Do the Wicked Prosper?

The title of today's sermon is, Do the Wicked Prosper. Do the Wicked Prosper.

Our nation has seen some difficult times in the last two weeks, which, but in many ways, there are difficult times every week, every day.

Two weeks ago, on September 8th, we saw a video of a young woman, Irina Zart-Utska, age 23. She was a train passenger headed home from work at night.

We saw the video of her being stabbed and murdered by a deranged man.

I had never could have imagined something like that and captured on video, and then was also rather tragic. No fellow passenger helped her. And that poor young woman, age 23, she is a refugee immigrant from Ukraine. Probably shouldn't call her refugee, but immigrant. That poor young woman died terrified and alone on that train.

Two days later, on Wednesday, September 10th, Charlie Kirk, age 31, conservative political commentator and free speech activist, was shot and murdered at Utah University. And we're familiar with the events, I'm sure. He leaves behind a wife and two children. The President of the United States called him a martyr for truth and freedom.

His assassin is a troubled 22-year-old man.

The Governor of Utah wondered last week if this act is the end or the beginning of a darker chapter in American history. I'd like to think one way, but I suspect it'll go the other way.

That same day, though most people don't know this or remember this, that very same day, that same afternoon, another school shooting occurred in Denver. A young man, I believe he was a senior, shot and injured two other students and then shot and killed himself. And, of course, that tragedy was eclipsed by the news of Charlie Kirk's murder. Then this week, while millions are mourning for Charlie Kirk, his ideological enemies celebrate his murder, dancing on his grave, some say, even though he's not yet buried. His funeral is scheduled for tomorrow at Stadium, Arizona. They're expecting well over, well it holds 63,000 people, they say, but they know they'll be far more than that probably, probably set up around the stadium. And then this Wednesday, this is just a week after Charlie Kirk was shot three days ago in Pennsylvania, September 17th, a 24-year-old man was shot and killed after he had shot and killed three police officers, officers of the court, and then wounded two others while he was resisting arrest. If we just stop and look at what's going on last two weeks, we could be overwhelmed with the sense that the way of the wicked seems to be thriving. It can seem that way.

People wonder, well, where is God's justice? Will the wicked continue in their ways? Will the wicked always prosper?

Today, I'd like to address with you these old age, these age-old questions.

And as we address these questions, I want to assure you that we are going to find comfort in God's scriptures. We're going to find the truth and comfort in God's scriptures. And so, again, the title of today's sermon is, Do the Wicked Prosper? Do the Wicked Prosper?

In many ways, we look at what's going on these last two weeks, and frankly, there's been acts of wickedness and evil every day, many of which we just never hear about, big and small. They often shock us. They can often sadness. They often leave us feeling outraged and help us. But the really sad thing is they happen so much. We are so numb, we really don't even think about it sometimes. It's just another occurrence, and we kind of shrug it off and move on, because if we think too much about it, it hurts too much, and it's hard to move forward sometimes. We want God's righteous justice for the perpetrators and for the criminals. I know we do.

But true justice is slow to come, it seems. And sometimes it seems that true justice is even absent. Some people claim, and it's from the scripture, that justice is turned back in the wicked prosper. Justice is turned back in the wicked prosper. Let's turn to Isaiah 59, verses 14 through 15 as we begin to address this topic, do the wicked prosper.

And I think many of us will be quick to say, well, of course not.

And you'd be right, but let's look to scripture and see why they do not prosper. Isaiah 59, verses 14 through 15. Isaiah here describes the absence of true justice in the nation of Judah. This is anciently in ancient times. He wrote these words millennia ago now, but as we're going to see, they still hold true today. Isaiah 59, verses 14. We read, justice is turned back, and righteousness stands afar off. For truth is fallen in the street, and equinee cannot enter. So truth fails, and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. Makes himself a victim, you might say. And then the Lord saw it, and it displeased him that there was no justice. I want to reread these verses to you from the New Living Translation.

And then I think you'll find, like I did, the New Living Translation. It sounds like something taking off the media, today's media or newspaper. Here's how it reads New Living Translation, Isaiah 59, verse 14. Our courts oppose the righteous, and justice is nowhere to be found. Truth stumbles in the streets, and honesty has been outlawed. Yes, truth is gone, and anyone who renounces evil is attacked. The Lord looked and was displeased to find there was no justice. That's New Living Translation. Doesn't that sound stunningly like what we've been experiencing? And yes, we will experience for some time yet to come.

