Revelation: Witness, Judgment, and the Throne

The Sudden Works of God

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: New Testament Studies

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2009-10-25

Synopsis: John Weaver expounds Proverbs 3:25, emphasizing that God, though eternal and patient, often acts suddenly in both judgment and revival. He warns that the wicked misinterpret God's patience as indifference, but sudden destruction will come upon them individually and nationally. Conversely, God can bring awakening and revival instantly. Believers are exhorted not to fear sudden calamity, for the righteous will be delivered, and to pray for God's kingdom to be established and wickedness overthrown.

[John Weaver] I want you to open your Bibles, if you would, to Proverbs chapter 3 today. Proverbs 3, and we're going to look at verse 25.

[John Weaver] Proverbs 3, verse 25. The message today is entitled The Sudden Works of God. Proverbs 3, verse 25. The Word of God says, Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither the desolation of the wicked when it cometh. Very simple verse. Let's read it one more time. Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither the desolation of the wicked when it cometh. When you look at Proverbs 3 and verse 25, the first thing that you should see is a divine prohibition.

[John Weaver] That is, He is prohibiting us from doing something. What is He prohibiting us from doing? And that is, we should not be afraid of sudden fear, neither the desolation of the wicked. So this verse very clearly, pointedly indicates that the wicked shall be destroyed. In fact, they shall be left absolutely desolate. They will have nothing to cling to, nothing to hold on to, nothing to stand upon, nor any help or any hope whatsoever.

[John Weaver] They will face the righteous judgment of God, and they will face the righteous judgment of God alone. Also, we must remember that every negative has a positive. So when you look at Proverbs 3 and verse 25, the positive then indicates very clearly that the righteous, therefore, shall be delivered. Destruction may fall upon the wicked, but it is not going to fall upon the righteous. The Bible tells us in 2 Peter 2, verse 9, the Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation and how to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished. So on the one hand, God knows how to deliver the righteous. On the other hand, He knows how to reserve the unjust to the day of judgment.

[John Weaver] Now, I call your attention to the concept in verse 25 of sudden fear. Have you ever really thought about the word sudden or suddenly? We use that word very frequently, but we very seldom think about the implications of the word. You will remember I've told you repeatedly in times past that God is the slowest person you'll ever get hooked up with. And the reason I make that statement is because God is not bound by time. God is eternal. He is above time. He is beyond time. And when time shall be no more, He is. The Bible tells us in Revelation 10 in verse 6 that the angel Swear by Him that liveth forever and ever, who created the heaven and the things therein, and the earth and the things that are therein, and the sea and the things that are therein, that time shall be no more." So the eternality of God then speaks of God's timelessness. If you are eternal, you are before time and you are after time. You have nothing to do with time.

[John Weaver] You are eternal. That's why the Bible says in Isaiah 57 and verse 15, for thus set behind lofty one that inhabited eternity, whose name is holy. God is the one who inhabits eternity. In Deuteronomy 33 and verse 27, the Bible says that the eternal God is like refuge and underneath of the everlasting arms. So God is eternal. We are not eternal. That means that we are creatures of time, and therefore we are time conscious.

[John Weaver] Well, at least some of us are. But most of us are time conscious. And the fact is that we want God to do something in our time. And usually we want Him to do it in our own way as well. But the Bible says in 2 Peter 3 in verse 8, But beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day.

[John Weaver] Now, what does that mean? That means this. God does have a timetable, but it is not our timetable because God is above time and beyond time and certainly is not limited by time whatsoever. Let me just point it out to you like this. History is linear. It is not cyclical. Anytime you hear someone talk about that history is repeating itself, it's going around in circles or cycles, that is a pagan concept.

[John Weaver] Now, it is true that we do repeat the same sins because we are sinners. But what the Bible teaches is this, that Time has a definite beginning, that is creation, and it proceeds to a definite ending, that is when time shall be no more. It does not keep going around in circles. It has a beginning and it has an ending. So God then has ordained time for us, but God is above time. God is eternal. Therefore, God does as He pleases, only as He pleases, always as He pleases, and to whomever He pleases, because God is above and beyond times. Now, just simply because we understand that God is eternal and that God is above time does not mean that God cannot move and God cannot act suddenly. In fact, the Scripture teaches that there are indeed sudden works of God. Now, the word sudden, and let me give you the definition of it, it means this, very simple, straightway, immediately, quickly, surprisingly, It means when God moves, and oftentimes He does indeed move straightway, immediately, quickly, and surprisingly.

[John Weaver] And when God moves this way, He usually catches sinners off guard because they don't expect Him to move in that way. You see, the patience of God is usually misunderstood and misinterpreted by wicked men. natural man, depraved man, fallen man, tends to think that just because God does not smite a man instantly, then he's not going to smite him at all. Or else that God is forgotten and God is not going to judge.

[John Weaver] Now, I'm not making that up. Let me just read it to you from Psalm 10, verse 6 and verse 11. Here's what Psalm 10 and verse 6, the wicked is speaking and he said this, he said in his heart, I shall not be moved, I shall never be in adversity. So the wicked man thinks that somehow, someway, he's never ever going to be judged, he's never ever going to be brought into account for his sins. And then in Psalm 10 and verse 11, the wicked man says this, he has said in his heart, God hath forgotten it, he hideth his face, he will never see it. In other words, somehow, If God does happen to observe or God does happen to know, then God's not going to judge me for it.

[John Weaver] He'll forget all about it. Well, neither of those attitudes are correct. Neither of those attitudes are biblical. God is just merely patient. Now, listen. The patience of God is described as that attitude or that attribute of God in which he exercises a power of control over himself, causing him to bear long with the wicked and forbear in punishing them." Now listen carefully, the patience of God is that attribute which causes God to bear long with the wicked and then forbear in punishing them.

[John Weaver] Doesn't mean He is not going to punish them. He just bears long with them. The Bible says in the book of Nahum 1 in verse 3 that the Lord is slow to anger and great in power. The Bible tells us in Romans 15 in verse 5 that He is the patient God. Now let me just show you how different God is from man. You see, man by nature is quick-tempered and unforgiving. And usually, in man, the higher one is in authority, the higher one is in power, the quicker he is to strike out at those that are beneath him that do not please him. He thinks simply because he is in power, And simply because he has some authority that he can do as he pleases, whenever he pleases, and he can berate, and he can belittle, and he can punish those below him at his will.

[John Weaver] Such is the attitude of modern day politicians when they readily, eagerly, and willingly strike out at anybody who does not agree with them. Such is not God. Do you know why man does that? Man has no control over himself. God has complete and total control and therefore God is patient. God is not going to be bullied into a quarrel before he's ready to quarrel. God has control over himself.

[John Weaver] Stop and think about this. Man who has absolutely no power is quick-tempered and quick to punish. God, who is omnipotent, that is, He has all power, has absolute and total control over Himself, and instead of absolutely quickly smiting down on the fender, He bears long with Him. It is not that God is weak. It is not that God is unjust. God is just simply exercising His patience.

[John Weaver] Now stop and think with me, and I'm going to develop one of these thoughts a little bit more fully later. But have you ever noticed how the patience of God has been revealed in his dealing with sinners? For instance, just take those antediluvians, that is those people who lived before Noah's flood. It is true that God warned them. And yet God waited 120 years, according to Genesis 6 and verse 3, before he destroyed them. And when you talk about the Amorites, the Amorites is another example of God's wonderful patience. Do you remember there in Genesis chapter 15 where God told Abram that he and his seed were going to go down into a strange land and be there for 400 years? Why? Did Abram and his descendants need to go into Egypt for 400 years?

[John Weaver] Let me read it to you. Genesis 15, verses 13 through 16. And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them, and they shall afflict them 400 years. And also that nation whom they shall serve will I judge, and afterwards they shall come out with great substance, and thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace, and thou shalt be buried in good old age."

[John Weaver] Now listen,"...but in the fourth generation they shall come hither again, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full." What did God do after 400 years? He brought Israel out of the land of Egypt. He put a sword in their hand and said, go into the land and kill every one of them.

[John Weaver] Now, the amazing thing is this. The Amorites were a wicked, vile, ungodly, heathenistic, idolatrous people. And the amazing thing is that God waited an additional 400 years before He smoked them. But when He smoked them, He totally destroyed them. I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Psalms. I want you to look at the amazing patience of God to Israel. Notice Psalm 78, if you would please, verses 38 and 39. If anyone ever provoked God, it was certainly Israel. All you have to do is read about the wilderness wanderings and everything that they did to provoke God. But in Psalm 78, verses 38 and 39, you have it summarized.

[John Weaver] Listen to what the Bible says. Psalm 78, notice verse If you would, verse 38, But he, that is God, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not. Yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath. For he remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again. Verse 40, How often did they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert. But what, in light of all that, God did not stir up all his anger? God was patient with a sinful, disobedient people.

[John Weaver] Let me tell you something, folks. I am constantly amazed at the wondrous patience of God with the world today and especially with America. We are a nation of lawbreakers. We've trampled God's law under our feet. His word is despised on a daily basis. His word is rejected. His preachers are slighted. His people are mocked. And we have departed from the foundational truths in this country that this country was built upon. And those foundational truths are indeed the Word of God. We've turned from that. We've mocked God. We've instituted idolatry instead of the worship of God. And the amazing thing is God still allows us to live and God still allows us to exist.

[John Weaver] And so the only question that you can ask is this, why does the righteous wrath of heaven not make an end to all of these abominations in this land? And I can answer that for you biblically. Because the scripture says this, that God bears With much long suffering, the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction. God just bears long. He just simply patiently waits until he's decided it's time for judgment.

[John Weaver] Now, one of the questions that I'm asked over and over is simply this. When is God going to do something? How much longer do we have? How can we continue in the state in which we are traveling? Well, when I looked at the word suddenly in the Bible and I was reading through the book of Proverbs and I saw this verse. Be not afraid of sudden fear.

[John Weaver] And I thought that's an interesting concept. I wonder how this word sudden is used in the Bible. And guess what? When I looked at the word sudden and suddenly. I found that that word is used in the Bible, both the Old and New Testaments, around two major things and only two major things.

[John Weaver] Now, I'm not talking today about the return of Christ. In general, I understand that you might could say in one sense of the word that return of Christ would be suddenly accomplished, because the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 15 verse 52, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump, for the trumpet shall sound, etc. You know, in the twinkling of an eye is very sudden. And the Bible does say in Matthew 24 verse 27, for as the lightning cometh out of the east and shineth in the west, even so shall the coming of the Son of Man be. And Matthew 24 and verse 44 says, Therefore be ye ready, for in such an hour as you think not the Son of man cometh.

[John Weaver] Now, I understand whether our Lord comes in judgment, or He comes to take His own, or He comes back in what you and I would call the second coming. We could say that that would be sudden in one sense of the word. But the point I'm trying to make is this. The word sudden or suddenly is never used in the Bible in connection with the return of Christ. It is used, however, around two major things. What are they? One is judgment.

[John Weaver] And the other is awakening or revival. Let's take judgment first. I want you to see the theme of judgment.

[John Weaver] Now, listen to this first statement, please, because this is going to set the stage for what I'm going to tell you about judgment. When we speak of the word judgment, and we talk about sudden judgment, we're talking about judgment that comes instantly, straightway, immediately, surprisingly, without warning. Now, let me explain the phrase without warning. It doesn't mean that there were no warnings at all. It just means the warnings that were given were unheard and unheeded, and therefore, when it fell, it fell without warning. Now, let me give you an illustration of what I'm talking about.

[John Weaver] I want you to consider the ministry of Noah. Now, according to the Word of God, there was a 120-year period while Noah was building the ark. The Bible tells us that when some times in the time of Noah, When once in the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a-preparing, when you go back to Genesis 6 and verse 3, God said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for he is also flesh, yet his days shall be a hundred and twenty years. So evidently there was about a hundred and twenty years in between. Noah building the ark, and the Bible tells us in 2 Peter 2 in verse 5 that during that 120 years, listen to this, and God spared not the old world, but saved Noah, the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing the flood upon the world of the ungodly. Now, here's my question. Since the Bible specifically tells us that Noah was a preacher of righteousness, what do you think he did for 120 years while he's building the ark?

[John Weaver] He's preaching. You've got to remember something, folks. When Noah was building the ark, there had never been a flood. There had never been rain. Read it for yourself. A mist came up from the ground and watered the earth. So here's Noah preaching and Noah building an ark. And what do people think about Noah? He's loony as the day is long. Now, I want to show you something. I want you to turn in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 24. Matthew 24.

[John Weaver] And let's begin reading there with verse 37. Matthew 24.

[John Weaver] Now, you've got to remember, for 120 years, Noah's been preaching and teaching. I want you to look at what the Bible says. Matthew 24. Notice verse 37, if you would, please. But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking and marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noah entered in the ark, and knew not until the flood came and took them all away, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be." What? And knew not until the flood.

[John Weaver] How could they not know? What had Noah been doing for 120 years? Building an ark, preaching. How could they not know? They didn't listen. They didn't hear. They didn't heed. Now, were they warned? Yes. But when the flood came, it came upon them without warning because they weren't expecting it. They did not know that God was going to smite them in such a way. The Bible says in Luke 17 and verse 27, let me just read it because it's the same context.

[John Weaver] They did eat, they drank, they married wives. They were given in marriage until the day that Noah entered the ark and the flood came and destroyed them all. Notice, if you would, in one passage, they knew not until the flood came, and the next passage, and destroyed them all. So we're talking about sudden, instant, immediate, straightway, surprising judgment. So the preaching that Noah did did not penetrate their hard hearts.

[John Weaver] It did not open their obtuse minds. They said, no, listen, we've got too much to do. There's too much going on. We've got a life to live. We don't have time to listen to you. And so when judgment fell, it fell suddenly and they were completely surprised and they were all destroyed.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to consider this truth with me. Two ways, primarily, first of all, individually and secondly, nationally. Let me point it out, first of all, individually. We're still talking about judgment, and we're talking about judgment coming suddenly. First of all, I want to point this out in reference to individual Christians in the fact that they will be judged for their sin of rebellion and wickedness.

[John Weaver] Now, by that, I do not mean that they're going to be doomed and damned. I don't mean that at all. What I do mean is that we will reap exactly that which we have sowed. Curses still follow disobedience. For instance, very simple, let's suppose Doc and I went out into a bar and got drunk. When I got drunk, we got into a fight. And in that fight, he knocked out two of my teeth, but I knocked out his eye. Now, here's my question. Will God forgive us for getting drunk? Will He? Yes. Will God forgive us for fighting? Yes. Will that restore his teeth or my teeth in his eye? No. My teeth are still gone, his eyes still out.

