Brothertom wrote: The suffering of the world should break our hearts, and as a woman's birth pangs, it is surely increasing day by day. the Sunami, earthquakes, war...Islam, communism, tyrants....all have their toll measured in the [b]blood of the innocent[/b].
If nothing else, this suffering world should break our hearts over [b]our own sin[/b]. For "the soul that [i]sinneth[/i], it shall die," says the Lord (Ezek. 18:20). We have heard this many times, but we struggle with the idea. How can God judge this world? How can He allow such bad things to happen to unsuspecting, innocent people? Isn't He a God of love? Wait until the wrath of God is revealed upon the whole world of the ungodly... but before that other things should come, such as persecution of the elect of God. And in the end, it says in the Book of Revelation, the martyrs will cry out: "And they cried with a loud voice, saying, '[b]How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?[/b]'"(Rev. 6:10). But if we are ignorant of our own sin, how shall we understand God's righteous judgments? We will be quick to skip such verses. We will be quick to lament the "loss of innocent lives" and preach to people how God loves sinners, when the Bible says the opposite: "The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth" (Psalm 11:5).
Remember the story about the fallen tower in Siloam? What did the Lord say?
Luk 13:4 Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?
Luk 13:5 I tell you, Nay: but, [b]except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish[/b].
He didn't say, "Oh, you pray for their suffering families. How could such evil come upon them!"
There is something about the judgment of God, which many people struggle to accept, wrongly assuming that people are not worthy of the wrath of the Almighty, that somehow we deserve a better fortune. But the Scriptures say a different thing:
"Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: [i]For which things' sake [b]the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience[/b][/i]" (Col. 3:5-6);
"Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; [i]and were by nature [b]the children of wrath[/b], even as others[/i]" (Eph.2:3);
"And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, [i][b]Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, To execute judgment upon all[/b], and to convince all [b]that are ungodly[/b] among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him[/i]" (Jude 1:14-15);
"[i][b]Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked[/b], so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?[/i]" (Genesis 18:25).
We do not understand the judgment of God, and hence we do not understand His grace.
There is a verse in the Psalms that struck me not long ago, a day or two after the shocking news of a train incident in Bulgaria (right outside my hometown), where nine people were burned alive and others were injured in a horrendous fire in the sleeping cars (I happened to pass by train through that same place of the tragedy only a few hours earlier that night). I was speaking of v. 16, but I will put the whole psalm here for you to read (all of it is worth highlighting):
To the Chief Musician. To the tune of 'Death of the Son.' A Psalm of David.
Psa 9:1 I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvelous works.
Psa 9:2 I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.
Psa 9:3 When my enemies turn back, They shall fall and perish at Your presence.
Psa 9:4 For You have maintained my right and my cause; You sat on the throne judging in righteousness.
Psa 9:5 You have rebuked the nations, You have destroyed the wicked; You have blotted out their name forever and ever.
Psa 9:6 O enemy, destructions are finished forever! And you have destroyed cities; Even their memory has perished.
Psa 9:7 But the Lord shall endure forever; He has prepared His throne for judgment.
Psa 9:8 He shall judge the world in righteousness, And He shall administer judgment for the peoples in uprightness.
Psa 9:9 The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, A refuge in times of trouble.
Psa 9:10 And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.
Psa 9:11 Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion! Declare His deeds among the people.
Psa 9:12 When He avenges blood, He remembers them; He does not forget the cry of the humble.
Psa 9:13 Have mercy on me, O Lord! Consider my trouble from those who hate me, You who lift me up from the gates of death,
Psa 9:14 That I may tell of all Your praise In the gates of the daughter of Zion. I will rejoice in Your salvation.
Psa 9:15 The nations have sunk down in the pit which they made; In the net which they hid, their own foot is caught.
Psa 9:16 The Lord is known by the judgment He executes; The wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Meditation. Selah
Psa 9:17 The wicked shall be turned into hell, And all the nations that forget God.
Psa 9:18 For the needy shall not always be forgotten; The expectation of the poor shall not perish forever.
Psa 9:19 Arise, O Lord, Do not let man prevail; Let the nations be judged in Your sight.
Psa 9:20 Put them in fear, O Lord, That the nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah
May we get to know God by His judgments! For if we do not recognize Him [b]when He judges[/b], [i]how can we claim that [u]we know the only true God[/u][/i] and [i]that we have received His salvation[/i]?
