August 27: JUST AHEAD (part 1)

The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged… Revelation 11:18a

Let us look back to the first documentation of anger in the Bible. Recall that two sons of Adam and Eve brought offerings to the LORD. The older, Cain, initiated the idea of bringing something to the altar other than what the LORD had specified. Abel brought a lamb, according to the LORD’s instructions. The LORD respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry… (Genesis 4:4b-5a) Up to this minute, anger against those who desire to worship the LORD in spirit and in truth (John 4:23) are the objects of Satan’s wrath, for he has always wanted to be worshiped in the place of God, and he gets it through trickery and deception. Satan’s anger toward true worshipers is proliferated through those who make themselves susceptible to his deceptions through their lack of faithfulness to the clear word of God. The world is teeming with angry nations.

God has been indescribably patient as He has continued to deal lovingly with fallen man, allowing bad ideas to play out, thus demonstrating the folly of exalting man’s uninspired, misguided ideas above Himself and His word. In examining the condition of our world through the Biblical lens, we should agree that Satan’s influence over mankind is a disaster. All of us have fallen prey to the subtleties and sophistries of Satan. We are no match for the archenemy and his enormous team of fallen angels.

Those who choose to be are in the process of overcoming the misleading, satanic ideas that the world propagates as God’s. By the work of the Holy Spirit, these willing souls are increasingly enabled to gain understanding and appreciation of the soundness – and amazing love expressed – in all that He has for us in His wonderful, marvelous word. His desire for every one of us is to thrive, grow, and overcome every deadly snare. Any deviation from His clear instructions has the terrible potential for harm. I love Him for His wrath toward that which would usher harm and devastation into His beloved creation. When the instructions for righteous living are cast aside, it is inevitable that the divine wrath of the God of love is incurred. His righteous anger has a perfect place in the perfect plan to eradicate sin from His Creation. [His] wrath has come and is directed at all that harms…

Soon we will encounter the time of the dead, that they should be judged. There are only two kinds of dead people: saved and lost. The Lord Jesus will certainly be able to make the distinction between the two, for He says “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.” (22:12) Make no mistake, the saving of a soul is the work of God. Our work is to allow Him into our hearts to do His work. By His power at work in us, the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) is produced. This is the glory of God that shines in our dark world, extending the invitation to life! Sadly, Cain did not respond to that invitation. As a result, the world is filled with false worship practices that are out of cooperation with the saving grace of God.

Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain . . . they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage. Jude 11a, 16b