Why are all these catastrophic events going to take place? Because mankind has decided throughout the ages that humans are in charge of themselves. Mankind denies that God even exists, much more that He reigns over us!
The fourth angel sounded, and a third of the sun and a third of the moon and a third of the stars were struck, so that a third of them would be darkened and the day would not shine for a third of it, and the night in the same way. Revelation 8:12
The fourth angel takes his trumpet and sounds it. One-third of the sun is struck so that it is darkened. One-third of the moon is struck and is darkened. One-third of the stars are struck and are darkened. The day will not shine for one-third of it and neither will the night.
Wow! Again, it is unimaginable to consider the horrific effects of this cataclysmic event. All life, vegetation downward and upward, will spiral out of their stable cycles. Sickness and death will increase phenomenally. The financial state of the globe will rock precariously.
And what is the purpose of it all? Each judgment is an outpouring of God’s righteous wrath against rebellion. Each judgment proclaims the truth—“God alone is in control! God is God!”
Each judgment is also an opportunity for salvation because it serves as a warning to individual men to repent, confess that God is God, confess that Jesus is the Christ of God, and call on Him for salvation from His wrath.
I can’t help but think of all the warnings that already God gives men. He shows them that their own path leads to death and destruction. He shows them the path of life—through Jesus Christ, His Son. He endlessly shows them truth about Himself in the very sun, moon, and stars He will one day destroy.
He makes truth about Himself evident within each and every person who has ever lived. Every person knows the truth about God because it is evident within them! Why? Because God made it evident to them! He made it evident to them within and without! Whether it was the plain, common sense awareness God put inside of each man to know that he could not have made the world himself—and that the Divine Being, God, the Lord, made it… Or whether it was the intricate, complicated world He set before him—man’s own complexity, the very rising of the sun each and every morning, or the vast display of the universe each night—every man knew the truth about God… God made sure that every man knew…
From the beginning, from the time of the creation of the world, truth about God has been clearly seen—it has been understood through the creation itself. And because men have not responded rightly to the truth about Him, His wrath is now on its way… He is sending it against all ungodly and unrighteous men who have unrighteously suppressed the truth He gave them. They will have no excuse against His wrath when it finally and completely comes upon them…
They know the truth about God, but they do not honor Him as God. They do not give thanks to Him as God. Instead, they speculate about God, higher beings, the source of life and all things known only to God. Their speculations are futile, empty, vain, dead-wrong… Because they suppress the truth God has given them and foolishly make things up, their foolish hearts are darkened. They are blinded by their own lies.
People think they are so very wise to “figure out” the “truth” about life, but instead, they become fools. They actually exchange the Glory of the incorruptible God for nothing more than an image—an image which is corruptible. The corruptible image of man, birds, four-footed animals, and crawling creatures. They throw away the Truth and make up a lie… They take the truth—the Glory of the incorruptible God—and throw it away. They replace it with a corruptible image. They replace God, Himself, with things He has created. Yes, they become fools, indeed!
So… God simply lets them believe what they want to believe—that God does not exist and would not have any right over them if He did. They want to believe they can do whatever they want to do, without any consequences. And because beliefs determine behavior, they dishonor their bodies with impurity.
They have the truth of God (because He has made it evident to them) and they trade it for a lie. They worship the creature instead of the Creator. They serve the creature rather than the Creator—the Creator, Who is blessed forever! How could they! How could anybody! But all have, and most still do…
Because they trade the truth of God for a lie, God lets them do what they want—they want to act out on all their degrading passions. Women exchange what is natural (desire for a man) for that which is unnatural (desire for another woman). Men abandon what is natural and instead burn in their desire toward other men. Men commit indecent acts with other men and end up receiving the penalty that is due for that error in their very own bodies.
They decide not to acknowledge God any longer—even though they once knew the truth about Him. And God lets them continue thinking just what they want to think. He lets them do what they want to do—things that are not proper. They become filled with unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, and evil. They become full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice. They become gossips and slanderers. They hate God. They are insolent, arrogant and boastful. They actually invent evil in order to do it. They are disobedient to their parents. They no longer have understanding. They are untrustworthy, unloving, and unmerciful.
They actually know the ordinance of God—they know that those who do the things they do are worthy of death, but they still do them. And rather than warning others of the danger of rebellion against God, they encourage others to do the things that will bring about their death.
Warnings are a good thing… if they are heeded…
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.
Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.
And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them. Romans 1:18–32
Like I said… warnings are a good thing… if they are heeded…