[John Weaver] The point I'm trying to make, although we may be forgiven, we're still reaping the consequences of our sins. So God is going to make sure that you and I understand that we do not escape. The consequences of our sins, for instance, in Numbers chapter 12, who could be? greater in the faith than Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. And yet even Aaron and Miriam begin to berate and belittle Moses. And in Numbers 12 and verse 4, the Bible says this, now listen carefully, and the Lord speaks suddenly to Moses and Aaron and Miriam coming to the tabernacle of the congregation and the three came there. And guess what God did?

[John Weaver] He smoked myrrh with leprosy. And had not Moses prayed for her and for Aaron, they may have both been killed. What do we learn from this? Listen carefully. Here's what we should learn. 1 Peter 4 and verse 17. For the time has come that judgment must begin first where? At the house of God. And if it begins first with us, what shall be the end of them that obey not the gospel?

[John Weaver] So the point I'm trying to make is this, you and I have to understand that we cannot get away with sin, period. And just because God does not chastise us instantly and immediately does not mean He's not going to chastise us at all. I remember when I was a boy, my sister and I were in the back seat of the car. And we got to fussing. And my daddy said, when I get home, I'm going to give you a whipping. He didn't just jerk us out right then, he said, when you get, you know, it was a miserable ride home.

[John Weaver] And my dad did not forget. He always kept his word. And I knew what was waiting for me when I get off. And I got news for you. Our Heavenly Father does not forget. You will reap exactly what you sow. And if you're His child, you need to read Hebrews chapter 12, because if you sin, you will get chastened. You will get whipped. And sometimes it will come rather quickly.

[John Weaver] Secondly, I want you to understand that this is also true in relationship to sinners, that is unsaved individuals. They shall not escape the righteous judgment of God. God has said this in the book of Damn 1 in verse 3. The Lord is slow to anger and great in power and will not at all acquit the wicked. The wicked are not going to escape. They're not going to get by. The Bible says in Psalm 9 in verse 16 that the Lord is known by the judgment which He executed and the wicked is snared in the work of His own hands. I want you to turn in your Bibles to Psalm 64. I'm not going to take the time to read all of this, but I do want you to see that this relates to the wicked, and there is one verse that I really want to point out. Look, if you would, please, at Psalm 64. This whole Psalm should be read.

[John Weaver] In fact, let's begin reading it. Psalm 64, verse 1. David prays, Hear my voice, O my God, in my prayer. Preserve my life from fear of the enemy. So now there's an enemy trying to take David's life. He says, Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked, from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity, who wet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows and shoot their arrows with even bitter words, that they may shoot in secret at the perfect, Suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not.

[John Weaver] They encourage themselves in an evil manner, and commune of laying snares proudly, and say, Who shall see them? They search out iniquities, they accomplish a diligent search. Both in the inward thought, every one of them, and the heart is very deep.

[John Weaver] Now we've been talking about all these enemies. Now look at the wicked. Look at verse 7. But God shall shoot at them with an arrow. Suddenly shall they be wounded. The wicked is on the advance. The wicked is doing the attacking. The wicked are being the persecutors. What's going to happen? Suddenly God shall shoot at them. Suddenly shall they be wounded. Look in Proverbs chapter 6. Proverbs chapter 6. Notice if you would beginning there with verse 12. I'm just showing you this applies to wicked sinners as well. Proverbs 6, verse 12, God says, a naughty person, a wicked man, walketh with a froward mouth, he winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers, frowardness in his heart, he devises mischief continually, he soweth discord, therefore shall his calamity come suddenly, suddenly shall he be broken down without remedy. God will get them suddenly. You know what the Bible says in Proverbs 29 verse 1. Let me just quote it. Proverbs 29 verse 1. He that being often reproved, hardly that his neck shall suddenly be destroyed and then without remedy.

[John Weaver] God said he'll do it suddenly. The Bible says in the book of Ecclesiastes chapter 9 and verse 12, For man also knoweth not his time, as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare, so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them. So mark this down. Under the theme of judgment, God moves suddenly. He'll move suddenly to discipline His own children. He'll move suddenly to destroy sinners.

[John Weaver] Thirdly, I want you to see this. This is also applied nationally. OK, God destroys nations suddenly. He may have sent out his messengers. He may have sent out his preachers. They may have uttered multitudinous warnings. But the people did not hear. They did not heed. Therefore, they were taken suddenly in judgment. I want you to turn to Isaiah 29. Follow with me very quickly, if you would. Isaiah 29.

[John Weaver] And notice, if you would please, verse 1. Begin there. Isaiah 29, verse 1. This is a passage relating to Jerusalem. Ariel is another name for Jerusalem in the Bible. Notice Isaiah 29, verse 1. God says, Woe to Ariel, to Ariel, the city where David dwelt. Add ye year to year, let them kill sacrifices. Yet I will distress Ariel, and there shall be heaviness and sorrow, and it shall be unto me as Ariel.

[John Weaver] And I will camp against thee round about, and will lay siege against thee with a mount, and I will raise forts against thee. And thou shalt be brought down, and shalt speak out of the ground, and thy speech shall be low out of the dust, and thy voice shall be as one that hath a familiar spirit, Notice what God said, I will destroy you So he's talking about Jerusalem. He's talking about Judah.

[John Weaver] Look at Isaiah 47, Isaiah 47. And this is what God does to Babylon, Isaiah 47. Notice, if you would please, just a couple of verses at the beginning just to show you he's talking about Babylon. He says, Come down and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon. Sit on the ground. There is no throne, O daughter of the Chaldees. For thou shalt no more be called tender and delicate. And so he's talking about Babylon.

[John Weaver] Skip down to verse 11. Therefore shall evil come upon thee. Thou shalt not know from whence it riseth. And mischief shall fall upon thee. Thou shalt not be able to put it off. And desolation shall come upon thee suddenly. Which thou shalt not know. Isn't that amazing?

[John Weaver] Now, God's been talking about destroying Judah and Jerusalem suddenly. Now He's talking about destroying Babylon suddenly. Look in chapter 48 in verse 3. Once again, He's talking about Judah and Jerusalem. In fact, look at verse 1, Isaiah 48, Hear ye this, O house of Jacob, which are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth from the waters of Judah. So we're talking about Israel and Judah. Go down to verse 3. God said, I have declared the former things from the beginning, and they went forth out of my mouth, and I showed them. I did them suddenly, and they came to pass. He's talking about, once again, judgment.

[John Weaver] You know, many times we think, my Lord, are you ever going to strike the wicked? Are you going to ever destroy wicked, ungodly nations? When He does, it will be suddenly. Look in your Bibles to Jeremiah chapter 4. Jeremiah chapter 4. There are several passages in Jeremiah. You know, this just literally blew my mind as I went through the Bible and looked at this word, suddenly. Notice, if you would please, Jeremiah 4, begin there with verse 14. Jeremiah 4 verse 14, God says, O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved.

[John Weaver] How long shall vain thoughts lodge within thee? For a voice declares from Dan, and publisheth affliction from Mount Ephraim. Make ye mention to the nations. Behold, publish against Jerusalem, that watchers come from a far country, and give out their voice against the cities of Judah. As a keeper of the field were they against her round about, because she had been rebellious against me, said the Lord. Thy way and thy doings have procured these things unto thee. This is thy wickedness, because it is bitter, because it reacheth even to thy heart."

[John Weaver] Now watch, Jeremiah says, my bowels, my bowels, I'm pained at my very heart. My heart maketh a noise, and me, I cannot hold my peace, because thou hast heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war. Here it is. Destruction upon destruction is cried, for the whole land is spoiled. Suddenly are my tents spoiled, and my curtains in a moment." Wow! Look in Jeremiah 6 and verse 26. Jeremiah 6 and verse 26. God says, O daughter of my people, gird thee with sackcloth and wallow thyself in ashes. Make thee mourning as for an only son. Most bitter lamentation for the spoiler shall suddenly come upon us. Isn't that amazing?

[John Weaver] I don't care where you turn in the Bible. When God speaks of judgment, it is sudden judgment. If you will turn to Jeremiah 15. Jeremiah 15. And look if you would beginning there with verse 5, Jeremiah 15 verse 5, we'll read through verse 8. Jeremiah 15 verse 5, God asked for who shall have pity upon thee, O Jerusalem? Or who shall bemoan thee? Or who shall go aside to ask how thou doest? Thou hast forsaken me, saith the Lord. Thou art going backward. Therefore will I stretch out my hand against thee, and destroy thee.

[John Weaver] I am weary with repenting, and I will fan them with a fan in the gates of the land. I will bereave them of children. I will destroy my people, since they return not from their ways. Their winters are increased to me above the sand of the seas. I have brought upon them against the mother of the young men a spoiler at noonday. I have caused them to fall upon it suddenly, and terrors upon the city." Suddenly, suddenly, and if you look at Jeremiah 18. Jeremiah prays against Judah and Jerusalem and look at verses 21 and 22 at what he prays. Jeremiah 18 verses 21 and 22. He says, Therefore deliver up their children to the famine, and pour out their blood by the force of the sword. And let their wives be bereaved of their children, and be witless. And let their young men be put to death, and let their young men be slain by the sword in battle.

[John Weaver] Let a cry be heard from their houses, when thou shalt bring a troop suddenly upon them. For they have digged a pit to take me, and hid snares from my feet." I'm not going to ask that you turn to Jeremiah 49, but once again, there he speaks about the sudden destruction of Edom. It doesn't matter if you're talking about Judah and Jerusalem. I don't care if you're talking about Babylon, Edom, Moab, Assyria, any of the nations, when God destroys them, He does so suddenly.

[John Weaver] It comes immediately, straightway, without warning. You know, I find it absolutely amazing that there are people in this country today who have no clue as to what's happening in our land. You know why they have no clue? They're marrying and giving and marriage and eating and drinking and getting on with their lives and just don't want to be bothered. They don't understand that all of a sudden. We're going to wake up in this country Under the heavy hand of God. It's already heavy upon us, folks. But it's going to get heavier.

[John Weaver] You say, but Brother Weaver, all these verses that you've showed me are in the Old Testament. Well, that's true. But the Old Testament is just as much the Word of God as the New Testament. We have one Bible, not two. But I will give you a New Testament passage. Now just let me quote it. You may write it down. 1 Thessalonians 5 and verse 3. Listen to what our Lord says. For when they shall say peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them as prevailed upon a woman with child, and they shall not escape. For when they shall say peace and safety, then what? Sudden destruction. That's in the New Testament. When God moves in judgment, He moves suddenly, straightway, immediately.

[John Weaver] When it's God's time to judge, you won't have time to blink an eye. It will be instantaneous. And He will catch the wicked in a most awkward position. Just because God is this lowest person you'll ever get hooked up with does not mean that he cannot move suddenly.

[John Weaver] Secondly, I want you to see today that this word sudden also occurs under the theme of awakening or revival. Now, there are plenty of people who have cried to God and prayed to God for revival. And there's certainly nothing wrong with crying and praying for revival. We ask the Lord to do again what He did under Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield, what is now known as the Great Awakening, where thousands were swept in the kingdom of God.

[John Weaver] Whole towns, whole cities, whole colonies were transformed. Those who are genuine Christians long for the time of Isaiah 11, verse 9, Because there the Word of God says they shall not hurt or destroy any longer in my holy mountain for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as waters cover the sea. Would it be wonderful if the entire earth was full of the knowledge of the Lord as waters that cover the sea? Of course.

[John Weaver] But I want you to understand something. Awakening or revival is the work of God. It is not the work of man. I get tickled many times at these churches that have these signs. Revival this week. Men may plan and men may hold meetings and men may preach and men may pray, but revival is the work of God. It is not the work of man. Revival is in God's hand. It is not in man's hand.

[John Weaver] You know what David prayed in Psalm 85 and verse 6? Listen to this. David prayed, will thou not revive us again that thy people may rejoice in thee? Will thou, that is God, will thou God not revive us again? Revival is the work of God. Habakkuk in chapter 3 and verse 2 prayed it like this, O Lord, I have heard thy speech and I was afraid. O Lord, revive thy work in the midst of the years. In the midst of the years, make known in wrath, remember mercy. Notice he prayed, revive thy work. And then David prayed in Psalm 138 in verse 7, though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me. So it doesn't matter if you're talking about individual revival. national revival, revival of the work of God, it's all from God.

[John Weaver] In fact, I never quoted all of Isaiah 57 in verse 15 earlier in this message. Let me quote it all now. Listen carefully. The Bible says specifically, for thus saith the Lord, the high and lofty one that inhabited the eternity, whose name is holy, I dwell in the high and holy place with him also that is of contrite and humble spirit to revive the heart or the spirit of the humble and revive the heart of the contrite ones." So God specifically declares that revival is His work.

[John Weaver] Now let me tell you something. It does not take a multiplicity of years for God to judge Nor does it take a multiplicity of years for God to accomplish an awakening or revival. When God does it, it will be done instantly, straightway, immediately, suddenly, surprisingly, and that truth is true not only individually, but nationally as well. Do you remember on the day of Pentecost, there were three thousand converts added to the church. And when the day of Pentecost was fully come in Acts 2 and verse 2, we read this, and suddenly there came a sound from heaven as a mighty rushing wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. How did it come? It came suddenly. Now, I want to show you something. Just like under the theme of judgment, as it was true individually, And nationally. Under the theme of revival or awakening, it is true individually. And nationally, let me take it individually. First, I want you to consider the Apostle Paul. The Apostle Paul gave his testimony.

[John Weaver] In Galatians 1 verses 15 and 16, when he said this, but when it pleased God who separated me from my mother's womb and call me by his grace to reveal his son in me that I might preach him among the heathen. I immediately conferred not with flesh and blood. Now, listen to what he said, but when it pleased God. Who separated me from my mother's womb, in other words, it pleased God to allow me to be born and I was born in his time physically. Likewise, I was born in his time spiritually who saved me by his grace.

[John Weaver] And it's interesting in Acts chapter 9, when you read about the conversion of Saul of Tarsus, the Bible says this. Now listen carefully. And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus and suddenly there shined about him a light from heaven. And he fell to the earth and heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? Even the Apostle Paul in giving his own personal testimony in Acts 22 and verse 6 said this, And it came to pass that as I made my journey and was come nigh to Damascus at about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me. Even the conversion of sinners is a sudden work of God.

[John Weaver] Many of you may have remembered Rolf Barnard, he's been dead for a number of years now, but Rolf was a tremendous preacher. And he used to say this. God saves you so fast you cannot even talk about it in the present tense. You have to say, I have been saved. You cannot say I am being saved. And that's a fact because it is a sudden work of God. And when God revives an individual, or when God saves an individual, it is done suddenly, instantly, immediately, straight away.

