A Cry for Repentance
- Ofon Ufot
- Aug 26, 2024
- 4 min read
Updated: Sep 19, 2024
“Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, “Go and pour out the bowls of the wrath of God on the earth. So the first went and poured out his bowl upon the earth, and a foul and loathsome sore came upon the men who had the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. Then the second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it became blood as of a dead man; and every living creature in the sea died.” Revelation, 16: 1-3, NKJV Bible.
The Book of Revelation is a Book that is a constant reminder of God’s faithfulness. It’s a prove that God does not want any to perish contrary to the comments many make, asking why a loving God would send any one to hell. It shows that hell was made for Satan and his angels. God gave the apostle John an insight as to what will happen at a future time to warn the world and keep the world from falling into the devil’s trap. He even mentions the type and nature of lifestyle that is likely to be a reason for condemnation. In other words, the Bible is a Book that has not only told us of how God started everything, but also how He hopes to end everything. As a Holy God, to bring about His new plan, He will have to remove everything that constitute sin in the present world. Therefore, He warns us to cease from such practices and repent of our sins. We warn people of the danger of alcohol but fail to warn of the consequences of sin.
When the children of Israel were slaves in Egypt, and God sent Moses to speak to Pharaoh to let the people go, several miraculous acts were performed by God through Moses and this was in the form of plagues. The Book of Revelation reveals various plagues that will be released on the earth against those who reject God and choose instead to serve Satan. The Bible says that when the plagues are released with the hope of bringing about a last minute repentance, many will ignore the call to repent and lift their fist up at God and curse Him over their pain and suffering. They will harden their hearts and choose to die rather than repent. A reminder of how Pharaoh chose to suffer the consequences of his pride than repent and let the people go, causing the suffering and loss of life of many. Moreover, it also shows that Pharaoh was warned of the plagues and the consequences of opposing God, but he chose his own way.
As many are slowly sleep-walking towards this terrible time in the history of our world for which we have been warned, God having provided a way of escape through the death and resurrection of Jesus; it brings to mind the lies of Satan in the Garden of Eden.
“Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, “You shall not eat of every tree of the garden? For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Genesis, 3: 1-5, NKJV.
Many have made themselves equal with God and have chosen to believe the lies of Satan, by ignoring the warnings of God. It was the same deception that caused Adam and Eve to fall into disobedience. What Satan did not inform them was that he had already tried God and failed, and was subsequently thrown out of heaven. In a world that claims to have all the answers, what many fail to realize is that Satan is real and he already knows the end that awaits him. As a matter of fact, he knows the good future for many destined for salvation but works to deceive them. This same cunning nature or craftiness is inherent in those Satan uses, in the form of witchcraft. Like what Satan did with the serpent, he uses people and works through them to confuse and destroy others. Whatever their ability to cause destruction to others, God in His mercy is warning them to repent and turn from such wicked acts as God is about to judge those who belong in the kingdom of darkness. In the Book of Genesis, Satan took possession of a serpent and operated through it. The serpent became cursed by God, as seen in Genesis chapter 3 verse 14.
As believers, we are not doing a good job denying the existence of such destructive elements. To pretend they do not exist is a trap especially when we consider that Europe in the Middle Ages was thrown into utter darkness by the practice of witchcraft and sorcery. God created hell for the final destruction of evil. We are about to witness a time very much like the Middle Ages, when wickedness will rule the day. The Bible calls for such practices to be exposed as denial only encourages them. The danger for us believers is that some of this is being presented as Christianity, as most of those who practice them are disguised as Christians. While they profess Christ with their lips, their actions and lifestyles lack the fruit of godliness. And as such, they drive the innocent away from the church and from God.
God desires that all should be saved. But the decision is with the individual. May we act while it is possible to make right decisions.
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