We arrived home from our Colorado trip just ahead of the nasty weather. It was good to be home when the wind and rain/snow arrived. It was good to see friends and family again, but home is always a welcome sight.
Last evening (Sunday), our church held its annual pancake and sausage supper. It is our gift to the community in which we reside. It was well attended and everyone enjoyed the food and fellowship.
One topic which seems to surface from time to time, is, why did God allow all those people in the Old Testament to be killed? I will attempt to give an answer from God’s own word.
All through the Old Testament, we see God commanding his people Israel to destroy the pagan nations. At times, though, he brings pagan nations against Israel as the means of executing judgment on them. We might ask what is up with this. If we study these situations, God gives the answer.
In Ezekiel, as God pronounced judgment on Israel, the prophet asked the question, “Oh, Lord God! Are you going to destroy the entire remnant of Israel when you pour out your wrath on Jerusalem?” God’s answer… “The iniquity (or sin) of the house of Israel and Judah is extremely great… I will not show pity or spare them.”
God also used Babylon to punish Israel for her sin, but Babylon went beyond what God had planned, and as a result, God brought judgment and punishment against that nation. Every time God punished nations, including his chosen people, it was for their disobedience and rejection of Him.
In the New Testament, we are warned of the consequences of turning our backs on God, and failing to acknowledge Him as Holy God, creator of everything. When we reject God, it is called sin. Romans 3:23 tells us, “all have sinned and come fall short of the glory of God.” Further, Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death…”
In the book of Revelation, we see a time of final judgment, when God once and for all brings judgment on the world for all its sin. He then brings those who have been obedient to his call to salvation into the new heaven and earth, where they will spend eternity with God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
In His love,
Pastor Jerry
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