[John Weaver] Now, the same thing is true nationally. It does not take years for God to awaken a nation of people. He may do it suddenly. For instance, Malachi 3 and verse 1 tells us this, God said, Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek shall suddenly come into his temple, even the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight.

[John Weaver] And that is talking about Jesus Christ. And how will He come? He will come suddenly.

[John Weaver] Now, let me ask that you remember something. And if you don't remember, I will try to jog your mind. I would like for you to try to remember the great revival that took place under King Hezekiah. King Hezekiah was a 25 year old man when he began to reign and he reigned 29 years. And he was what you and I would call a good king. He was a godly man. In the first year of his reign, he opened the house of the Lord that had been closed up because of previous wickedness of the previous kings. He opened the house of God and he ordered that it be cleansed from all of its filth and pollution. Once the house was cleansed, he then restored all the sacrifices.

[John Weaver] Not only that, he then endeavored to evangelize his apostate brethren, the ten northern tribes. He removed all the false altars and all the false idols, and there was a great awakening and a great revival nationally. Not only that, he also restored the Passover. I want you to look in your Bibles, if you would please, to 2 Chronicles chapter 30. 2 Chronicles chapter 30, because we're reading about this great Passover that took place under King Hezekiah.

[John Weaver] Remember now, the temple has been cleansed. 2 Chronicles chapter 30, notice verse 26. Look what the Bible says. So there was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the time of Solomon son of David, king of Israel, there was not the like in Jerusalem. Then the priest, the Levites, arose and blessed the people, and their voice was heard, and their prayer came up to His holy dwelling place, even unto heaven." So this great revival now took place under King Hezekiah. Notice, if you would, the people now rejoicing nationally.

[John Weaver] You say, well now, wait a minute, Brother Weaver. That had to take a great deal of time. No. In fact, I want you to go back to 2 Chronicles 29. And the interesting thing is this. They cleansed the temple in eight days. Eight days! After the eighth day, the sacrifices were restored. Hezekiah gave orders to evangelize and invite every one of his brethren to renewal of the covenant and to the Passover. I want you to look in 2 Chronicles 29 and verse 29.

[John Weaver] And when they made an end of offering, the king and all that were present with him bowed themselves and worshipped. Moreover, Hezekiah the king and the princess commanded the Levites to sing praise of the Lord with the words of David, and of Asaph the seer. And they sang praise of the gladness, and they bowed their heads in worship. Then Hezekiah answered and said, Now you have consecrated yourselves unto the Lord. Come near and bring sacrifices and thank-offerings in the house of the Lord. And the congregation brought in sacrifices and thank-offerings and, as many as there were of free heart, burnt offerings. And the number of the burnt offerings which the congregation brought were three score and ten bullets, a hundred rams, two hundred lambs, all these were for a burnt offering to the Lord. And the consecrated things were six hundred oxen and three thousand sheep. But the priests were too few so that they could not flay all the burnt offerings. Wherefore, their brethren, the Levites, did help them till the work was ended and until the other priests had sanctified themselves.

[John Weaver] For the Levites were more upright in heart to sanctify themselves than the priests." And also the burnt offerings were in abundance, and the fat of the peace offerings, and the drink offerings, and every burnt offering. So the service of the house of the Lord was set in order. And Hezekiah rejoiced, and all the people..." Are you looking? "...that God had prepared the people, for the thing was done." What? Suddenly. How did God awaken the nation? He awakened them suddenly. Do you realize it is just as simple for God to awaken a multitude as it is to awaken an individual?

[John Weaver] The Lord's hand is not shortened that it cannot save. God is omnipotent. And as he asked Jeremiah, is there anything too hard for the Lord? And the answer is no. God can either move in judgment or in revival suddenly.

[John Weaver] Now, let me try to make some applications, and I want you to think these things through with me. There are those saints, and thankfully, who want to see the wicked overthrown and the kingdom of God established fully. Wouldn't you like to see the kingdom of God established fully on this earth? Wouldn't you like to see the reign of the Lord Jesus Christ? Wouldn't you like to see his righteousness, his law, his people in authority? Wouldn't you like to see wickedness overthrown? Have you ever stopped to think that if you ever prayed the model prayer that was taught by our Lord, that is exactly what you're praying for.

[John Weaver] Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Are you listening? Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. What are you saying? You're saying, Lord, overthrow those humanistic, ungodly, reprobate kingdoms and establish your kingdom. Establish your law. Establish your people. Do you realize you cannot pray for God's kingdom to be established without at the same time praying for the overthrow of the humanistic kingdoms? I like that psalmist, David, when he said, Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, but establish thou the just.

[John Weaver] And you know what God is going to do? I like it. He's going to overthrow these wicked rulers instantly, suddenly, surprisingly. Oh, they think they've got the new world order all mapped out. They're going to do this. They're going to do that. They've got everything under their control. They've got their plans. They've got their schemes. They've got everything except God under control. And suddenly, shall He smite them? And suddenly, shall He overthrow them? and suddenly shall he destroy them.

[John Weaver] When you pray, our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come. Now listen, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. You're praying for the overthrow of every humanistic kingdom imaginable. The second application is this. The wicked are deceived. And they will continue to be deceived apart from the grace of God. You know, it can only be deception that makes a man think that he can fight against God and succeed. How in the world can a finite man think for a moment that he can defeat the infinite God? When you think about what is going on in our country today, just stop and think about this. When our paganistic, heathenistic, humanistic, civil rulers tell us That everything's under control. The recession is ending. You just need to spend more money. Everything's under control, peace and safety, joy.

[John Weaver] What does the scripture say? For when they shall say peace and safety, sudden destruction cometh upon them. I got news for you, folks. I'd rather believe the Word of God than the Word of man. We need to learn to pray that God will revive His people. And do you realize one of the things that people have asked me about, oh, they said, Brother Weaver, how can we do anything at all in this country?

[John Weaver] There are just too few of us. Let me tell you, God can multiply us Overnight. And besides, as I taught you before, you don't need a multitude, you just need God. God is quite capable of taking care of the wicked by himself. But we need to pray that God would indeed awaken us. And that God in this day and time would give us wisdom. And I don't know about you, But I'm looking forward to the time when we see old Babylon fall.

[John Weaver] And God's law and God's righteousness be established in this land. And the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. And God can and will do it instantly. Suddenly. straightway, immediately, and to some, surprisingly. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we thank You for Your truth. We thank You for Your Word. And Father, God has told us not to be afraid of sudden fear. Because, Lord, when you do move, you do move suddenly and you strike fear in the hearts of the wicked. Help us, Lord, to obey Thee, to look, Lord, unto Thee, and to worship Thee in the name of Jesus Christ we ask and pray. Amen.

The Sudden Works of God

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	81814021201
Subject	New Testament Studies
Course	Revelation: Witness, Judgment, and the Throne
Genre	Sermon
Date	2009-10-25
Dictation Name
Book	Book 140: Revelation: Witness, Judgment, and the Throne — Chapter 5
Source Timed Segments	86

Formatted Transcript

Introduction and the Divine Prohibition

Weaver introduces Proverbs 3:25, highlighting the command not to fear sudden fear or the desolation of the wicked, and notes the implied promise of deliverance for the righteous.

I want you to open your Bibles, if you would, to Proverbs chapter 3 today. Proverbs 3, and we're going to look at verse 25.

Proverbs 3, verse 25. The message today is entitled "The Sudden Works of God." Proverbs 3, verse 25. The Word of God says,

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 3:25

"Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither the desolation of the wicked when it cometh."

Very simple verse. Let's read it one more time.

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 3:25

"Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither the desolation of the wicked when it cometh."

When you look at Proverbs 3 and verse 25, the first thing that you should see is a divine prohibition. That is, He is prohibiting us from doing something. What is He prohibiting us from doing? And that is, we should not be afraid of sudden fear, neither the desolation of the wicked. So this verse very clearly, pointedly indicates that the wicked shall be destroyed. In fact, they shall be left absolutely desolate. They will have nothing to cling to, nothing to hold on to, nothing to stand upon, nor any help or any hope whatsoever.

They will face the righteous judgment of God, and they will face the righteous judgment of God alone. Also, we must remember that every negative has a positive. So when you look at Proverbs 3 and verse 25, the positive then indicates very clearly that the righteous, therefore, shall be delivered. Destruction may fall upon the wicked, but it is not going to fall upon the righteous. The Bible tells us in 2 Peter 2, verse 9,

Scripture Reading — 2 Peter 2:9

"The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation and how to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished."

So on the one hand, God knows how to deliver the righteous. On the other hand, He knows how to reserve the unjust to the day of judgment.

God's Eternality and Timelessness

God is eternal and above time, yet He can act suddenly. Human impatience often misunderstands God's timing.

Now, I call your attention to the concept in verse 25 of sudden fear. Have you ever really thought about the word sudden or suddenly? We use that word very frequently, but we very seldom think about the implications of the word. You will remember I've told you repeatedly in times past that God is the slowest person you'll ever get hooked up with. And the reason I make that statement is because God is not bound by time. God is eternal. He is above time. He is beyond time. And when time shall be no more, He is. The Bible tells us in Revelation 10 in verse 6 that the angel

Scripture Reading — Revelation 10:6

"sware by Him that liveth forever and ever, who created the heaven and the things therein, and the earth and the things that are therein, and the sea and the things that are therein, that time shall be no more."

So the eternality of God then speaks of God's timelessness. If you are eternal, you are before time and you are after time. You have nothing to do with time.

You are eternal. That's why the Bible says in Isaiah 57 and verse 15, "For thus saith the high and lofty one that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy." God is the one who inhabits eternity. In Deuteronomy 33 and verse 27, the Bible says that "the eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms." So God is eternal. We are not eternal. That means that we are creatures of time, and therefore we are time conscious. Well, at least some of us are. But most of us are time conscious. And the fact is that we want God to do something in our time. And usually we want Him to do it in our own way as well. But the Bible says in 2 Peter 3 in verse 8,

Scripture Reading — 2 Peter 3:8

"But beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day."

Now, what does that mean? That means this. God does have a timetable, but it is not our timetable because God is above time and beyond time and certainly is not limited by time whatsoever. Let me just point it out to you like this. History is linear. It is not cyclical. Anytime you hear someone talk about that history is repeating itself, it's going around in circles or cycles, that is a pagan concept.

Now, it is true that we do repeat the same sins because we are sinners. But what the Bible teaches is this, that time has a definite beginning, that is creation, and it proceeds to a definite ending, that is when time shall be no more. It does not keep going around in circles. It has a beginning and it has an ending. So God then has ordained time for us, but God is above time. God is eternal. Therefore, God does as He pleases, only as He pleases, always as He pleases, and to whomever He pleases, because God is above and beyond time. Now, just simply because we understand that God is eternal and that God is above time does not mean that God cannot move and God cannot act suddenly. In fact, the Scripture teaches that there are indeed sudden works of God. Now, the word sudden, and let me give you the definition of it, it means this, very simple, straightway, immediately, quickly, surprisingly. It means when God moves, and oftentimes He does indeed move straightway, immediately, quickly, and surprisingly.

The Patience of God Misunderstood

Wicked men misinterpret God's patience as forgetfulness or weakness, but God exercises self-control and will judge in His time.

And when God moves this way, He usually catches sinners off guard because they don't expect Him to move in that way. You see, the patience of God is usually misunderstood and misinterpreted by wicked men. Natural man, depraved man, fallen man, tends to think that just because God does not smite a man instantly, then he's not going to smite him at all. Or else that God has forgotten and God is not going to judge.

Now, I'm not making that up. Let me just read it to you from Psalm 10, verse 6 and verse 11. Here's what Psalm 10 and verse 6, the wicked is speaking and he said this, he said in his heart,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 10:6,11

"I shall not be moved, I shall never be in adversity."

So the wicked man thinks that somehow, someway, he's never ever going to be judged, he's never ever going to be brought into account for his sins. And then in Psalm 10 and verse 11, the wicked man says this, he has said in his heart, "God hath forgotten it, he hideth his face, he will never see it." In other words, somehow, if God does happen to observe or God does happen to know, then God's not going to judge me for it. He'll forget all about it. Well, neither of those attitudes are correct. Neither of those attitudes are biblical. God is just merely patient. Now, listen. The patience of God is described as that attitude or that attribute of God in which He exercises a power of control over Himself, causing Him to bear long with the wicked and forbear in punishing them. Now listen carefully, the patience of God is that attribute which causes God to bear long with the wicked and then forbear in punishing them.

Doesn't mean He is not going to punish them. He just bears long with them. The Bible says in the book of Nahum 1 in verse 3 that the Lord is slow to anger and great in power. The Bible tells us in Romans 15 in verse 5 that He is the patient God. Now let me just show you how different God is from man. You see, man by nature is quick-tempered and unforgiving. And usually, in man, the higher one is in authority, the higher one is in power, the quicker he is to strike out at those that are beneath him that do not please him. He thinks simply because he is in power, and simply because he has some authority that he can do as he pleases, whenever he pleases, and he can berate, and he can belittle, and he can punish those below him at his will.

Such is the attitude of modern day politicians when they readily, eagerly, and willingly strike out at anybody who does not agree with them. Such is not God. Do you know why man does that? Man has no control over himself. God has complete and total control and therefore God is patient. God is not going to be bullied into a quarrel before He's ready to quarrel. God has control over Himself.

Stop and think about this. Man who has absolutely no power is quick-tempered and quick to punish. God, who is omnipotent, that is, He has all power, has absolute and total control over Himself, and instead of absolutely quickly smiting down the offender, He bears long with him. It is not that God is weak. It is not that God is unjust. God is just simply exercising His patience.

Examples of God's Patience in Judgment

God's patience is seen in the antediluvians (120 years) and the Amorites (400 years), but judgment eventually came suddenly and completely.

Now stop and think with me, and I'm going to develop one of these thoughts a little bit more fully later. But have you ever noticed how the patience of God has been revealed in His dealing with sinners? For instance, just take those antediluvians, that is those people who lived before Noah's flood. It is true that God warned them. And yet God waited 120 years, according to Genesis 6 and verse 3, before He destroyed them. And when you talk about the Amorites, the Amorites is another example of God's wonderful patience. Do you remember there in Genesis chapter 15 where God told Abram that he and his seed were going to go down into a strange land and be there for 400 years? Why? Did Abram and his descendants need to go into Egypt for 400 years?

Let me read it to you. Genesis 15, verses 13 through 16. "And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them, and they shall afflict them 400 years. And also that nation whom they shall serve will I judge, and afterwards they shall come out with great substance, and thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace, and thou shalt be buried in good old age."

