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Do You Celebrate or Grieve When Your Enemies Suffer?

Do You Celebrate or Grieve When Your Enemies Suffer?

The Bible is an inspired record of human history that focuses on the sin problem and God’s solution for it—the plan of salvation. It records real historical people who did real things, but often what is recorded is more than mere history. Within these stories, we find lessons that apply to us today.

Recently, I was reading the book of Obadiah. In this account, Judah is under attack from enemies; their cousins in Edom, who are the descendants of Esau, are being chastised for and warned against celebrating Judah’s destruction.

There was a long history of conflict between Jacob’s descendants and Esau’s, one that almost certainly stemmed from the birthright and Jacob deceiving their father, Isaac. When the Israelites finally left Egypt and sought permission to travel through the land of Edom, where Esau’s descendants lived, on their way to the Promised Land, the Edomites refused them passage. Conflict continued over subsequent generations. David defeated the Edomites and set up fortresses in their land, but the Edomites continued to grow and eventually joined with other nations in attacking Israel and Judah.

By the time of Obadiah, there was deep-seated animosity between the groups. When Judah was invaded and Jerusalem sacked, the Edomites celebrated. They also looked for opportunities to profit from Judah’s downfall and even aided the invaders in sniping at fugitives and turning over fleeing Jews to the invaders.

But notice the prophet’s warning:

You should not look down on your brother in the day of his misfortune, nor rejoice over the people of Judah in the day of their destruction, nor boast so much in the day of their trouble. You should not march through the gates of my people in the day of their disaster, nor look down on them in their calamity in the day of their disaster, nor seize their wealth in the day of their disaster. You should not wait at the crossroads to cut down their fugitives, nor hand over their survivors in the day of their trouble. “The day of the LORD is near for all nations. As you have done, it will be done to you; your deeds will return upon your own head” (1:12–15 NIV84).

Do you see a warning applicable to people today? Are we faced with situations in which we see various people as “enemies,” as working against God or God’s people or the common good? Do we long for some authority to take their power, wealth, and resources and to punish them? If we see those who have worked against us brought down, do we celebrate?

Do we teach theologies in which we look forward to the day when God will use His power to punish our enemies? When the wicked do reap their final end, will the righteous be celebrating their torment and destruction?

Recently, I wrote the blog Prepare! The King of the North Is Coming; in it, I describe two historical forces used by Satan to fight against each other as a means of drawing the people of God into joining one side or the other. In my understanding of the prophecy of Daniel 11, the final movement before Christ returns is the King of the North (religious imperialism) storming out against the King of the South (godless humanism, evolutionism, communism) and destroying him and taking his possessions, power, and wealth.

Many Christians have been rightly distressed at the rise in godlessness, wickedness, moral decay, and violence in society. Many have been frustrated and outraged at the advancement of philosophies that deny objective reality—such as there is no male and female and that gender is a made-up construct.

When the forces of the King of the North gain political power and storm out against the forces of the King of the South, what is the proper mindset and heart attitude for the people of God to have? Should we rejoice and celebrate their misfortune, their downfall, the confiscation of their wealth? Or should we grieve and pray for them?

As Obadiah wrote, “The day of the LORD is near for all nations. As you have done, it will be done to you; your deeds will return upon your own head.” Yes, the day of the Lord is near for the entire world. This prophecy is not restricted to Edom; it is a warning to the entire world. How we treat others changes us. By choosing to practice the methods of fear, of selfishness, of hate, of revenge, of rejoicing in the downfall of our perceived enemies, we solidify into our characters the principles of the enemy of love. In doing so, we will bring destruction upon ourselves.

But if we choose to love our enemies and pray for those who spitefully use us, we become children of our Father in heaven (Matthew 5:43–48). It is by choice, by action, by how we treat others that we participate with God in writing His living law of love into our hearts and minds and are transformed and freed from the control of fear and selfishness. Then, when our enemies fall, we view them as family, recognizing them as we always should have, as descendants of Adam and Eve, our human brothers and sisters for whom Jesus died, and we grieve at their loss, our hearts ache at their suffering, and we cry at their destruction.

Yes, “The day of the LORD is near for all nations. As you have done, it will be done to you; your deeds will return upon your own head.” So do not fall into the trap of this world and rejoice when your enemies suffer. Instead, love your enemies and God’s love will return upon your head—and “you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48 NKJV).

