In Deuteronomy 1:42, God told Moses to warn the children of Israel, “…Go not up, neither fight; for I am not among you; lest ye be smitten before your enemies.” Did they listen? No. Moses said in verses 43-45, “So I spake unto you; and ye would not hear, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD, and went presumptuously up into the hill. And the Amorites, which dwelt in that mountain, came out against you, and chased you, as bees do, and destroyed you in Seir, even unto Hormah. And ye returned and wept before the LORD; but the LORD would not hearken to your voice, nor give ear unto you.” Why not?
God blesses obedience. I John 3:22 says, “And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.” They “rebelled against the commandment of the LORD, and went presumptuously up into the hill.” That means they assumed that God would be with them, even after he said, “Go not up, neither fight; for I am not among you…”
God blesses faithfulness to Him. Proverbs 28:20 says, “A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent.” Faithfulness is not marked by rebellion.
God blesses faith. In Mark 9:23, Jesus said, “…If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.” God brought them to the promised land, but they refused to trust Him. They said, “And wherefore hath the LORD brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt?” (Numbers 14:3)
God blesses His people. Psalm 68:19 says, “Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation.”
What about the lost? They refuse to be God’s people just like Israel refused to enter the Promised Land. Therefore, they have no faith, no faithfulness, and refuse to obey God in anyway. Yet, they wander aimlessly through life, presumptuously on their way to Heaven by their own merits. The results will be the same. They will ultimately be destroyed.
But does God bless the lost in this life? God blesses His children’s faith, faithfulness, and obedience. As a result, His blessings often spill over onto those around them – their lost or carnal coworkers, associates, family members, or neighbors. God blessed Potiphar’s house because of Joseph (Genesis 39:5). He blessed Laban because of Jacob (Genesis 30:27). And He blesses an unbelieving spouse because of the faith of a believer in the household (I Corinthians 7:14). It’s like watering one flower in a garden. The spray from the nozzle will shower all the flowers around it.
If God then withdraws His blessings from His own people during times of unbelief, unfaithfulness, and disobedience; and the lost receive God’s blessings only because He showered them onto His children and they spilled over, what will happen after the rapture? When believers are taken out, God will no longer be among the lost, and the outpouring of His blessings will cease.