For the last two days, I have been having a great discussion with a guy on Facebook about the end of the age and Jesus coming back to the planet to wipe out all evil and establish his eternal kingdom of peace and righteousness. Although the guy I am talking with is not a Christian, the direction that our conversation is going in exposes an interesting truth that I had not given much thought to before:
The fact that Jesus and an army of resurrected believers are going to come down from the sky and wage a literal war on the Antichrist and kill him and his followers is offensive!
I understand now why Misty Edwards sings “God, I don’t wanna be offended when it’s all coming down!”
I have found myself defending the fact that God’s judgments are just and true. I have found myself defending the fact that Jesus & the resurrected Christians coming back as a literal army and murdering all of the unrepentant Satan worshipers left on the planet is actually the best thing that could happen. We’re talking about the great end times crusade, led by Jesus himself. The death toll will probably be in the billions.
I wonder how many Christians that Jesus is going to offend over the course of the next few years or decades as this message is preached… those that say it’s not God’s nature, it’s not his character, that God doesn’t kill people, that God is love…
The guy I was talking to said that the ironic part of all of this was that it was so contradictory to the teachings of Jesus, yet that was what made it interesting. But it’s really not contradictory at all! This is at the core of what Jesus taught on earth.
John 10:10
10The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
In order for us to have life to the fullest, all sin, evil, and wickedness have to be eradicated. We have thousands of years of history to prove that righteousness and peace cannot be established with sin still in the earth.
God loves us enough that he is sending Jesus back to establish his eternal kingdom, where there will be no more sorrow, pain, sickness, mourning, tears, or death! But in order to do that, he will have to take the axe to the root and remove Satan and his host of followers in the spiritual and natural realms. Demons, fallen angels, and humans who worship and serve them will all have to be kicked off the planet for good.
Think of it this way… What do we do with murderers, rapists, and child molesters? We lock them up in prison, and some of them we execute. We do not allow them to roam the earth free to victimize more innocent people. Why? Because we desire to live in peace and happiness apart from these horrible acts. Jesus has the same philosophy on the matter. It is God’s desire that no one would go to hell, but that all would repent and be saved and inherit eternal life. However, God gives us the free will to choose, and leaves us to our decision. What kind of God would he be if he left all acts of wickedness and evil unchecked and unpunished for all of eternity? We might accuse him of having flawed judgment. However, God’s judgments are just and true, and he will execute judgment on those who reject His love and choose wickedness. They will be imprisoned for eternity, and it is going to be really hot and miserable there. I’m glad I am saved by the grace of God and the blood of Jesus covers my sins!
Yet in the last days, as God is pouring out his judgments on the earth, some will get offended at him and fall away from their faith because they don’t understand what is going on. However, his judgment and wrath are really an expression of love towards the martyrs and all those who have overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony. I hate the thought of people dying and going to hell, but I hate the thought of children being sold into slavery and prostitution just as bad. As politically incorrect as it may be, the Spirit and the Bride say “Come!” Come, Lord Jesus, come!.