. The main qualification for ruling with him is given in 2 Timothy 2:12, “if we endure [as faithful, obedient followers of Jesus while on earth] we will also reign with him”. Revelation 5:10 indicates that the ministry of the rulers will be “to serve our God, and reign on the earth.” Revelation 20:6, “they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for 1000 years.”

Several conditions on the earth will make life much easier than now. First, at least a part of curse God brought upon the earth from sin will miraculously be removed. As radical as it sounds, Isaiah 11:6–8, “The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the cobra’s den, and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest. They will neither harm nor destroy…”

Disease and illness will no longer be experienced by those who follow the King. Infections, viruses, and every form of inherited disability will miraculously cease according to Isaiah 33:24, “No one living in Zion will say, ‘I am ill’. Jeremiah 30:17, “I will restore you to health and heal your wounds.” Ezekiel 34:16, “I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak.” Isaiah 65:20, “Never again will there be an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his years…he who dies at 100 will be thought a mere youth.”

People will be productive as they work. Isaiah 65:22, “my chosen ones will long enjoy the works of their hands. They will not toil in vain or bear children doomed to misfortune; for they will be a people blessed by the Lord.” There will be great labor conditions and economic abundance. Isaiah 30:23, “He will send you rain for the seed you sow in the ground, and the food that comes from the land will be rich and plentiful.” Isaiah 35:1, “The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom… it will burst into bloom.”

Jeremiah 3:9 characterizes the return to one language for all people in time so they can work together easily, “I will purify the lips of the people, that all of them may call upon the LORD and serve him shoulder to shoulder.” Isaiah 14:3–6, “On the day the LORD give you relief from suffering and turmoil and cruel bondage… The LORD has broken the rod of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers, which in anger struck down peoples with unceasing blows, and in fury subdued nations with relentless aggression.”

Jesus will bring about these conditions by his miraculous power and administration of perfect justice. Isaiah 9:7 state he will “establish and uphold it[his kingdom on the earth] with justice and righteousness.” Isaiah 42:1–4, “He will bring justice to the nations. He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets…In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on the earth.”

Because there will still be sinners on earth, Jesus will have to deal with them to preserve justice. Isaiah 16:5, “In love a throne will be established; in faithfulness a man will sit on it- one from the house of David [Jesus]- one who in judging seeks justice and speeds the cause of righteousness.” Psalm 96:10, “He will judge the people righteously.” This applies to the poor and needy as well. Isaiah 11:4, “with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.” At the same time, Psalm, 72:4 explains, “He will defend the afflicted among the people and save the children of the needy; he will crush the oppressor.”

How will Jesus structure the Millennium to accomplish these lofty goals? He will set up a government as King over the whole earth. Daniel 7:14, “Then to him [Messiah Jesus] was given dominion and glory and a kingdom. That all people, nations and languages should serve him [NKJ]… and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”[NIV] Revelation 19:16 refers to him just prior to the Millennium as “King of kings and Lord of lords.” He will be King over many kings, clearly indicating the earth will continue to be divided into nations. He will appoint the Jesus-honoring kings in order for his laws to be carried out. A lord, on the other hand, is an honored leader under a king. In human history, lords have been referred to as dukes, earls, barons and the like. So, there will be many kings and lords with leadership roles in the Millennium under King Jesus.

Other leaders will be nobles and governors according to Jeremiah 30:21 in the NKJ, “Their nobles shall be from among them, and their governor shall come from their midst.” These appear to another level of leaders. He goes on to say about the governor, “I will cause him to draw near, and he shall approach me.” [NKJ] This indicates the close relationship these leaders will have to King Jesus.

Further, Isaiah 32:1 notes, “A king will reign in righteousness, and princes will rule with justice.” The princes will determine what conduct is just and right in the eyes of the righteous King Jesus. They will enforce his laws immediately, requiring no appeals or referrals according to Ezekiel 45:9, “O princes of Israel! Remove violence and plundering, execute justice and righteousness.”

Zechariah 3:7 indicates, “If you walk in My ways, and if you keep My command, then you shall also judge My house, and likewise have charge of My courts.” They will pronounce decisive judgments. Isaiah 29:20, “The ruthless will vanish, the mockers will disappear, and all who have an eye for evil will be cut down- those who with a word make a man out to be guilty, who ensnare the defender in court and with false testimony deprive the innocent of justice.” The judgments will be harsh to cleanse the earth from outbreaks of sin as soon as they appear. Isaiah 66:24, “they will go out and look upon the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me.”

Since the Millennium will involve teaching of righteousness and justice from God’s point of view and will rid the earth of ongoing sinfulness quickly, the overall experience will be one of peace, joy, comfort, protection, worship and prosperity on every level. Without doubt, the Marxist/Engels ideal of “from each according to his ability and to each according to his need” will be realized. But only the righteous, just, benevolent, loving, merciful King Jesus can ever bring about the ideal. So, we wait for his return to set up his kingdom.