Now listen, "...but in the fourth generation they shall come hither again, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full." What did God do after 400 years? He brought Israel out of the land of Egypt. He put a sword in their hand and said, go into the land and kill every one of them. Now, the amazing thing is this. The Amorites were a wicked, vile, ungodly, heathenistic, idolatrous people. And the amazing thing is that God waited an additional 400 years before He smote them. But when He smote them, He totally destroyed them. I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Psalms. I want you to look at the amazing patience of God to Israel. Notice Psalm 78, if you would please, verses 38 and 39. If anyone ever provoked God, it was certainly Israel. All you have to do is read about the wilderness wanderings and everything that they did to provoke God. But in Psalm 78, verses 38 and 39, you have it summarized.

Sudden Judgment Individually and Nationally

Using Scripture, Weaver shows that God judges individuals (believers and unbelievers) and nations suddenly, often catching them off guard.

Now, I want you to consider this truth with me. Two ways, primarily, first of all, individually and secondly, nationally. Let me point it out, first of all, individually. We're still talking about judgment, and we're talking about judgment coming suddenly. First of all, I want to point this out in reference to individual Christians in the fact that they will be judged for their sin of rebellion and wickedness.

Now, by that, I do not mean that they're going to be doomed and damned. I don't mean that at all. What I do mean is that we will reap exactly that which we have sowed. Curses still follow disobedience. For instance, very simple, let's suppose Doc and I went out into a bar and got drunk. When I got drunk, we got into a fight. And in that fight, he knocked out two of my teeth, but I knocked out his eye. Now, here's my question. Will God forgive us for getting drunk? Will He? Yes. Will God forgive us for fighting? Yes. Will that restore his teeth or my teeth in his eye? No. My teeth are still gone, his eye's still out.

The point I'm trying to make, although we may be forgiven, we're still reaping the consequences of our sins. So God is going to make sure that you and I understand that we do not escape the consequences of our sins. For instance, in Numbers chapter 12, who could be greater in the faith than Moses, Aaron, and Miriam? And yet even Aaron and Miriam begin to berate and belittle Moses. And in Numbers 12 and verse 4, the Bible says this, now listen carefully,

Scripture Reading — Numbers 12:4

"and the Lord spake suddenly to Moses and Aaron and Miriam coming to the tabernacle of the congregation and the three came there."

And guess what God did? He smote Miriam with leprosy. And had not Moses prayed for her and for Aaron, they may have both been killed. What do we learn from this? Listen carefully. Here's what we should learn. 1 Peter 4 and verse 17. "For the time has come that judgment must begin first where? At the house of God. And if it begins first with us, what shall be the end of them that obey not the gospel?"

So the point I'm trying to make is this, you and I have to understand that we cannot get away with sin, period. And just because God does not chastise us instantly and immediately does not mean He's not going to chastise us at all. I remember when I was a boy, my sister and I were in the back seat of the car. And we got to fussing. And my daddy said, when I get home, I'm going to give you a whipping. He didn't just jerk us out right then, he said, when you get, you know, it was a miserable ride home. And my dad did not forget. He always kept his word. And I knew what was waiting for me when I get off. And I got news for you. Our Heavenly Father does not forget. You will reap exactly what you sow. And if you're His child, you need to read Hebrews chapter 12, because if you sin, you will get chastened. You will get whipped. And sometimes it will come rather quickly.

Secondly, I want you to understand that this is also true in relationship to sinners, that is unsaved individuals. They shall not escape the righteous judgment of God. God has said this in the book of Nahum 1 in verse 3. "The Lord is slow to anger and great in power and will not at all acquit the wicked." The wicked are not going to escape. They're not going to get by. The Bible says in Psalm 9 in verse 16 that "the Lord is known by the judgment which He executeth and the wicked is snared in the work of His own hands." I want you to turn in your Bibles to Psalm 64. I'm not going to take the time to read all of this, but I do want you to see that this relates to the wicked, and there is one verse that I really want to point out. Look, if you would, please, at Psalm 64. This whole Psalm should be read.

In fact, let's begin reading it. Psalm 64, verse 1. David prays, "Hear my voice, O my God, in my prayer. Preserve my life from fear of the enemy." So now there's an enemy trying to take David's life. He says, "Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked, from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity, who wet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows and shoot their arrows with even bitter words, that they may shoot in secret at the perfect, suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not." "They encourage themselves in an evil manner, and commune of laying snares proudly, and say, Who shall see them? They search out iniquities, they accomplish a diligent search. Both in the inward thought, every one of them, and the heart is very deep."

Now we've been talking about all these enemies. Now look at the wicked. Look at verse 7. "But God shall shoot at them with an arrow. Suddenly shall they be wounded." The wicked is on the advance. The wicked is doing the attacking. The wicked are being the persecutors. What's going to happen? Suddenly God shall shoot at them. Suddenly shall they be wounded. Look in Proverbs chapter 6. Proverbs chapter 6. Notice if you would beginning there with verse 12. I'm just showing you this applies to wicked sinners as well. Proverbs 6, verse 12, God says, "A naughty person, a wicked man, walketh with a froward mouth, he winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers, frowardness in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually, he soweth discord, therefore shall his calamity come suddenly, suddenly shall he be broken down without remedy." God will get them suddenly. You know what the Bible says in Proverbs 29 verse 1. Let me just quote it. Proverbs 29 verse 1. "He that being often reproved, hardeneth his neck shall suddenly be destroyed and that without remedy."

God said he'll do it suddenly. The Bible says in the book of Ecclesiastes chapter 9 and verse 12, "For man also knoweth not his time, as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare, so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them." So mark this down. Under the theme of judgment, God moves suddenly. He'll move suddenly to discipline His own children. He'll move suddenly to destroy sinners. Thirdly, I want you to see this. This is also applied nationally. OK, God destroys nations suddenly. He may have sent out His messengers. He may have sent out His preachers. They may have uttered multitudinous warnings. But the people did not hear. They did not heed. Therefore, they were taken suddenly in judgment. I want you to turn to Isaiah 29. Follow with me very quickly, if you would. Isaiah 29.

And notice, if you would please, verse 1. Begin there. Isaiah 29, verse 1. This is a passage relating to Jerusalem. Ariel is another name for Jerusalem in the Bible. Notice Isaiah 29, verse 1. God says, "Woe to Ariel, to Ariel, the city where David dwelt. Add ye year to year, let them kill sacrifices. Yet I will distress Ariel, and there shall be heaviness and sorrow, and it shall be unto me as Ariel."

"And I will camp against thee round about, and will lay siege against thee with a mount, and I will raise forts against thee. And thou shalt be brought down, and shalt speak out of the ground, and thy speech shall be low out of the dust, and thy voice shall be as one that hath a familiar spirit." Notice what God said, I will destroy you. So he's talking about Jerusalem. He's talking about Judah. Look at Isaiah 47, Isaiah 47. And this is what God does to Babylon, Isaiah 47. Notice, if you would please, just a couple of verses at the beginning just to show you he's talking about Babylon. He says, "Come down and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon. Sit on the ground. There is no throne, O daughter of the Chaldees. For thou shalt no more be called tender and delicate." And so he's talking about Babylon.

Skip down to verse 11. "Therefore shall evil come upon thee. Thou shalt not know from whence it riseth. And mischief shall fall upon thee. Thou shalt not be able to put it off. And desolation shall come upon thee suddenly. Which thou shalt not know." Isn't that amazing?

Now, God's been talking about destroying Judah and Jerusalem suddenly. Now He's talking about destroying Babylon suddenly. Look in chapter 48 in verse 3. Once again, He's talking about Judah and Jerusalem. In fact, look at verse 1, Isaiah 48, "Hear ye this, O house of Jacob, which are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth from the waters of Judah." So we're talking about Israel and Judah. Go down to verse 3. God said, "I have declared the former things from the beginning, and they went forth out of my mouth, and I showed them. I did them suddenly, and they came to pass." He's talking about, once again, judgment.

You know, many times we think, my Lord, are you ever going to strike the wicked? Are you going to ever destroy wicked, ungodly nations? When He does, it will be suddenly. Look in your Bibles to Jeremiah chapter 4. Jeremiah chapter 4. There are several passages in Jeremiah. You know, this just literally blew my mind as I went through the Bible and looked at this word, suddenly. Notice, if you would please, Jeremiah 4, begin there with verse 14. Jeremiah 4 verse 14, God says, "O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved."

"How long shall vain thoughts lodge within thee? For a voice declares from Dan, and publisheth affliction from Mount Ephraim. Make ye mention to the nations. Behold, publish against Jerusalem, that watchers come from a far country, and give out their voice against the cities of Judah. As a keeper of the field were they against her round about, because she had been rebellious against me, said the Lord. Thy way and thy doings have procured these things unto thee. This is thy wickedness, because it is bitter, because it reacheth even to thy heart."

Now watch, Jeremiah says, "My bowels, my bowels, I'm pained at my very heart. My heart maketh a noise, and me, I cannot hold my peace, because thou hast heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war. Here it is. Destruction upon destruction is cried, for the whole land is spoiled. Suddenly are my tents spoiled, and my curtains in a moment." Wow! Look in Jeremiah 6 and verse 26. Jeremiah 6 and verse 26. God says, "O daughter of my people, gird thee with sackcloth and wallow thyself in ashes. Make thee mourning as for an only son. Most bitter lamentation for the spoiler shall suddenly come upon us." Isn't that amazing?

I don't care where you turn in the Bible. When God speaks of judgment, it is sudden judgment. If you will turn to Jeremiah 15. Jeremiah 15. And look if you would beginning there with verse 5, Jeremiah 15 verse 5, we'll read through verse 8. Jeremiah 15 verse 5, God asked, "For who shall have pity upon thee, O Jerusalem? Or who shall bemoan thee? Or who shall go aside to ask how thou doest? Thou hast forsaken me, saith the Lord. Thou art going backward. Therefore will I stretch out my hand against thee, and destroy thee."

"I am weary with repenting, and I will fan them with a fan in the gates of the land. I will bereave them of children. I will destroy my people, since they return not from their ways. Their widows are increased to me above the sand of the seas. I have brought upon them against the mother of the young men a spoiler at noonday. I have caused them to fall upon it suddenly, and terrors upon the city." Suddenly, suddenly, and if you look at Jeremiah 18. Jeremiah prays against Judah and Jerusalem and look at verses 21 and 22 at what he prays. Jeremiah 18 verses 21 and 22. He says, "Therefore deliver up their children to the famine, and pour out their blood by the force of the sword. And let their wives be bereaved of their children, and be widows. And let their young men be put to death, and let their young men be slain by the sword in battle."

"Let a cry be heard from their houses, when thou shalt bring a troop suddenly upon them. For they have digged a pit to take me, and hid snares from my feet." I'm not going to ask that you turn to Jeremiah 49, but once again, there he speaks about the sudden destruction of Edom. It doesn't matter if you're talking about Judah and Jerusalem. I don't care if you're talking about Babylon, Edom, Moab, Assyria, any of the nations, when God destroys them, He does so suddenly. It comes immediately, straightway, without warning. You know, I find it absolutely amazing that there are people in this country today who have no clue as to what's happening in our land. You know why they have no clue? They're marrying and giving in marriage and eating and drinking and getting on with their lives and just don't want to be bothered. They don't understand that all of a sudden, we're going to wake up in this country under the heavy hand of God. It's already heavy upon us, folks. But it's going to get heavier.

You say, but Brother Weaver, all these verses that you've showed me are in the Old Testament. Well, that's true. But the Old Testament is just as much the Word of God as the New Testament. We have one Bible, not two. But I will give you a New Testament passage. Now just let me quote it. You may write it down. 1 Thessalonians 5 and verse 3. Listen to what our Lord says. "For when they shall say peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them as travail upon a woman with child, and they shall not escape." For when they shall say peace and safety, then what? Sudden destruction. That's in the New Testament. When God moves in judgment, He moves suddenly, straightway, immediately.

When it's God's time to judge, you won't have time to blink an eye. It will be instantaneous. And He will catch the wicked in a most awkward position. Just because God is the slowest person you'll ever get hooked up with does not mean that He cannot move suddenly.

Sudden Awakening and Revival

The word 'suddenly' also describes revival. God can awaken individuals (e.g., Paul) and nations (e.g., under Hezekiah) instantly.

Secondly, I want you to see today that this word sudden also occurs under the theme of awakening or revival. Now, there are plenty of people who have cried to God and prayed to God for revival. And there's certainly nothing wrong with crying and praying for revival. We ask the Lord to do again what He did under Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield, what is now known as the Great Awakening, where thousands were swept in the kingdom of God. Whole towns, whole cities, whole colonies were transformed. Those who are genuine Christians long for the time of Isaiah 11, verse 9, because there the Word of God says, "They shall not hurt or destroy any longer in my holy mountain for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as waters cover the sea." Would it be wonderful if the entire earth was full of the knowledge of the Lord as waters that cover the sea? Of course.

But I want you to understand something. Awakening or revival is the work of God. It is not the work of man. I get tickled many times at these churches that have these signs. Revival this week. Men may plan and men may hold meetings and men may preach and men may pray, but revival is the work of God. It is not the work of man. Revival is in God's hand. It is not in man's hand.

You know what David prayed in Psalm 85 and verse 6? Listen to this. David prayed, "Wilt thou not revive us again that thy people may rejoice in thee?" Wilt thou, that is God, wilt thou God not revive us again? Revival is the work of God. Habakkuk in chapter 3 and verse 2 prayed it like this, "O Lord, I have heard thy speech and I was afraid. O Lord, revive thy work in the midst of the years. In the midst of the years, make known in wrath, remember mercy." Notice he prayed, revive thy work. And then David prayed in Psalm 138 in verse 7, "Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me." So it doesn't matter if you're talking about individual revival, national revival, revival of the work of God, it's all from God.

In fact, I never quoted all of Isaiah 57 in verse 15 earlier in this message. Let me quote it all now. Listen carefully. The Bible says specifically, "For thus saith the Lord, the high and lofty one that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy, I dwell in the high and holy place with him also that is of contrite and humble spirit to revive the heart or the spirit of the humble and revive the heart of the contrite ones." So God specifically declares that revival is His work.

Now let me tell you something. It does not take a multiplicity of years for God to judge. Nor does it take a multiplicity of years for God to accomplish an awakening or revival. When God does it, it will be done instantly, straightway, immediately, suddenly, surprisingly, and that truth is true not only individually, but nationally as well. Do you remember on the day of Pentecost, there were three thousand converts added to the church. And when the day of Pentecost was fully come in Acts 2 and verse 2, we read this, "And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as a mighty rushing wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting." How did it come? It came suddenly. Now, I want to show you something. Just like under the theme of judgment, as it was true individually and nationally. Under the theme of revival or awakening, it is true individually and nationally. Let me take it individually. First, I want you to consider the Apostle Paul. The Apostle Paul gave his testimony.

