In the first six chapters of 2nd Chronicles we find that King Solomon has built an earthly home for the God of Israel located in the city of Jerusalem. Beginning in chapter 7 the Lord warns him and the Israelites that their sins will force Him to bring calamity down from on high in the form of “natural” disasters such as drought, locust infestation, disease, etc. Beginning in verse 14 He tells Israel what to do if they have sinned and are being punished by Him: “If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves, pray, seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sins and heal their land” (along with the people–land does not sin). God is no respecter of persons; what He does for and to one He does for and to all. His Cause and Effect Law applies to all people at all times. For every effect there is a cause–a lesson few have managed to recognize in spite of it being one of the main themes found repeated time and again throughout the Holy Bible.

Let us take note of the chronology of events outlined by the Lord in 2 Chronicles 7:14: 1) Man, who is always subject to Satan’s siren call to sin, tends to answer his call. When this happens man must 2) humble himself by admitting his sin, 3) pray and seek God’s face by making Him the center of his daily life, 4) turn away from sin and continue to walk in obedience to Him. Notice that one’s turn from disobedience to obedience–from sin to righteousness–must be total and permanent. God makes no allowance for backsliders and “sunshine saints.” The church refutes this, contending that “victory in Jesus” means that, due to His death, churchman can continue to sin and get away with it simply by repenting after each episode. If a man is pulled from a quicksand pit (being “turned from it”), he is safe. But if he returns to the pit he deliberately embraces spiritual death. God compares one who repeatedly sins and repents to a sow that, having been pulled from the mire and washed, returns to the pit where she awaits yet another washing, and to a dog that, having vomited up that which caused his sickness, laps up the vomit and awaits yet another deliverance from the resulting sickness (2 Pet. 2:22). This perfectly describes the sin-repent, sin-repent cycle practiced by those in the Counterfeit Church–Catholicism/Protestantism. I have been told that, since man must sin due to Adam’s sin transferal system, Jesus died so that the sin-repent cycle could be practiced throughout the life of a “sinner saved by grace” with impunity. Not only does Christ’s death guarantee the church person freedom from God’s wrath in this life, but also a key to his/her mansion in heaven to be received at a later date. This heresy came through the lips of a former seminary student.

Note that only after following God’s commands given in 2 Chronicles 7:14 will the Lord hear the prayer of the truly repentant supplicant. God promises to hear and answer only the prayers of the obedient. Isaiah 59:2 tells us that sin separates us from God. Hebrews 7:26 tells us that Jesus is separate from sinners. This includes sinners supposedly saved by grace. In 1 Peter 4:16-18 the apostle warns that judgment is on-going in the (God’s true) church, and that only the righteous will be saved, and they just “scarcely”–barely. Sin is a choice; sin separates man from God; obedience joins man to God; therefore man determines his relationship with the Lord. This relationship determines if the Lord hears his prayers. He answers only those prayers He hears. Therefore, MAN DETERMINES WHETHER HIS PRAYERS ARE ANSWERED.

The Lord’s attitude toward and reaction to those who call on Him is plainly stated in Deuteronomy 28 and Leviticus 26. When church prayers go unanswered, as the vast majority do, the church needs to study these chapters in order to determine why. L.J.