Today, it seems everyone cries out for justice. Whatever side you want to choose or point to, and I'm tired of sides, frankly, everybody wants justice. But it seems that many are intent on bending the law in their favor. Whatever laws might be published and out there. Many people want justice served up their way. Their way. And when that happens, it's as Isaiah says, justice and truth stumble, and the righteous are attacked. And Scripture tells us why. The reason becomes clear. You see, true justice is founded in God's law, in way of life, in which we also know is agape, agape, its love. You see, one cannot fully understand God's justice without knowing God's truth. Jesus Christ said that God's word is truth. We know that verse, I think. John 17, 17, right?

Justice without truth is a twisted and perverted justice. It is not a true justice.

And that's what we find increasingly in our courtrooms, in our streets, and yes, in our in the media today. And people are suffering and dying for lack of God's truth, lack of God's righteousness, lack of true justice in their lives. That's what Scripture tells us.

Christ's true followers live in the world, but they're not to be of the world.

We have to remember that. We're immersed in the world, and we're human beings, and we're touched by the tragedy and the sorrow. We're worked up, and we want to go out and march and do something too sometimes, perhaps. But we know that is not what we've been called to do. We're not to be of the world. Our sense of justice and righteousness, even our sense of what is evil, must be rooted in God's law and way of life. But it is true, the more firmly we stand with God, the more injustice we will find all around us. The more we have God's perspective, the more we're going to see things God's way. And we'll find more injustice in the world because of people, because people have increasingly rejected God and His law. Let's next turn to Jeremiah chapter 5.23. Just a few pages forward in your Bibles. Jeremiah 5.23. Here we hear Jeremiah records God's denunciation. Here we find Jeremiah's writing down of God's denunciation of the wickedness and injustice of the nation of Judah. Although historically it was addressed to Judah, again as we read this, we know there is a aspect of this, a very accurate aspect of this, that is pointing to our time today. In fact, it could be describing America today, and in many ways it is. Jeremiah 5.23.

It reads, But this people, but this people has a defiant and rebellious heart. They have revolted and departed. Speaking of ancient Israel, ancient Judah, but generally speaking, yes, it refers to people today, humanity today in a larger context. Verse 26 continuing, God says, For among my people are found wicked men. What do they do? Well, they lie in wait as one who set snares. They set a trap. They catch men. As a cage is full of birds, so their houses are full of deceit. Therefore they have become great and grown rich. They have grown fat. They are sleek. Yes, they surpass the deeds of the wicked. Now, I want to stop there because even in my New King James margin, it suggests that the word surpass would he better translate it overlook. And if you look at the Hebrew word, that does seem to make sense. Yes, they overlook the deeds of the wicked. They do not plead the cause, the cause of the fatherless. Yet they prosper.

In the right of the needy, they do not defend. That's not just. So this God speaking, it says, he says, shall I not punish them for these things, says the Lord. Shall I not avenge myself on such a nation as this? And the answer is, yes, he does. He needs to, and he did. And as we know from other prophecies, he will do it again. The prophet Jeremiah lived in a society not unlike our own, and that true justice was very difficult to find. Jeremiah had been laboring in God's word. He had been preaching God's warning of repentance. Turn back to God.

But the nation of Judah was not interested in repenting of their sinful ways. And neither are people today. Not most people. We don't have billions of people knocking on the Beyond Today website wanting our literature. They're not interested, and frankly, God's not calling everybody now. We know that. In our day and age, it says, in ancient times, the rich keep getting richer, the powerful more powerful, and the poor and the needy more neglected. Jeremiah was perturbed by this, and we are perturbed by this. God's people should be unhappy about these events. But now if we turn forward again to Jeremiah, this time to Jeremiah 12, 1 through 2, Jeremiah 12, 1 through 2, Jeremiah works himself to the point where he asks God, rather, some really direct questions. We probably asked the question, too, in one way or the other. First, he addresses God. He knows who and what God is. He says, righteous are you, O Lord, when I plead with you. Yet let me talk with you about your judgments. Some translations say, let me talk to you about your justice.

Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why are those happy who deal so treacherously or deal so deceitfully? You have planted them. Yes, they have taken root. They grow. Yes, they bear fruit. You are near in their mouth, but far from their mind. Of course, we know what that is. That's hypocrisy. That's hypocrisy, putting on appearances. New English translation reads the last two sentences this way. Jeremiah says, they always talk about you, but they really care nothing about you. And that's true for many people. There are many, many professing Christians out there.

And sometimes we need to be careful that we're not among this group, either. We always talk about God, but they really care nothing about you. Let that never be said about any of us, anyone, who's been called of God and in the body of Christ. So Jeremiah is wondering, why do the wicked prosper? Why are evil people so happy? Jeremiah knows God is just, but why does God let them... seems like he lets them get away with it. They get away with wickedness and hypocrisy.

Perhaps we felt that way. Perhaps we feel that way. But is that what's really going on? Do the wicked really prosper? That's what God-fearing people also ask, and we want to know.

Well, Solomon addresses this question, too. Solomon recognized that what you'd expect to happen to the wicked doesn't always happen, and what you would expect not to happen to the righteous happens. And so he was very curious about this same issue. Let's turn to Ecclesiastes chapter 8. Ecclesiastes 8, verse 12 through 14. You may recall Solomon is the author of this book, Ecclesiastes, and in the first chapter of the book, he essentially tells us that he said about using the wisdom God had given him, he wanted to understand more about God's creation. He wanted to understand more about life under the sun. Life under the sun. Under the sun, that phrase under the sun is how he described this fleeting mortal existence God has given to us, this life on earth under the sun. God's in his throne in heaven, and we are here under the sun on earth. He undertook an investigation of God's creation and the ways of mankind to better understand what life is all about. And he found some enigmas. He found some things that made him to pause and ponder, not unlike us. In verses 12 through 13, for example, Solomon states his thoughts, what he knows, what he believes, and then in verse 14 he's going to tell us what he sees. What we see in verse 12 through 13, let me state this and then we'll read it together, what we find and what we can see in verses 12 through 13, is that Solomon states his conviction. He states his conviction regarding the life of witness or sin versus a life of righteousness or reverent obedience to God.

So this conviction he's going to tell us here in verses 12 through 13, his conviction is drawn from God's law. He would have had the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible. He studied God's law. He's filled with God's wisdom. He knew a lot. Now, I'm not going to get into it right now, but there's a difference between knowing God's law and continuing to live in it. And there's something to be said later, not today, maybe about Solomon in that point. But let's read verse 12 now. So this you could read as part of his conviction. Verse 12, he says, though a sinner does evil a hundred times and his days are prolonged, yet I surely know that it will be well with those who fear God, who fear before him. But it will not be well with the wicked, nor will he prolong his days which are as a shadow, because he does not fear before God.

It's a statement of his conviction about the righteous and the wicked. Now, can we summarize it? Can we boil it down a little bit more? I think we can. Simply stated, he seems to be saying, in the end, Solomon says, it will go well for the righteous, but not so for the wicked. That's conviction. I think most of us probably share that conviction. We don't know how sometimes things are going to work out, but we do know God's got whatever it is. He's got this. He's got it. Now, after stating these truths of God's way of life, this conviction we might call it, Solomon makes another observation about life. He's made many. Here's the next observation about life. It appears in verse 14. Now, some critics claim what he says here in verse 14 is self-contradicting. He just undercuts everything he just said in verses 12 through 13. So let's read what he says next. Verse 14. He says, there is a vanity which occurs on earth, that there are just men to whom it happens according to the work of the wicked. And again, there are wicked men to whom it happens according to the work of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity. The New Living Translation puts it this way. The New Living Translation says, verse 14, in this life good people are often treated as though they were wicked. And wicked people are often treated as though they were good. I said that this also is meaninglessness. Or, excuse me, meaningless. I put too many S's in the end of it. It's also meaningless. So again, is Solomon now contradicting what he just said? Is he negating what he said verses 12 to 13? Is he undercutting that conviction, that statement of conviction and truth, he said? Is he saying that it doesn't matter then if one practices wickedness or righteousness? That's what some people think. That's not what he's saying at all. That's not it. What he's saying is that on earth, on earth that is in this mortal existence right now under the sun, it can appear. One can observe. One can see it seems at times that the wicked prosper. Prosper means to flourish. It means to thrive and succeed. We see that all the time. Yeah, we'll say, wow, they're getting away with it.

