Types of Prophetic Event (5) - Gospel Changes Everything

Jesus ministry changed the way that judgment works. Since the cross, God has far more effective tools for dealing with recalcitrant nations. In the age of the gospel, judgments to destroy evil nations will be very rare, as God prefers to work with the gospel and the Spirit.

The Roman Empire is an example of God’s new way of working. The empire was eventually destroyed by invading nations, but only after a long history. Rome was almost transformed from within by the Holy Spirit and the gospel. Had the church avoided a few mistakes, the transformation would have been a success and the fall of Rome would have been unnecessary.

In the gospel age, there will be times when the Holy Spirit is unable to work in a nation, possibly because Christians refuse to out to preach the gospel. They Holy Spirit can only go where his people carry him. If he is unable to work, a nation may get out of hand and become so evil that God has to take action to bring it down. If the church is on it’s game, this should be rare.

The one exception is where the Book of Revelation prophesies the destruction of a powerful nation called Babylon the Great.

Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!
She has become a dwelling for demons
and a haunt for every impure spirit (Rev 18:2).

This nation will not be destroyed just because it is evil. It will be destroyed because it has gained a huge influence over the nations of the world.

For all the nations have drunk
the maddening wine of her adulteries.
The kings of the earth committed adultery with her (Rev 18:3).

This evil nation has gained such strong influence that it is leading the entire world into evil. It must be removed from the pages of history to prevent the corruption from spreading. This level of evil will be rare in the age of the Holy Spirit.

The gospel has changed the role of prophecy. The situations where prophets are called to announce the destruction of evil nations will be quite rare. In most cases, the gospel and the Spirit will deal with the evil nation more effectively. Christian prophets should be quite cautious about announcing the destruction of evil nations.