The second verse adds this- “By his stripes the book says I am healed, until the day of redemption I’ve been sealed; to prosper and be healed is right in line, every promise in the book is mine.”

Many who sang this song found, after a while, that the phrases every promise, chapter, verse and line did not become blessings and promises that would always come true. Further, to prosper and be healed every time did not follow.

For example, Psalm 91:2–3, “I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust. Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare [hidden trap or device that explodes when a person unknowingly steps on it = in our time the equivalent to stepping on an IED explosive device in war] and from the deadly pestilence [disastrous pestilence [plague, epidemic, pandemic like COVID].”

Further, in Psalm 91:10ff., “no harm[damage, injury] will befall you”… “no disaster[tornado, hurricane, cyclone, serious accident] will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways…They will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone [that is, trip over a stone breaking or spraining it].”

The reality is that we do not always experience these promises. So, what are David and other OT writers who make similar promises talking about? Did they not live in the real world where there are many problems that affect both believers and unbelievers? What was the nature of the Old Testament promises God gave to Israel?

The promises of Psalm 91 and many more Old Testament writings came from the promises God gave to Israel alone. They were experienced when the people faithfully obeyed the Law of Moses and repented and confessed their sins immediately when they failed. As Paul wrote in Romans 9:4, “the people of Israel. Theirs is the… covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises.”

But now, Romans 7:6, “we have been released from the law… the old way of the written code [given to Moses].” Again in Romans 8:2, we have been “set free from the law”. We have not only been set free from the demands of the Law of Moses, but no longer are able to experience the results God promised Israel since believers do not all live in one place.

What incredible promises did God give to Israel in the law of Moses? Deuteronomy 28:1–6, “Now it shall be, if you diligently obey the LORD your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I command you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. “All these blessings will come upon you and overtake you if you obey the LORD your God: “Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country. “Blessed shall be the offspring of your body and the produce of your ground and the offspring of your beasts, the increase of your herd and the young of your flock. “Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. “Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.”

Further in Deuteronomy 28:7–12 “The LORD shall cause your enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before you; they will come out against you one way and will flee before you seven ways. “The LORD will command the blessing upon you in your barns and in all that you put your hand to, and He will bless you in the land which the LORD your God gives you. “The LORD will establish you as a holy people to Himself, as He swore to you, if you keep the commandments of the LORD your God and walk in His ways. “So all the peoples of the earth will see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they will be afraid of you. “The LORD will make you abound in prosperity, in the offspring of your body and in the offspring of your beast and in the produce of your ground, in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers to give you. “The LORD will open for you His good storehouse, the heavens, to give rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hand.”

However, another part of the Old Covenant warned of what would happen to them if they did not follow God faithfully. Deuteronomy 28:63ff, “Just as it pleased the Lord to make you prosper and increase in number, so it will please him to ruin and destroy you. You will be uprooted from the land you are entering to possess. Then the Lord will scatter you among all nations, from one end of the earth to the other. There you will worship other gods — gods of wood and stone, which neither you nor your ancestors have known. Among those nations you will find no repose, no resting place for the sole of your foot. There the Lord will give you an anxious mind, eyes weary with longing, and a despairing heart. You will live in constant suspense, filled with dread both night and day, never sure of your life. In the morning you will say, “If only it were evening!” and in the evening, “If only it were morning!” — because of the terror that will fill your hearts and the sights that your eyes will see. “

A quick observation of our times shows clearly that the promises to Israel for their obedience and disobedience are not promises that we experience. In fact, Jesus is clear that just because we follow Him as the Jews followed the law does not mean we will have a prosperous, disease free, plague free [like Covid] life. 1 Peter 1:6, “now for a little while you have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.” Specifically, he wrote in 1 Peter 2:20–21, “If you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.”

So, how do we understand this difference between OT Covenant promises to Israel NT promises in our times under the New Covenant? We need to look into God’s Promises given to believers during our New Covenant times.

To start, we need to think Biblically about Satan, God’s evil foe, and his evil spirits. Satan was somewhat active during the long 4000 years of the Old Testament period, but interestingly he [under the names Satan and the Devil] is mentioned only three times in the OT compared to over 60 times in the New Testament.

1 Chronicles 21:1 records, “Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel.” In Job, Satan shows up in heaven and ends up, with God’s approval, bringing down all of Job’s human sources of joy- his family, animals, his children and his houses to show that he would keep the faith regardless of what would happen. In Zechariah 3 Satan brings an accusation against the high priest Joshua.

Satan’s name, the Devil, is mentioned only in Genesis 3.

