The Seed Blog: The Coming Judgment

So often in my Christian life, I have heard the statement: "If God is so loving, why doesn't He do something about all of the evil in the world? Why does He let these things happen?" And I understand the notion, the frustration—I’ve been there myself. But, if you will stop and think about it, the quandary in that attitude is that we so often turn right around under different circumstances (Biblical or current) and ask: "How could God be so ruthless and unforgiving? How could God be so Judgmental? How could God Do such horribly things to whole societies? If God is real, and He’s supposed to be so loving, how could He be so Barbaric?" We are going to take a hard look at this frustration; these seemingly opposite and contradictory views.

Yet, both of which are often used to condemn or question God by the same people. Because if we can understand these age-old questions more fully, it will not only completely change our understanding of God; it will change our understanding of ourselves and make us see the frightening reality of where we are as a society and a world.
First, I ask you to consider several things about even our desire and ability to ask such questions: 1) How—in this expansive universe—would a glob of random goo [which came to life through billions of accidental occurrences, with no design, planning or purpose and no indwelling morality, only driven by animal instinct and chemical reactions] even conceive of such a passionate attitude for right and wrong, or good and bad? What is your basis and justification for any moral judgment if it is all simply a natural survival of the fittest, simply chance? Your very questioning of His morality screams His existence because you have borrowed from His own laws of righteousness created in you to even try and condemn Him. 2) Try and grasp this reality: How could real and passionate love, concern and care for someone else not involve real and passionate anger, vengeance, and judgment against those who would hurt or steal the one who is so loved? [Example: Is it loving to let your spouse or children to be raped, tortured, kidnapped or murdered because you don't want to seem vengeful or judgmental? And how could real justice be kept if every wrong was overlooked and accepted simply because I love the one doing that wrong, even when that wrong was hurting them? While I let others suffer from their actions, let others learn and follow their hurtful ways ignorantly; while I let everyone lose their way in care, order and mutual love until they hated and hurt one another? Can you call that loving of others? Even loving the ones destroying themselves in the wrongs?]
3) I'll just hit us all with a big dose of reality: When we—in our microscopic understanding of creation, intelligence and morality; in our own selfish, imperfect and tainted views; having done nothing to create this world, nothing to account for how or why we were even allowed to exist—question the all-powerful, all-knowing, most loving being in existence because we don't agree with how He runs His Universe based on our own twisted notion of the moral He gave us. His only answer can be that which He gave Job, when Job put God on trial for His actions: Job 38:1-3. As an old and very wise Pastor, Dr. J. Vernon McGee used to say: "If you don't like it, get your own Universe.” Until then, this one is His. He made it, He loves it, He died for it; He lives for it. You and I will never have all the answers to what God is doing. There comes a time where if you accept that God exists if you claim to trust Him as Savior of your life, you must surrender to Him in reverence and faith rather than put Him on trial when you don’t understand.
Ignorance is not bliss. With that being said, let's look deeper at the wisdom, justice, love and even mercy of God's judgments. And based upon everything Scriptures say about His judgments, where we might be standing today—because unfortunately many in our time have overlooked, watered down, and flat out disregarded God's righteous judgment on sin today—misrepresenting His unconditional love for us with an unconditional acceptance of our sin and blasphemy; not understanding or simply not caring how severely we have hurt, mocked and rejected Him, or what the soon coming consequences must be based upon His justice and holiness. We have begun to judge our sins based upon our freedoms, our rights, other’s views, political correctness. How do you think other societies of past and present have been able to fall so far from God? We must begin to see the real God now. We must see His love and mercy, but also His holy wrath, all in one perfect picture before it is too late, because “ignorance is not bliss” and “what you don't know will hurt you.”
To understand God's actions and the motivation behind them, and what that means for us today. Let's look at why He judged a few of the cultures of the past. How about starting with why He flooded the entire world in Genesis; why He basically hit the, "Reset button." Genesis 6:5, 11-12. God had allowed the world to continue, even in its sin and selfishness, while a remnant remained—who could and would still be a light, still make a difference, still reach and save another—because He would endure the wickedness. If even one more soul could be reached, if there remained any chance the people could be turned around to repentance once more. But, when the world reached a point of "no return"—a point where every intent and thought of all society was completely focused on evil and there was no hope of turning to repentance; no hope of reaching anyone else, and the world would simply devour itself in pain, violence and hatred. The only act of holiness, righteousness and mercy at this point was the total judgment, punishment and removal of those destroying His Creation and teaching others to do the same. So the few who were still hopeful, still trusting in Him—but too few to make a difference anymore were removed and judgment fell. How about the infamous Sodom and Gomorrah? Ezekiel 16:49-50; Jude 1:7-8. A beautiful and prosperous city, which had become prideful, lazy, selfish, sexually perverted. Genesis tells of violence, rape and homosexuality as common: Genesis 18:24-26. God Promised to spare all of the city if just 50 good people could still be found. Abraham, knowing that may not be the case, talked God down to even just 10 righteous people. But only one family could be found. So God removed the righteous few left who were now ineffective at turning the tide and judgment fell. What about all of these cities that God had to destroy in the land of Canaan, which so many hold Him in contempt over? They had rejected God. They were murderous, violent and obscene; practicing prostitution, free sex, homosexuality, and bestiality. They were killing their own children in rituals by the thousands by burning them alive and burying them in walls. They knew about God—saw God's power and still rebelled against Him. But again, God had waited—even in all of these horrid acts—until they were beyond recovery. God told Abraham He would not remove the Canaanites (Gen 15:16) until 400 years later "because their iniquity was not yet full." God waited until they had no excuse and no recovery. Our anger at God’s seemingly silent response to injustice is often because He actually loves so much more than us, not less. And He has more patience and hope than us for even one soul: 2 Peter 3:9. God even held His own precious people to this same standard, showing no partiality. When Israel and Judah became totally corrupt, He destroyed their cities and sent them into exile. Though many, many verses of Scriptures tell how it broke God's heart to do these things because of justice and because He does love. He could not allow these sins to continue hurting others or those even involved in the sins.
