Judgments

         I recall a certain candy that I had available when I was young, called “Necco Wafers.” There were six to eight different colors, all of which had a different flavor. I remember that I didn't like the purple ones nor the peach colored ones but I did like the brown and the black as they were the chocolate and licorice flavors. I would sometimes move my finger nail to the place where a black one was and get that black one out before eating those purple and peach colored ones. We often like to pick and choose what is pleasant and leave the rest to some later date when nothing else is left to pick from. Sooner or later, you have to eat the purple ones as you know you are not going to throw them away. Revelation 6:16-17 says, “And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” 

         Revelation chapters 6 through 19 speak of judgments upon the earth. Many of them are severe even within the list of “seal” judgments that occur in chapter six. The opening of the 7^th seal results in the appearance of the seven trumpets and the seventh trumpet opens up the seven bowls. To many, the seals, trumpets and bowls are not to desirable to read about. They would be like the purple candy that I did not like. As a people in this culture and in this time, we are more prone to like the better flavors and when thinking about the illustration of the Necco Wafers, we would prefer to think about the good things of the Scriptures such as God's love, His grace, His mercy, His patience and all other attributes that show His loving kindness to His people. These things are certainly good and they give us hope in this present world but there will come a time when we have to face the fact of God's judgment. If you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, that is, if He is your Lord and Savior, I believe that the scriptures teach that you will not see this particular time upon the earth. First Thessalonians 4 teaches us about the “catching up” of believers to be with the Lord in what we call the “rapture.” For all of those that are left the picture is rather gloomy to say the least. If the “catching away” were to occur today and the percentage the world gives to the number of Christians was accurate, then roughly one third of the people of the world would vanish in the twinkling of an eye. That would account for perhaps 2.6 billion people being gone and leaving about 5.2 billion people left. The judgments that occur in the Book of Revelation then start taking their toll on the rest of the population of the world accounting for billions of people, lost souls, that will be facing God's terrible judgment. As a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, you can rest in God's promises for safety and peace during this time but for the unbeliever, they will be facing the terrible wrath of God which will be more terrible than the purple necco wafer. People are shaking their fist at God and I assume don't know how God is going to respond. I saw one man with a sign that read, “If Jesus returns, kill Him again.” He got away with it on the day he carried the sign, but God's wrath is definitely coming and I would not like to be even in the same county as that man. For the believer, it is essential that we get the picture of the wrath to come as it may then stir us to think about the fate of our circle of friends, neighbors and family members who seem to be more content in shaking their fist at God. Although God is not willing that any should perish, many will and it will not be God's fault but their own for refusing the Gospel message of salvation. May our hearts and minds be filled with the judgments in Revelation that we might be charged to tell others of His Great Love. Praise God that He cares.