As much as I personally agree that George and Betty deserve judgment, I prefer to leave that judgment up to God. I have been sometimes instructed to pray for mercy; sometimes to stand aside and let God do His thing. I asked God how He wanted me to pray for George and Betty, and I didn't feel He was asking me to pray for mercy; rather that His Will would be done. This is how I pray for such people, and there are a number of them in my life -- that God's Will would be done. Remember, God brought down the assemblies -- but in HIS timing. God knows what He wants to do with George and Betty. I find it safest to ask that God's Will be done in ALL my prayers no matter what else I may ask for -- that way, the best will be done even if what *I* am asking for is inadequate or even a mistake, because I don't have God's perfect knowledge! I DO pray for God's justice to catch up to people in some cases, but always with the caveat that His Will be done.
There is of course wisdom in what you say.
I would like to point out a few things I think are relevant to the request I made concerning praying for judgment on Geftakys.
Apostasy is different from civil transgression.
There is no place in Scripture that provides for civil remedy for apostasy.
George is unquestionably an apostate.
Apostasy uniquely takes place in the context of the fellowship of the Church of Jesus Christ.
It is my personal theory that the rise of a man like George Geftakys in any gathering of God's people is stark testimony to the weakness and lack of spiritual maturity of that gathering.
Paul understood this danger and therefore issues one of the strongest warnings in all of Scripture to the Ephesian elders at Miletus.
In matters of apostasy, judgment
necessarily begins at the house of God. Clearly this is what the Bible teaches.
Put another way, I can state with absolute certitude that it is indeed God's will that every false teacher, who is an apostate, shall be judged.
Any question of God's will then applies only to the matter of timing,
as you point out, and not of judgment.
That post of mine you quoted from four years ago was prompted by my conviction of the applicaton of Peter's words to George Geftakys.
But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.
And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.