Hebrews 13:8: Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Listen and consider: Do you think these cultures were living in fear and expectation of judgment from God when they met their demise? Or instead, do you think they felt self-sufficient, satisfied and safe? Even smug and cocky in their sins? Like God wasn’t real or would never do anything? Let's take a moment to compare the sins which brought their end to the sins of this generation and culture. Has our culture fallen away from God? Our churches are dropping drastically in number and attendance according to U.S. Census Bureau & denominational reports nationwide: every year 4000 churches close, 1000 new churches start. Every year 2.7 million existing church members fall away. The U.S. is now third in the world—led only by China and India—in the number of professing atheists. Over half of the already existing churches in the U.S. did not add any new members in the last two years. Many existing denominations and individual churches have begun teaching heresy in their doctrine, involving self-centered prosperity, sexual perversity, and a god who accepts all sins verses the God who died in love for all sinners to remove that sin. Our education system (at every level) has removed God, Scriptures, prayer, and even the idea of a Creator from their premises and curriculum. Many are teaching things which purposefully fly in the Face of God, concerning our origin, purpose, sexual perversion, gender identity, promiscuity, and marriage; beginning at ages even too young for students to yet have their own thoughts or feelings yet often with or without parental consent or approval we are causing and allowing our children to doubt and even change the very gender they have been blessed with by God Himself, before they are even mature enough by law to drink alcohol or buy cigarettes. We are a culture now saturated in pornography at every level, completely accepting of free, open sex and perverse in our sexuality in every conceivable way, forcing that view on the masses. Our cities are becoming war-zones with murder, assault, open theft, and rape increasing to record numbers. We are rebelling against, and even trying to take away law enforcement. We are changing laws to help criminals rather than stop them. We are nearing civil war with hatred towards one another because we cannot tolerate differences in love or understanding. We have literally acknowledged epidemics of depression, anxiety and suicide—even within our youth—more families than not are broken or non-existent, leaving children without fathers, increasing emotional damage, poverty and dysfunction. Instead of killing thousands of our own children in the name of false gods, we have killed millions proclaiming ourselves god. We have become proud, narcissistic, lustful and godless, literally ridiculing and despising God's Name in much of society. As a culture today—just call it as it is: we reject God; reject His Word and Ways; we embrace evil in pride and arrogance, calling it good and teaching it to others (even celebrating it). We fight for the right to kill our own children by the millions; we are sexually promiscuous and debased; we are rebellious, violent and hate authority; and we are simply a reflection of what is happening in much of the world as well. Now compare this to what God said the last days would bring in society—a society ready for the wrath of God: 1 Timothy 4:1-4; 2 Timothy 3:1-5; Romans 1:18-32. (Does our culture not act as if given over to a debased mind?) Would anyone here deny the changes in our country listed today? Can anyone deny that we are on a parallel course with every ancient culture that suffered the curses and wrath of God? Can anyone deny that these Last Days Scriptures reflect our culture and the world in this very day and age like no other? This is what each and every one of us needs to embed into our hearts and minds about God's judgments: 1) God does often wait longer than many of us want Him to wait before He brings judgment and wrath on a people—because He loves us all; because we are all part of the sin problem; He wants to save as many as possible; and because He will not bring judgment until there is no hope of return. 2) God is not evil or unloving in His wrath. Just the opposite: It is His love for those being hurt and misled—even His love for those being crushed and abused in a hopeless society—which ultimately brings His wrath. 3) No one is judged or punished unfairly; no one is simply rejected and thrown away. Anyone who receives God's wrath—it is against His own perfect desire. They do so by their own choice. He could not have paid a higher price to prevent their judgment. 4) We have crossed the line into a culture without God. We have met almost every qualification that previous cultures have met who had begun eating themselves alive in their own sins; who had passed the point of no return; who experienced His unstoppable wrath. In each case, His wrath came when least expected; came in times of seeming safety, prosperity and prideful living. In each case, God made a way for His remaining people to escape His wrath before His fury fell on them. Whether it starts at the sound of a Trump very soon, or this country suffers His wrath individually before He comes—no political party change will heal the heart and soul of a dying nation.
But there is hope—look at Nineveh, Gibeon—entire nations turned back. It doesn’t come because Christians join the masses or hate the masses, but rather when we separate from sin, we proclaim sin for what it is and we love the sinners as we do it. If we do not, judgment is at the door. And that judgment starts in the house of God, with those who know His Love; know His Word; know better—because we are the salt and the light: 1 Peter 4:17. Stop judging where we stand—what is right or wrong, how good or “holy” you are (by the world, by political correctness, by our own laws)—and live as His beloved with all your heart because His judgment is near—at the door.