Storm Warning!
Storm Warning! by Gary Glass
Storm Warning
When Hurricane Ike struck Texas, the warning went something like this, " Leave or face certain death." Nobody has ever heard a warning like that before for a major Hurricane. Sadly, people did not leave, and the result was death.
The Bible gives people many warnings. It warns them of danger ahead and deception that are happening in our world today. John the Baptist gave a warning of danger to the people of his day and ours. He said, "O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?" It is important to know what "the wrath to come" means. It is like you are driving your car down a hill at night. The bridge is out. Do you see the warning signs? Or, do you keep driving into certain death?
First, the Bible says that before we became Christians we were objects of God's wrath. It states," Among whom we all once lived in the passion of our flesh, caring out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as others." Ephesians 2:3 That was our position before God. We all inherit the sinful nature from Adam's fall, and were dead in our sins. However, when we became Christians, we became objects of God's mercy. The Bible says, " But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ-by grace you have been saved." Ephesians 2:4-5 Our judgment for sin happened 2,000 years ago. We broke God's Law(The Ten Commandments) and Jesus paid our fine. Thus, there is no longer any condemnation or fear of God's wrath.
However, for the world, it is a different story. The Bible states that God is storing up wrath for a future day on earth when He will judge the world in righteousness. The Bible says,"But because of your hard and impenitent(not sorry) heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed."Romans 2:5 The prophets and the book of Revelation talk about those days in great detail. The prophets called it the "day of the Lord". It was a future period of time that has not yet taken place. The prophet Isaiah said, "Behold the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it." Isaiah 13:9 Man will finally try to create his utopia. God will let it happen, and remove the His protection from evil forces. Once, the hedge of protection is removed, Jesus said that it will be so bad on earth that if he didn't return to earth that" no flesh would be saved" Matthew 24:22. No survivors!
Finally it is important to know that God has a plan for the future. The apostle Paul writes many comforting words in the Bible to those who believe. He says, "For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ." I Thessalonians 5:9 Alot, of believers will say, "Great! When I die, I don't have to worry about God's wrath." They are right! However, what about those believers still living when God's wrath starts on earth? Again, Paul says, "Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved form wrath through him." Romans 5:9 How are the living believers going to escape the coming judgment? God has made all the wedding plans. His rescue plan is the event called the Rapture. Think about it! We don't have to worry about the doom and gloom because of the cross. Our sins are taken care of, and yet the world awaits its final judgment. Check out this video about what others are saying.
God Bless
Gary
