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The Subtlety, Danger, and Implication of Rebellion
Stats: 10,693 words / Reading Time: 53.47 mins

Published: Monday, 20th June 2022

By: Obayomi Abiola Benjamin

The Subtlety, Danger, and Implication of Rebellion is read 1.1K times on CentreNDL.org 1.1K
  

THE SUBTLETY, DANGER, AND IMPLICATION OF REBELLION

Discover Why Rebellion Is a Destroyer of Destiny


Listen To Podcast: The Subtlety, Danger And Implication of Rebellion

In this piece, I want to share the Word of God with us and the title is: The subtilty, Danger and Implication of Rebellion. We want to consider a subject matter that is called rebellion, I believe it is something that we've heard before in the past, it is not a strange word to us. But we want to look at Biblica details about that word ‘rebellion’ and what the Holy Spirit is going to be revealing to us again in the name of Jesus.

 

Now many of us have one point or the other rebelled against God. You know, we've rebelled against God, we've rebelled against his Word, we've rebelled against his authority or instructions. The reason many of us didn't know that what we did was a rebellion is simply because many times rebellion is always subtle, it is always quiet; it is not something that is loud, many times the signal of your heart may not even pick it, that what I just did is rebellion. So many of us many times we get away with some of those rebellion, simply because the mercies of God, and the grace of God didn't allow God to use them against us. Just imagine you saying to God, that “see what you're telling me, I'm not interested in it”, you know, you say it in a subtle manner. You say it in such a way and manner that it's didn't ring a bell, you just feel like I don't feel like and truly it is rebellion. As simple as it is, that what rebellion is.

 

So, there are many times that we have rebelled against God, including myself. We've rebelled against God; we've gone against certain instructions and authority that He has brought our way. And in case you are wondering, how come we didn't face the consequences? The reason we didn't face the consequences, is simply because by the mercies of God, He is able to long suffered, He did not take actions against us. You know, we're in the New Covenant, in the dispensation of grace and mercy. So many times, when we go against the will of God and instructions of God, which is called rebellion, God seems to lay back so to say and have mercy simply because of His grace. And if you look at what Paul said, if you read Romans chapter 3:23-26, because many times when we are supposed to suffer for the consequences of our rebellious actions, God's grace and mercy does appear to step in and cover for that inadequacy.

 

The Bible says: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God… I believe you have read that Scripture before, right? It says for all, which means there is no exemption. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Now the question is how did all sin because if God had said, some have sinned, and fall short the glory of God, so we know that it is not all of us, it is just some. But Paul said, All have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God. So how did all sin? At what point did you sin? Now everyone became sinners through the actions of Adam and Eve. So, in case you are wondering, when did I sin, you sinned in Adam. Now, don't forget the word sin there is also rebellion. Because when you sin against God, what you're simply saying is that “I am rebelling”. When you don't follow the dictates of God and the instructions of God for your life, you may not call it sin, but it is simply rebellion.

 

When God says, This is what I want you to do, and you say, I am not doing it. That is rebellion, it is not until it is written and pasted on your forehead before you know that it's rebellion. Rebellion is simply neglecting the instructions of God, the dictates of God, the authority of God. That's what sin is. So, Adam and Eve, the Bible says they sinned, they rebelled against God, and by virtue of the fact that they were the progenitors of human race; everyone who came through them became a sinner.

 

So, you may be saying, well, I'm a moralist, I live my life morally, I don’t disobey. I don't go against rules and regulations. But the Bible says, you have sinned. Now, how come God didn't kill you the moment you came into the world, because you are a sinner, you came into the world, a sinner. Job said, “in sin did my mother conceived me. And so automatically, it means in sin also, she gave birth to me. So, each and every one of us, we came into the world bearing that tag of a sinner in us, even though we were babies. So, everyone sinned in Adam, and God by consequences could have killed everyone. But look at what the Bible says in verse 24. It says, For all have sinned in verse 23, and fall short of the glory of God. Being justified freely by His grace, through the redemption, that is in Christ Jesus, so you know why God didn't kill you now. Right?