 

 

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Testimony 35

I am so pleased with the response your message is receiving at my church from the middle-aged to the young adults. I have given out 100 copies of the first two seminars and there are more request every week. One of my [class members] came to me after viewing the series, grateful and impressed with how easy the message was retained. He had been a Seventh-day Adventist in fear all his life, and felt like the scales were removed from his eyes after viewing the seminars. I am so impressed by the change I see in members who have received this message, we are in one accord. However, I am sadden by the negative response of the older people. I am verbally attacked anytime I talk about imposed laws, but I believe my mission is to enlightened everyone I can. I watch your Bible Study Class on YouTube every Friday night and I feel like I am apart of the class. All of you are in one accord and I am so blessed to have found you. I pray that all of you continue to spread this message and I am committed to doing my part.

Clara S., Westfield, MA, USA

 

Testimony 24

I wanted to thank you very much for presenting your understanding of God. I’ve always been troubled by this question: Why did Jesus have to die? Since my conversion I understood that The Father & Jesus are one, I did not have issues with that. But was there not any other way to save us than for Jesus to die? I guess I actually had a question about God – if He is so wise, how come He did not find another way? I did not see the real ‘beauty’  in the cross. Only when you explained the picture in the medical context, Jesus providing medicine for my selfishness, have I started to finally ‘see the light’. Thank you so much. Your seminar, “Healing the Mind,” are absolutely marvelous & have shared them with my family and many other people, including colleagues at work. Thanks, thanks, thanks. May God bless you abundantly in your ministry.

M. W., Australia

 

Testimony 64

I’ve been reading the bible and walking with Jesus since I was around 16. I’m 42 now. I’ve mostly been alone in my walk although I went to several churches in different denominations. For the past 3 years God has been showing me His character of agape. It’s been a blessing and changed how I view God and my walk with Jesus. About a year ago I came across the power of love and the principles of design law. These teachings changed how I read scripture and have been such a beautiful blessing. I’m very excited and grateful for these truths. We share these truths of agape, design law and the reality of the principles of the two trees in the garden of Eden with people on Facebook and YouTube. People all over are learning to trust God and His agape design law which makes life possible. Thank you for everything you shared with me. May God continue to bless your ministry and lives.

Bradley M., Hinsdale, NY, USA

 

Testimony 73

I have been truly blessed by your blogs and other resources. They have helped me to see things in a much brighter light and to reason things out better. Thank you so much for your ministry. Whenever I have the opportunity I pass along your material to my friends.

R. Noseworthy, Newfoundland, Canada

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Thank you for the ministry you are sharing with us, it is a real blessing to us and especially to my husband and myself! You are encouraging us to think for ourselves and not just to except everything, without thinking it through, with God’s word!

M.K., USA

 

Testimony 48

I just want to tell you how blessed I have been reading “The Remedy!” It has become a daily part of my devotional relationship with God. In it I have found a God of love and a God that loves me! The bible has come alive for me! It is the first time that I can say that I have felt hope fill my heart as I have read God’s word. This is good news I can share! Thank you, Dr Jennings! Thank you for your heart for others. I can’t put into words how this has set me free! It has strengthened my trust and love for God.

Jason H.

 

Testimony 66

I am incredibly grateful for the transformative impact you’ve had on my life, and words cannot fully express my appreciation. Over the years, I have been an avid listener and follower of C&R and extend my heartfelt thanks for creating the C&R mobile app. It has allowed me to immerse myself in your lessons repeatedly, enabling me to grasp the profound significance about the Character of God, Design Law, the protocols for life, the reasons behind the current chaos, and Christ’s mission to restore everything. They have deeply touched me. Having studied with various churches, I came away with the perception that God is no different from the deities of ancient Greek or Roman mythology—demanding sacrifices and taking pleasure in bloodshed. Thanks to your transformative teachings, I have experienced a profound awakening to the true nature of God and the immense power of His love. It is truly a remarkable and liberating sensation to finally grasp the truth and embrace the empowering nature of God’s laws. My self-perception has become brighter and more infused with love. My journey of growth continues on a daily basis.

Chris P., Lake Mary, FL, USA

 

Testimony 9

I really enjoy with you the view of a gracious God. Thank you for sharing the work you are allowing the Lord to do in you.