In Galatians 1 verses 15 and 16, when he said this, "But when it pleased God who separated me from my mother's womb and called me by his grace to reveal his Son in me that I might preach him among the heathen. I immediately conferred not with flesh and blood." Now, listen to what he said, "but when it pleased God." Who separated me from my mother's womb, in other words, it pleased God to allow me to be born and I was born in his time physically. Likewise, I was born in his time spiritually who saved me by his grace. And it's interesting in Acts chapter 9, when you read about the conversion of Saul of Tarsus, the Bible says this. Now listen carefully. "And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus and suddenly there shined about him a light from heaven. And he fell to the earth and heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?" Even the Apostle Paul in giving his own personal testimony in Acts 22 and verse 6 said this, "And it came to pass that as I made my journey and was come nigh to Damascus at about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me." Even the conversion of sinners is a sudden work of God.

Many of you may have remembered Rolf Barnard, he's been dead for a number of years now, but Rolf was a tremendous preacher. And he used to say this. God saves you so fast you cannot even talk about it in the present tense. You have to say, I have been saved. You cannot say I am being saved. And that's a fact because it is a sudden work of God. And when God revives an individual, or when God saves an individual, it is done suddenly, instantly, immediately, straight away.

Now, the same thing is true nationally. It does not take years for God to awaken a nation of people. He may do it suddenly. For instance, Malachi 3 and verse 1 tells us this, God said, "Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek shall suddenly come into his temple, even the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight." And that is talking about Jesus Christ. And how will He come? He will come suddenly.

Now, let me ask that you remember something. And if you don't remember, I will try to jog your mind. I would like for you to try to remember the great revival that took place under King Hezekiah. King Hezekiah was a 25 year old man when he began to reign and he reigned 29 years. And he was what you and I would call a good king. He was a godly man. In the first year of his reign, he opened the house of the Lord that had been closed up because of previous wickedness of the previous kings. He opened the house of God and he ordered that it be cleansed from all of its filth and pollution. Once the house was cleansed, he then restored all the sacrifices.

Not only that, he then endeavored to evangelize his apostate brethren, the ten northern tribes. He removed all the false altars and all the false idols, and there was a great awakening and a great revival nationally. Not only that, he also restored the Passover. I want you to look in your Bibles, if you would please, to 2 Chronicles chapter 30. 2 Chronicles chapter 30, because we're reading about this great Passover that took place under King Hezekiah. Remember now, the temple has been cleansed. 2 Chronicles chapter 30, notice verse 26. Look what the Bible says. "So there was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the time of Solomon son of David, king of Israel, there was not the like in Jerusalem. Then the priest, the Levites, arose and blessed the people, and their voice was heard, and their prayer came up to His holy dwelling place, even unto heaven." So this great revival now took place under King Hezekiah. Notice, if you would, the people now rejoicing nationally.

You say, well now, wait a minute, Brother Weaver. That had to take a great deal of time. No. In fact, I want you to go back to 2 Chronicles 29. And the interesting thing is this. They cleansed the temple in eight days. Eight days! After the eighth day, the sacrifices were restored. Hezekiah gave orders to evangelize and invite every one of his brethren to renewal of the covenant and to the Passover. I want you to look in 2 Chronicles 29 and verse 29.

"And when they made an end of offering, the king and all that were present with him bowed themselves and worshipped. Moreover, Hezekiah the king and the princes commanded the Levites to sing praise of the Lord with the words of David, and of Asaph the seer. And they sang praise of the gladness, and they bowed their heads in worship. Then Hezekiah answered and said, Now you have consecrated yourselves unto the Lord. Come near and bring sacrifices and thank-offerings in the house of the Lord. And the congregation brought in sacrifices and thank-offerings and, as many as there were of free heart, burnt offerings. And the number of the burnt offerings which the congregation brought were three score and ten bullocks, a hundred rams, two hundred lambs, all these were for a burnt offering to the Lord. And the consecrated things were six hundred oxen and three thousand sheep. But the priests were too few so that they could not flay all the burnt offerings. Wherefore, their brethren, the Levites, did help them till the work was ended and until the other priests had sanctified themselves."

"For the Levites were more upright in heart to sanctify themselves than the priests." And also the burnt offerings were in abundance, and the fat of the peace offerings, and the drink offerings, and every burnt offering. So the service of the house of the Lord was set in order. And Hezekiah rejoiced, and all the people..." Are you looking? "...that God had prepared the people, for the thing was done." What? Suddenly. How did God awaken the nation? He awakened them suddenly. Do you realize it is just as simple for God to awaken a multitude as it is to awaken an individual?

The Lord's hand is not shortened that it cannot save. God is omnipotent. And as he asked Jeremiah, is there anything too hard for the Lord? And the answer is no. God can either move in judgment or in revival suddenly.

Applications and Prayer

Believers should pray for God's kingdom to come, which includes the overthrow of wickedness, and trust that God can revive His people and judge the wicked suddenly.

Now, let me try to make some applications, and I want you to think these things through with me. There are those saints, and thankfully, who want to see the wicked overthrown and the kingdom of God established fully. Wouldn't you like to see the kingdom of God established fully on this earth? Wouldn't you like to see the reign of the Lord Jesus Christ? Wouldn't you like to see his righteousness, his law, his people in authority? Wouldn't you like to see wickedness overthrown? Have you ever stopped to think that if you ever prayed the model prayer that was taught by our Lord, that is exactly what you're praying for.

"Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name." Are you listening? "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." What are you saying? You're saying, Lord, overthrow those humanistic, ungodly, reprobate kingdoms and establish your kingdom. Establish your law. Establish your people. Do you realize you cannot pray for God's kingdom to be established without at the same time praying for the overthrow of the humanistic kingdoms? I like that psalmist, David, when he said, "Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, but establish thou the just."

And you know what God is going to do? I like it. He's going to overthrow these wicked rulers instantly, suddenly, surprisingly. Oh, they think they've got the new world order all mapped out. They're going to do this. They're going to do that. They've got everything under their control. They've got their plans. They've got their schemes. They've got everything except God under control. And suddenly, shall He smite them? And suddenly, shall He overthrow them? And suddenly shall He destroy them.

When you pray, "Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come." Now listen, "thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." You're praying for the overthrow of every humanistic kingdom imaginable. The second application is this. The wicked are deceived. And they will continue to be deceived apart from the grace of God. You know, it can only be deception that makes a man think that he can fight against God and succeed. How in the world can a finite man think for a moment that he can defeat the infinite God? When you think about what is going on in our country today, just stop and think about this. When our paganistic, heathenistic, humanistic, civil rulers tell us that everything's under control. The recession is ending. You just need to spend more money. Everything's under control, peace and safety, joy.

What does the scripture say? "For when they shall say peace and safety, sudden destruction cometh upon them." I got news for you, folks. I'd rather believe the Word of God than the Word of man. We need to learn to pray that God will revive His people. And do you realize one of the things that people have asked me about, oh, they said, Brother Weaver, how can we do anything at all in this country?

There are just too few of us. Let me tell you, God can multiply us overnight. And besides, as I taught you before, you don't need a multitude, you just need God. God is quite capable of taking care of the wicked by himself. But we need to pray that God would indeed awaken us. And that God in this day and time would give us wisdom. And I don't know about you, but I'm looking forward to the time when we see old Babylon fall.

And God's law and God's righteousness be established in this land. And the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. And God can and will do it instantly. Suddenly. Straightway, immediately, and to some, surprisingly. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we thank You for Your truth. We thank You for Your Word. And Father, God has told us not to be afraid of sudden fear. Because, Lord, when you do move, you do move suddenly and you strike fear in the hearts of the wicked. Help us, Lord, to obey Thee, to look, Lord, unto Thee, and to worship Thee in the name of Jesus Christ we ask and pray. Amen.

Study Guide

Major Themes

God's Sudden Acts

Summary: God, though eternal and patient, often moves suddenly in judgment and revival, catching the wicked by surprise.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'When God moves this way, He usually catches sinners off guard because they don't expect Him to move in that way.'

Misinterpretation of God's Patience

Summary: The wicked mistake God's patience for indifference or forgetfulness, leading to false security.

Evidence: Weaver reads Psalm 10:6,11: 'I shall not be moved... God hath forgotten it.'

Sudden Judgment

Summary: Judgment comes instantly and without warning to those who ignore God's warnings, both individually and nationally.

Evidence: Weaver cites 1 Thessalonians 5:3: 'sudden destruction cometh upon them.'

Sudden Revival

Summary: Revival is God's work and can occur suddenly, as seen at Pentecost and under Hezekiah.

Evidence: Weaver notes Acts 2:2: 'suddenly there came a sound from heaven.'

Deliverance of the Righteous

Summary: Proverbs 3:25 implies that the righteous will be delivered when sudden destruction falls on the wicked.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'the positive then indicates very clearly that the righteous, therefore, shall be delivered.'

Prayer for God's Kingdom

Summary: Praying 'Thy kingdom come' includes asking God to overthrow wicked humanistic kingdoms and establish His rule.

Evidence: Weaver explains the Lord's Prayer: 'You're saying, Lord, overthrow those humanistic, ungodly, reprobate kingdoms.'

Key Arguments

God's Eternality Does Not Preclude Sudden Action

Summary: Although God is eternal and above time, He can and does act suddenly in human history.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'just simply because we understand that God is eternal... does not mean that God cannot move and God cannot act suddenly.'

The Wicked Are Deceived by God's Patience

Summary: Sinners think God's delay in judgment means He will not judge, but Scripture shows otherwise.

Evidence: Weaver quotes Psalm 10:6,11 and explains, 'God is just merely patient.'

Judgment Comes Suddenly and Without Remedy

Summary: Multiple Scriptures warn that calamity will come suddenly upon the wicked, often without warning.

Evidence: Weaver cites Proverbs 6:15: 'therefore shall his calamity come suddenly, suddenly shall he be broken down without remedy.'

Revival Is a Sudden Work of God

Summary: Just as judgment is sudden, so is revival; God can awaken individuals and nations instantly.

Evidence: Weaver points to Hezekiah's revival: 'the thing was done suddenly' (2 Chronicles 29:36).

Believers Should Not Fear Sudden Calamity

Summary: Proverbs 3:25 commands the righteous not to fear sudden fear because God will deliver them.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither the desolation of the wicked when it cometh.'

Scripture References

Proverbs 3:25

Context: The main text: 'Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither the desolation of the wicked when it cometh.'

2 Peter 2:9

Context: God knows how to deliver the godly and reserve the unjust for judgment.

Revelation 10:6

Context: The angel swears by Him who lives forever, that time shall be no more.

Isaiah 57:15

Context: God inhabits eternity and revives the humble.

Deuteronomy 33:27

Context: The eternal God is our refuge.

2 Peter 3:8

Context: One day is with the Lord as a thousand years.

Psalm 10:6,11

Context: The wicked think they will never be moved and God has forgotten.

Nahum 1:3

Context: The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and will not acquit the wicked.

Romans 15:5

Context: God is the patient God.

Genesis 6:3

Context: God gave 120 years before the flood.

Genesis 15:13-16

Context: God told Abram his descendants would be afflicted 400 years because the iniquity of the Amorites was not yet full.

Psalm 78:38-39

Context: God, being full of compassion, forgave Israel and did not stir up all His wrath.

1 Corinthians 15:52

Context: In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump.

Matthew 24:27,44

Context: The coming of the Son of Man will be as lightning; be ready for an unexpected hour.

Matthew 24:37-39

Context: As in the days of Noah, people were unaware until the flood came.

Luke 17:27

Context: The flood came and destroyed them all.

Numbers 12:4

Context: The Lord spoke suddenly to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.

1 Peter 4:17

Context: Judgment begins at the house of God.

Psalm 64:7

Context: God shall shoot at them with an arrow; suddenly shall they be wounded.

Proverbs 6:12-15

Context: A naughty person's calamity shall come suddenly.

Historical References

Noah and the Flood

Context: Noah preached for 120 years while building the ark, but the flood came suddenly and destroyed the ungodly.

The Amorites

Context: God waited 400 years for the iniquity of the Amorites to be full before destroying them through Israel.

King Hezekiah's Revival

Context: Under Hezekiah, the temple was cleansed in eight days and a national revival occurred suddenly.

The Great Awakening

Context: Weaver references the revival under Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield as an example of God's sudden work.

Rolf Barnard

Context: A preacher who said God saves so fast you cannot talk about it in the present tense.

Important Quotes

Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither the desolation of the wicked when it cometh.

Significance: The foundational verse of the sermon, commanding believers not to fear sudden calamity.

God is the slowest person you'll ever get hooked up with.

Significance: Highlights God's patience and timelessness, contrasting with human impatience.

When God moves this way, He usually catches sinners off guard because they don't expect Him to move in that way.

Significance: Explains the surprising nature of God's sudden acts.

For when they shall say peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them as travail upon a woman with child, and they shall not escape.

Significance: New Testament warning of sudden judgment upon the complacent.

Revival is the work of God. It is not the work of man.

Significance: Emphasizes that revival is solely God's doing, not human effort.

God saves you so fast you cannot even talk about it in the present tense. You have to say, I have been saved.

Significance: Illustrates the instantaneous nature of conversion.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. What are you saying? You're saying, Lord, overthrow those humanistic, ungodly, reprobate kingdoms and establish your kingdom.

Significance: Connects the Lord's Prayer to the theme of sudden judgment and revival.

Discussion Questions

How does understanding God's eternality help us trust His timing in judgment and revival?

Context: Weaver explains that God is above time and not bound by our schedules.

In what ways do people today misinterpret God's patience, similar to the wicked in Psalm 10?

Context: The wicked think God has forgotten or will not judge.

Why does God sometimes bring judgment suddenly, and how should this affect our urgency in sharing the gospel?

Context: Weaver cites examples like the flood and 1 Thessalonians 5:3.

What can we learn from Hezekiah's revival about the nature of true spiritual awakening?

Context: The revival happened suddenly after the temple was cleansed.

How does praying 'Thy kingdom come' relate to the overthrow of wickedness and the establishment of God's rule?

Context: Weaver explains the Lord's Prayer as a call for God's kingdom to replace humanistic kingdoms.

Why should believers not fear sudden calamity, according to Proverbs 3:25?

Context: The verse promises deliverance for the righteous.

Applications

Trust God's Timing

Summary: Believers should not fear sudden calamity but trust that God will deliver the righteous and judge the wicked in His time.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'Be not afraid of sudden fear... the righteous, therefore, shall be delivered.'

Pray for Revival

Summary: Since revival is God's work, believers should earnestly pray for Him to revive His people and awaken the nation.

Evidence: Weaver cites David's prayer: 'Wilt thou not revive us again?'

Pray for God's Kingdom

Summary: Pray the Lord's Prayer with understanding, asking God to overthrow wickedness and establish His righteous rule.