But that's how it appears to us on earth looking at it from an earthly perspective.

Such an occurrence, the things we see, cannot and does not negate God's truth and justice.

What we perceive or what we think we see does not undercut God's truth and justice. It cannot. It will not.

Although all things in life will not always appear to go well for the righteous and the wicked often seem to have the upper hand, that's not the way it's going to remain. To Solomon, such an occurrence is meaningless because he understood God's perspective about justice. It's meaningless because ultimately it's not going to matter because God is in charge. God is just. Ultimately, all will turn out well for the righteous because God in his way cannot be thwarted.

For Solomon, you see, for Solomon, it was a matter of believing God, believing what God said. Solomon, in this instance, put more trust in God than in what he observed happening among human beings on earth under the sun. Now, centuries later, the apostle Paul puts it differently. The apostle Paul called it walking by faith, not by sight. Walking by faith, not by sight. And we should be comforted by that. So again, the question, do the wicked truly prosper? Do they truly prosper? Scripture says, no, it's not possible. It's not possible in the ultimate sense, as we're going to see. So then, what is the faith of the wicked? Let's address that. What is the faith of the wicked? So despite what we may see in the world, despite appearances, and despite the injustice, we ourselves suffer and experience. And I do not like injustice. I know you don't either, but it happens. Despite what we experience, despite what we see, the wicked do not and cannot prosper. Now, to understand this and believe this, we must believe God and understand life from God's perspective. We cannot trust our limited human perspective of this earthly life under the sun. So what does God's perspective tell us? Well, go ahead and hold your place here. We're going to be coming back in this neighborhood of the Bible. Let's turn to 1 John 5.19. 1 John 5.19.

Just a quick snippet of God's perspective of the world and what's going on here on the earth under the sun. What does God's perspective tell us? 1 John 5.19. 1 John 5.19. I'm breaking into part of the thought here, John, as he's about ready to end this epistle. John says, we know he's speaking to believers. He's speaking to you and me. He says, we know that we are of God. But here's the part. And the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one. That's God's perspective.

The vast majority of humanity do not understand that, and they would not believe it.

They'd say, oh, what a quaint, ancient idea, myth you hold on to. We're too sophisticated to believe things like that nowadays. Well, they're going to find out for too long when God's ready.

You see, God long ago determined the fate of the wicked people who sin. It was set when Adam and Eve rejected God. And you remember how it goes. God had instructed them, he said, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die. Genesis 2.17. And we know they chose for themselves to decide right from wrong. They rejected God's instruction. And then Paul tells us, and you can jot down Romans 5 verse 12, he also explains what they did. Romans 5.12 Paul says, through one man sin entered the world and death through sin. And thus death spread to all men because all men sinned. They kept sinning, like Adam and Eve, and people still do today. So then we see broadly speaking, it says, the fate of the wicked, those who sin is death, they shall die.

So what is the fate of the wicked of sinners who do not fear God and choose not to repent? What does that mean they shall die? Adam and Eve kept living a little longer. Remember? They had children. They didn't die. Eventually they did. But is God only speaking about this physical death, this sleep-like death that happens? What we know is that God ultimately is talking about eternal death, what we sometimes will call the second death.

Solomon said it would not be well for the wicked. Let's look at a few scriptures. Let's turn to Psalms and Proverbs, beginning in Psalms 11. Let's look at Psalms 11, Psalm 11 verse 6.

If you want to do your own Bible study on wicked, what that means, if I remember right off top my head, I think the word wicked in the New King James Bible appears 86 times. And if I'm correct, I think it also appears 86 times in the book of Psalms. I hope I said that right. 86 times in Proverbs, 86 times in Psalms, if I remember correctly. Here's what we read about the wicked in Psalm 11 verse 6. This is part of their fate. This is their doom. Doom is an Old English word meaning judgment. Upon the wicked, Psalm 11 verse 6, upon the wicked, he, God, will rain coals, fire and brimstone, and a burning wind shall be the portion of their cup. Of course, traditional Christianity says, ah, that means there is a hell. No, not in the sense they think it. But there is an absolute destruction foretold for the wicked. Let's also look at Proverbs 10.27. Let's look at Proverbs 10.27. More information about the fate of the wicked. We'll read Proverbs 10.27 through 30.

