“The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart: and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come.”
–Isaiah 57:1
At some point over the past two or three years, a discussion was had about the timing of certain men’s deaths.
More to the point, the discussion was over whether one could tell whether those who suffered “untimely deaths” were good or wicked.
Which reminds one of a long-ago conversation concerning Proverbs 10:27.
“The fear of the LORD prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened.”
–Proverbs 10:27Someone listed the number of worldly, obviously-evil men who had lived fairly long lives–as if this somehow invalidated Proverbs 10:27.
One reply was a question: “Doesn’t God know how much the years of the wicked were shortened?”
But what ended the conversation was “Maybe those evil men lived lives they WISHED had been shortened?!?”
—Forget Satan: Fear God
Basically, God’s Word declares (in Proverbs 10:27) that the life of the wicked “shall be shortened.”
HOWEVER, the promise about the shortness of life of the wicked in Proverbs 10:27–as well as all other similar Bible verses–was likely made so that believers would know that the wicked do not prosper (contrary to what may appear to sometimes be the case by merely observing the happenings in this wicked world).
BUT, an “untimely death” DOES NOT signal whether a man was good or evil.
This is the message of Isaiah 57:1.
“The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart: and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come.”
–Isaiah 57:1
One point does need to be made: NO death is “untimely” to an all-knowing God Almighty.
God declares that when the righteous die before he sends evil upon a nation (or the world), he is doing the righteous a benefit by saving them from that evil.
The Prophet complains of the general neglect of people, to consider the loss of good and useful men, as a presage of evil: when God in mercy taketh away such, it should be a warning to us to look for evil to come. Bp. Sanderson.
–British Family Bible notes
One point made in that long-ago conversation: believers should NOT be concerned with whether other random men, upon their deaths, were good or evil.
God Almighty is the Perfect Judge and the Perfect Judge will judge perfectly.
And this is really that with which believers need concern themselves.
All else seems to be little more than gossipy speculation.
MORE: DEATH: Is Sometimes a Deliverance for the Righteous
DOES the reader worry about whether this one or that one gets his “just desserts“?
DOES the reader believe the Bible that God will recompense?
WHY does the reader concern himself over God’s judgment of another?
It is not YET too late: there is still time to change direction (repent), place your faith for the future entirely on Jesus Christ and enter the kingdom of heaven.
DOES the reader believe he is saved?
Make Your Calling and Election Sure: End Times Survival
DOES the reader believe he is NOT saved?
Time is Running Out: Today is the Day of Salvation
- Gospel of Jesus Christ: Making a Choice
- The Gospel of Jesus Christ
- Gospel of Jesus Christ: The Power of God Unto Salvation
- Gospel of Jesus Christ: The End Times Power of God Unleashed
THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST
“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. ”
–1 Corinthians 15:1-8
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”
-–Romans 1:16
MORE
- The Wicked Need a Savior Too
- Does it Do Any Good for the Wicked to Pray to God?
- Eternal Salvation Through Jesus Christ: Salvation Messages from End Times Prophecy Report
- The Normalizing of Illegitimate Supernatural Power in the End Times
- The Nature of Spiritual Deception
MORE
- Terror, Chaos, Panic, Fear: What’s Ahead for Unbelievers in the End Times
- The Normalizing of Illegitimate Supernatural Power in the End Times
- The Powerless Churches: Church Folk and Their Lack of God’s Power
- PRAYER: A Few Thoughts on Prayer and Praying
- Constructing One’s Own Reality Begins with Self-Deception
- Satan Has Counterfeited the Christian Church
- The Deceptions of Demonic Power
- Gospel of Jesus Christ: The Power of God Unto Salvation
- The Nature of Spiritual Deception
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by Jeremiah Jameson
–with Mondo Frazier
image: hyena reality, FreeDigitalPhotos.net
© Jeremiah J. Jameson and End Times Prophecy Report, 2012-18. © Mondo Frazier and End Times Prophecy Report, DBKP 2007-2018. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Jeremiah J. Jameson and End Times Prophecy Report with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
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Filed under: Biblical Teachings, LIFE, does shortness of life determine whether a man was good or wicked?, Isaiah 57:1, Proverbs 10:27