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Storm Clouds Rising: Judgment On The Way
The War
Story 128:
By jennygrace777
The Day of the Lord
is going to come and even as Jesus walked the earth, He longed for it.
It will be the
great Day of Salvation for all who put their faith in Him.
It will also be a
Day of Judgment and fire against rebellion and the darkness of this world.
It will bring a
final end to the curse, and will usher in a new era of everlasting joy and
light.
The Bible says we
are all to long for that Day to come.
Jesus had come to
earth on a rescue mission to save His chosen ones from the grip of the Kingdom
of Darkness.
In order to do so,
He was going to offer Himself up as a sacrifice in obedience to His Father.
This is what He
said:
“‘I have come to
bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a
baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is completed.’”
Do you hear Jesus
speaking about His dread as He prepared to die?
Imagine the agony
that Christ went through in that time. He knew that in the next few months, He
would be offering Himself up to bear the horrific suffering of death on a
cross. He would allow these malicious, selfish rulers to have Him beaten and
nailed to wood.
All the while, He
would be bearing the terrific force of God’s cataclysmic wrath against the sin
and evil of humanity.
The cross loomed
over His life like a constant shadow. What He was preparing to do as He went
about teaching and healing is incomprehensible to us.
What a wonderful
Savior, that He would bear that burden for us.
It is just another
reminder of the unimaginable good of Jesus, magnificently selfless…utterly
worthy of our love and devotion.
With His life and
death and resurrection, Jesus would forge the way for the glorious path of
God’s grace.
He was purchasing
salvation, and making a way to Heaven for all who believe in Him. How could
anyone refuse His gift?
But then again, how
could Adam and Eve reject their God?
Why does anyone
turn from God and cross over the line of His will into sin? Why do you and I
sin? It isn’t rational… it doesn’t make sense.
Humanity is utterly
sinful, and Jesus knew many would not receive the gift that He purchased with
His blood.
He knew that they
would not only refuse His mercy and grace. but they would join the ranks of
God’s great enemy and fight against Him.
With Christ’s
victory on the cross, Satan was utterly defeated, but that wasn’t going to stop
him from doing as much damage as possible until Christ returns.
Jesus knew that
Satan was going to do everything he could to wage war against the expansion of
the Kingdom of Heaven on earth.
He was going to
deceive and draw as many people into sin and darkness as possible so he could
use them to wage war against God.
From the time of
Christ’s life on earth to the time when He would return, there would be a deep
divide in the human race between the Kingdom of Darkness and the Kingdom
of Light.
This is how Jesus
described it:
“‘Do you think I
came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. From now on there
will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and
two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father,
mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against
daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.’” (Luke 12:50-53)
The dividing line
of the Great Battle would be drawn at the foot of the cross.
The great distinction
in humanity would be between those who received the sacrifice as a covering for
their sin, and those who refused this marvelous grace.
The great division
between the two would drive right through the most intimate relationships,
invading even the heart of families.
It would divide
through the heart of each person as well, as they wrestled with the purity and
faith that Christ commanded.
It was the same
divide that was working through the listeners of Jesus during His time and
during our time as well.
As Jesus preached
through Galilee, He kept coming up against the foolishness of the people. Here
He was, their own Messiah, and they refused to recognize it.
The Kingdom of God
was near, and the time for great revelation of God’s Salvation was on the way,
but the people were completely missing it.
This is what Jesus
said:
“‘When you see a
cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, “It’s going to rain,” and it
does. And when the south wind blows, you say, “It’s going to be hot,” and it
is. Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the
sky. How is it that you don’t know how to interpret this present time?’” (Luke 12:54-56)
Jesus was rebuking
the people. How could they be so sensitive to something as fleeting as the
weather, yet so dull to the great and mighty work of God among them?
The storm clouds
were rising over Israel. Judgment was on the way. The nation of Israel would
not stand if it rejected the Messiah!
These people were
living in an illusion if they thought they could go on after so great a sin!
Can you hear Jesus’
frustration? Can you hear Him trying to prod them awake?
Then He said:
“‘Why don’t you
judge for yourselves what is right? As you are going with your adversary to the
magistrate, try hard to be reconciled to him on the way, or he may drag you off
to the judge, and the judge turn you over to the officer, and the officer throw
you into prison. I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last
penny.’” (Luke 12:57-59)
In this little
story, you have to imagine a man who has been accused of a crime. He is guilty,
and his accuser has full, complete proof.
Once they get to
court, that accuser is going to show the judge all the evidence and the man
will surely go to jail. What is the smartest thing for the man to do?
· Should he lie and pretend to be innocent?
· Should he fool himself into believing that the judge might let
him off in spite of his crime?
· Should he carry false hope that there is some other legal system
that he can go to?
· Should he reject and abuse his accuser on the way to the judge?
· Or should he plead with his accuser, confess his sins, and hope
for a more lenient punishment?
As Jesus spoke to
the Jewish people, He was calling them to repent and seek God’s grace before it
was too late.
God had full proof
of their sin and their need for grace, and Jesus was there, willing to give it.
But once the time of God’s judgment came, it would be too late.
As I wrote, I sought to use the best resources possible to
bring clarity to the stories, not only in terms of theological truth, but in
terms of educational theory. I have an MA in Education from Azusa Pacific
University, an MA in Theological and Biblical Studies, and a Ph.D in Christian
Education at Talbot School of Theology. I have worked in the inner city
of LA, as a public school teacher in California, and as a church planting
missionary among a least reached people group, and now as a professor graduate
education. While I have been blessed by this opportunities and
experiences, in all truth, we know that the most important thing is that I am a
sinner who has been saved by grace.
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