24-0128: Jesus proves sufficient to hold life firm when He is the center of all hope and faith. King Ahaz rejected God’s offer for a sign to receive his promise, and instead let his fear drive him to make a deal with the devil. But that was no deal. God warned him that his...
“The tension of Jonah’s life, however, is that he loves Yahweh but has taken serious action against God’s intention to offer forgiveness to the violent (as he and Yahweh discuss in ch. 4). The tension between his “temple piety” and his attitudes toward the unjust world are true to life. The tensions represents the...
The daily celebrations of life reveal for us what we honor with our life. A heightened mercy toward the world that causes us to question God in His righteous judgment reveals a wrong understanding of God, that He owes us but is not worthy to judge us. When we celebrate things that do not...
23-0402: God calls people to believe in Jesus and walk by faith in His righteousness; because He will judge all wickedness to eternal damnation, but the righteous will live forever with Him. Revelation 17-18 provides striking detail of Babylon immorality and abominable influence as well as her total fall. It not only declares that...
23-0326: God’s judgment displays His perfect justice to call all people to trust His perfect love in Jesus Christ. Revelation 15 records the staging of the final series of God’s bowl judgments. John sees what is taking place in heaven in preparation for these judgments, and then what transpires on earth during the judgments....
23-0319: Jesus calls His people to faithful endurance and assures us of His love by judging sin and rewarding obedience. Revelation 14 concludes the interlude that began in chapter 12, and provides details and insight into the events of the final judgment. In stark contrast to the three characters of the “unholy trinity” that...
23-0305: Jesus stands sovereign over all creation to judge, but God guards His people for a faithful witness to all nations. Revelation 10-11 serve as an interlude before the seventh trumpet judgment to provide valuable information for what is coming. But most important, God prepares His people for what is coming but reminds us...
Scholar Robert Mounce reflects, “Nowhere will you find a more accurate picture of sinful humanity pressed to the extreme. One would think that the terrors of God’s wrath would bring rebels to their knees. Not so. Past the point of no return, they respond to greater punishment with increased rebellion. Such is sinful nature...
We need to understand God’s wrath and how He executes judgment. God’s wrath revealed is best understood as His mercy removed, where God gives people completely over to their own unrighteousness and wickedness. A right understanding of God’s wrath and judgment magnifies the great importance of God’s mercy to us. We must be sure...
17_0319: Jesus commends those condemned in sin with crimson kindness to believe for eternal life. Jesus is confronted by the Pharisees with a woman they’ve caught in the act of adultery. Jesus silences the voices of her accusers and removes their imminent condemnation by telling them the one without sin can throw the first...