Jesus Revealed in Doctrine JUSTICE AND MERCY
And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. Luke 17:26.
God called Noah to be his messenger. He instructed him to warn the world that a flood was coming. Noah was told to build an ark, and for 120 years he worked to finish his task. He faithfully gave the twofold message of warning and of hope that a way of escape was being provided. Not one who accepted the way of escape perished.
The wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah was so great that God was moved to judgment. But before He sent the fire from heaven to destroy them, He came to Abraham with word of what He was about to do. Abraham pleaded with Him to give them a final chance. God answered Abraham's prayer, and sent angels with a message of warning to the city. But it was not merely a message of warning. They also offered Lot and his family a way of escape. In fact, in the end, they had to take Lot and his family by the hands and lead them out of the city. Even then, Lot's wife turned back and refused the way of escape provided.
God told Jonah that judgment was coming upon Nineveh. Jonah was perhaps the most unwilling prophet of all time. He tried running away. When that didn't work, he grudgingly went to give God's message, that in forty days Nineveh would be destroyed. The people of Nineveh, from the least to the greatest, put on sackcloth and ashes, and repented. The crisis was averted. But Jonah was so angry that he wanted to die! He was more concerned with his own reputation as a prophet than with the lives of all the people in the city.
Whenever God becomes involved in the work of judgment, the ingredients of these Bible examples are always present. He sends someone with a message of warning, and He also provides a way of escape. This is true also for the final judgment that is soon to come upon the world. For centuries the Lord has been sending one messenger after another to give us warnings, so that none need be unprepared. The three angels' messages remind us that the hour of His judgment is come. God would have none of us caught by surprise.
But Jesus is revealed in the judgment. He is the way of escape that has been provided. Because of His sacrifice, no one need perish. There is hope. There is an ark of safety in Him for all who will accept the deliverance He offers.
And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. Luke 17:26.
God called Noah to be his messenger. He instructed him to warn the world that a flood was coming. Noah was told to build an ark, and for 120 years he worked to finish his task. He faithfully gave the twofold message of warning and of hope that a way of escape was being provided. Not one who accepted the way of escape perished.
The wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah was so great that God was moved to judgment. But before He sent the fire from heaven to destroy them, He came to Abraham with word of what He was about to do. Abraham pleaded with Him to give them a final chance. God answered Abraham's prayer, and sent angels with a message of warning to the city. But it was not merely a message of warning. They also offered Lot and his family a way of escape. In fact, in the end, they had to take Lot and his family by the hands and lead them out of the city. Even then, Lot's wife turned back and refused the way of escape provided.
God told Jonah that judgment was coming upon Nineveh. Jonah was perhaps the most unwilling prophet of all time. He tried running away. When that didn't work, he grudgingly went to give God's message, that in forty days Nineveh would be destroyed. The people of Nineveh, from the least to the greatest, put on sackcloth and ashes, and repented. The crisis was averted. But Jonah was so angry that he wanted to die! He was more concerned with his own reputation as a prophet than with the lives of all the people in the city.
Whenever God becomes involved in the work of judgment, the ingredients of these Bible examples are always present. He sends someone with a message of warning, and He also provides a way of escape. This is true also for the final judgment that is soon to come upon the world. For centuries the Lord has been sending one messenger after another to give us warnings, so that none need be unprepared. The three angels' messages remind us that the hour of His judgment is come. God would have none of us caught by surprise.
But Jesus is revealed in the judgment. He is the way of escape that has been provided. Because of His sacrifice, no one need perish. There is hope. There is an ark of safety in Him for all who will accept the deliverance He offers.
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