Evil spirits are mentioned only three times- when God sent evil spirits to bring judgment on Shechem and Abimelech for their murders, when God sent evil spirits to torment King Saul for his disobedience and when God sent evil spirits to deceive Ahab’s prophets so he would go out to battle and be killed. That’s all the mentions in the Old Testament.

What changed during Jesus’ time? Jesus said as recorded in John 14:30, “I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming.” This prediction referred to the work of Satan beginning with intensity in Judas Iscariot who brought about the death of Jesus and continuing with his evil work against Jesus’ followers and in the world.

In our times, as Peter notes in I Peter 5:8, “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

In the OT the work of Satan and his evil spirits was limited and under total submission to God. Why? Because God had promised to protect his people, Israel, and all who followed Him, including some Gentiles who joined them. He only brought judgment when they continually disobeyed. Satan is never described in Old Testament times as a roaring lion constantly seeking all Israelis whom he may devour, because he was not allowed to do so.

Given this perspective, how are we to think about the promises of the OT in our time? We all have Christian family members and friends who haven’t lived long lives, who haven’t been saved from the COVID pandemic, and haven’t experienced the promises David wrote about. A good friend of ours from Greenwich, Conn., Pueo Shiporo, a solid Polish believer, a faithful deacon, who had a heart for God, died recently of COVID at Yale University Medical Center, while under the best care available. Many other believers have died of COVID and numerous other physical ailments.

So why are all these Old Mosaic Covenant promises to Israel in the Bible if not for us? They show God’s ability to make and keep his amazingly protective promises to obedient Israel while they lived in a world of heinous sin and trouble and awaited the coming of Messiah, Jesus Christ. God preserved the line that would bring Jesus into this world.

For us who live in the same kind of world of sin, He works differently beginning with Jesus’ coming. The fundamental difference between God’s promises to the OT believers and the NT promises to us requires us to recognize that Israel lived in a very physical world of evil nations and people. Their battles were against flesh and blood people of other sinful nations and sometimes sinful people within Israel who tried to beat them, kill them, steal property from them, mistreat them in court, etc.

For us, our world is not like the closed off Jewish national population where all lived close to each other under the law of God given to Moses. We are scattered all over the world and live among the people of the world. While we have physical skirmishes both individually and nationally with the unsaved people of the world and sometimes even unfaithful believers, our battles on a day to day basis are not largely physical.

It is at this point that we make an important distinction between us and Israel. Our little kingdom of believers is not physical but spiritual, a kingdom of faith, not located in a particular location in the world but is everywhere where believers live. As Jesus taught, “The kingdom of God is within you.” It is not in a specific physical location like Israel.

Our purpose is not to huddle together in one place or even in local churches, but to go into all the world and be the light of Jesus and the gospel everywhere. We venture into the world that is under the control of the kingdom of the world system run by Satan. The Church of Jesus Christ Is not a protected nation.

Jesus said Satan has a kingdom in Matthew 12:25, 26, “He [Jesus] knew what they were thinking and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand?”

More comprehensively the Apostle John wrote in 1 John 5:19, “We know that we are the children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.”

However, concerning believers, Paul wrote in Colossians 1:13–14, “he[Jesus] has rescued us from the dominion[ the ruling authority, official jurisdiction] of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

But Satan was not removed by God’s rescue of believers, but we fight the battle within our minds, hearts and emotions as Ephesians 6:10ff., “be strong in the Lord and in is mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood [as those under the Old Covenant were], but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms[the hierarchy of Satan’s kingdom and his servants]. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground… with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

So, fundamentally, the promises of God in the NT are given in the context of this spiritual battle we fight not against flesh and blood people in wars. Our battle is against Satan and his evil spirits who attack us- as a roaring lion with no promised protection from ever having to concern ourselves with him. We are not insolated from his attacks as in a physical refuge and fortress, nor does God keep him from attacking us.

If we have no direct promise of always automatically being delivered from the roaring lion, what are we promised?

A. God’s Promises in an Active Spiritual Warfare Context

Since our warfare is not largely physical like Israel’s, the promises of God addressed are largely spiritual in nature; some are repeats of OT promises which sometimes confuses us about the difference between Old and New Covenant promises

Hebrews 13:6, “So we can confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?’” This verse is taken from Psalm 56:11 and 118:6 — an exact quote for our times. But the kind of help is basically different — not help in physical war as was Israel’s situation where they were never killed if obedient as a nation. However, many obedient Christians have been killed in wars during the church age, even now up to 90,000 per year according to the Center for the Study of World Christianity.

What kind of promises does God give us under the New Covenant? The first and foremost promise is eternal salvation by grace through faith. 2 Timothy 1:1, “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, according to the promise of [eternal] life that is in Jesus Christ”.