 

Even though you came into the world, a sinner, a rebel, but God chose not to kill you, because His grace had redeemed you. That's what the Scripture is saying. So, you rebelled many times, you went against God's instructions many times, yet you are still breathing, yet you are alive, you are kicking, because the grace of God is standing in for you. Do we understand? So, many times when we rebel against God, we don't know that we have rebelled. But the reason why God seems not to be taking actions against each and every rebellious act that we carry out is simply because grace has been made available in Christ Jesus. It says: by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by his blood through faith, to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance, God had passed over the sins that were previously committed.

 

So, the reason why, as of now, the sins of Adam and Eve, the rebellion of Adam and Eve is not laid against you is because the forbearance of God had passed over it, a provision was made, and through that provision, God did not count that rebellion against you. That's why you didn't fall down and die. Are we getting something? Verse 26 says: “to demonstrate, at this present time, is righteousness that might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. So, in the New Covenant, why does it seem that even though many times subtlety, we rebel against God and God seem not to take actions against us? It is because of his forbearance, it is because of the redemption that came through Christ Jesus, and that you enjoy simply by faith. But does that justify even as at now the act of rebellion against God? No. Do we understand? So, many times we rebel against God, against his word and against his authority, and he appears like we didn't know, because rebellion is always subtle, it looks harmless, it looks innocent, but in the eyes of God, it is rebellion, it is a sin.

 

Now, what exactly is rebellion? I want us to go into the heart of the subject. What is rebellion? When we talk about rebellion, rebellion, simply has to do with the action or process of resisting authority or someone in a position of authority or the refusal to follow a law, a set of instructions, which has been laid down by an institution of authority. When we talk about rebellion, it simply has to do with the action. So, rebellion is an act, an Act that you carry out or process of resisting authority. So, there is an authority in place, but you are resisting that authority, you are finding it very hard or difficult to submit to that authority. That's what it means to resist authority, or someone in position of authority or the refusal to follow a law. There is a law that has been made, and the law says “if you drive and you see a traffic light, for example, if the red says stop, you are supposed to stop.” That is the law. But you saw a traffic light that shows red and then you still drive past with the red light, it simply means that you are violating a law.

 

So, when we are talking about rebellion, we are simply talking about the refusal to follow a law, a set of instructions, which has been laid down by an institution of authority, for example, maybe the government. The government makes law and the law is “every Sunday morning between the hours of 8-9am, everyone within a particular neighbourhood should wake up and clean the neighborhood, so no movements at that time.” But you simply pick your car and that that is the exact time you want to drive out of your house, that is you going against a law, an instruction as instituted by the government. So, the government for example, is a symbol of authority. So, when you go against the law of the government, what you are simply doing is you are rebelling. For example, a person may be a symbol of authority. When you resist that person or you go against the law and instruction of that person, what you are simply doing is rebelling.

 

So, these are the ways and manners in which rebellion sometime shows. Now let me show us a Scripture in Romans chapter 13, from verse 1-7. It is going to help us to understand that definition. The Bible says: Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God… So, it tells you that most authorities, most institutions of authorities that we see, God is the one that set it up, or God is aware that such authority exists. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves….” So, what happens to rebellious people? The Bible says they bring judgment on themselves. Do we get that?

 

3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same… So, if you do well, it says the authority will praise you. But if you do, rebel against the authority, it says you are bringing judgment upon yourself. Because the consequences of rebelling against such authority will now come upon you fully in terms of judgment, that's what it is saying. But if you do well, it says the same system of authority is going to praise you. Do we understand what we are saying?

 

4 For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. 5 Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’ sake… Now, I want us to take note. It says why do you even subject yourself to authority in the first place? It says, not necessarily because of the authority itself. It says for your own conscience’s sake so that you are not judged in your conscience. Like, okay, there is something I'm supposed to do according to this authority, but I'm not doing it. So, it says your conscience is going to swing into action, and bring you even into judgment. So, in case there is somebody, someone in authority, for example, you know, that this person is not doing well. Why should we be obeying? But it says for your own conscience’s, you follow the authority, so that you can be justified. That's what it is saying. Did we see that?

 

6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God’s ministers attending continually to this very thing. 7 Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.