Evidence: Weaver explains, 'You cannot pray for God's kingdom to be established without at the same time praying for the overthrow of the humanistic kingdoms.'

Do Not Misinterpret God's Patience

Summary: Recognize that God's delay in judgment is patience, not indifference, and avoid the deception of thinking sin has no consequences.

Evidence: Weaver warns, 'just because God does not chastise us instantly... does not mean He's not going to chastise us at all.'

Expect Sudden Moves of God

Summary: Be prepared for God to act suddenly in both judgment and revival, and live in readiness.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'When God does it, it will be done instantly, straightway, immediately, suddenly, surprisingly.'

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T21:15:26Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T13:20:33Z

Clean Transcript

The Sudden Works of God

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

I want you to open your Bibles, if you would, to Proverbs chapter 3 today. Proverbs 3, and we're going to look at verse 25.
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Proverbs 3, verse 25. The message today is entitled "The Sudden Works of God." Proverbs 3, verse 25. The Word of God says, "Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither the desolation of the wicked when it cometh." Very simple verse. Let's read it one more time. "Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither the desolation of the wicked when it cometh." When you look at Proverbs 3 and verse 25, the first thing that you should see is a divine prohibition.
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That is, He is prohibiting us from doing something. What is He prohibiting us from doing? And that is, we should not be afraid of sudden fear, neither the desolation of the wicked. So this verse very clearly, pointedly indicates that the wicked shall be destroyed. In fact, they shall be left absolutely desolate. They will have nothing to cling to, nothing to hold on to, nothing to stand upon, nor any help or any hope whatsoever.
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They will face the righteous judgment of God, and they will face the righteous judgment of God alone. Also, we must remember that every negative has a positive. So when you look at Proverbs 3 and verse 25, the positive then indicates very clearly that the righteous, therefore, shall be delivered. Destruction may fall upon the wicked, but it is not going to fall upon the righteous. The Bible tells us in 2 Peter 2, verse 9, "The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation and how to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished." So on the one hand, God knows how to deliver the righteous. On the other hand, He knows how to reserve the unjust to the day of judgment.
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Now, I call your attention to the concept in verse 25 of sudden fear. Have you ever really thought about the word sudden or suddenly? We use that word very frequently, but we very seldom think about the implications of the word. You will remember I've told you repeatedly in times past that God is the slowest person you'll ever get hooked up with. And the reason I make that statement is because God is not bound by time. God is eternal. He is above time. He is beyond time. And when time shall be no more, He is. The Bible tells us in Revelation 10 in verse 6 that the angel "sware by Him that liveth forever and ever, who created the heaven and the things therein, and the earth and the things that are therein, and the sea and the things that are therein, that time shall be no more." So the eternality of God then speaks of God's timelessness. If you are eternal, you are before time and you are after time. You have nothing to do with time.
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You are eternal. That's why the Bible says in Isaiah 57 and verse 15, "For thus saith the high and lofty one that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy." God is the one who inhabits eternity. In Deuteronomy 33 and verse 27, the Bible says that "the eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms." So God is eternal. We are not eternal. That means that we are creatures of time, and therefore we are time conscious.
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Well, at least some of us are. But most of us are time conscious. And the fact is that we want God to do something in our time. And usually we want Him to do it in our own way as well. But the Bible says in 2 Peter 3 in verse 8, "But beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day."
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Now, what does that mean? That means this. God does have a timetable, but it is not our timetable because God is above time and beyond time and certainly is not limited by time whatsoever. Let me just point it out to you like this. History is linear. It is not cyclical. Anytime you hear someone talk about that history is repeating itself, it's going around in circles or cycles, that is a pagan concept.
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Now, it is true that we do repeat the same sins because we are sinners. But what the Bible teaches is this, that time has a definite beginning, that is creation, and it proceeds to a definite ending, that is when time shall be no more. It does not keep going around in circles. It has a beginning and it has an ending. So God then has ordained time for us, but God is above time. God is eternal. Therefore, God does as He pleases, only as He pleases, always as He pleases, and to whomever He pleases, because God is above and beyond time. Now, just simply because we understand that God is eternal and that God is above time does not mean that God cannot move and God cannot act suddenly. In fact, the Scripture teaches that there are indeed sudden works of God. Now, the word sudden, and let me give you the definition of it, it means this, very simple, straightway, immediately, quickly, surprisingly. It means when God moves, and oftentimes He does indeed move straightway, immediately, quickly, and surprisingly.
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And when God moves this way, He usually catches sinners off guard because they don't expect Him to move in that way. You see, the patience of God is usually misunderstood and misinterpreted by wicked men. Natural man, depraved man, fallen man, tends to think that just because God does not smite a man instantly, then he's not going to smite him at all. Or else that God has forgotten and God is not going to judge.
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Now, I'm not making that up. Let me just read it to you from Psalm 10, verse 6 and verse 11. Here's what Psalm 10 and verse 6, the wicked is speaking and he said this, he said in his heart, "I shall not be moved, I shall never be in adversity." So the wicked man thinks that somehow, someway, he's never ever going to be judged, he's never ever going to be brought into account for his sins. And then in Psalm 10 and verse 11, the wicked man says this, he has said in his heart, "God hath forgotten it, he hideth his face, he will never see it." In other words, somehow, if God does happen to observe or God does happen to know, then God's not going to judge me for it.
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He'll forget all about it. Well, neither of those attitudes are correct. Neither of those attitudes are biblical. God is just merely patient. Now, listen. The patience of God is described as that attitude or that attribute of God in which He exercises a power of control over Himself, causing Him to bear long with the wicked and forbear in punishing them. Now listen carefully, the patience of God is that attribute which causes God to bear long with the wicked and then forbear in punishing them.
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Doesn't mean He is not going to punish them. He just bears long with them. The Bible says in the book of Nahum 1 in verse 3 that the Lord is slow to anger and great in power. The Bible tells us in Romans 15 in verse 5 that He is the patient God. Now let me just show you how different God is from man. You see, man by nature is quick-tempered and unforgiving. And usually, in man, the higher one is in authority, the higher one is in power, the quicker he is to strike out at those that are beneath him that do not please him. He thinks simply because he is in power, and simply because he has some authority that he can do as he pleases, whenever he pleases, and he can berate, and he can belittle, and he can punish those below him at his will.
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Such is the attitude of modern day politicians when they readily, eagerly, and willingly strike out at anybody who does not agree with them. Such is not God. Do you know why man does that? Man has no control over himself. God has complete and total control and therefore God is patient. God is not going to be bullied into a quarrel before He's ready to quarrel. God has control over Himself.
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Stop and think about this. Man who has absolutely no power is quick-tempered and quick to punish. God, who is omnipotent, that is, He has all power, has absolute and total control over Himself, and instead of absolutely quickly smiting down the offender, He bears long with him. It is not that God is weak. It is not that God is unjust. God is just simply exercising His patience.
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Now stop and think with me, and I'm going to develop one of these thoughts a little bit more fully later. But have you ever noticed how the patience of God has been revealed in His dealing with sinners? For instance, just take those antediluvians, that is those people who lived before Noah's flood. It is true that God warned them. And yet God waited 120 years, according to Genesis 6 and verse 3, before He destroyed them. And when you talk about the Amorites, the Amorites is another example of God's wonderful patience. Do you remember there in Genesis chapter 15 where God told Abram that he and his seed were going to go down into a strange land and be there for 400 years? Why? Did Abram and his descendants need to go into Egypt for 400 years?
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Let me read it to you. Genesis 15, verses 13 through 16. "And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them, and they shall afflict them 400 years. And also that nation whom they shall serve will I judge, and afterwards they shall come out with great substance, and thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace, and thou shalt be buried in good old age."
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Now listen, "...but in the fourth generation they shall come hither again, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full." What did God do after 400 years? He brought Israel out of the land of Egypt. He put a sword in their hand and said, go into the land and kill every one of them.
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Now, the amazing thing is this. The Amorites were a wicked, vile, ungodly, heathenistic, idolatrous people. And the amazing thing is that God waited an additional 400 years before He smote them. But when He smote them, He totally destroyed them. I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Psalms. I want you to look at the amazing patience of God to Israel. Notice Psalm 78, if you would please, verses 38 and 39. If anyone ever provoked God, it was certainly Israel. All you have to do is read about the wilderness wanderings and everything that they did to provoke God. But in Psalm 78, verses 38 and 39, you have it summarized.
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Listen to what the Bible says. Psalm 78, notice verse 38, if you would. "But he, that is God, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not. Yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath. For he remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again." Verse 40, "How often did they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert." But what, in light of all that, God did not stir up all his anger? God was patient with a sinful, disobedient people.
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Let me tell you something, folks. I am constantly amazed at the wondrous patience of God with the world today and especially with America. We are a nation of lawbreakers. We've trampled God's law under our feet. His word is despised on a daily basis. His word is rejected. His preachers are slighted. His people are mocked. And we have departed from the foundational truths in this country that this country was built upon. And those foundational truths are indeed the Word of God. We've turned from that. We've mocked God. We've instituted idolatry instead of the worship of God. And the amazing thing is God still allows us to live and God still allows us to exist.
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And so the only question that you can ask is this, why does the righteous wrath of heaven not make an end to all of these abominations in this land? And I can answer that for you biblically. Because the scripture says this, that God bears with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction. God just bears long. He just simply patiently waits until He's decided it's time for judgment.
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Now, one of the questions that I'm asked over and over is simply this. When is God going to do something? How much longer do we have? How can we continue in the state in which we are traveling? Well, when I looked at the word suddenly in the Bible and I was reading through the book of Proverbs and I saw this verse, "Be not afraid of sudden fear."
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And I thought that's an interesting concept. I wonder how this word sudden is used in the Bible. And guess what? When I looked at the word sudden and suddenly, I found that that word is used in the Bible, both the Old and New Testaments, around two major things and only two major things.
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Now, I'm not talking today about the return of Christ. In general, I understand that you might could say in one sense of the word that return of Christ would be suddenly accomplished, because the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 15 verse 52, "in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound," etc. You know, in the twinkling of an eye is very sudden. And the Bible does say in Matthew 24 verse 27, "For as the lightning cometh out of the east and shineth in the west, even so shall the coming of the Son of Man be." And Matthew 24 and verse 44 says, "Therefore be ye ready, for in such an hour as you think not the Son of man cometh."
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Now, I understand whether our Lord comes in judgment, or He comes to take His own, or He comes back in what you and I would call the second coming. We could say that that would be sudden in one sense of the word. But the point I'm trying to make is this. The word sudden or suddenly is never used in the Bible in connection with the return of Christ. It is used, however, around two major things. What are they? One is judgment.
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And the other is awakening or revival. Let's take judgment first. I want you to see the theme of judgment.
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Now, listen to this first statement, please, because this is going to set the stage for what I'm going to tell you about judgment. When we speak of the word judgment, and we talk about sudden judgment, we're talking about judgment that comes instantly, straightway, immediately, surprisingly, without warning. Now, let me explain the phrase without warning. It doesn't mean that there were no warnings at all. It just means the warnings that were given were unheard and unheeded, and therefore, when it fell, it fell without warning. Now, let me give you an illustration of what I'm talking about.
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I want you to consider the ministry of Noah. Now, according to the Word of God, there was a 120-year period while Noah was building the ark. The Bible tells us that when some times in the time of Noah, "when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a-preparing," when you go back to Genesis 6 and verse 3, God said, "My spirit shall not always strive with man, for he is also flesh, yet his days shall be a hundred and twenty years." So evidently there was about a hundred and twenty years in between. Noah building the ark, and the Bible tells us in 2 Peter 2 in verse 5 that during that 120 years, listen to this, "and God spared not the old world, but saved Noah, the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing the flood upon the world of the ungodly." Now, here's my question. Since the Bible specifically tells us that Noah was a preacher of righteousness, what do you think he did for 120 years while he's building the ark?
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He's preaching. You've got to remember something, folks. When Noah was building the ark, there had never been a flood. There had never been rain. Read it for yourself. A mist came up from the ground and watered the earth. So here's Noah preaching and Noah building an ark. And what do people think about Noah? He's loony as the day is long. Now, I want to show you something. I want you to turn in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 24. Matthew 24.
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And let's begin reading there with verse 37. Matthew 24.
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Now, you've got to remember, for 120 years, Noah's been preaching and teaching. I want you to look at what the Bible says. Matthew 24. Notice verse 37, if you would, please. "But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking and marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noah entered in the ark, and knew not until the flood came and took them all away, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be." What? And knew not until the flood.
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How could they not know? What had Noah been doing for 120 years? Building an ark, preaching. How could they not know? They didn't listen. They didn't hear. They didn't heed. Now, were they warned? Yes. But when the flood came, it came upon them without warning because they weren't expecting it. They did not know that God was going to smite them in such a way. The Bible says in Luke 17 and verse 27, let me just read it because it's the same context.
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"They did eat, they drank, they married wives. They were given in marriage until the day that Noah entered the ark and the flood came and destroyed them all." Notice, if you would, in one passage, they knew not until the flood came, and the next passage, and destroyed them all. So we're talking about sudden, instant, immediate, straightway, surprising judgment. So the preaching that Noah did did not penetrate their hard hearts.
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It did not open their obtuse minds. They said, no, listen, we've got too much to do. There's too much going on. We've got a life to live. We don't have time to listen to you. And so when judgment fell, it fell suddenly and they were completely surprised and they were all destroyed.
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Now, I want you to consider this truth with me. Two ways, primarily, first of all, individually and secondly, nationally. Let me point it out, first of all, individually. We're still talking about judgment, and we're talking about judgment coming suddenly. First of all, I want to point this out in reference to individual Christians in the fact that they will be judged for their sin of rebellion and wickedness.
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Now, by that, I do not mean that they're going to be doomed and damned. I don't mean that at all. What I do mean is that we will reap exactly that which we have sowed. Curses still follow disobedience. For instance, very simple, let's suppose Doc and I went out into a bar and got drunk. When I got drunk, we got into a fight. And in that fight, he knocked out two of my teeth, but I knocked out his eye. Now, here's my question. Will God forgive us for getting drunk? Will He? Yes. Will God forgive us for fighting? Yes. Will that restore his teeth or my teeth in his eye? No. My teeth are still gone, his eye's still out.
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The point I'm trying to make, although we may be forgiven, we're still reaping the consequences of our sins. So God is going to make sure that you and I understand that we do not escape the consequences of our sins. For instance, in Numbers chapter 12, who could be greater in the faith than Moses, Aaron, and Miriam? And yet even Aaron and Miriam begin to berate and belittle Moses. And in Numbers 12 and verse 4, the Bible says this, now listen carefully, "and the Lord spake suddenly to Moses and Aaron and Miriam coming to the tabernacle of the congregation and the three came there." And guess what God did?
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He smote Miriam with leprosy. And had not Moses prayed for her and for Aaron, they may have both been killed. What do we learn from this? Listen carefully. Here's what we should learn. 1 Peter 4 and verse 17. "For the time has come that judgment must begin first where? At the house of God. And if it begins first with us, what shall be the end of them that obey not the gospel?"
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So the point I'm trying to make is this, you and I have to understand that we cannot get away with sin, period. And just because God does not chastise us instantly and immediately does not mean He's not going to chastise us at all. I remember when I was a boy, my sister and I were in the back seat of the car. And we got to fussing. And my daddy said, when I get home, I'm going to give you a whipping. He didn't just jerk us out right then, he said, when you get, you know, it was a miserable ride home.
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And my dad did not forget. He always kept his word. And I knew what was waiting for me when I get off. And I got news for you. Our Heavenly Father does not forget. You will reap exactly what you sow. And if you're His child, you need to read Hebrews chapter 12, because if you sin, you will get chastened. You will get whipped. And sometimes it will come rather quickly.
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Secondly, I want you to understand that this is also true in relationship to sinners, that is unsaved individuals. They shall not escape the righteous judgment of God. God has said this in the book of Nahum 1 in verse 3. "The Lord is slow to anger and great in power and will not at all acquit the wicked." The wicked are not going to escape. They're not going to get by. The Bible says in Psalm 9 in verse 16 that "the Lord is known by the judgment which He executeth and the wicked is snared in the work of His own hands." I want you to turn in your Bibles to Psalm 64. I'm not going to take the time to read all of this, but I do want you to see that this relates to the wicked, and there is one verse that I really want to point out. Look, if you would, please, at Psalm 64. This whole Psalm should be read.
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In fact, let's begin reading it. Psalm 64, verse 1. David prays, "Hear my voice, O my God, in my prayer. Preserve my life from fear of the enemy." So now there's an enemy trying to take David's life. He says, "Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked, from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity, who wet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows and shoot their arrows with even bitter words, that they may shoot in secret at the perfect, suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not."
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"They encourage themselves in an evil manner, and commune of laying snares proudly, and say, Who shall see them? They search out iniquities, they accomplish a diligent search. Both in the inward thought, every one of them, and the heart is very deep."
