God is loving, but in the words of C.S. Lewis, "He is not tame." One of the attributes of God is that He is righteous and does not tolerate unrighteousness. When it comes to evil and sin, He is not timid, and when God moves in justice, He does not hold back. In the book of Joel chapter 2, we are given a picture of a day when Jesus will return to the earth.
Sound the trumpet on Zion,
the Lord's sacred hill.
Warn everyone to tremble!
The judgment day of the Lord
is coming soon.
It will be dark and gloomy
with storm clouds overhead.
Troops will cover the mountains
like thunderclouds.
No army this powerful
has ever been gathered before
or will ever be again.
Joel 2:1–2 (CEV)
This day is coming. Jesus will come back to the earth to battle the world's darkness. He will take control of everything to accomplish His purposes. This gives believers hope! We can look forward to the day the enemy has no hold on the earth and humanity. Joel says it will be a sight to behold, that there has never been or will ever be anything like this great day.
Here's the question: If God can't stand unrighteousness or rebellion, why hasn't this day happened? What is He waiting for? Why is the evil of this world allowed to continue if God can end it in a matter of minutes?
Later in this same chapter, the prophet answers these questions.
12 The Lord said:
It isn't too late.
You can still return to me
with all your heart.
Start crying and mourning!
Go without eating.
13 Don't rip your clothes
to show your sorrow.
Instead, turn back to me
with broken hearts.
I am merciful, kind, and caring.
I don't easily lose my temper,
and I don't like to punish.
Joel 2:12–13 (CEV)
One of the other attributes of God is that He is merciful. He is allowing a time of repentance. His whole plan for humanity was fellowship which was broken when sin entered the picture. Christ provided the way of redemption through the atoning work of the cross. In the most basic understanding, repentance is when we return to God with all our hearts.
One day God's trumpet will sound, but even with that time approaching, He is a compassionate God, and His call is simple: "turn back to me." As we seek Him, we need to examine our hearts looking for places that are far from Him. We should turn back to Him and receive the free gift of His grace, mercy, and love.
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