 

It says: render to everyone. Now look at the categories of rendering, it says taxes. Now who collects taxes? The government, right. So as a citizen of a good country, you are supposed to pay taxes, that is part of being obedient to the authority. You can't be evading taxes, and then you call yourself a child of God, you are rebelling. It says customs to whom customs is due. There are certain customs and traditions of people. You know, you go to a particular environment, they say, this is the way we behave. This is our custom. As long as you want to stay in this environment, this is how you have to comport yourself. Paul says render to them. So, you don't say “Well, I'm a child of God, I can't be subject to your custom. I'm not from your community or your language. No, no. The lay down customs and the rules for flouting the customs will deal with you. And don't be surprised, God may not come to your aide. They will.

 

You there are certain countries in the Middle East and in Asia. It is a taboo for you to smuggle cocaine into their country. The custom is once you are caught, you will be beheaded. And many people in the past that have been caught they actually killed them. You see your government, your home government, they can't intervene. Because you have violated a law, a custom in a particular nation. Don't bring cocaine into our country. We don't entertain it and you smuggle same into their country. They said the consequence is beheading, that is the judgment because you've rebelled. It says: “fear to whom fear and honor to whom honor is due. So, for our sake, it is of necessity, that we obey. We don't rebel, not because of the authority itself, or most times because of the people in authority, but it says for our own conscience say, so that we can have a glad conscience, a conscience that is not judging us.

 

Now, I want to show us some case studies in the Bible because this piece is a case study piece and therefore, I want to show some examples of rebellion in the Scripture, how they started, and what eventually become their end. The first case study I want to show you is Satan. Now one thing you must understand about Satan and rebellion is that Satan is the source and originator of rebellion. I want you to take this serious, Satan is the source and originator of rebellion. So, that means that by implication, if you are rebellious, what you are simply saying is that by principle, you are following Satan, but by obedience, you are obedient to God, but by principle because rebellion, is one of the principles of Satan is the source is the originator.

 

Now, everything that has to do with rebellion against God, as we have come to know it, on the pages of Scripture, and even amongst ourselves and interaction began with Satan. It wasn't God that started rebellion, it was Satan that originated and created rebellion. Isaiah chapter 14, let's read from verse 12-15. Now, this place we are about to consider is a revelation about the fall of Satan that God gave to Prophet Isaiah, when he was writing to the king of Babylon. So, God gave prophet Isaiah, this revelation, our Satan fell, so that he can use it to convey a message to the king of Babylon at the time. Now look at it from verse 12. The Bible says:

 

“How you are fallen from heaven,
O Lucifer, son of the morning!
How you are cut down to the ground,
You who weakened the nations!
13 For you have said in your heart:

 

Now, if you pause a bit in this place, one thing you are going to discover is the subtilty of rebellion at work. Where was this rebellion taking place? In the heart of Satan. It was not yet a true action. Satan was still contemplating it. Do we understand?

 

‘I will ascend into heaven,

 

So, Satan said: “I will ascend into heaven.” Now what does this place mean? It simply means Satan was not where God is. He says, “I will ascend into heaven.” So, Satan as at this point in time, we can infer that he was not in the presence of God, right? Because if you say “I will ascend”, it means you are not where you are aiming yet. Now if you stand at the foot of a mountain, let's say maybe Mount Kilimanjaro, and you say “my vision is to ascend to the top of this mountain”, are you at the top of the mountains at that time? No! You are beneath it. But you are contemplating that one day I am going to ascend to the top of this mountain, this is exactly what was happening.

 

So, Satan, as at this time was not in the presence of God. He was somewhere else. God is in His throne, Satan was somewhere else and Satan was thinking in his heart, that “I will ascend into heaven.”

 

I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;
I will also sit on the mount of the congregation

 

So, he was not there yet. It is a vision that he has, it is his next purpose. Did we see that?

 

On the farthest sides of the north;
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds,
I will be like the Most High.

 

So, he is not the Most High yet, he is just thinking it in his heart, I want to ascent into His place, I want to be like Him.

 

15 Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol,
To the lowest depths of the Pit.

 

Now what exactly did this Scripture show us? It simply showed us that Satan was planning in his heart to rebel against God. Satan was planning in his heart to usurp authority, to take over the place of God. And that is exactly what rebellion is. Now don't forget what Jesus said. In Matthew. It says: in this New Covenant, the act is not until you commit it. But if you look at a woman lustfully in your heart, he says you've already done the act. So, in the sight of God, God saw Satan as doing what he said he was going to do in his heart. So, what exactly is this showing u? It is showing us that rebellion is subtle and rebellion takes place in the heart, in the heart of man, and many times you don't even know. And what was the implication?