The writer says, the fear of the Lord prolongs days, but the years of the wicked will be shortened. Verse 28, the hope of the righteous will be gladness, but the expectation of the wicked will perish. The way of the Lord is strength for the upright, but destruction will come to the workers of iniquity, sin. And then verse 30, the righteous will never be removed, but the wicked will not inhabit the earth. Now that last clause is interesting because, well, even Solomon said, wait, they're a wicked. They're alive right now. They're doing wicked things. So what can it mean? The wicked will not inhabit the earth. Hmmm. Inquiring minds are curious, but a number of us have been here long enough. We understand what prophecy is going to tell us about the wicked and their fate, ultimately. Let's also read Jeremiah. No, wait a minute. One more. Sorry. My eyes skipped that part of my notes. Proverbs 24. And then we'll go to Jeremiah. Proverbs 24.19-20. Proverbs 24.19-20. This is good advice. Proverbs 24.19.

Verse 19, Do not fret because of evildoers, nor be envious of the wicked. Remember, they look like they prosper, and sometimes we can get a little jealous of that. We should not. Don't be envious of the wicked. Verse 20. For or because there will be no prospect for the evil man. That means, in other words, any New English translation says there'll be no future for the evil man. The lamp of the wicked will be put out. You ever put out an old oil lamp? Or a new oil lamp? How do you do that?

You snuff it out. You can pinch it. You blow it out. It's going to be snuffed out. That's what's going to happen to the wicked. They're going to be snuffed out, we might say, in vernacular. Now let's go to Jeremiah 23.19-20. Jeremiah 23.19-20. Now remember, Jeremiah specifically had asked God, back in Jeremiah 12.1, he said, he asked, Why does the way of the wicked prosper? And sometimes we shorten it to say, Why do the wicked prosper? But as we read here in Jeremiah 23.19-20, Jeremiah was learning, he had learned, that the wicked will not avoid, they will not escape God's justice in the latter days.

Definitely moving into the realm of prophecy now. Jeremiah 23.19, Jeremiah says, he writes, Behold, a whirlwind of the Lord has gone forth in fury, a violent whirlwind, and it will fall violently on the head of the wicked. The anger of the Lord will not turn back until he has executed and performed the thoughts of his heart. In the latter days, you will understand it perfectly. So this particular verse is here, we're told, points towards something in the latter days.

And God's judgment, by the way, on the wicked, will not be limited to the descendants of Israel. Jeremiah was talking to his countrymen, fellow countrymen there in Judah, and some people of Israel there too at that time. But the prophecy is pointed towards all people. We see this in Jeremiah 25, a few more pages forward.

Jeremiah 25, 31, 33. Jeremiah 25, 31, 33. And we read, A noise will come to the ends of the earth, for the Lord has a controversy with the nations. He will plead his case, sometimes it says, he will make his case with all flesh, and he will give those who are wicked to the sword, says the Lord. And thus says the Lord of hosts, Behold, disaster shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the farthest parts of the earth.

And at that day the slain of the Lord shall be from one end of the earth, even to the other end of the earth. They shall not be lamented, or gathered, or buried. They shall become refuse on the ground. This is the latter days. What event in the latter days are these prophecies referring to? These prophecies and many others point to catastrophic events prophesied to happen.

We understand during the Great Tribulation, the Great Tribulation, we'll conclude, I guess you can say, with a crescendo, with Christ's return to the earth when he comes as a conquering king. Conquering king. With the sounding of the seventh trumpet, Christ will return to establish God's kingdom on earth. He will destroy the wicked, who will have gathered the wicked of the nations. They will gather their armies together, amass to get him against him. At Jerusalem, prophecy tells us Jesus Christ will return to the Mount of Olives.

It's just right there at Jerusalem, outside in ancient times, outside the walls of Jerusalem. I've stood there many years ago on the Mount of Olives. God's righteous ones will be resurrected at that time to eternal life, and they'll rise to meet Christ coming down from the sky. This marks the beginning of his millennial reign on earth, and we'll rehearse these events. Some of these events, I'm sure, will rehearse. I'll be being rested on Tuesday for trumpets, but you will hear messages of this sort in our observance of the Feast of Trumpets on Tuesday.

