Why has God waited so long to judge evil and destroy Satan? Why has he allowed evil to flourish and corruption to grow, for violence to become so prevalent among mankind? What is the point of permitting humanity to carry on through so many wars that have destroyed millions of lives? Why has he allowed so much heartache and pain? It has been 2000 years since Jesus ascended to heaven to prepare a place for believers. The apostle Peter wrote, “Above all you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, ‘Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.’ But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgement and destruction of the ungodly.
But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:3-9.
God is patient, waiting on the full number of Gentiles destined to repent and be saved to come into his family. In the same way that he was willing to spare Sodom and Gomorah if Lot could find anyone righteous, he is providing humanity today with the opportunity to repent. He has extended the olive branch, put in place the pardon and offered the gift of salvation to anyone who believes in Jesus Christ and his resurrection.
In my first book, Truth Cries Out, I wrote about the harvest that Jesus spoke of and how humanity was like a growing crop. There comes a time when the crop is mature, that it must be harvested or it will go to waste. That crop is now mature and is ready to yield its bounty. There are currently more people alive than have lived in all of human history combined. Jesus said, “Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only one seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” John 12:24. Humanity has grown for many generations. People have reproduced and then died in the cycle of life for thousands of years. There are more people living today than in all of humanity’s history combined. The gospel has been shared throughout the world and now more than at any time previously, there are more souls to save and fill heaven with and The Lord is ready to harvest the earth. However, God is also just and he will judge the world and evil will not go unpunished.
God is slow to anger, and he is patient. He tolerates evil so through it all, the door is always open to repent and be saved. The apostle Peter wrote, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9. As we witness the moral fabric of humanity disintegrating and the signs that God’s wrath is about to be poured out onto the world, we must take notice that the time is short and when the full number of Gentiles has come in, the door will be closed and it will be too late. Throughout the Bible we are told how God’s wrath has been stored up from the beginning when sin first entered the world. Because God is just, he cannot allow sin to go unpunished so the time will come when he will reimburse the wages of every sin and bring judgement to every evil. “For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can withstand it?” Revelation 6:17
God’s wrath is not disproportionate to sin and while we see enormous pain and suffering, we must view it from the perspective of the holiness of God. He is so pure that sin cannot enter his presence and even our best deeds are like filthy rags when compared to his holiness. God hates the sin but loves the sinner, so when we repent and turn from our sin, we receive the full measure of his love. When we don’t, we deserve the full measure of his wrath. We must never forget that while we were still sinners, God sent his only Son to die for us. Christ died for us because of God’s love for us.
Throughout the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, the deficiencies in the human condition are demonstrated and exemplify how man is caught in a perpetual cycle of sin until he seeks God and repents.
When Satan deceived Adam and Eve, they capitulated their position of sovereignty over the earth to him and the sinful nature of man is the result. Jesus won that sovereignty back and believers merely have to claim it. The vast majority of the world remains deceived, believing they can fix the mess they have created and will ultimately accept Satan’s solutions for society. Even more tragic, much of civilization fails to even see their predicament and lives their lives recklessly, denying God’s existence and the knowledge of the truth.
True believers are called to a much higher standard. We are called to focus our lives on Jesus and bear fruit for him. We are called to be humble and patient, enduring until he returns. When we do so, Jesus, who is faithful and true, will take us home to be with him forever. “Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.” Revelation 3:10.
Humanity is about to embark on a journey through uncharted waters. We are living in the last days predicted in the Bible and will soon enter the Great Tribulation foretold in Bible prophecy. Jesus said of this time, “For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now – and never to be equaled again. If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.” Mathew 24:21-22.
In my soon to be released book, Revelation of Truth, I journey down the rabbit hole of evil and examine the prophetic writings that predict what we should expect in the coming tribulation period. However, more importantly I reveal the one path that leads to escaping the coming wrath of God.