 

The Bible says because pf that, Satan lost his position. Satan was sent out of heaven. The Bible says he was cast down to Sheol; another word for Sheol is hell, because that's is going to be his everlasting abode. But how did he get to this point? He rebelled in his heart. Now, something you must never forget in this place. Rebellion is something you don't tolerate. Rebellion is not something you romance. Rebellion is not something you condone. As a matter of fact, what you do when you see an act of rebellion, is to simply deal with it. You nip it in the bud. Because a rebellious person has the capacity to carry out his acts.

 

When you notice the traces of rebellion, just as God did; you quickly deal with it. So, when you notice any element of rebellion, it is not something that you condone, it is not something that you tolerate. When you see that rebellious people are not willing to bend or follow rules and instructions, you simply let them go. And that was what God did. Satan was contemplating it. And God says, well, I won't allow you to carry it out. Before you kill me in quotes, and take over my position. I think you should leave.

 

Let's see Ezekiel. Let me show us another thing about Satan. Ezekiel, chapter 28, from verse 11-17. Now, when God showed that revelation to Prophet Isaiah, He also showed it to prophet Ezekiel. Ezekiel was writing a lamentation against the king of Tyre. And then God gave him this revelation to write to the man, it is still talking about Satan. The Bible says:

 

11 Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 12 “Son of man, take up a lamentation for the king of Tyre, and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord God:

“You were the seal of perfection,
Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
13 You were in Eden, the garden of God;
Every precious stone was your covering:
The sardius, topaz, and diamond,
Beryl, onyx, and jasper,
Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold.
The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes
Was prepared for you on the day you were created.

14 “You were the anointed cherub who covers;
I established you;
You were on the holy mountain of God;
You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones.
15 You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created,
Till iniquity was found in you.

16 “By the abundance of your trading
You became filled with violence within,
And you sinned;
Therefore I cast you as a profane thing
Out of the mountain of God;
And I destroyed you, O covering cherub,
From the midst of the fiery stones.

17 “Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty;
You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor;
I cast you to the ground,
I laid you before kings,
That they might gaze at you.

 

So, Satan's rebellion in this revelation of Ezekiel was that he was beautiful. He was perfect. Because he felt, what is it I do not have? What is it that God has that I don't have? What is it that God can do that I cannot do? And that is why you see all the perversion that you see in the world today, are Satan's creation. Do you know that almost all the things that God created, Satan has a perverted copy? Do you know? He can't create the original thing but he can make it look real. So, for example, marriage is between a man and a woman. But when Satan came up with a concept of his own marriage, he says a man and a man can marry a woman and a woman can marry even animals and humans can marry, that is perversion.

 

It was because of his makeup. He felt like: what is it that God can do that I cannot do? I'm beautiful. I'm okay. Don't forget the Bible says God made/created him perfectly until that rebellion was found in him. And the Bible says “God cast him out.” Now where did the Bible say that rebellion come from? In his heart. And that's why you must be careful about your heart. God deals with your heart more than he deals with any other thing and that's the truth. You know, Jesus said to the Pharisees that you people, you are like a sepulcher. He says you try as much as possible to make the outside good, but inside is full of all manner of things. Your heart is important to God. All these things began from Satan's heart. I can do this. I can do that. And then the Bible says God saw it. God saw a rebellion welling up in his heart. And God dealt with it.

 

So, what was the implication for Satan? He lost his original state. The Bible says in James that for those angels who did not retain their first state, he says they were cast down out of heaven, they were sent out. So, Satan lost all that he thinks he had, all that he thinks he was, he lost it by a thought of rebellion. He became something we trample under feet. Is that not what we do? He was not like that before. Don't forget Jesus said I have given you all powers to trample upon serpents and scorpions, and all powers, we are walking on him now, but he was not like that before, he was not somebody you can disrespect, until rebellion was found in his heart.

