“Behold is it not of the LORD of hosts that the peoples labor to feed the fire, and nations weary themselves in vain? “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.” (Hab.2:13-14) Should we expect the gospel to be successful in this age? There are those who prophesy certain defeat for the gospel in this world, that all will get worse and worse and that Satan and his forces will increase. Things will get so bad that the Church will have to be taken out of the way and then destruction will come on the world. Yet is this really what the bible teaches? Is the gospel so impotent that it will go down in defeat and Satan will take over the world? Nations that were once Christian are now coming under the control of Satan’s Kingdom. Is that so? Verse 13, “Behold, is it not of the Lord of hosts? The Targum reads, “That which follows; the judgments of God upon the bloody city, which they that labor to prevent labor in vain. Lo, strong and mighty blows are judgments that come from the Lord of hosts.” The Almighty God, the Lord of Angel-Armies, whose hand when stretched out none can turn back; He does what He pleases, and none can hinder Him; when the decree is gone forth from Him, it is in vain to attempt to stop it. Verse 14 is the decree –- “For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.” Jonathan Edwards comments, “Now the kingdom of Christ shall in the most strict and literal sense be extended to all nations, and the whole earth. There are many passages of scripture that can be understood in no other sense. What can be more universal than Isaiah 11:9? For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. As much as to say, as there is no part of the channel or cavity of the sea, but what is covered with water; so there shall be no part of the world of mankind but what shall be covered with the knowledge of God.” Mr. Edwards in his History of Redemption says, “The latter-day glory is probably to begin in America, he cites a passage from Isaiah 60:9, ‘For the coast lands shall hope for me, the ships of Tarshish first, to bring your children from afar, their silver and gold with them, for the name of the Lord your God, and for the Holy One of Israel, because he has made you beautiful.’ He says ‘the vast continent of America, which now in great part is covered with barbarous ignorance and cruelty, will be everywhere covered with glorious gospel light and Christian love; and instead of worshipping the devil as now they do, they shall serve God, and praises shall be sung every where to the LORD Jesus Christ, the blessed Savior of the world.’” Hopefully this will stimulate you to search these things out [I preached this message and it can be found on Sermon Audio]. Let me leave you with this, think about it, this is a promise, “The earth will be filled with the KNOWLEDGE OF THE GLORY OF GOD as the waters cover the sea,” THERE WILL BE NO EMPTY PLACES!
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