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Now we've been talking about all these enemies. Now look at the wicked. Look at verse 7. "But God shall shoot at them with an arrow. Suddenly shall they be wounded." The wicked is on the advance. The wicked is doing the attacking. The wicked are being the persecutors. What's going to happen? Suddenly God shall shoot at them. Suddenly shall they be wounded. Look in Proverbs chapter 6. Proverbs chapter 6. Notice if you would beginning there with verse 12. I'm just showing you this applies to wicked sinners as well. Proverbs 6, verse 12, God says, "A naughty person, a wicked man, walketh with a froward mouth, he winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers, frowardness in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually, he soweth discord, therefore shall his calamity come suddenly, suddenly shall he be broken down without remedy." God will get them suddenly. You know what the Bible says in Proverbs 29 verse 1. Let me just quote it. Proverbs 29 verse 1. "He that being often reproved, hardeneth his neck shall suddenly be destroyed and that without remedy."
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God said he'll do it suddenly. The Bible says in the book of Ecclesiastes chapter 9 and verse 12, "For man also knoweth not his time, as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare, so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them." So mark this down. Under the theme of judgment, God moves suddenly. He'll move suddenly to discipline His own children. He'll move suddenly to destroy sinners.
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Thirdly, I want you to see this. This is also applied nationally. OK, God destroys nations suddenly. He may have sent out His messengers. He may have sent out His preachers. They may have uttered multitudinous warnings. But the people did not hear. They did not heed. Therefore, they were taken suddenly in judgment. I want you to turn to Isaiah 29. Follow with me very quickly, if you would. Isaiah 29.
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And notice, if you would please, verse 1. Begin there. Isaiah 29, verse 1. This is a passage relating to Jerusalem. Ariel is another name for Jerusalem in the Bible. Notice Isaiah 29, verse 1. God says, "Woe to Ariel, to Ariel, the city where David dwelt. Add ye year to year, let them kill sacrifices. Yet I will distress Ariel, and there shall be heaviness and sorrow, and it shall be unto me as Ariel."
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"And I will camp against thee round about, and will lay siege against thee with a mount, and I will raise forts against thee. And thou shalt be brought down, and shalt speak out of the ground, and thy speech shall be low out of the dust, and thy voice shall be as one that hath a familiar spirit." Notice what God said, I will destroy you. So he's talking about Jerusalem. He's talking about Judah.
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Look at Isaiah 47, Isaiah 47. And this is what God does to Babylon, Isaiah 47. Notice, if you would please, just a couple of verses at the beginning just to show you he's talking about Babylon. He says, "Come down and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon. Sit on the ground. There is no throne, O daughter of the Chaldees. For thou shalt no more be called tender and delicate." And so he's talking about Babylon.
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Skip down to verse 11. "Therefore shall evil come upon thee. Thou shalt not know from whence it riseth. And mischief shall fall upon thee. Thou shalt not be able to put it off. And desolation shall come upon thee suddenly. Which thou shalt not know." Isn't that amazing?
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Now, God's been talking about destroying Judah and Jerusalem suddenly. Now He's talking about destroying Babylon suddenly. Look in chapter 48 in verse 3. Once again, He's talking about Judah and Jerusalem. In fact, look at verse 1, Isaiah 48, "Hear ye this, O house of Jacob, which are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth from the waters of Judah." So we're talking about Israel and Judah. Go down to verse 3. God said, "I have declared the former things from the beginning, and they went forth out of my mouth, and I showed them. I did them suddenly, and they came to pass." He's talking about, once again, judgment.
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You know, many times we think, my Lord, are you ever going to strike the wicked? Are you going to ever destroy wicked, ungodly nations? When He does, it will be suddenly. Look in your Bibles to Jeremiah chapter 4. Jeremiah chapter 4. There are several passages in Jeremiah. You know, this just literally blew my mind as I went through the Bible and looked at this word, suddenly. Notice, if you would please, Jeremiah 4, begin there with verse 14. Jeremiah 4 verse 14, God says, "O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved."
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"How long shall vain thoughts lodge within thee? For a voice declares from Dan, and publisheth affliction from Mount Ephraim. Make ye mention to the nations. Behold, publish against Jerusalem, that watchers come from a far country, and give out their voice against the cities of Judah. As a keeper of the field were they against her round about, because she had been rebellious against me, said the Lord. Thy way and thy doings have procured these things unto thee. This is thy wickedness, because it is bitter, because it reacheth even to thy heart."
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Now watch, Jeremiah says, "My bowels, my bowels, I'm pained at my very heart. My heart maketh a noise, and me, I cannot hold my peace, because thou hast heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war. Here it is. Destruction upon destruction is cried, for the whole land is spoiled. Suddenly are my tents spoiled, and my curtains in a moment." Wow! Look in Jeremiah 6 and verse 26. Jeremiah 6 and verse 26. God says, "O daughter of my people, gird thee with sackcloth and wallow thyself in ashes. Make thee mourning as for an only son. Most bitter lamentation for the spoiler shall suddenly come upon us." Isn't that amazing?
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I don't care where you turn in the Bible. When God speaks of judgment, it is sudden judgment. If you will turn to Jeremiah 15. Jeremiah 15. And look if you would beginning there with verse 5, Jeremiah 15 verse 5, we'll read through verse 8. Jeremiah 15 verse 5, God asked, "For who shall have pity upon thee, O Jerusalem? Or who shall bemoan thee? Or who shall go aside to ask how thou doest? Thou hast forsaken me, saith the Lord. Thou art going backward. Therefore will I stretch out my hand against thee, and destroy thee."
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"I am weary with repenting, and I will fan them with a fan in the gates of the land. I will bereave them of children. I will destroy my people, since they return not from their ways. Their widows are increased to me above the sand of the seas. I have brought upon them against the mother of the young men a spoiler at noonday. I have caused them to fall upon it suddenly, and terrors upon the city." Suddenly, suddenly, and if you look at Jeremiah 18. Jeremiah prays against Judah and Jerusalem and look at verses 21 and 22 at what he prays. Jeremiah 18 verses 21 and 22. He says, "Therefore deliver up their children to the famine, and pour out their blood by the force of the sword. And let their wives be bereaved of their children, and be widows. And let their young men be put to death, and let their young men be slain by the sword in battle."
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"Let a cry be heard from their houses, when thou shalt bring a troop suddenly upon them. For they have digged a pit to take me, and hid snares from my feet." I'm not going to ask that you turn to Jeremiah 49, but once again, there he speaks about the sudden destruction of Edom. It doesn't matter if you're talking about Judah and Jerusalem. I don't care if you're talking about Babylon, Edom, Moab, Assyria, any of the nations, when God destroys them, He does so suddenly.
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It comes immediately, straightway, without warning. You know, I find it absolutely amazing that there are people in this country today who have no clue as to what's happening in our land. You know why they have no clue? They're marrying and giving in marriage and eating and drinking and getting on with their lives and just don't want to be bothered. They don't understand that all of a sudden, we're going to wake up in this country under the heavy hand of God. It's already heavy upon us, folks. But it's going to get heavier.
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You say, but Brother Weaver, all these verses that you've showed me are in the Old Testament. Well, that's true. But the Old Testament is just as much the Word of God as the New Testament. We have one Bible, not two. But I will give you a New Testament passage. Now just let me quote it. You may write it down. 1 Thessalonians 5 and verse 3. Listen to what our Lord says. "For when they shall say peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them as travail upon a woman with child, and they shall not escape." For when they shall say peace and safety, then what? Sudden destruction. That's in the New Testament. When God moves in judgment, He moves suddenly, straightway, immediately.
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When it's God's time to judge, you won't have time to blink an eye. It will be instantaneous. And He will catch the wicked in a most awkward position. Just because God is the slowest person you'll ever get hooked up with does not mean that He cannot move suddenly.
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Secondly, I want you to see today that this word sudden also occurs under the theme of awakening or revival. Now, there are plenty of people who have cried to God and prayed to God for revival. And there's certainly nothing wrong with crying and praying for revival. We ask the Lord to do again what He did under Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield, what is now known as the Great Awakening, where thousands were swept in the kingdom of God.
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Whole towns, whole cities, whole colonies were transformed. Those who are genuine Christians long for the time of Isaiah 11, verse 9, because there the Word of God says, "They shall not hurt or destroy any longer in my holy mountain for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as waters cover the sea." Would it be wonderful if the entire earth was full of the knowledge of the Lord as waters that cover the sea? Of course.
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But I want you to understand something. Awakening or revival is the work of God. It is not the work of man. I get tickled many times at these churches that have these signs. Revival this week. Men may plan and men may hold meetings and men may preach and men may pray, but revival is the work of God. It is not the work of man. Revival is in God's hand. It is not in man's hand.
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You know what David prayed in Psalm 85 and verse 6? Listen to this. David prayed, "Wilt thou not revive us again that thy people may rejoice in thee?" Wilt thou, that is God, wilt thou God not revive us again? Revival is the work of God. Habakkuk in chapter 3 and verse 2 prayed it like this, "O Lord, I have heard thy speech and I was afraid. O Lord, revive thy work in the midst of the years. In the midst of the years, make known in wrath, remember mercy." Notice he prayed, revive thy work. And then David prayed in Psalm 138 in verse 7, "Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me." So it doesn't matter if you're talking about individual revival, national revival, revival of the work of God, it's all from God.
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In fact, I never quoted all of Isaiah 57 in verse 15 earlier in this message. Let me quote it all now. Listen carefully. The Bible says specifically, "For thus saith the Lord, the high and lofty one that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy, I dwell in the high and holy place with him also that is of contrite and humble spirit to revive the heart or the spirit of the humble and revive the heart of the contrite ones." So God specifically declares that revival is His work.
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Now let me tell you something. It does not take a multiplicity of years for God to judge. Nor does it take a multiplicity of years for God to accomplish an awakening or revival. When God does it, it will be done instantly, straightway, immediately, suddenly, surprisingly, and that truth is true not only individually, but nationally as well. Do you remember on the day of Pentecost, there were three thousand converts added to the church. And when the day of Pentecost was fully come in Acts 2 and verse 2, we read this, "And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as a mighty rushing wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting." How did it come? It came suddenly. Now, I want to show you something. Just like under the theme of judgment, as it was true individually and nationally. Under the theme of revival or awakening, it is true individually and nationally. Let me take it individually. First, I want you to consider the Apostle Paul. The Apostle Paul gave his testimony.
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In Galatians 1 verses 15 and 16, when he said this, "But when it pleased God who separated me from my mother's womb and called me by his grace to reveal his Son in me that I might preach him among the heathen. I immediately conferred not with flesh and blood." Now, listen to what he said, "but when it pleased God." Who separated me from my mother's womb, in other words, it pleased God to allow me to be born and I was born in his time physically. Likewise, I was born in his time spiritually who saved me by his grace.
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And it's interesting in Acts chapter 9, when you read about the conversion of Saul of Tarsus, the Bible says this. Now listen carefully. "And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus and suddenly there shined about him a light from heaven. And he fell to the earth and heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?" Even the Apostle Paul in giving his own personal testimony in Acts 22 and verse 6 said this, "And it came to pass that as I made my journey and was come nigh to Damascus at about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me." Even the conversion of sinners is a sudden work of God.
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Many of you may have remembered Rolf Barnard, he's been dead for a number of years now, but Rolf was a tremendous preacher. And he used to say this. God saves you so fast you cannot even talk about it in the present tense. You have to say, I have been saved. You cannot say I am being saved. And that's a fact because it is a sudden work of God. And when God revives an individual, or when God saves an individual, it is done suddenly, instantly, immediately, straight away.
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Now, the same thing is true nationally. It does not take years for God to awaken a nation of people. He may do it suddenly. For instance, Malachi 3 and verse 1 tells us this, God said, "Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek shall suddenly come into his temple, even the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight."
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And that is talking about Jesus Christ. And how will He come? He will come suddenly.
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Now, let me ask that you remember something. And if you don't remember, I will try to jog your mind. I would like for you to try to remember the great revival that took place under King Hezekiah. King Hezekiah was a 25 year old man when he began to reign and he reigned 29 years. And he was what you and I would call a good king. He was a godly man. In the first year of his reign, he opened the house of the Lord that had been closed up because of previous wickedness of the previous kings. He opened the house of God and he ordered that it be cleansed from all of its filth and pollution. Once the house was cleansed, he then restored all the sacrifices.
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Not only that, he then endeavored to evangelize his apostate brethren, the ten northern tribes. He removed all the false altars and all the false idols, and there was a great awakening and a great revival nationally. Not only that, he also restored the Passover. I want you to look in your Bibles, if you would please, to 2 Chronicles chapter 30. 2 Chronicles chapter 30, because we're reading about this great Passover that took place under King Hezekiah.
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Remember now, the temple has been cleansed. 2 Chronicles chapter 30, notice verse 26. Look what the Bible says. "So there was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the time of Solomon son of David, king of Israel, there was not the like in Jerusalem. Then the priest, the Levites, arose and blessed the people, and their voice was heard, and their prayer came up to His holy dwelling place, even unto heaven." So this great revival now took place under King Hezekiah. Notice, if you would, the people now rejoicing nationally.
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You say, well now, wait a minute, Brother Weaver. That had to take a great deal of time. No. In fact, I want you to go back to 2 Chronicles 29. And the interesting thing is this. They cleansed the temple in eight days. Eight days! After the eighth day, the sacrifices were restored. Hezekiah gave orders to evangelize and invite every one of his brethren to renewal of the covenant and to the Passover. I want you to look in 2 Chronicles 29 and verse 29.
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"And when they made an end of offering, the king and all that were present with him bowed themselves and worshipped. Moreover, Hezekiah the king and the princes commanded the Levites to sing praise of the Lord with the words of David, and of Asaph the seer. And they sang praise of the gladness, and they bowed their heads in worship. Then Hezekiah answered and said, Now you have consecrated yourselves unto the Lord. Come near and bring sacrifices and thank-offerings in the house of the Lord. And the congregation brought in sacrifices and thank-offerings and, as many as there were of free heart, burnt offerings. And the number of the burnt offerings which the congregation brought were three score and ten bullocks, a hundred rams, two hundred lambs, all these were for a burnt offering to the Lord. And the consecrated things were six hundred oxen and three thousand sheep. But the priests were too few so that they could not flay all the burnt offerings. Wherefore, their brethren, the Levites, did help them till the work was ended and until the other priests had sanctified themselves."
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"For the Levites were more upright in heart to sanctify themselves than the priests." And also the burnt offerings were in abundance, and the fat of the peace offerings, and the drink offerings, and every burnt offering. So the service of the house of the Lord was set in order. And Hezekiah rejoiced, and all the people..." Are you looking? "...that God had prepared the people, for the thing was done." What? Suddenly. How did God awaken the nation? He awakened them suddenly. Do you realize it is just as simple for God to awaken a multitude as it is to awaken an individual?
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The Lord's hand is not shortened that it cannot save. God is omnipotent. And as he asked Jeremiah, is there anything too hard for the Lord? And the answer is no. God can either move in judgment or in revival suddenly.
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Now, let me try to make some applications, and I want you to think these things through with me. There are those saints, and thankfully, who want to see the wicked overthrown and the kingdom of God established fully. Wouldn't you like to see the kingdom of God established fully on this earth? Wouldn't you like to see the reign of the Lord Jesus Christ? Wouldn't you like to see his righteousness, his law, his people in authority? Wouldn't you like to see wickedness overthrown? Have you ever stopped to think that if you ever prayed the model prayer that was taught by our Lord, that is exactly what you're praying for.
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"Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name." Are you listening? "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." What are you saying? You're saying, Lord, overthrow those humanistic, ungodly, reprobate kingdoms and establish your kingdom. Establish your law. Establish your people. Do you realize you cannot pray for God's kingdom to be established without at the same time praying for the overthrow of the humanistic kingdoms? I like that psalmist, David, when he said, "Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, but establish thou the just."
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And you know what God is going to do? I like it. He's going to overthrow these wicked rulers instantly, suddenly, surprisingly. Oh, they think they've got the new world order all mapped out. They're going to do this. They're going to do that. They've got everything under their control. They've got their plans. They've got their schemes. They've got everything except God under control. And suddenly, shall He smite them? And suddenly, shall He overthrow them? And suddenly shall He destroy them.
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When you pray, "Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come." Now listen, "thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." You're praying for the overthrow of every humanistic kingdom imaginable. The second application is this. The wicked are deceived. And they will continue to be deceived apart from the grace of God. You know, it can only be deception that makes a man think that he can fight against God and succeed. How in the world can a finite man think for a moment that he can defeat the infinite God? When you think about what is going on in our country today, just stop and think about this. When our paganistic, heathenistic, humanistic, civil rulers tell us that everything's under control. The recession is ending. You just need to spend more money. Everything's under control, peace and safety, joy.
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What does the scripture say? "For when they shall say peace and safety, sudden destruction cometh upon them." I got news for you, folks. I'd rather believe the Word of God than the Word of man. We need to learn to pray that God will revive His people. And do you realize one of the things that people have asked me about, oh, they said, Brother Weaver, how can we do anything at all in this country?
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There are just too few of us. Let me tell you, God can multiply us overnight. And besides, as I taught you before, you don't need a multitude, you just need God. God is quite capable of taking care of the wicked by himself. But we need to pray that God would indeed awaken us. And that God in this day and time would give us wisdom. And I don't know about you, but I'm looking forward to the time when we see old Babylon fall.
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And God's law and God's righteousness be established in this land. And the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. And God can and will do it instantly. Suddenly. Straightway, immediately, and to some, surprisingly. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we thank You for Your truth. We thank You for Your Word. And Father, God has told us not to be afraid of sudden fear. Because, Lord, when you do move, you do move suddenly and you strike fear in the hearts of the wicked. Help us, Lord, to obey Thee, to look, Lord, unto Thee, and to worship Thee in the name of Jesus Christ we ask and pray. Amen.
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T21:15:26Z

