(All scripture from the World English Bible, ebible.org, all rights reserved)
““‘“In your filthiness is lewdness. Because I have cleansed you and you weren’t cleansed, you won’t be cleansed from your filthiness any more, until I have caused my wrath toward you to rest. “‘“I, Yahweh, have spoken it. It will happen, and I will do it. I won’t go back. I won’t spare. I won’t repent. According to your ways and according to your doings, they will judge you,” says the Lord Yahweh.’””
(Ezekiel 24:13-14)
“I exhort therefore, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and givings of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in high places, that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and come to full knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, the testimony at the proper time, to which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle—I am telling the truth in Christ, not lying—a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.”
(1 Timothy 2:1-7)
Notice who is receiving the wrath of God: those who refused to repent after being given the opportunity to repent. These are not people who had no chance. These are not people who have been attacked from on high on a whim. These are not people who broke a rule once and now they are facing death. God tried to help them. He called them to repentance. He tried to cleanse them, but they wouldn’t accept it. They turned from Him. Again and again. Over a long period of time. God sought their salvation. God sought their deliverance. God PROVIDED it. But they rejected Him. They turned to idols for help. Idols for security. Idols for deliverance. They refused to be made whole.
God wants EVERYONE to be saved from Hitler to the cannibal in the jungle to Mrs Porter down the street who bakes cookies for the homeless every Tuesday. He wants us ALL saved and He wants it more than we possibly could. He is committed to it. He made sure we knew there were consequences. He made sure we knew we needed someone to save us. He provided that salvation. He provided protection. He provided security and blessing. He did not leave us alone. He spoke to us again and again. He gave us examples. He was patient and kind. And in Jesus, He brought it all together for us. Redemption. Salvation. A way back to Him. A renewed covenant for ALL the people on the Earth. But we need to accept it. We need to receive it. We need to turn back to Him. It is OUR choice. And it faces us all.
Summary
God is not waiting to smite the nation. He is not about to bring judgment upon us to teach us a lesson. God’s wrath against sin was spent on the cross. It is finished. Yes, there are consequences to not receiving Jesus. Yes, there will be a judgment. Yes, it will be unpleasant for those who rejected Jesus. But God is seeking our salvation. He is offering it to us. Again and again. Hand out to help us into His boat. Hand out to save us. He wants us to have the same heart. God so wants us to be saved that He calls out to those who have in full knowledge of Him rejected Him. He STILL tries to reach them. His heart is for salvation. His heart is for renewed fellowship with Him. We should feel the same way. Always seeking a way to help people back, not to cast them off or sit back to enjoy their suffering. It should always bring a tear to our eyes when they insist on rejecting Him. It certainly brings a tear to His eyes. God wants EVERYONE to be saved and He wants it more than we can fully understand or imagine. He loves us. Every one.
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