by Dave Root, VividChristianity.com, last modified on 07/25/2024.

As you read this section, keep in mind that the New Testament is not merely a history book, it's meant to change us to become more and more like Jesus. When we read any passages in the New Testament, our goal should be to discern what God wants us to believe and do so that we can be obedient to Him.


Beginning in Exodus 19, the nation of Israel would have been God's "treasured possession" and "a holy nation" if they had obeyed the Old Covenant:

"'Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations [ethnos] you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation [ethnos].' These are the words you [Moses] are to speak to the Israelites." (Exodus 19:5-6)

The Old Testament was written in Hebrew. The Greek translation of the Old Testament (called the Septuagint ) was completed by 132 BC and is quoted more often in the New Testament than the original Hebrew is (see the above Wikipedia article). In the Septuagint, the word "nation" in the above passage is the Greek word ethnos, which means:

"In the sense of nation, people, as distinct from all others...In the Jewish sense, ta ethne, the nations, means the Gentile nations or the Gentiles in general as spoken of all who are not Israelites and implying idolatry and ignorance of the true God, i.e., the heathen, pagan nations" (The Complete Word Study Dictionary of the Old and New Testaments, Dr. Spiros Zodhiates, ethnos, emphasis added)

From the time of Moses up until the cross, every Jew in the world was under the Old Covenant and was required to obey the Law of Moses (see my series called Covenants, Dispensations, and the Ten Commandments). Therefore, Jesus lived His entire life under the Old Covenant, obeying the Law of Moses, before the cross. When He shed His blood and died on the cross, He initiated the New Covenant (see my series above).

Under the Old Covenant, God frequently dealt with people-groups as a whole, whether it was the nation of Israel, or certain Gentile nations, or specific towns, or other groups of people, as in these examples:

"As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. Then the LORD said to him, "Know for certain that for four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own and that they will be enslaved and mistreated there. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions."" (Genesis 15:12-14)

"Then the LORD rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah - from the LORD out of the heavens. Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plain, destroying all those living in the cities - and also the vegetation in the land...So when God destroyed the cities of the plain, he remembered Abraham, and he brought Lot out of the catastrophe that overthrew the cities where Lot had lived." (Genesis 19:24-29)

"My angel will go ahead of you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites and Jebusites, and I will wipe them out. Do not bow down before their gods or worship them or follow their practices. You must demolish them and break their sacred stones to pieces. Worship the LORD your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you, and none will miscarry or be barren in your land. I will give you a full life span. I will send my terror ahead of you and throw into confusion every nation you encounter. I will make all your enemies turn their backs and run. I will send the hornet ahead of you to drive the Hivites, Canaanites and Hittites out of your way. But I will not drive them out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals too numerous for you." (Exodus 23:23-29)

"The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the army, "Shout! For the LORD has given you the city! The city and all that is in it are to be devoted to the LORD. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid the spies we sent."" (Joshua 6:16-17)

"Then the five kings of the Amorites - the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish and Eglon - joined forces. They moved up with all their troops and took up positions against Gibeon and attacked it...The LORD said to Joshua, "Do not be afraid of them; I have given them into your hand. Not one of them will be able to withstand you." After an all-night march from Gilgal, Joshua took them by surprise. The LORD threw them into confusion before Israel, so Joshua and the Israelites defeated them completely at Gibeon...the LORD gave the Amorites over to Israel...That day Joshua took Makkedah. He put the city and its king to the sword and totally destroyed everyone in it. He left no survivors...Then Joshua and all Israel with him moved on from Makkedah to Libnah and attacked it. The LORD also gave that city and its king into Israel's hand...The LORD gave Lachish into Israel's hands, and Joshua took it on the second day. The city and everyone in it he put to the sword...Then Joshua and all Israel with him moved on from Lachish to Eglon; they took up positions against it and attacked it. They captured it that same day and put it to the sword and totally destroyed everyone in it...So Joshua subdued the whole region, including the hill country, the Negev, the western foothills and the mountain slopes, together with all their kings. He left no survivors. He totally destroyed all who breathed, just as the LORD, the God of Israel, had commanded. Joshua subdued them from Kadesh Barnea to Gaza and from the whole region of Goshen to Gibeon. All these kings and their lands Joshua conquered in one campaign, because the LORD, the God of Israel, fought for Israel. Then Joshua returned with all Israel to the camp at Gilgal." (Joshua 10:5-43)

"Samuel said to Saul, "I am the one the LORD sent to anoint you king over his people Israel; so listen now to the message from the LORD. This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt. Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy all that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.'"" (1 Samuel 15:1-3)

[Jesus is speaking:] "But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, 'Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.' I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town. Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades." (Luke 10:10-15)

There are numerous examples throughout the Old Testament and in the four Gospels (before the cross) in which God punished or denounced entire cities or nations or peoples. From the time of Moses (starting in Exodus 19) until the cross, those all took place under the Old Covenant as we saw (including Jesus' statements in Luke 10:10-15, above).

Under the New Covenant (i.e., after the cross), we see the apostles and evangelists traveling to various cities around the known world, and we see a number of references to "the nations," but we never see God punishing or denouncing specific nations, cities, or peoples during the Church Age. Here are some examples of the ways in which cities and nations are mentioned after the cross:

"Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven." (Acts 2:5)

"Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there." (Acts 8:5)

"Then Peter began to speak: "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right."" (Acts 10:34-35)

"Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, "Let us go back and visit the believers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing."" (Acts 15:36)

"As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey." (Acts 16:4)

"And again, Isaiah says, "The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; in him the Gentiles will hope."" (Romans 15:12)

"Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: "All nations will be blessed through you."" (Galatians 3:8)

"Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great: He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory." (1 Timothy 3:16)

"To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations" (Revelation 2:26)

The Church Age began on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2:1-4, and it will end when Jesus comes and "snatches up" all Christians to take us into heaven, which will be followed by seven years when the Antichrist will be in power, followed by the Second Coming of Jesus to the earth (see my series called The Rapture of the Church). During the Church Age, as described throughout the New Testament, we never see God punishing or denouncing any specific nations, cities, or peoples as He did throughout the Old Covenant period. Not even once. The only example of a nation or city being punished by God after the cross is the city of Babylon (mentioned in Revelation 14:8, 16:19, 17:5, 18:2, 10, 21), but its destruction will take place after the Church Age is over (see my article called The Second Coming).

When natural disasters strike a city or a nation, Christians sometimes say that God is punishing that city or nation for its sins, or they say that America (for example) needs to turn back to God and be a Christian nation because otherwise God will punish it. Statements such as these are completely unscriptural. Again, during the Church Age, as described throughout the New Testament, we never see God punishing or denouncing any specific nations, cities, or peoples as He did throughout the Old Covenant period. For more reasons why God is not pouring out His wrath during the Church Age (e.g., through hurricanes, earthquakes, or any other disasters), see my series called The Rapture of the Church.