The Sudden Works of God

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

John Weaver expounds Proverbs 3:25, emphasizing that God, though eternal and patient, often acts suddenly in both judgment and revival. He warns that the wicked misinterpret God's patience as indifference, but sudden destruction will come upon them individually and nationally. Conversely, God can bring awakening and revival instantly. Believers are exhorted not to fear sudden calamity, for the righteous will be delivered, and to pray for God's kingdom to be established and wickedness overthrown.

Introduction and the Divine Prohibition

Weaver introduces Proverbs 3:25, highlighting the command not to fear sudden fear or the desolation of the wicked, and notes the implied promise of deliverance for the righteous.

I want you to open your Bibles, if you would, to Proverbs chapter 3 today. Proverbs 3, and we're going to look at verse 25.

Proverbs 3, verse 25. The message today is entitled "The Sudden Works of God." Proverbs 3, verse 25. The Word of God says,

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 3:25

"Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither the desolation of the wicked when it cometh."

Very simple verse. Let's read it one more time.

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 3:25

"Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither the desolation of the wicked when it cometh."

Scripture Reading — 2 Peter 2:9

"The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation and how to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished."

So on the one hand, God knows how to deliver the righteous. On the other hand, He knows how to reserve the unjust to the day of judgment.

God's Eternality and Timelessness

God is eternal and above time, yet He can act suddenly. Human impatience often misunderstands God's timing.

Scripture Reading — Revelation 10:6

"sware by Him that liveth forever and ever, who created the heaven and the things therein, and the earth and the things that are therein, and the sea and the things that are therein, that time shall be no more."

So the eternality of God then speaks of God's timelessness. If you are eternal, you are before time and you are after time. You have nothing to do with time.

Scripture Reading — 2 Peter 3:8

"But beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day."

The Patience of God Misunderstood

Wicked men misinterpret God's patience as forgetfulness or weakness, but God exercises self-control and will judge in His time.

Now, I'm not making that up. Let me just read it to you from Psalm 10, verse 6 and verse 11. Here's what Psalm 10 and verse 6, the wicked is speaking and he said this, he said in his heart,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 10:6,11

"I shall not be moved, I shall never be in adversity."

Examples of God's Patience in Judgment

God's patience is seen in the antediluvians (120 years) and the Amorites (400 years), but judgment eventually came suddenly and completely.

Sudden Judgment Individually and Nationally

Using Scripture, Weaver shows that God judges individuals (believers and unbelievers) and nations suddenly, often catching them off guard.

Scripture Reading — Numbers 12:4

"and the Lord spake suddenly to Moses and Aaron and Miriam coming to the tabernacle of the congregation and the three came there."

Sudden Awakening and Revival

The word 'suddenly' also describes revival. God can awaken individuals (e.g., Paul) and nations (e.g., under Hezekiah) instantly.

Applications and Prayer

Believers should pray for God's kingdom to come, which includes the overthrow of wickedness, and trust that God can revive His people and judge the wicked suddenly.

The Sudden Works of God

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	81814021201
Subject	New Testament Studies
Course	Revelation: Witness, Judgment, and the Throne
Genre	Sermon
Date	2009-10-25
Dictation Name
Book	Book 140: Revelation: Witness, Judgment, and the Throne — Chapter 5
Source Timed Segments	86

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction and the Divine Prohibition: Weaver introduces Proverbs 3:25, highlighting the command not to fear sudden fear or the desolation of the wicked, and notes the implied promise of deliverance for the righteous.
God's Eternality and Timelessness: God is eternal and above time, yet He can act suddenly. Human impatience often misunderstands God's timing.
The Patience of God Misunderstood: Wicked men misinterpret God's patience as forgetfulness or weakness, but God exercises self-control and will judge in His time.
Examples of God's Patience in Judgment: God's patience is seen in the antediluvians (120 years) and the Amorites (400 years), but judgment eventually came suddenly and completely.
Sudden Judgment Individually and Nationally: Using Scripture, Weaver shows that God judges individuals (believers and unbelievers) and nations suddenly, often catching them off guard.
Sudden Awakening and Revival: The word 'suddenly' also describes revival. God can awaken individuals (e.g., Paul) and nations (e.g., under Hezekiah) instantly.
Applications and Prayer: Believers should pray for God's kingdom to come, which includes the overthrow of wickedness, and trust that God can revive His people and judge the wicked suddenly.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

God's Eternality Does Not Preclude Sudden Action

Although God is eternal and above time, He can and does act suddenly in human history.

Weaver says, 'just simply because we understand that God is eternal... does not mean that God cannot move and God cannot act suddenly.'

The Wicked Are Deceived by God's Patience

Sinners think God's delay in judgment means He will not judge, but Scripture shows otherwise.

Weaver quotes Psalm 10:6,11 and explains, 'God is just merely patient.'

Judgment Comes Suddenly and Without Remedy

Multiple Scriptures warn that calamity will come suddenly upon the wicked, often without warning.

Weaver cites Proverbs 6:15: 'therefore shall his calamity come suddenly, suddenly shall he be broken down without remedy.'

Revival Is a Sudden Work of God

Just as judgment is sudden, so is revival; God can awaken individuals and nations instantly.

Weaver points to Hezekiah's revival: 'the thing was done suddenly' (2 Chronicles 29:36).

Believers Should Not Fear Sudden Calamity

Proverbs 3:25 commands the righteous not to fear sudden fear because God will deliver them.

Weaver states, 'Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither the desolation of the wicked when it cometh.'

Scripture References

Proverbs 3:25: The main text: 'Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither the desolation of the wicked when it cometh.'
2 Peter 2:9: God knows how to deliver the godly and reserve the unjust for judgment.
Revelation 10:6: The angel swears by Him who lives forever, that time shall be no more.
Isaiah 57:15: God inhabits eternity and revives the humble.
Deuteronomy 33:27: The eternal God is our refuge.
2 Peter 3:8: One day is with the Lord as a thousand years.
Psalm 10:6,11: The wicked think they will never be moved and God has forgotten.
Nahum 1:3: The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and will not acquit the wicked.
Romans 15:5: God is the patient God.
Genesis 6:3: God gave 120 years before the flood.
Genesis 15:13-16: God told Abram his descendants would be afflicted 400 years because the iniquity of the Amorites was not yet full.
Psalm 78:38-39: God, being full of compassion, forgave Israel and did not stir up all His wrath.
1 Corinthians 15:52: In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump.
Matthew 24:27,44: The coming of the Son of Man will be as lightning; be ready for an unexpected hour.
Matthew 24:37-39: As in the days of Noah, people were unaware until the flood came.
Luke 17:27: The flood came and destroyed them all.
Numbers 12:4: The Lord spoke suddenly to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.
1 Peter 4:17: Judgment begins at the house of God.
Psalm 64:7: God shall shoot at them with an arrow; suddenly shall they be wounded.
Proverbs 6:12-15: A naughty person's calamity shall come suddenly.

Historical References

Noah and the Flood: Noah preached for 120 years while building the ark, but the flood came suddenly and destroyed the ungodly.
The Amorites: God waited 400 years for the iniquity of the Amorites to be full before destroying them through Israel.
King Hezekiah's Revival: Under Hezekiah, the temple was cleansed in eight days and a national revival occurred suddenly.
The Great Awakening: Weaver references the revival under Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield as an example of God's sudden work.
Rolf Barnard: A preacher who said God saves so fast you cannot talk about it in the present tense.

Important Quotes

Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither the desolation of the wicked when it cometh.

The foundational verse of the sermon, commanding believers not to fear sudden calamity.

God is the slowest person you'll ever get hooked up with.

Highlights God's patience and timelessness, contrasting with human impatience.

When God moves this way, He usually catches sinners off guard because they don't expect Him to move in that way.

Explains the surprising nature of God's sudden acts.

For when they shall say peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them as travail upon a woman with child, and they shall not escape.

New Testament warning of sudden judgment upon the complacent.

Revival is the work of God. It is not the work of man.

Emphasizes that revival is solely God's doing, not human effort.

God saves you so fast you cannot even talk about it in the present tense. You have to say, I have been saved.

Illustrates the instantaneous nature of conversion.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. What are you saying? You're saying, Lord, overthrow those humanistic, ungodly, reprobate kingdoms and establish your kingdom.

Connects the Lord's Prayer to the theme of sudden judgment and revival.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

How does understanding God's eternality help us trust His timing in judgment and revival?

[Context]

Weaver explains that God is above time and not bound by our schedules.

[Question]

In what ways do people today misinterpret God's patience, similar to the wicked in Psalm 10?

[Context]

The wicked think God has forgotten or will not judge.

[Question]

Why does God sometimes bring judgment suddenly, and how should this affect our urgency in sharing the gospel?

[Context]

Weaver cites examples like the flood and 1 Thessalonians 5:3.

[Question]

What can we learn from Hezekiah's revival about the nature of true spiritual awakening?

[Context]

The revival happened suddenly after the temple was cleansed.

[Question]

How does praying 'Thy kingdom come' relate to the overthrow of wickedness and the establishment of God's rule?

[Context]

Weaver explains the Lord's Prayer as a call for God's kingdom to replace humanistic kingdoms.

[Question]

Why should believers not fear sudden calamity, according to Proverbs 3:25?

[Context]

The verse promises deliverance for the righteous.

Applications

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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T13:20:33Z