L., Queensland, Australia

 

Testimony 51

I Love This Ministry!!!!!!! I see first hand how this message is desperately needed, how erroneous beliefs about God and His Character negatively affect humanity at every level. I thank God for your ministry, as I was searching on my own and was discovering some of your same beliefs and was blown away when I found your ministry. I know you hear it all the time, but it is truly life changing. May God continue to reveal His Will to you and Bless you!

Eric S., Sanford, FL, USA

 

Testimony 39

[This ministry is the] biggest blessing I have ever received! Your DVDs and lessons could not have come at a better time in my life. I have experienced in the past year many difficulties that, if it wasn’t for this wonderful view of God that I have discovered through this ministry, I would not have been able to respond in love and forgiveness. My heart is being transformed everyday by the Calvary-looking God you teach. Hallelujah!! I have tears in my eyes as I write, because my life has taken a complete turn from where I was heading.

I am from Central America. Most of my family is scattered in different parts of the world and all have the same view of God that I had growing up; a distant, exacting, and ready-to-punish-us-with-tragedy type of God. So, I have been translating lessons for my family and, to my surprise, they have also been sharing them with others! I can already see the difference. My brother has often said, “Thank you for sharing, I have never heard it this way!” My other family members are taking an amazing turn from a message of “repent or burn” towards a loving God, pleading to us that we won’t reject him because he loves us eternally.

Bless you for all you do.

Sofia S., Ashfield, MA, USA

 

Testimony 5

We listen to your bible studies lessons in our class in Montana. You actually were the main reason I decided to get a laptop, so I can go to your site and listen, read, learn, and print the class notes. I am so grateful to learn the correct view of God and his character. Now, to just have others have an interest in knowing, so I can share it with them. Good thoughts your way.

R. N., MT, USA

 

Testimony 15

I have been sharing Come And Reason Ministries Bible study lessons with several folk. You have such a beautiful view of the plan of salvation. If we had this message preached when I was young, my generation would still all be in church.

H. R., New Zealand

Testimony 52

Your unique way in spreading the truth is what we all need today. Most of us don’t recognize the contamination coming from all the lies and selfishness in the world. Because of our fear of death, we forgot how to live. Lies left and right. I was losing hope and faith, because of so many ideas that are always contradicting each other – so many questions answered by other, more complicated, questions – until I found your channel on YouTube.

You did not just give me answers, you also taught me how to answer new questions that arise in my mind. Now I see things differently. I see God’s mercy, grace, and Love everywhere, in spite of all the chaos that we all have done as humans. I don’t fear death anymore. Accepting the Truth and Love about God is truly a genuine Freedom from all the confusions, sufferings, selfishness, pain, and death.

I just wanted to say, thank you, sooooo much for revealing the real Remedy for our infected life. I have a new hope and now see the world in a different perspective!

Wheinny P., University Place, WA, USA

 

Testimony 31

It was very touching to hear the testimony of your class share how viewing God’s true character has changed their lives. My feelings are the same – there is so much freedom in knowing that God LOVES me – regardless of my… just, REGARDLESS! I’m still blown away by the true gospel, the fact that God is not ready to strike us when we fail. He is not arbitrary. He simply loves us and warns of the natural consequences because He can’t stand to see us suffer. I AM IN LOVE WITH THIS GOD!!!

Ceil V.,  UT, USA

 

Testimony 65

I have been tuning into your weekly study classes for a while now and wanted express my appreciation for the teachings that ha been a huge blessing in opening up the true message of the word. Viewing scripture under an imposed law theory always, without fail, raised more questions, concerns, and conflicting scripture interpretations that were discouraging at the very least. Looking at scripture through the design law lens has brought more truth to light for me personally and an understanding of our Heavenly Father that places Him “above all others,” where I am now more than thrilled to witness and serve Him.  I “stumbled” across this ministry a year or so ago and would only watch a few minutes at a time. But the more I listened and the longer I paid attention, the more my spiritual eyes were opened to the ever present truths of scripture. The comprehension of the great controversy and it’s origin by the lies perpetrated and perpetuated throughout the Bible on the attack of God’s character and government is truly priceless. Keep up the Good Work! Your servanthood is desperately needed in such a time as this!

Jeff D., Reading, MA, USA