Psalms 35:8

Psalms 35:8-9 says, ”Let destruction come upon him at unawares; and let his net that he hat hid catch himself: into that very destruction let him fall. And my soul shall be joyful in the LORD: it shall rejoice in his salvation.”

These verses in Psalms chapter 35 continue teaching us the truth that judgment is coming for those who persecute Christians. The principle is the law of sowing and reaping.

Galatians chapter 6:7-8 says, ”Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.”

God loves all men. That is why He sent His Son Jesus Christ to die for the sins of the world. But Jesus has a special love for his children because they have entered into a positional righteousness by grace through faith in the name of the only begotten Son of God, Jesus Christ. Those who have forgiveness of sins have escaped the eternal judgment of God and have entered into the eternal love of God. The one true living God is a Jealous God and He will do justice against those that persecute the church, His bride.

To preach, to publicly proclaim the truth that there is judgment against those that persecute the Christian is not a message of hate or injustice. The wicked and lost people of this world should be warned about the consequences for their actions because they do not fear God. They are lifted up with pride and blind to the judgment that they are in danger of.

There is always the possibility to escape judgment regardless of how much you have sinned if only you will repent and turn to Jesus. An excellent example of this truth is the life of the Apostle Paul.

The Apostle Paul said of himself in First Corinthians 15:9-10, ”For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.”

The Apostle Paul before he became a Christian was a false religious leader in his society. He was a Pharisee. He hunted down, persecuted, and murdered Christians. Yet by the grace of God he repented became a believer in Jesus Christ and even was called of God to be one of the Apostles.

There were only 12 Apostles. And Paul became one of them. Before he was saved, Paul was a serial killer. But Jesus Christ who died for his sins turned him into an apostle. And this is why Paul under inspiration of the Holy Spirit said, “I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain.”

First Corinthians 1:26-27 says, “For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty.”

More often than not those in this world who are positions of power and wisdom will persecute Christians. One reason they do so is because they have power and therefore they have become very corrupted. They have no fear of God and no fear of the consequences of their actions or the evil that they do to men, especially to Christians. Many of them do not even understand the principle of reaping what they sow.

Another great example of just how amazing the grace of God can be is the example of Nebuchadnezzar in the Old Testament. Nebuchadnezzar was the king of Babylon. In a way Nebuchadnezzar is an example of what the anti-Christ will be like. He set up a golden image and commanded that all the world should worship his image and those who would not bow down were to be killed. Daniel 3:3-6, “Then the princes, the governors, and captians, the judges, the treasures, the counselors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, were gathered together unto the dedication of the image that Nebucahdnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. Then an herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages, That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up: And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.”

Of course we know from the story of Daniel that there were 3 men with faith in Christ who did not bow down to the image: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Their faith, their testimony, their willingness to die for the name of Jesus Christ had an effect on Nebuchadnezzar.

The Bible says in the book of Daniel chapter 3:16-25, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated. And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Therefore because the king’s commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counselors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.”

The message of Psalms 35 is very clear. God is going to judge those who persecute Christians. Verse 8 says, “Let destruction come upon him at unawares; and let his net that he hat hid catch himself: into that very destruction let him fall.”

You are going to reap what you sow. If you cast a net to catch the Christian in the end it will catch you. If you plot destruction against the truth and those that have faith in Christ in the end destruction will come upon you.

The Christian does not rejoice in the destruction of the wicked but the Christian prays for the souls of the lost that they might repent and turn to Jesus. We cannot judge for certain which men have thrown away their final opportunities for salvation by faith in Christ. Those in power who are persecuting Christians should be warned of the consequences and judgment that is coming for them.

The Christian does not rejoice any more than God himself does that the lost die and go to hell. Rather the Christian rejoices in his Salvation. Psalms 35:9 says, “And my soul shall be joyful in the LORD: it shall rejoice in his salvation.”

Nebuchadnezzar learned the hard way. He turned away from the truth. He became an anti-Christ. Perhaps he was delivered over to the devil to learn not to blaspheme. In the end however Nebuchadnezzar became a Christian. Daniel 4:37 says, “Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.”

If anything Nebuchadnezzar and the Apostle Paul are examples of what the grace of God through Jesus Christ can do for any man who repents of their sins. Even the most wicked of men Jesus died for because Jesus died for the sins of the world. Even for those in positions of power like Nebuchadnezzar, it is not too late for them. Even Mary Magdalene had seven devils and Jesus cast them out.

Do not underestimate the grace of God. The grace of God is greater than our sin. And the grace of God is greater than the forces of evil. Be sure that you repent of your sins and turn to Jesus of Nazareth of the Jews today so that you can say just as the Apostle Paul did, “But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain.”

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