“Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God’s kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off.” Romans 11:22
I grew up with a very loving view of God which is a great thing. But I never really came to understand the fear of God until I was a little older. Over and over in the bible the fear of the Lord is considered “the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10) and is viewed as a holy reverence for God. Our God is love (1 John 4:8), but our God is mighty, holy, and just in His judgments.
I’ve never been reminded of this more than by my past few months of studying the first half of the book of Isaiah. It’s been a reminder of the coming judgment for people who do not accept Jesus and how temporary this life really is.
I get so caught up in the temporary present life and sometimes forget that eternity is eternity. Eternity is a whole lot longer than what…85 years on this earth for the average human lifespan? For those who accept Jesus, we can enjoy peace, love, joy, and most importantly Jesus for all eternity. For those who don’t, just pulling from what I’ve read in Isaiah: here is what they can expect:
- “transgressors and sinners will be crushed together…thus they shall both burn together and there will be none to quench them.” Isaiah 1:28 & 31
- “men will go into caves of the rocks and into holes of the ground before the terror of the Lord” Isaiah 2:19
- “He has utterly destroyed them, He has given them over to slaughter. So their slain will be thrown out, and their corpses will give off their stench, and the mountains will be drenched with their blood.” Isaiah 34:2-3
And what about this earth that we so cling to, what happens at the end to it?
- It will be broken, split through, shaken violently, reeling to and fro, and it will fall, never to rise again. (Isaiah 24:19-20)
But for those who accept Jesus…what awaits us?
- “The Lord of hosts will prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples on this mountain….He will swallow up death for all time, and the Lord God will wipe tears away from all faces, And He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth.” Isaiah 25:6-8
What a relief we have in Salvation…to be spared from destruction and the burning sting of God’s judgment that would leave us eternally separated from Him.
If you don’t know Jesus, or have been too busy to investigate who He really is….NOW is the time. Do not wait, because the “severity” of God is real for all who deny His name.
BUT, His “kindness”…oh His kindness for the likes of you and me who call on His name… The forgiveness and love and wonder at the power of His word and Spirit that starts right when you believe in Jesus…it’s absolutely incredible and not only life saving, but eternity saving! Sometimes we do need to remember the “fire and brimstone” in order to truly appreciate God’s love for us… Oh the kindness and severity of our God!