And we know also from God's feast, which reveals his plan of salvation for all humanity, we understand that Christ will, in that time, also begin the work of reconciling the human race with God. After many thousands of years of humanity's rebellion against him, God's going to start opening up people's minds and mass to receive his mind, his spirit, and be able to understand him, even as he had opened our hearts and minds to understand him. It's really a fantastic, wonderful time to come. It's at that time that Satan and his demons will be bound for a thousand years, so all people of the nations can be reconciled to God.

God wants to work with those wicked to begin to convert them, and he's going to put Satan out of the way and his demons for a thousand years, we're told. We anticipate those future events on the day of atonement. These prophecies of Jeremiah could also suggest and infer the events of prophesied to occur a little bit later at the end of the thousand years.

You can jot down Ezekiel chapter 38 and chapter 39. You could also jot down Revelation 20, verse 7 through 10. There we find described an event after the 1000 years the millennium has ended. We are told in these places in Scripture that God will release Satan and his demons, and the faithfulness of humanity will be tested.

Those who have lived through the millennium will be tested to see if they're steadfast to God. They'll have a chance to prove their faith, even as we believe, even as we've been proving our faith to God in this lifetime. It's then we understand that the armies of Gog and Magog will surround Jerusalem, but they'll be destroyed. They'll be absolutely vanquished. And the devil who deceived them, what will become of him? He will be cast into the lake of fire to be tormented forever.

Some people want to know, well, is God going to kill Satan? Is Satan going to die? Well, read through Revelation 20, verse 7 through 10. It says, he will be tormented forever and ever in the lake of fire. What does forever and ever mean?

Yeah, forever and ever. That's going to be his fate, if it seemed then, for eternity.

Human beings aren't going to suffer forever. Satan and his demons will. And finally, this prophesied doom we read about in Psalms and Proverbs, for example, also relates to God's final judgment on humanity during the Great White Throne Judgment. Of course, that's pictured by the eighth day, the last day of the feast. Sometimes we called it the last great day.

At that time, our understanding is from Scripture that every human being who never knew God's plan, his plan of salvation for them, they're going to be resurrected to physical life.

And they will be judged over a period of time. To be fair, you have to give people a chance to be taught, to learn, to comprehend, and then to practice. And during that time period, we believe, from what Scripture tells us, God will judge them and they will have their opportunity to make a choice. They will have their fair opportunity to understand God's way of life and to respond. They will be able to choose submission to God and salvation, or to reject God and suffer eternal death. And that means they will perish forever. Some will reject God.

Those we call, sometimes we call them the incorrigibly wicked.

Some will refuse to repent and they will perish forever in the lake of fire. You can jot down a reference there. Revelation 20, 15. Also, Revelation, well, let's just go ahead. Let's look at Revelation 20, verse 15.

Revelation 20, 15.

I've got to show you because you may doubt that I'm telling you what it says.

I need to go to Scripture. Revelation 20, 15. This is, as the Great White Throne Judgment is coming to its end. Then death, verse 14, then death in Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. Let's also look at Revelation 21, verse 8. Revelation 21, verse 8.

Who are among these who will not repent? Let's look at Revelation 21, verse 8. We have a list of sorts. And this is those who refuse or are unwilling to give up their wickedness and repent. Verse 8. But the cowardly, sometimes that's translated as the fearful. Maybe they're fearful of, they just can't get over their fears, a fear of changing their way of life or what they are. But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. That is a death. There is no return from that death. It is an eternal death. And let's also turn to Malachi 4, verse 1 through 3. The last book of the Old Testament. Malachi 4, verse 1 through 3. In here in Malachi, it seems to capture a little more wording, the ultimate fate of the incorrigibly wicked, this eternal death. Malachi 4, verse 1. For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven.

And all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly, will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up, says the Lord of Hosts, that will leave them neither root nor branch. Root nor branch. There's no more growth. There's no more extension of life. That's it. Fini. That's it. Permanent.

For they shall be ashes unto the souls... excuse me, jumping down to verse 3.

It's now referring to the righteous. But the righteous, I'm paraphrasing, shall trample the wicked. Verse 3. Shall trample the wicked. For they shall be ashes unto the souls of your feet on the day that I do this, says the Lord of Hosts. And so, rather quickly, I've taken this through a summary of the the fall holy days. And these days make it very clear, I think, I hope you agree, that the fate of the wicked is not going to be very good, even as Solomon was able to understand. God's feasts reveal that the wicked do not prosper, but they also reveal so much more.