 

Let's look at another case study Adam and Eve. Now, don't forget that Adam and Eve were the first physical human being to rebel against God. Now the first rebellion we saw was with Satan. All that took place in the spiritual realm, right. But when we're talking about the first evidence of rebellion, taking place, on the face of the earth, it began with Adam and Eve. Now, don't forget, when Adam was created, the Bible says Adam was created in the image, and in the likeness of God. So, by virtue of that, Adam was supposed to function like God. He was supposed to relate, was supposed to think like God, was supposed to be able to do most things that God can do, because that was his wiring. The Bible says when God created all the living creatures, he brought them to Adam them to see what he will call them. And the Bible says, Adam gave them names. And God saw that all the names were good, there was nothing God could have said “you made a mistake, this one I wanted to call this bird, but you call it Pigeon”, No!

 

Everything Adam deed by giving those creatures names became their name till now, until something happened. Now look at Genesis chapter 2, verse 16-17, let me show us, you know what happened. When rebellion set in into Adam, something happened and I want us to start looking at it from Genesis chapter two, I think we should read from verse 15-17 first. The Bible says: “Then the Lord God took the man, and put in him the Garden of Eden to tend and keep it, and the Lord God commanded the man saying, Of every tree of the garden, you may freely eat but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat for in the day you eat it, you shall surely die.

 

So, when God created Adam in His image and likeness, God placed him in the garden, and the only instruction and I want you to take note, the only instruction that God gave him was this instruction. Or have you ever come across any other thing that looks like an instruction to Adam apart from this in Genesis? This was the only instruction: “of all the tree in the garden you may freely eat but of the tree of the knowledge…” Everything I've created is for you enjoy them. But I want to give you one instruction, this particular tree of the knowledge of good and evil, don't eat it. Because in the day you eat it, you will die. Do we understand?

 

So, we know by implication that for as long as Adam was keeping to that instruction, Adam was fine, right? He was fine. He was in the purpose of God; God would always visit them at the cool of the day and fellowship with them. Everything was going fine, until something happened, until rebellion set in. Now look at Genesis chapter 3 from verse 1: The Bible says:

 

Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” 4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate.

 

So, what did she do? Simple and straightforward, she violated the instructions of God. And what does that amount to? That in the eyes of God is rebellion. When God tells you “Don’t do this”, and then you go ahead to do the same thing; you have rebelled. For conscience’s sake, don't do it. Even before an angel comes to knock at the door of your heart that you've sinned against God, your conscience should pick it up that you have rebelled against God, I have gone against the instruction of God. And this was the beginning of the problem. Not necessarily the beginning but half of the beginning.

 

Because the Bible says in verses 7 downwards:

 

She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings. 8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”

 

So, let's ask a simple question, what made him afraid? It was simply because an infraction had taken place. Before they were not used to being afraid of God's presence. And that's why if you read Romans chapter 13 that we read, what did Paul say? He said, “When you go against authority, you should be afraid.” Is that not what we read? When you go against constituted authority, when you rebel, he says, be afraid because judgment will come upon you. And that was exactly what we're seeing here. They became afraid. Because something had happened in them that was not used to them. And so that act of rebellion was pushing them away from God, they could not stand God.

 

“I was afraid because I was naked, and I hid myself. And he said, “Who told you that you were naked?” In other words, God knew that somebody had spoken to them. God didn't say, “How did you know you were naked? He says, “Who told you?” Do we get that? It says: “Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat? Then the man said, the woman whom you gave to be with me, she was the source of all this problem. She gave me, I didn't eat it myself. God, you know, my heart. It was, it was, it's a good heart. You know, I wouldn't do it if I was alone. You know how I was faring when I was alone. I was doing well until this woman came, she is the problem. You know, the man was adding salt to injury. And the Lord God said to the woman, what is this that you have done? And I helped the woman to answer I have rebelled against your instructions.

 

So, what's the implication of that? By virtue of the fact that they rebelled, what exactly came upon them?

 

Number one, they lost the garden. When rebel against God, you cannot continue to enjoy the things of God. Satan was in heaven originally, he was enjoying all the glory, singing and praising God, the moment he rebelled, he lost the opportunity. So, Adam and Eve also they lost the garden. God said to them, you can no longer occupy my territory, since you violated my instruction. And that was why I told you, God casts Satan out immediately. Is that not the same thing he was doing with Adam and Eve? Leave my territory. You don't condone rebellion. You don't allow rebellious people around you. They will pollute your system, before you know it, the whole system is ganging up against you. So, they lost the garden, God told them, “Leave the garden.”

