FUTURE JUDGMENT
Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake. —Revelations 8:5
The rolling thunder was loud and the ground shook from its rumblings. Bolts of lightning pierced the trees and ground with mighty cracking reverberations. This was not a time to be outside in the open, but to be inside and sheltered.
According to the verse above there will be a future judgment on this earth which the “peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake” indicate. These will be cataclysmic judgments. These judgments, preceded by an angel blowing a trumpet, tell us that “A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up” (Revelation 8:7), “A third of the sea turned into blood, a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed” (Revelation 8:8-9), “A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter” (Revelation 8:11), ”A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night” (Revelation 8: 12), Locust-like creatures that “had tails with stingers, like scorpions, and in their tails they had power to torment people for five months” (Revelation 9:1-11), “The number of the mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand. I heard their number. The horses and riders I saw in my vision looked like this: Their breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulfur. The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulfur. A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur that came out of their mouths” (Revelation 9:16-18) and still “The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk. Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.” (Revelation 9:16-21).
How sad that people will not even repent when these judgments take place. But, like today, they would rather live by “the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk. Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.”
Let us who know the Lord Jesus, who are sheltered from eternal judgment in Him, warn people about what will take place on this planet one day. But not only that, we need to warn them of the eternal judgment to come. Jesus came to save us from all this, to save us to a relationship with God through Him and to save us to eternal life. Heaven is a perfect place and all those who trust the Lord Jesus will be there. May that include you!
Dear Father, it is so sad that people will not trust You to have relationship with You through Jesus and to escape the judgment to come. Hope me to encourage people to trust Jesus and be saved from their sin and to a new life with Him.