They also reveal God's abundant love and mercy even toward the wicked.

Brethren, as we look a little more into that aspect, we should be very glad and very grateful.

You see, the wicked are not without hope. Sometimes people look at bits and pieces of the Bible without God's help and understanding. They just see a mean, cruel God destroying people. And that is not God. That is not our God. That is not the true God.

The wicked are not without hope. Now, the only possible way that the wicked can truly prosper is to do what? Repent. Stop being wicked. That's the only way. The only possible way that the wicked can truly prosper is to stop being wicked. They must choose to repent of their wicked in sinful ways. Guess what? They must be converted. They must believe God. They must repent through faith in Christ's sacrifice. They must be baptized. They must receive God's Holy Spirit. And then they need to remain steadfast in faith. Does that sound familiar to any of us? It should.

You see, God is most willing to forgive the wicked person who repents. Let's turn to Isaiah 55, verse 7.

God makes that promise. He makes that statement very clear, Isaiah 55, verse 7.

God has to be firm at times because He is a God of love. He is a God of righteousness, a justice. He does not want people to suffer. He does not want people to cease existing forever. Isaiah 55, verse 7.

We read, Let the wicked forsake his way, and then righteous man his thoughts. Get the emphasis. And let him return to the Lord, and the Lord he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. You see, God made that promise to ancient Israel in that historical time, but through Jesus Christ God extends that same promise to forgive to all humanity. If whoever you are, whatever you've lived, you will have your chance to turn and repent and be forgiven. Paul tells us that God desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. That's 1 Timothy 2.4. He desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge and truth. And Peter echoes that statement in 2 Peter 3.9. Peter says, God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Let's turn now to Ezekiel 18. You see what Paul and Peter say in the New Testament.

Sometimes people look at that and say, oh look, the God of the New Testament is so merciful, so wonderful. He's not like that mean old God of the Old Testament. They do not know what they're speaking about.

I shouldn't mock them. I shouldn't have done it that way. They just don't know. They don't understand it. But it's the same God. He's always been a God of love. He always will be. He can't help what he is. Ezekiel 18. Let's look at Ezekiel 18, 20-32. You see, it's not new news. God long ago revealed that the wicked will receive his mercy when they repent. Verse 20. Let's read a bit. Verse 20. Ezekiel 18-20. The soul, or nafesh, and that's what it means, the life, but here in the content, because it specifically means person, the person who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself. But if a wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed, keeps all my statutes, and does what is lawful and right, he shall surely live. He shall not die.

Of course, he's speaking of the second death. 22. None of the transgressions which he has committed shall be remembered against him, because of the righteousness which he has done, he shall live. Isn't that wonderful? Now, pay a special attention. That's next verse, verse 23.

Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die, says the Lord God, and not that he should turn from his ways and live?

That's powerful. You see, God wants all people to repent and live. He wants the wicked, all who sin, to choose eternal life. But now, reading on, there's something more that's said in this section, verses 20 through 32. As we read on, there's something else here we must not overlook. You see, God has a clear warning to the righteous as well. There's a clear warning to the righteous, and that is, if we boil it down, it is, don't turn back to wickedness. Don't go back to a life of sin. Verse 24 now. But when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, sin, this idea of this turns, rejects God's righteous lifestyle and weighs and goes back to sinning and wickedness. And he does, according to all the abominations that the wicked man does, shall he live? And, of course, the answer is no. All the righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered. Because of the unfaithfulness of which he is guilty, and the sin which he has committed, because of them he shall die. And so it doesn't matter. It's a, well, I did one great righteous thing 15 years ago, so now I'm in the kingdom. I'm going to get eternal life. It's not the way it works. We have to keep at it to the end. Essentially, what we're told here, it's how we end our life that matters. It's how we end our race that matters. Are we going to keep and stay righteous with God to the very end? Are we going to give up and get discouraged and fold up house and go back the other direction of wickedness and sin?

We've been there, done that. We don't want to go back. Now, another thing about these verses I just read. Some professing Christians believe the idea of once saved, always saved. Have you ever heard of that? This scripture in particular, besides the whole Bible, but this scripture in particular does not support that idea. It's a false hope. That is, it's a falsehood, yes, but it's also a false hope. Until one is transformed into an immortal spirit being, you know, we're in, we made it, it is possible to turn away from God and lose salvation.

