SCRIPTURE: Revelation 14
OBSERVATION/APPLICATION:
God has every right to be angry. Imagine all the horrible things that people have done, that He has withheld judgment for. How long would I keep my anger in if someone kept cheating, stealing, slandering and abusing me and those that I loved? Would I just be nice forever and ever? Would I say, ‘that’s OK, I just love you anyway?’ Is this what we think God does?
The Bible teaches that God’s tolerance and patience is for a purpose, to give us a chance to repent, but that His anger is being stored up for the final judgment [Romans 2:4-6]. John has a vision that describes this final day as a day of harvest, of reaping the grain (and then separating the wheat from the chaff), and of gathering the grapes of wrath (the fullness of our guilt, stored up until it is ripe). The winepress of God’s wrath is when His patience and tolerance reach their end, and He unleashes finally pays people for what they have done.
This would be scary if it were not for the vision of the 144,000. This picture reminds us that we do not need to face God’s fury. We can be forgiven. We can be changed. All this is through Jesus’ death (which removes our guilt) and resurrection (which frees us from sin, death and hell). This is good news.
Where do I stand in relation to God’s wrath? Have I already passed through it with Jesus on the cross, so that I am forgiven and free and sealed with God’s love by the Spirit? Or will I face it alone, just me and the righteous anger of God for all that I have done?
Better to face the judgment now with Jesus, than face it on the last day by myself…
PRAYER:
Lord, once again I accept Your death for me, as well as Your resurrection, as my only hope for forgiveness and freedom. I pledge myself again to living with and for You, in a way that pleases God. Please help me.
As I read Revelations I become more and more aware of God’s long suffering and patience. He not only waits patiently but also orchestrates divine moments both small and large to shift our focus from the temporal to the eternal. As I reflect on this, I also reflect on the fact that I need to be patient with people and give them the room to make choices as they “work out their salvation”.