Crisis & Judgment

[Gus Foster]

Many of us are carefully watching the progress of our monetary system as well as the unrest of governments around the world. And so many of us are expecting judgment to fall on others, while being fearful of judgment upon ourselves; knowing that the hardest part of the salvation scenario is to stay in a state of penitence and faithfulness, while giving Jesus our full obedient mindset and attention.

While we may recognize that there are hard times prophesized before the second advent, we expect to be fully sanctified by crisis. It is interesting that many believe that crisis does not enhance a heart condition for salvation, such as we may refer to a type of fox-hole religion, but in reality further present conditions, such as the holy become more holy, and wicked become more wicked.

Adventist foundations declare that judgment has arrived, (Rev 14:7) and it is easy to point at Babylon and to overlook our own deficiencies and lackadaisical, Laodicean propensities. It does appear that David invited judgment for himself; Ps 35:24; Judge me according to Thy righteousness," and again in Ps 51:3 & 4, knowing that he was blameless because of God's righteousness for he knew as did Daniel judgment is in favor of the saints; see Dan 7:22.

My point is that many believe that the coming crisis will promote the gospel, and that could certainly be true. But I believe that the propagated gospel will bring about the end-time crisis, especially when that gospel is a living gospel within the soul and actions of God's saints. Persecution only exists and accentuates when provoked by holiness and righteousness, even within a greedy and perverse generation. Jesus, please judge me!