“And this gospel of the kingdom
shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then
shall the end come. “ Matthew 24:14.
Before the end comes and Christ returns for the second time,
Jesus foretold that the gospel would be carried to the entire world and that it
would be witnessed by all nations.
Revelation 14:6-12 gives
us a more detailed account of that gospel message.
“And I saw another angel fly in
the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that
dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and
people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear
God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship
him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.” (verse 6-7)
The 2 main points to note from the texts are that:
1. The gospel message that is to go to every nation for a
witness is a message which speaks about a judgement that is currently taking place. It
must be carefully noted that since the gospel is preached before the end comes,
then it means that this judgement which the gospel speaks of takes place before
Christ’s coming. Those who live before the coming of Christ are living in the time of
judgement.
2. The second point to note is the fact that the gospel
message gives instruction on how to live in light of that judgement. Men are
counselled to fear God, give glory to Him and worship Him because of the
judgement which is taking place. These instructions are given as a guideline on
how we can make it through the judgement.
(For a lovely, clear and detailed
understanding of what “fearing God,
giving glory, and true worship entails, I would highly recommend the following
presentations by Ps. Stephen Bohr:
- How to give glory to God: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltDRq2Zc4nE&list=PL6A480C40F7BA55A4&index=4
- The Hour of His judgement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4Z0rAAWIMU&index=5&list=PL6A480C40F7BA55A4)
For now, with
these points in mind, we may consider the words of James:
“So speak ye, and so do, as they
that shall be judged by the law of liberty.“ James 2:12.
Here we are given the idea that those who are being judged
are prescribed a certain way in which they are to order lives. This goes down
to the very words and actions. That way of life is one which is to be in line
with the law of liberty by which we are to be judged. The verse just prior this
one (verse11) illustrates that it is referring to the 10 commandments, this law is the
great standard in the judgement.
The verse which then follows gives a brief hint at what that
life entails:
“For he shall have judgment
without mercy, that hath shown no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.“ James 12:13.
Those who want to receive mercy in the time of Judgement
must live a life in which they themselves show mercy to others. As Jesus
states: “Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy” Matt. 5:7. It thus follows that if
satan wants to make sure that you and I do not receive mercy in the time of
judgement, that he would do all in his power make sure that we do not exercise
mercy in our lives.
For this reason, it is very crucial to have a clear
understanding of what mercy is and how we are to exercise it.
“Be ye therefore merciful, as
your Father also is merciful.” Luke 6:36.
A knowledge of God’s
mercy is important; for the very same way God exercises mercy is the way in
which we are to exercise it as those who wish to stand in the time of judgement
(This idea shall be more closely dwelt on in the segment “Mercy and the Final
Generation”).
What we want
to do then throughout this series of studies is to understand the idea of mercy
in 2 main respects:
1.
As it relates to the character of God, and how
it is a crucial part of our salvation that demands our attention, and
2.
Having understood that, to show the obligation
of mercy being a part of our own characters as those who are alive the hour of
God’s judgement (as those hoping to also obtain mercy).
God bless :)
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