Who Hath Warned You?
This famous statement was spoken by John the Baptist, when he was approached by the Pharisees and Saducees who desired to be baptized by him, because his baptism was popular among the people. John said to them, "O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee the wrath to come?" John was referring to the punishment that the Father was going to pour out upon Israel after they rejected and slew the Messiah and slew and persecuted His prophets and apostles.
The Bible is full of prophecies about the coming of the wrath of God upon the world because of the evil that so abounds in it. Paul said in Rom. 2:8-11, "But to them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; but glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: for there is no respect of persons with God." Here we are shown that God was going to pour out His wrath upon all the world, but would send it upon the Jews first. This was not to say that He would deal more harshly to one or more mercifully to another, for he said, "There is no respect of persons with God."
He was to give glory, honor, and peace to the Jews, but not to them only, as modern theology would have us believe. Salvation, gifts, and glory were given first to the Jews. Then, after they rejected the benefits and persecuted those who accepted them, He sent them His wrath, killed and scattered them, and desolated their land and left it desolate for many centuries.
Jesus foretold all this in Luke 11:49-51: "Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute: That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation; From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation." All the oppression of the righteous of all the preceding ages was to be required of the generation that persecuted the men that God sent in the "time of their visitation."
God never changes, and this scripture reveals here that He gave the Jews every benefit and opportunity before He poured out His wrath. It is a commonly accepted Biblical fact that the wrath of God will be poured out upon this world with great fury at the return of our Savior. How can He justly do this except He first give this generation the same benefits and opportunities as He gave them? The wisdom of God declares that He will send prophets and apostles for this generation to persecute so the blood of all the martyrs from 70 a.d. to this day shall come upon this generation.
The day of our (Gentile) visitation (1 Pet. 2:13) must come; yea, it is at hand, for salvation, gifts, and the glory of God among the Gentiles must come before the wrath of God can be poured out on the world. (Mal. 1:11; Isa. 60:7; Col. 1:25-27)
The fulness of the Gentiles is at hand. The time of trouble is approaching. The day of the Lord’s anger is very near. Where then is the visitation of God? Where are the Prophets and Apostles? Where is the promise of the glory of the latter House of Haggai 2:6-9? O Children of the Most High, look up, seek God, cry aloud that we might receive the promise of God to us, that we might see His name glorified and usher in His second coming.
Daniel warned that by peace he (the wicked one) shall destroy many. We are even now in that day. Jeremiah said, "If in the land of peace wherein thou trusteth they wearied thee, how wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan?" We children of the Kingdom have enjoyed a long time of peace, but Solomon said that there was also a time of war. The love of many has waxed cold; modern Pharisees and Sadducees have flourished. But the time of war is at hand. Daniel said he saw in a vision that, at the time of the End, the little horn made war with the saints and prevailed against them until the Ancient of Days came and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High.
Paul told Timothy to charge them that were rich not to trust in riches, but to be rich in good works, "laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come." We saints, enjoying the abundance of this modern age, must not abuse this abundance. We must, rather, be as Paul who said, "He that is called being free is the Lord’s slave." And again, "I am the prisoner of Christ." Let us count ourselves the slaves of Christ, using our liberty in this land of liberty to the greatest advantage for the Gospel’s sake.
In Rev. 13:4, He said, "Who is able to make war with the beast?" In Obadiah we read that, "An ambassador of the Lord is sent among the heathen to cry, ‘Arise ye, and let us rise up against her in battle.’ " In Joel we are told, "Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles: Prepare war, wake up the mighty men (Matt. 25:1-6) ... let the weak say I am strong."
Satan will soon launch a great offensive. We must not be caught off guard. As Zephaniah admonished, let us prepare ourselves, perform the work of God, let the enemies of righteousness persecute and incur the wrath of God if they will, and ourselves be found worthy to escape. "Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation not desired; before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the Lord come upon you, before the day of the Lord’s anger come upon you. Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord’s anger." (Zeph. 2:1-3)