Genesis 15:13And 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 four hundred years; 14 And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.
This passage of scripture teaches us that heathen and secular nations are just as accountable to God, as those who have entered into a covenant relationship with Him. The idea that is often harbored by non-Christians, that because Christ has never been accepted by them, that they are now free to do whatsoever they please, without being held accountable, is a false concept that has no basis in the scriptures. In the passage above, God revealed to Abraham that his seed would become servants to the king of Egypt, but after a stipulated time, the judgments of God would be visited on that nation, and then the Hebrews would come out with great substance.
This is exactly what took place, for pharaoh and his people were held accountable by God for the ill-treatment of His people, and He visited them with great judgments, after their day of grace and mercy had passed. The same thing was repeated in the experience of the Ninevites, to whom the prophet Jonah was sent with a stern warning of impending doom, for as the scriptures state, the sins of that city had reached unto heaven, to the point where the God of heaven had to give them an ultimatum to repent or perish.
Again, in the experience of Babylon which was then ruled by king Nebuchadnezzar, The Lord intervened in the affairs of that nation, and made the king to understand that he would be held accountable for the sins which he had indulged over a period of time, and when he refused to reform his ways, then judgments of no ordinary character were sent against him, and he was banished from the kingdom he had boasted of, and was made to eat grass like oxen, until he came to the realization that God rules in the affairs of men, and holds us accountable for the deeds done in the body, regardless of whether we are Christians or not. Let's read:
Daniel 4:24This is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the most High"... 25 That they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over thee, till thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will. 30 The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty? 33 The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles' feathers, and his nails like birds' claws.
These several experiences of nations and individuals being held accountable for their deeds, all of which had no covenant relationship with God whatsoever, are pregnant with instructions for us, upon whom the ends of the world are come. There is a philosophy of godlessness, which teaches its adherents that we are free to live and do as we please, with no accountability to the God of heaven, and this erroneous conclusion has given birth to pop songs such as "I did it my way" , and "It's my life". Now, while it is true that God has given us the freedom of choice, to either obey or disobey Him, yet those choices will determine what will ultimately become of us in the judgment, for every person who has ever lived on this planet will be held accountable, whether we are Christians or not.
The recent decision of the courts to overturn traditional, God-ordained marriage is indeed an exercise of free choice on the part of many, nevertheless, God will hold us accountable for the deeds that were done, and when He is ready, His judgments will be poured out upon the guilty, for He is no respecter of persons, and just as He did with pharaoh and Nebuchadnezzar, He will do again in our day, for absolutely nothing has changed.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture which confirms this solemn truth, and it is the will of God that we be cognizant of the fact, that whatsoever we think, say, or do will one day be brought into judgment, and that there are stipulated rewards for doing both good and evil. Let's read:
Ecclesiastes 12:13Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
May The Lord add His blessing to the study and practice of His every word. God bless!