 

Number two: they lost their nature. They had the nature of God. But because somebody else has spoken to them, so that person automatically transferred his own nature to them. So, they started having the nature of Satan. They became sinners. And by virtue of the fact that they became sinners, all of us when we were giving birth to, we were born sinners. And that is why sometimes you don't need to tell a child how to tell lies before they start telling lies. It's that nature, until you consciously lead them to Christ, and you espoused the Word of God to them. And that's why you don't leave your children alone. Don't assume that because you're a pastor or a bishop, your children are automatically saved. The salvation of the father does not affect the child until the child himself comes to God and confess Christ, that is when that nature of righteousness begins to take place. So, you don't assume I'm a pastor, my children are automatically righteous. No, it doesn't work that way. You know, God said concerning Abraham, he says, I know Abraham, he will command his children after me, you will have to deliberately command them after God. You have to deliberately bring your children to the consciousness of God because they are born sinners.

 

Now if you want to ask the question; my wife is a Christian, she's born again. My husband is a Christian, he is born again. How come we gave birth to a child who is not born again? It is the nature? How do we receive the nature of God? It is by confessing Christ and believing in our heart. Until you lead such a child through that process, your righteousness cannot jump upon them. So, they lost the nature of God.

 

Number three, they were cursed. It was the very first time that God was going to curse them. Now what did God do? God cursed the ground for man. It says in hardness or toil of your sweat you will till the ground. And that was where the word “hustling and bustling” came from. You know, people will tell you “Oh boy, we dey go hustle this week, hustle they go.” There was no hustling before from the beginning. All that man needed was made available. But when God cursed the ground for man, man started hustling. And also, for the woman that was the genesis of pain in childbearing. Before it was not there, there was nothing like that. So, God cursed them.

 

Number four: They were prone to sickness, diseases, and eventually physical death. Man was not supposed to die. Man was not supposed to experience sickness or any kind of disease, whatever they call it, HIV, AIDS, cancer, all of those things, they don't, they were not in existence from the beginning. Those things were not the plan of God for man. Those things came as a result of rebellion of man. Did we see that? So that's the implication. So, when you rebel against God or when you rebel against authority, you are simply bringing into yourself that you don't need. Did we get that?

 

Let me show us one more case study. I want to show us the case study of Miriam and Aaron. Let's see Numbers chapter 12. Now, don't forget I said it is a case study piece. So, we're going to rush over this. The Bible says:

 

Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married; for he had married an Ethiopian woman… So, you can understand that both Miriam and Aaron were siblings, senior siblings of Moses. So, somebody who say, well, we should be able to call this guy into order. She's our younger brother. Let's talk some sense into his head, he is going out of his way. As a matter of fact, you can't see your siblings going the wrong way and you don't call them to order, right. So, that was what they did. So, the Bible says they spoke against Moses, for the Ethiopian woman.

 

2 So they said, “Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us also?” And the Lord heard it… Now where they were speaking about Moses, Moses was not there, you know, he wasn't there. But God was there. And the Bible says the Lord heard their conversation.

 

3 (Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth.) 4 Suddenly the Lord said to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, “Come out, you three, to the tabernacle of meeting!” So the three came out. 5 Then the Lord came down in the pillar of cloud and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam. And they both went forward. 6 Then He said,

“Hear now My words:
If there is a prophet among you,
I, the Lord, make Myself known to him in a vision;
I speak to him in a dream.
7 Not so with My servant Moses;
He is faithful in all My house.
8 I speak with him face to face,
Even plainly
, and not in dark sayings;
And he sees the form of the Lord.
Why then were you not afraid
To speak against My servant Moses?”

 

God asked them, you guys were not scared, like, you are not afraid to speak against my servant. Now, you know, this is something that is common in our own generation, we see people speak against men of God, who is he? A whole man of God. You know, for anything like this, we just want to rubbish their ministry, it is something that many of us do. Maybe some of us have done it in the past. And I know it's something that many still do now. When you go to Facebook and Twitter, you will see how people rubbish pastors, it is something that we do, but it is wrong. It is rebellion. The Bible says, God asked Miriam and Aaron, are you guys not afraid by speaking against Moses, you know, Moses was not there.