The Holy Spirit’s presence within is promised to all believers. He is our source of power to defeat the spiritual attacks of the Evil one, Satan, and his minions. Ephesians 1:13, “Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit” And what will he do? John 14:16, “I will ask the Father and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever- the Spirit of truth.”… vrs. 26, “the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” 16:13, “when the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth.”

Believers are also given promises that enable us to grow toward maturity in our faith. 2 Peter 1:3–4, “His divine power[the power of the Holy Spirit within] has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” Notice these NT promises are not given to shield us from the war, but to strengthen us so that we might, through the process, be increasingly partakers of the divine nature [that is, become mature and experience the glory of God within — 2 Cor 3:18]

Believers also have prayer promises. 2 Corinthians 1:10–11, “He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.”

There is an interesting account of Jesus with Peter in Luke 22:31–32, ““Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” Jesus did not pray for deliverance from Satan’s attack, but knew a more lasting and important work in Peter’s life would be accomplished through his failure and then restoration.

2 Thessalonians 3:2–3, “pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men… the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.” We are not totally protected as Israel was, but have a measure of protection through praying for one another as Satan roars seeking to devour us.

Finally, how do we apply the Old Testament promises as we read them? We have to convert the Old Testament setting and promises so they are appropriate for our time, from physical promises to spiritual promises. When promises like God always being with us and being our helper are taught in both OT and NT, we need to recognize that God directly led Israel by the words of the prophets and helped them by giving them constant victories in their physical warfare. In our time we are directly helped by the counsel of the indwelling Holy Spirit[as compared to the words of the OT prophets] in order to experience constant victories in our spiritual warfare[the attacks of evil that attempt to draw us into following our sinful human desires and losing the battle].

Rather than putting on physical armor as Israel did to go out and win battles God promised they would as long as they were walking in obedience to the law, as Ephesians 6 notes- we are to put on our spiritual armor- belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, sword of the Spirit[the word of God].

So when we read of the victories God gave Israel in battles, think of the spiritual victories we can have if we have on our spiritual armor and live obediently.

In Jeremiah 29:11 God said to Israel, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Israel’s interpretation, based on Deuteronomy 28, was that God promised to physically prosper them in their crops/work/warfare, and would not harm them with drought/floods/insects and military losses.

Our application is different. The words prosper/prosperity/prosperous are never used in the New Testament. Those who teach the financial prosperity gospel take it from the OT promises to Israel. In our times, we are promised that we will be fruitful- John 15:2, Jesus “He cuts off every branch that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes it so it will be even more fruitful.”

What kind of fruit will that be? Most notably is the fruit of the Spirit which is not physical prosperity, but love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and self-control. Believers in our times are changed within through being transformed by the renewing of our minds from living according to the sinful nature to living according to the Spirit. That is true, enduring prosperity of the heart and mind.

Another passage for application is Psalm 1- “Blessed is the man whose… delight is in the law of the Lord[OT Mosaic Law] and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season… Whatever he does prospers.” Once again, the promise to Israel for those who delighted in the Law of Moses was prosperity according to the Deuteronomy 28 and the physical blessings for obedience.

For believers in our times, as we delight in the teachings of Jesus and follow them, we will prosper spiritually with the spiritual fruit of the Spirit when we suffer with disease, illness, accidents, and the like.

Another OT favorite of believers in 2 Chronicles 7:14, given by God to Solomon as he took the reigns as king over Israel, “If my people [Israel] who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear [their repentant prayers] from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land[of the problems due to their sin- drought/disease/ insects that destroy their crops]. Once again, the repeated Deuteronomy 28 promise to Israel of physical healing of their land was promised through repentance and obedience.

But for us, that does not mean the United States will be spiritually forgiven and healed if the church — also called the new people of God in 1 Peter 2:10- will humble ourselves, pray, seek Gods’ face and turn from our wicked ways.

All of these actions- humbling, praying, seeking His face and turning from our wicked ways are repeated in the NT, but not for the healing of our country because the church does not have a land promise from God as Israel did.

So what healing can we expect? There are physical healings for individuals but not for the entire nation. The spiritual healing has more to do with what Galatians 6:1 states, “If someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently.” Restoring is a form of spiritual healing of the heart and soul. So Christians who humble themselves, pray, seek God’s face and turn from their wicked ways, can experience the restorative work of the Holy Spirit.

So, as you read the OT promises, remember to convert the interpretation of the passages which enlighten us about how God dealt with Israel into applications that fit the NT setting.

Especially remember when listening to someone teach the OT to not believe everything they say you should when parts of it may very well be only for Israel and the rest needs to be converted to the spiritual truths for our time.

Again as 2 Timothy 2:15, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” [that is, the old from the new]

You’ll have to do some solid thinking to develop the right application of the OT passages. In time, I believe you will feel more comfortable rather than struggling when some passages don’t seem to fit the experiences of life in our church age.