And that is why it's very important that we do not forget this. You know, maybe I shouldn't pop it in here, by the way, I am.

The whole gospel message is about repentance.

What did Jesus come preaching? Mark 1, 15.

Before he said, the kingdom of God, what did he say? Repent, repent. The kingdom of God is at hand, if I got the right translation in my head.

Verse 30, continuing on. Again, he's addressing specifically, historically, the house of Israel, but we understand this is for all humanity. Therefore, I will judge you, O house of Israel. I'll judge you, everyone according to his ways, says the Lord God. Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so the iniquity will not be your ruin. Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel? Why should you die, O man?

For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies, says the Lord God. Therefore, turn and live. And again, that's the gospel message. That's the repentance. You receive salvation from God. Of course, God gives us his help. He essentially gives us that new heart and new spirit. He gives us the gift of his Holy Spirit after baptism. Again, God wants all people to choose eternal life.

He does not want people to choose eternal death. Now, if we turn to the New Testament, Colossians 1, verse 19. Colossians 1, 19-23. Colossians 1, 19-23. In here, Paul's message to fellow believers, he's writing to others who have received God's Spirit, others who made that commitment. He's writing to us in our time right now as well. His message here in Colossians 1, 19-23 bears similar meaning with what we've been reading in Ezekiel 18. Again, it's not new news. It's maybe put out in a different way with the understanding of Christ's part in it now. Colossians 1, 19. Paul says, For it pleased the Father that in him all the fulness should dwell, and by him to reconcile things to himself by him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of his cross. And you, who? You, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works.

Again, he's talking to his fellow brethren. Yet now he has reconciled in the body of his flesh through death to present you holy and blameless and above reproach in his sight. If, verse 23, if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded in steadfast and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard. These verses are important. Paul reminds us, doesn't he? He reminds us that, guess what? We were wicked. All these terrible things we've been reading about the wicked, that was us. Until God in his mercy the Father called us and we accepted. Of course, one day everyone will have that chance. We were once alienated from God. We were enemies of his against him, for we lived a life of wickedness and sin contrary to God, his righteousness. But now, having committed ourselves to God, brethren, we dare not go back.

We cannot go back. And God gives us these holy days, the Sabbath, his plan of salvation to keep us focused, to keep us focused on the plan. Stick to the plan. Keep moving forward to the kingdom salvation. And so he says, we must continue in faith, grounded in steadfast, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel. Jesus Christ willingly paid humanity's penalty for sin so that we and all people, this is the great news, wonderful news, the good news, that all people might receive eternal life and not eternal death. God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked. God has no pleasure in the death of one who dies. We just read that in Ezekiel. Therefore, turn and live. So brethren, there's hope for the wicked, and we're glad for that because we were there and we're not going back. And there's others, everyone else we've ever met and will meet, and every human being, we want them to no longer be among the wicked. We want them to live too. With faith in Christ, the wicked can repent and live. That is good news. In such a terrible last two weeks, there is good news and comfort that's found in God's holy scripture.

And so do the wicked prosper. Now you know. You knew before, but now you really know.

Do the wicked prosper. God's Word reveals categorically that the wicked do not prosper. Don't believe what you see out there in the world. That's not reality, the reality. Ultimately, anyone who does not and will not repent and submit to God will cease to exist.

That is God's promise. In one day, and this is a little positive thing here too, just think, brethren, one day, one day life on earth will be so much different than it is now. Now, witness and hate, all the suffering we're seeing, sin and death, it'll all be no more. It'll be no more one day. God's righteous ones will be transformed. We want to be there, right? Yep, we want to be there.

It's transformed spirit beings. We, they, shall outlive the stars. They're going to outlive the stars, those physical stars and things in the universe which God created. They shall outlive the stars of the divine children of God our Father, and joint heirs of all things with Jesus Christ. That's Romans 817. Romans 817, Revelation 21.7.

Now, all that I granted, I know I struggled too, but that may seem hard to envision in certain days and moments in our lives. It's hard to envision that now in a world under the sun, under the sway of the wicked one, but remember something else we reminded us of.

We walk by faith, not by sight. We walk by faith, not by sight.

So, brethren, we must believe God and do what He says, because God's holy Scripture makes it abundantly clear, doesn't it? The wicked do not prosper.