In the last module we looked at two cases where God executed Judgement on people and we saw that in both cases all that the Prophet needs to do is to declare it as revealed to him or her by God and it will take its course on the wicked except they repent and repentance can be brought into reality by intercession.
We find several instances in the Old Testament where a Prophet stood on behalf of those who were judged by God to intercede for them so that such a judgement can be reversed. Moses did this for the Children of Israel on several occasions. Daniel also fasted and prayed for the restoration that God promised the children of Israel through Prophets Jeremiah to come to pass after God judged and sent them into captivity (Daniel 9).
Abraham made an attempt for Sodom and Gomorrah and God was willing to overlook their evil and reverse their Judgment or delay it if he could just find ten righteous people among them (Genesis 18:17-33).
This is so because God actually desires to find someone who will stand in the gap for those who have done wickedness and deserve His judgement so that He can spare them thereby giving them another chance to repent.
Ezek 18:21-23
21 But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die.
22 All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live.
23 Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?KJV
Ezek 22:29-31
29 The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy: yea, they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully.
30 And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.
31 Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord GOD. KJV
God has no pleasure in the death of a sinner. Even after He has passed a judgement on them He looks forward to their repentance so that He can reverse the judgment. Once God has decided on a judgment to punish the wicked person and has revealed it to a Prophet, all that the Prophet needs to do is to declare it by saying “thus saith the Lord…”
The Prophet is not required to pray for it to happen. The wicked person has already sown an evil seed which is now ripe for harvest hence God has passed His judgement already.
The only prayer that may be offered is that of intercession to stop the judgement from coming to pass or to reduce its gravity as we can clearly see in the scriptures above.
It is like a stone already falling under the influence of gravity. You don’t need any additional force to make it to continue to fall down. However you will need a greater force than the force of gravity to stop the stone from falling down to destroy it’s victims.
In the next module we shall look at cases of God’s Judgement declared through His prophets in the New Testament.
To be continued…
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