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Thursday, August 11, 2016

The Sins of Manasseh

"Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears." Hebrews 12:16-17

There are many Contemporary Christian songs which make claims such as, "You can never fall too far, so fast, so far that you can't get back when you're lost."  They insist that it doesn't matter what you've done because you are never too far gone.

While these songs might be catchy and the words might be comforting to a heart darkened by sin, we must ask ourselves, "Is this true?"  Is it biblical to say that God will always be there to vacate judgment when we finally make up our minds to repent?

Yes, Jesus in fact died for all of the sin of the world. However, if we do not avail ourselves of that sacrifice, if we continue loving darkness and rejecting light, we can do despite to the Spirit of grace. There is such a thing as becoming reprobate, where you are beyond salvation (Jeremiah 6:30; Romans 1:28; I Corinthians 9:27; II Corinthians 13:5-6; II Timothy 3:8; Titus 1:16; Hebrews 6:8).
reprobate: Hebrew word ma'ac meaning to reject, despise, or refuse.

reprobate:  Greek word adokimos meaning not standing the test, not approved; that which does not prove itself such as it ought
We are to seek the Lord while He may be found, lest we be turned over to a strong delusion to be damned.

"And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness."  II Thessalonians 2:11-12

In the following video, Jacob Prasch discusses what we learn about pending judgment when we go too far against God as we examine King Manasseh.
  • Can we reach a point of no return with God because of sin?  If so, then how do we correlate that with the fact that God's mercies are everlasting and new each morning?
  • King Josiah inherited a horrible mess when he became King of Judah.  Irsael had already been sent into captivity to Assyria for their sins.  Judah had now sinned worse than Israel, and even worse than the pagan nations (II Kings 21:2, 9).  
  • Under King Josiah, the Passover was reinstituted and the people turned back to the Torah.  Further, pagan idolatry, homosexuality, and the human sacrifice of children were stopped (II Kings Chapter 23).  Although King Josiah did bring revival to Judah, it would be the last revival before the Babylonian captivity.  
  • In spite of the authentic repentance under King Josiah, it was not enough to turn away the wrath of the Lord because of the sins perpetrated by King Manasseh beforehand (II Kings 23:26).  
  • The sins of Manasseh which made Judah a nation that had gone too far included (II Kings Chapter 23): 
  • Endemic homosexuality 
  • Children sacrificed as burnt offerings, which is the equivalent of abortion today 
  • The perpetuation of the occult by condoning the practice of witchcraft and divinations 
  • The practice of idolatry 
  • Once we do these things, we have gone too far and we can know that judgment is pending.
  • If God can forgive King Manasseh, he can forgive you; but you must repent. You must admit that you were wrong.  
Now is the day of salvation.  Seek Him now.

Additional Resources
It's the Same Son

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