I am increasingly concerned with
the continuing modern focus on the love aspect of our wonderful God. Yes, God is love. We know that.
The Bible tells us that. Look at
Jesus’ actions in going to the cross for us.
Yes, it is true. God is love.
He is also many other
things. And this is where so many today
who profess to be Christians just turn a blind eye.
God is patience. He is long-suffering, but that patience does
not last forever. Eventually people have
to realize who he is and what he expects.
And he is jealous. He is a jealous God. You cannot have other gods before him. You cannot put other things in life before
him. You just can’t.
And he is a just God who indeed
does avenge. Vengeance is mine, says the
Lord.
If you read the Bible you know
that God will only tolerate evil so long, even in his chosen people the
Jews. Notice how he brings all sorts of
calamities on the Israelites over the years when they are out of line. Eventually at one point he even lets
Jerusalem be overrun and the leaders taken away to Babylon.
And he makes it clear in the
Bible that all these things that happen aren’t just necessarily by
accident. The book of Nahum notes the Lord’s
way is in the whirlwind and storm. And
the book of Amos asks has disaster come to a city and the Lord not caused it?
Pretty chilling, is it not –
certainly . Except for the fact that we
also do know the goodness and love of God!
Yes, God is God. I wrote about that quite a bit recently in the
newsletter in March titled NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD. People today just can’t seem to get a grip on
the immensity of God. All powerful. All knowing.
All present. He is God.
We humans can hardly imagine
God!
One approach is to look at some
movies where an emperor or other powerful figure is portrayed. Maybe a movie about Caesar or Genghis Khan or
some other powerful historical figure. I
expect you have all seen something like that.
Remember how sometimes a trembling subject or stranger is brought in
before the ruler, and the subject is kneeling or crawling on the floor. They are terrified because of the great power
of the ruler.
Well, they should be. The ruler can just decide to end their lives,
or maybe send them off to some battle, or take their possessions away, or
whatever.
I tell you, none of those rulers
have even a tiny percentage of the power that our God has. If people fear someone who can take away
their life, how much more should they fear someone who not only could do that
but also could send them for an eternity into a horrible place to exist? Here is the actual scripture that makes that
point: “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (MT 10:28 NIV)
Most people just don’t appreciate
the immensity of God or who he really is because they don’t know him – let’s be
honest. They just don’t. God to them is someone in a book or someone
talked about once in a while or at church.
But we are talking about
God. Yes, he is love. Yes, he is patient.
But do you remember when he
killed everyone on earth except Noah and seven members of Noah’s family,
because he was so upset by the behavior of people?
And do you remember when he was
going to eliminate all the Israelites because of their behavior, and start over
with Moses? Moses interceded and God
decided not to do that.
God is love all right. The actions of Jesus in his first visit to
earth were love, all right. Lots of
demonstrations of compassion. And his
love for us comes through in our times of prayer and communication with
him.
But even Jesus is returning as
the great leader of the army of angels and saints to win at Armageddon and then
to establish his rule from Jerusalem.
Jesus himself kills everyone in the army opposing him at
Armageddon. Jesus.
I am telling you all this because
I am so concerned that people today just look at the love aspect of God. For sure he loves us and he forgives us and
he wants the best for us. But he also
wants his plans to be fulfilled and his words to be obeyed.
We are very near the time Jesus
will come to collect his believers and take them away, giving them a new glorious
body. During the time they are away in
heaven, the seven year tribulation will occur.
Yes, terrible things are done during that period by the antichrist, the
false prophet, and the devil. See
Chapter 13 of Revelation, for example.
But many horrors poured out during that seven year period described in
many chapters in Revelation beginning in Chapter 6 are horrors poured out on
the remaining humans on earth and on the earth itself by God. They are the wrath of God. At the time of the seven year tribulation,
God will have been long-suffering for long enough. He still will be seeking those who will turn
to Jesus, but he will also be pouring out his wrath.
Don’t let anyone mislead you so
into thinking that God is only love.
Remember, he is absolutely God.
Someone to be feared as well as loved.
And yes, that advice about fearing the Lord is in the Bible too.
Keep Your Eyes on Jesus!
(APRIL,
2016)
Copyright © 2016 by John
Newlin
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