God – The Great Judge
”And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people” (Isaiah 2:4).
As in ancient Israel, when the heathen assembled themselves in the vicinity of the valley of Jehoshaphat (Joel 3:2, 12), located immediately to the east of Jerusalem, God did “judge all the heathen round about” (Joel 3:12) [The word Jehoshaphat means literally, “Jehovah will judge”], likewise, at the end of the world, God will judge the nations righteously. The Psalmist declared, “O let the nations be glad and sing for joy: for thou shalt judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon earth” (Psalms 67:4).
Not all of the people of earth would be willing to obey the word of the Lord (Isaiah 2: 3). And those who have refused to submit to the authority of God, exercised through His chosen people, would band together to secure by force of arms that which they were unwilling to gain by bringing their lives into harmony with the law of God (Jeremiah 25:32; Ezekiel 38:8–12; Joel 3:1, 12; Zechariah 12:2–9; 14:2).
At the last chapter of earth’s history, the wicked will discover to their shock that they had entered into conflict with the God of heaven (Jeremiah 25:31–33) and then He would judge (Joel 3:9–17) and destroy them there (Isaiah 34:1–8; 60:12; 63:1–6; 66:15–18).
God is a God of both mercy and justice. When we look at the Cross, we see God’s mercy and justice fully displayed. In mercy, God offered His only begotten Son to carry the penalty of man’s sin in His body. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
God redeemed humanity from death. “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). But those that reject God’s free gift of love will have to pay the penalty for their own sins by death (John 3:36).
In His service,
BibleAsk Tea