 

So the anger of the Lord was aroused against them, and He departed. 10 And when the cloud departed from above the tabernacle, suddenly Miriam became leprous, as white as snow. When God was done speaking with them, and the presence of God departed, God did not even open his mouth to pronounce any judgment. The moment God asked them, you guys were not afraid and His presence left, the Bible says Miriam became leprous. Now, I was asking myself, why not Aaron? Aaron didn’t become leprous What happened? I now remember that Aaron needed to help Moses in his ministry. So, God will not have allowed Aaron to have leprosy or else the ministry of the man of God, don't forget, he was a priest. And so, they have to conduct meetings. Maybe God felt like “I'm going to excuse Aaron, or maybe Miriam was the one that started the whole conversation. Miriam bore the consequences.

 

The Bible says: Then Aaron turned toward Miriam, and there she was, a leper. 11 So Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord! It was no longer his brother. He became his Lord. You know, they were siblings before, “but oh, oh, my lord”

 

Please do not lay this sin on us, in which we have done foolishly and in which we have sinned. 12 Please do not let her be as one dead, whose flesh is half consumed when he comes out of his mother’s womb!” 13 So Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, Please heal her, O God, I pray!” 14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “If her father had but spit in her face, would she not be shamed seven days? Let her be shut[f] out of the camp seven days, and afterward she may be received again.” 15 So Miriam was shut out of the camp seven days, and the people did not journey till Miriam was brought in again. 16 And afterward the people moved from Hazeroth and camped in the Wilderness of Paran.

 

What was the implication of that their rebellious act? Their movement was stalled for seven days. Miriam herself was shot out of the camp; she was living outside of the camp. Nobody could go near her, and the entire congregation of Israel could not move forward, a whole nation was stalled for seven days, simply because two people rebelled against the man of God. Now, some of these things, we're talking about them because they are things that we see, even in our contemporary time. Rebellion is not something to be tolerated, it is not something that we should tolerate; against God, against authority. There is never a time that we should allow rebellion to take place in our hearts.

 

In conclusion, God does not take the sin of rebellion lightly. We may be in the New Testament, and be enjoying grace and mercy. It does not mean that God has suddenly fall in love with rebellious people. Now we're in the New Covenant, the mercy of God, the grace of God, we enjoy it. But that does not mean God has suddenly condone rebellion, no, God hates rebellion. So, if you are rebellious in your heart, it is time for you to cry to God to purify your heart and make it right with Him. These things are in our heart, they are subtle. Many times we do them and we don't know that we do them.

 

I believe it is a good time to pray that God should purify my heart and your heart against any form of rebellion.


Thanks for the gift of your time, I am Obayomi Abiola Benjamin!

Feel free to share your thoughts or testimony in the comment box below. I promise to respond to them as soon as possible!

Word of Confession: (Optional)

Lord Jesus, I confess to you that I have sinned against the LORD God - in the rebellion of my heart, I have disappointed your expectations on my life. I have fallen from Your grace and followed wrong influences around me. Today, I retrace my steps back to you - and I ask that in your mercy you accept me as your son and give to me (again) the promise of the Father - the Holy Spirit. Lord Jesus, please, come and make my heart your home, and from there rule in the affairs of all men. In Jesus Name I have prayed.






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Danger Implication Moses Aaron Miriam Satan Heaven


Riches gained and received by the world is vanity and perishing except it is gained by the word. Never transact with the world if the word does not permit you to do so. Because, going against the word is rebellion against God.


Published: Apeh Francis Abah | Tuesday 5th July 2022


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Riches gained and received by the world is vanity and
  Riches gained and received by the world is vanity and
  Riches gained and received by the world is vanity and
  Riches gained and received by the world is vanity and
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I am Abiola Benjamin Obayomi, a disciple of Jesus Christ, with a drive to mentor young believers into spiritual maturity. I am a student of God's word and a teacher as well, with passion in the areas of relationship & spiritual development. I am a worshipper, an ardent lover and follower of the Lord Christ.


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