God never sends judgment without warning. This is revealed over and over again in Biblical accounts. God used people like Jonah, who warned Nineveh. Ezekiel, Daniel, Isaiah, Jeremiah and the rest of the prophets also warned people in their age and time of His impending judgment.
Genesis 18 gives us a glimpse of the heart of God. He is not willing that any should perish. In this story of Lot’s deliverance from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, we see God’s mercy and patience. Iniquity ran rampant in the city, and people were hurting one another just as they do in our world today. God wanted to bring righteous judgment on the people there. So, God and Abraham had a little chat about His plans.
Abe asks, “Will you spare the city if we can find righteous people living there?” God agrees to spare the city. Abe goes down in number until he finally asks, in Genesis 18:32… "What if only ten righteous people can be found in the city, will you still destroy it?”
God answered, “For the sake of ten, I will NOT destroy the city.”
This Biblical account paints a lovely picture of God’s longsuffering mercy. He was willing to spare the entire city for just ten righteous people. Unfortunately, only Lot was righteous (Gen 19:12). Therefore, the angels demanded that Lot get his family out of town, so that they would be safe. When Lot went to talk to his sons-in-law, who were pledged to marry his daughters, the men jeered at him because they thought he was joking.
This often happens to us today too. We try to warn our friends and family, but they just scoff at us and think it is a big joke or that we are deceived. They do not even believe when we show them that God is using fulfilled Bible prophecy, record breaking natural disasters, wars and rumors of war, financial collapses, hearts growing spiritually cold, iniquity abounding, and so many more signs to warn us about the impending judgment ahead. The greatest tribulation the world has ever known is about to come upon the whole earth. God wants everyone to be saved. However, it is up to individuals to make their own choice about whether or not to believe the truth and to walk uprightly with God, or to believe a lie and to continue walking in unrighteousness.
Genesis tells us that the angels again urged Lot, saying, “Hurry! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away when the city is punished.”
Lot hesitated once more. He did not want to leave his family, friends, neighbors, acquaintances, home and belongings. The angels finally had to grab his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters, in order to hurry them safely out of the city. God showed unlimited patience and mercy to Lot and his family. He does the same thing for us today.
Another example of God’s merciful patience is seen in the story of Noah, who preached for 120 years and built a boat as a huge object lesson. However, no one would listen to him either. God gave them 120 years to repent of their wickedness and to get on the ark before He sent the flood. They all scoffed at His warning. The Bible tells us that the same thing that happened in Noah's day will happen in the last days of the world as we know it. "As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man." (Matt 24:37)
Prayer:
Lord God, You do not desire that any should perish. However, so many people make their own formula for life, and write You out of the equation. The people of the Old Testament did not succeed by ignoring You in their day, and mankind will not succeed by ignoring You now. Help us to understand that this is why You gave us all the stories in the Bible, as a warning for the wise.Thought for the Day:
God cautioned mankind for 2000 years that the Great Tribulation is eventually coming. Please, listen!
